The Supreme Spiritual Master

The Supreme Spiritual Master
His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself is actually the supreme spiritual master. The Supreme Lord knows everything about the suffering of the conditioned soul, and therefore He appears in this material world, sometimes personally, sometimes by an incarnation and sometimes by empowering a particular living being to act on His behalf. In all cases, however, He Himself is the original spiritual master who enlightens the conditioned souls who are suffering in the material world. The Lord is always actively helping the conditioned souls in many ways. Therefore, He is addressed here as paramo gurur bhavān, the supreme spiritual master. The representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who acts to disseminate Krishna con sciousness is personally guided by the Supreme Lord to act perfectly in executing His order. Such a person may appear to be an ordinary human being, but because he acts on behalf of the Supreme Per¬sonality of Godhead, the supreme spiritual master, he is not to be considered an ordinary person and thus inadequately respected. It is therefore said, ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt [SB 11.17.27]: an ācārya who acts on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead should be understood to be as good as the Supreme Lord Himself.
sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstrair
uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ
kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has advised that the spiritual master acting on the Supreme Lord’s behalf must be worshiped as being as good as the Supreme Lord, for he is the Lord’s most confiden¬tial servant, always actively broadcasting the Lord’s message for the benefit of the conditioned souls entangled here in the material world.
– Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) > Canto 8: Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creation > Chapter: Twenty Four: Matsya, The Lord’s Fish Incarnation, Verse: 46, Purport