"The Vedic injunction is that no one can have full knowledge without being under the guidance of an ācārya. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda: one who has accepted an ācārya knows what is what."
(Kṛṣṇa Book, Chapter 87)
"That is Vaiṣṇavism, or ācārya. Ācāryavan puruṣo veda. Unless we accept the ācārya in the paramparā system, we cannot understand things as they are. It is not possible."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Mayapur, March 9, 1974)
"That is the first thing, ācāryopāsanam. But these rascals, they do not do that. They have no ācārya; still, they write comment on Bhagavad-gītā. You see? This is the rascaldom. Ācāryopāsanam. One must go... Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. Unless one accepts ācārya, he does not know anything."
(Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, Bombay, March 30, 1974)
"Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān nāvamanyeta karhicit (SB 11.17.27). Ācārya is the representative of God. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo. If you offer prayers, honor to the ācārya, then Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is pleased. To please Him you have to please His representative. 'If you love me, love my dog.' And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said ācāryopāsanam (BG 13.8-12). Ācāryopāsanam. We have to worship the ācārya."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Hyderabad, August 19, 1976)
"So Kṛṣṇa says that ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān (SB 11.17.27): 'You accept ācārya as I am.' Why? I see that he is a man. His sons call him father, or he looks like a man, so why he should be as good as God? Because he speaks as God speaks, that's all. Therefore. He does not make any change. Just like God says, Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), the guru says that you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, or God. The same word. God says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Guru says that you always think of Kṛṣṇa, you surrender unto Him, you offer Him prayer, you become His devotee. There is no change. Because he says as the Supreme Personality says, therefore he is guru. Even though you see that he is materially born, his behavior is like other men, but because he says the same truth as it is spoken in the Vedas or by the Personality of Godhead, therefore he is guru. Because he does not make any change whimsically, therefore he is guru. That is the definition. It is very simple."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Hyderabad, August 19, 1976)
"Yes. We are not perfect. We can speculate only and that is not perfection. 'Maybe,' 'perhaps,' like that. No definite knowledge. The definite knowledge you can get from Kṛṣṇa, the perfect. Therefore all the ācāryas accept Kṛṣṇa. We have to follow the ācāryas, ācāryopāsanam. So in India all these ācāryas, Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Lord Caitanya, they accept Kṛṣṇa the supreme absolute. Why you should not? Are you more than these ācāryas? Then?"
(Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation, Atlanta, March 2, 1975)
"So if you insult your ācārya, then you are finished. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasya aprasādāt na gatiḥ kuto 'pi—finished. If you displease your ācārya, then you are finished. Therefore it is said, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says to all the ācāryas... Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu and śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda, they are all carriers of orders of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So try to follow the path of ācārya process. Then life will be successful."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Mayapur, April 6, 1975)
"All the ācāryas, they say like that. Ācāryam māṁ vijānīyāt. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.14.2): 'One who has accepted ācārya, he knows things as they are.' Others, they do not know. It is not possible."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Mayapur, April 6, 1975)
"You follow one ācārya, like Christians, they follow Christ, ācārya. The Muhammadans, they follow ācārya, Muhammad. That is good. You must follow some ācārya. But don't give your opinion. That is our process. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam. Just see."
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, Melbourne, May 20, 1975)
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