Prabhupada, Vrndavana, November 30, 1976:…You cannot get Krishna by studying Vedas. That is not possible. There is Krishna in the Vedas, but you cannot pick up. It is not possible. But if you go to the Krishna’s favorite person… Kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya.
Krishna’s very dear servant, confidential servant, is guru. Nobody can become guru unless he is in confidence of Krishna. Na ca tasmad manusyesu kascid me priya-krttamah. These things are there. Not that by magic one can become guru. No. He must be…Samsara davanala-lidha-loka-tranaya karunya-ghanaghanatvam, praptasya kalyana.
Everything is there in the sastra. We have to see whether a person is actually bona fide agent of Krishna. Then we accept him as guru. Otherwise useless waste of time. Gurur apy avaliptasya karyakaryam ajanatah.
Guru is very confidential servant…Saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih. Guru is saksad hari; there is no distinction between guru and Krishna. Just like if you have got some business with a very big man, when his representative comes, you treat him as the same person because he is authorized agent. That is natural.
Just like in India during British days, the governor general, viceroy—his name was viceroy—so people treated him exactly like the king, viceroy, in place of the king. Although he was a servant, but still, the honor was given to him just like the king. His dress was like king. He was given honor like king.
Wherever he would go, he was received like the king. But he is not king. He does not say that “I am king,” but his honor is like the king. Full Lecture
