Srila
Prabhupada
He built a house in which the whole world can live.
— ISKCON Founder
Who is a Guru?
A spiritual master is the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, descended from the spiritual world to reclaim fallen souls. The word Guru means "heavy"—heavy with Vedic knowledge.
Enlightenment
Everyone is in the darkness of ignorance. One who enlightens his disciple and saves him from rotting in this darkness is a true guru.
Liberation
A guru should be approached not for material benefit, but for the purpose of getting liberated from the pangs of material existence.
Srimad Bhagavatam (11.3.21)
tasmad gurum prapadyeta
jijnasuh shreya uttamam
shabde pare ca nishnatam
brahmany upashamashrayam
"Any person who seriously desires to achieve real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation."
Confidential Associate
A bona fide spiritual master is a very confidential associate of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. On the order of the Supreme Lord, he teaches people about reestablishing their forgotten relationship with God.
A guru is also known as Acharya—one who knows the import of Vedic literature, abides by it, and teaches by his own example.
Srila Prabhupada is the 32nd spiritual master descending in the glorious Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya.
”The Founder-Acharya