The Qualities of a Spiritual Master

What qualities should a spiritual master have? The shruti and smriti contain a great deal of information about what a genuine guru is like and what qualities he must possess. The Padma Purana (6.253.26) says:

mahā-bhāgavata-śreṣṭho brāhmaṇo vai gurur nṛṇām

“It is best for a person if his guru is a saintly, highly spiritual personality.”

Qualities of a Spiritual Master According to the Shastras

Interesting information about the qualities a true teacher should have is found in scriptures such as the Sri Mantra-muktavali, Agastya-samhita, Tattva-sagara, Narada-pancharatra and Hari-bhakti-vilasa. They give the following characteristics of a guru:

Grihita-vishnu-dikshakah—he has a teacher of his own, who gave him initiation

This is a very important point. One should not accept as a teacher someone who has no teacher. Before listening to someone and accepting the instructions of the Vedas from him, you need to make sure that this person is devoted to his own teacher and does not act on his own authority.

Sarva-shastra-vit—he knows the Vedic scriptures very well

This is obvious: to speak on the basis of the scriptures, one has to know them. Such are the essential qualities of a spiritual master.

Ashrami—he belongs to one of the four orders of life

There are four orders of life (ashramas): family people (grihasthas) and renunciants (brahmacharis, vanaprasthas and sannyasis). One may accept as a teacher either a monk or a person who is lawfully married and follows the Vedic rules and regulations meant for householders. In other words, if a person is not lawfully married, or is not a monk attached to one temple or another—if such a person is on his own, without a family and without a temple—this disqualifies him as a teacher.

Priya-vak—pleasant speech

He does not use slang in his vocabulary, though he can speak sternly.

Priya-darshanah—pleasant appearance

Neatness and cleanliness have always distinguished genuine followers of Vedic culture.

Nigraha-anugraha shaktah—he knows how to discipline and how to encourage

A teacher should not always be patting his disciple on the head. A genuine teacher knows how to combine the carrot and the stick.

Anugraha—he is compassionate

Compassion means that he feels pain when others suffer.

Sat-kriya-parah—he is dedicated to a pious way of life

The standard of purity and moral conduct of such a person must be very high.

How Can One Recognize a True Spiritual Master?

In Sanskrit there are two verbs that define the activity of teachers who pass on knowledge:

• Prachar. This refers to a person who conveys knowledge to people. Traveling from one city to another, he gives lectures, holds seminars and offers consultations from the standpoint of Vedic knowledge. This is prachar.
• Achar. This refers to a person who behaves as the Vedas prescribe. Day after day he embodies the Vedic instructions in his own life. He is strict with himself and therefore always happy. This is achar.

A true teacher unites both of these categories in himself. The words of such a person do not diverge from his thoughts and deeds. Deeds and qualities of character are far more important than words. Here the wonderful words of Saint Francis are fitting: “Preach always, everywhere, at every moment, and if necessary, use a few words.” That is why a genuine teacher is called an acharya—one who teaches by his own example.

The Sanskrit word acharya means “teacher.” In Vedic works the word acharya can refer to various kinds of teachers, from a schoolteacher to the spiritual leader of an entire era. In its highest sense, acharya means “a great teacher,” one who has proved the truth of Vedic wisdom by the example of his wonderful life. An acharya is a great saint.

The Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu (1.2.17) describes the perfect personality as follows:

śāstre yuktau ca nipuṇaḥ
sarvathā dṛḍha-niścayaḥ
prauḍha-śraddho ’dhikārī yaḥ
sa bhaktāv uttamo mataḥ

One who is expert in logic and in understanding the revealed scriptures, and who always has firm conviction and deep faith that is not blind, is to be considered a topmost devotee in devotional service.

Such acharyas are qualified to write commentaries on the scriptures. They are the best of teachers. Not many personalities of such caliber are born on this planet. The Bhagavad-gita says that such a soul is very rare: sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (7.19).

How Does a Genuine Spiritual Master, an Acharya, Behave?

The conduct of an acharya has the force of law for his followers. The way an acharya behaves, as well as the conduct he recognizes as right, is the standard for the community of people who follow him. If we cannot understand how to act in a given situation, if we cannot find the answer to our question in the scriptures but want to act rightly, we can follow the example of the acharya. Various dharma-shastras say that the conduct of authoritative teachers may be regarded as the standard of moral conduct for the whole of society.

A great acharya is able to change the hearts of his followers. The chance to come into contact with such a personality through his books, recorded lectures and so on is the greatest good fortune. That is why studying the works of the acharyas is as good as studying the Vedas. Often it is even better, since the acharyas express themselves in far more accessible language.

The Qualities of the Great Acharyas

The scriptures contain many texts that list the qualities of the great acharyas. In the second chapter of the Bhagavad-gita (2.54), Arjuna asks his question: “O Kṛṣṇa, what are the symptoms of one whose consciousness is thus merged in transcendence? How does he speak, and what is his language? How does he sit, and how does he walk?” In reply he hears this description of a saint:

In the twenty-fifth chapter of the Third Canto of the Bhagavata Purana the qualities of a saintly person are listed: tolerance, mercy, friendliness toward every living being, the absence of any hostile attitude toward others, peacefulness, strict adherence to the scriptures, strong devotion to God, and so on.

We need to learn not merely to study books, but to follow the best of people, the acharyas. The Mahabharata says in this regard: mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ, “One should follow in the footsteps of the mahajanas, the great personalities.”

What Disqualifies a Person as a Teacher?

Bahv-ashi—he eats a lot

A wise person knows how to control his senses and therefore does not overeat. Lack of wisdom shows itself in an inability to control one’s senses.

Hetu-vada-ratah—he is fond of arguing

Shortsighted people like to argue. Arguments pollute one’s state of consciousness. A wise person may allow himself to argue, but only when there is a real need.

He does not believe in God

The scriptures also say that a teacher must not be an atheist (na guruḥ syād avaiṣṇavaḥ). An unbeliever can always fall prey to temptation and make a deal with his conscience. But if a teacher is devoted to God, he understands that his responsibility to his disciple is his responsibility to God. Therefore such a teacher will never let his disciple down and will always try to take the best possible care of him.

How Does a Pseudo-Teacher Behave?

There are various kinds of pseudo-teachers. Some of them do not know the Vedas but pass themselves off as experts. They may speak or write beautifully and have charisma, yet simply not know the scriptures. Having read one or two books, they fancy themselves great, misleading those who come into contact with them and passing off as Vedic what is not.

Others know the Vedic texts but interpret them in their own way in order to profit from their followers, or they preach false philosophies. This is a more dangerous lot. They have spent a lot of time studying the scriptures, perhaps even grown a beard, learned Sanskrit and quote it. But in fact they are like a wormy apple, which sometimes looks beautiful and tasty on the outside, while inside there are worms and rot.

One should examine the qualities of character that a lecturer or teacher displays. If he says one thing but does another, then he is not a teacher but a hypocrite, and his company should be avoided.

Charlatans have existed in every age, including 5,000 years ago, when Vyasa was writing down the Vedic works. That is why it is emphasized that the disciple himself is responsible for choosing a teacher. Before trusting completely, one should test the guru—but do so humbly.

How Can One Decide on a Teacher?

A question may arise: why do some people go on for many years unable to choose the authorities they will follow? Why does someone study various spiritual movements and take up various practices, yet never find a true teacher, meeting imperfect people again and again?

If after many years of searching a person still has not found a worthy teacher… If everyone around him turns out, again and again, to be imperfect, a very simple conclusion can be drawn: such a seeker of truth is too proud to find anyone in this world better than himself.

The search for a teacher and the testing of him should not turn into a justification for one’s own pride. A teacher should be tested, but one should not idealize his personality too much. It may well be that some visible shortcomings still remain in a teacher. The situation is made worse by the fact that, by a law of nature, our own faults are reflected in other people. Because of this we are often unable to see the good in those around us, including our teachers. So one should not be too fault-finding about the qualities of a spiritual master.

We can be taught by someone who has not yet attained perfection but stands a few steps higher than we do. To learn physics, you do not have to study directly under Albert Einstein. To learn the Vedic way of life, you do not have to receive knowledge directly from a great acharya. What is needed is to be sincere and to make every effort to follow humbly in the footsteps of the acharya.

Find a Teacher Who Knows the Subject Better Than You

We need to find someone who surpasses us in development, who has passed through the stages we only hope to reach. Such a teacher should be a sincere person who follows in the footsteps of his own guru. Perhaps he has not yet attained perfection. Perhaps he has some shortcomings, but he is sincerely striving on his path.

From all this we arrive at an important conclusion. Sincere efforts to pass on the teaching of one’s own teacher, based on the Vedas and without distortion, are the main qualification of a guru. A true guru is first and foremost a true disciple. If we are listening to someone’s instructions, we should find out whose disciple he is and whom he follows.