Dear Guru Mahārāja, All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Please accept my humble obeisances.

CC Ādi 1.35, purport

Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī advises that one not accept a spiritual master in terms of hereditary or customary social and ecclesiastical conventions. One should simply try to find a genuinely qualified spiritual master for actual advancement in spiritual understanding.

My understanding of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s statement, where he cites Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, is that a sincere seeker who is ready to accept a spiritual master should not do so on the basis of hereditary succession (birth, dynasty, nationality), customary or social conventions, or ecclesiastical and institutional procedures.

It seems to me that accepting a guru is an intimate and deeply personal spiritual relationship, founded on realization, qualification, and genuine guidance in Kṛṣṇa-bhakti — not merely on social structure or organizational authorization.

At the same time, within ISKCON there is a formal institutional process by which one is recommended, evaluated, and approved to act as a dīkṣā-guru. This creates some uncertainty in my mind about how to reconcile that structured procedure with the principle that accepting a spiritual master should not be based on ecclesiastical conventions.

From this question, several other challenges seem to arise. One example is whether a jīva-ātmā in a female body could act as an initiating spiritual master.

That is my specific doubt here. Since I try to follow Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words carefully and faithfully, I would very much appreciate your comments and guidance on this matter.

Thank you!

In an attempt to be your servant,

Namacarya Das

HpS - AgtSP.

What comes to our mind is that a baby should not accept milk from a nanny goat.

In the beginning it is not so much of an intimate relationship, no?

Somebody is offering us a ripple and the result is good.

We take Prabhupada at path-pradarsika Guru and become intimate enough to get Baptized by him.

He does not require blind faith.

As long as he is advancing us, we agree to follow the process.

Then we see him from the level of Brahman, then paramatma, then bhagavan, then brajabasi

Narada muni can direct us to Radha kunda but cannot go there.

The institution is like Nanda Maharaja's village.

They are formalities but not without meaning.

When proper even the institutional authorities know that these are roles they play and behind them are there personal friendships and dealings in the community.

O. K.?

One step forward?

The Gopis Attracted by the Flute of Krsna?