tÄá¹…re Å›ikhÄilÄ saba vaiṣṇavera dharma
bhÄgavata-Ädi Å›Ästrera yata gÅ«á¸ha marma
tÄá¹…re - unto him (SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ«); Å›ikhÄilÄ - the Lord taught him; saba - all; vaiṣṇavera - of the devotees; dharma - regular activities; bhÄgavata - ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam; Ädi - beginning with; Å›Ästrera - of the revealed scriptures; yata - all; gÅ«á¸ha - confidential; marma - purpose.
On the basis of scriptures like ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam, which reveal these confidential directions, ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu instructed SanÄtana GosvÄmÄ« regarding all the regular activities of a devotee.
In the paramparÄ system, the instructions taken from the bona fide spiritual master must also be based on revealed Vedic scriptures. One who is in the line of disciplic succession cannot manufacture his own way of behavior. There are many so-called followers of the Vaiṣṇava cult in the line of Caitanya MahÄprabhu who do not scrupulously follow the conclusions of the Å›Ästras, and therefore they are considered to be apa-sampradÄya, which means “outside of the sampradÄya.†Some of these groups are known as Äula, bÄula, kartÄbhajÄ, neá¸Ä, daraveÅ›a, sÄá¹…i, sahajiyÄ, sakhÄ«bhekÄ«, smÄrta, jÄta-gosÄñi, ativÄá¸Ä«, cÅ«á¸ÄdhÄrÄ« and gaurÄá¹…ga-nÄgarÄ«. In order to follow strictly the disciplic succession of Lord Caitanya MahÄprabhu, one should not associate with these apasampradÄya communities.
One who is not taught by a bona fide spiritual master cannot understand the Vedic literature. To emphasize this point, Lord Kṛṣṇa, while instructing Arjuna, clearly said that it was because Arjuna was His devotee and confidential friend that he could understand the mystery of the Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ. It is to be concluded, therefore, that one who wants to understand the mystery of revealed scriptures must approach a bona fide spiritual master, hear from him very submissively and render service to him. Then the import of the scriptures will be revealed. It is stated in the Vedas (ÅšvetÄÅ›vatara Up. 6.23):
yasya deve parÄ bhaktir yathÄ deve tathÄ gurau
tasyaite kathitÄ hy arthÄ prakÄÅ›ante mahÄtmanaḥ
“The real import of the scriptures is revealed to one who has unflinching faith in both the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the spiritual master.†ŚrÄ«la Narottama dÄsa ṬhÄkura advises, sÄdhu-Å›Ästra-guru-vÄkya, há¹›daye kariyÄ aikya. The meaning of this instruction is that one must consider the instructions of the sÄdhu, the revealed scriptures and the spiritual master in order to understand the real purpose of spiritual life. Neither a sÄdhu (saintly person or Vaiṣṇava) nor a bona fide spiritual master says anything that is beyond the scope of the sanction of the revealed scriptures. Thus the statements of the revealed scriptures correspond to those of the bona fide spiritual master and saintly persons. One must therefore act with reference to these three important sources of understanding.
