A person from any varëa or äçrama can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Kåñëa:
kibä vipra, kibä nyäsé, çüdra kene naya yei kåñëa-tattva-vettä, sei ‘guru’ haya
“Whether one is a brähmaëa, a sannyäsé, or a çüdra-regardless of what he is-he can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Kåñëa.”
PURPORT: This verse is very important to the Kåñëa consciousness movement. In his Amåta-praväha-bhäñya, Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura explains that one should not think that because Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu was born a brähmaëa and was situated in the topmost spiritual order as a sannyäsé, it was improper for Him to receive instructions from Çréla Rämänanda Räya, who belonged to the çüdra caste.
To clarify this matter, Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu informed Rämänanda Räya that knowledge of Kåñëa consciousness is more important than caste. In the system of varëäçrama-dharma there are various duties for the brähmaëas, kñatriyas and çüdras. Actually the brähmaëa is supposed to be the spiritual master of all other varëas or sects, but as far as Kåñëa consciousness is concerned, everyone is capable of becoming a spiritual master because knowledge in Kåñëa consciousness is on the platform of the spirit soul. To spread Kåñëa consciousness, one need only be cognizant of the science of the spirit soul.
It does not matter whether one is a brähmaëa, kñatriya, vaiçya, çüdra, sannyäsé, gåhastha or whatever. If one simply understands this science, he can become a spiritual master.... If one understands the truth of Kåñëa consciousness and seriously desires to attain transcendental knowledge for the perfection of life, he can accept a spiritual master from any social status, provided the spiritual master is fully conver-sant with the science of Kåñëa. Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura also states that although one
is situated as a brähmaëa, kñatriya, vaiçya, çüdra, brahmacäré, vänaprastha, gåhastha or sannyäsé, if he is conversant in the science of Kåñëa he can become a spiritual master as vartma-pradarçaka-guru, dékñä-guru or çikñä-dékñä-guru.... This injunction given by Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu is not at all against the injunc-tions of the çästras. In the Padma Puräëa it is said:
na çüdrä bhagavad-bhaktäs te ‘pi bhägavatottamäù sarva-varëeñu te çüdrä ye na bhaktä janärdane
One who is actually advanced in spiritual knowledge of Kåñëa is never a çüdra, even though he may have been born in a çüdra family. However, if a vipra or a brähmaëa is very expert in the six brahmini-cal activities (paöhana, päöhana, yajana, yäjana, däna, pratigraha) and is also well versed in the Vedic hymns, he cannot become a spiritual master unless he is a Vaiñëava. But if one is born in the family of caëòälas yet is well versed in Kåñëa consciousness, he can become a guru.... Unless we accept the prin-ciple enunciated by Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, this Kåñëa consciousness movement cannot spread all over the world. According to Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s intentions: påthivéte äche yata nagarädi-gräma/
sarvatra pracära haibe mora näma. Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s cult must be preached all over the world.
This does not mean that people should take to His teachings and remain çüdras or caëòälas. As soon as one is trained as a pure Vaiñëava, he must be accepted as a bona fide brähmana. This is the essence of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s instructions in this verse.
Çré Caitanya-caritämåta Madhya-lélä 8.128
Knowledge of Kåñëa, not birth, qualifies one as a spiritual master:
Süta Gosvämé did not take his birth in a brähmaëa family. He was born in a family of mixed caste, or an uncultured low family. But because of higher association, like Çré Çukadeva Gosvämé and the great åñis of Naimiñäraëya, certainly the disqualification of inferior birth was washed off. Lord Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu followed this principle in pursuance of the Vedic usages, and by His transcendental as-sociation He elevated many lowborn, or those disqualified by birth or action, to the status of devotional service and established them in the position of äcäryas, or authorities. He clearly states that any man, whatever he may be, whether a brähmaëa or çüdra by birth, or a householder or mendicant in the order of society, if he is conversant with the science of Kåñëa, he can be accepted as an äcärya or guru, a spiritual master.
Çrémad-Bhägavatam 1.18.18 Transcendental knowledge, not birth, qualifies one as a spiritual master:
Vidura, born in the womb of a çüdra woman, was forbidden even to be a party of royal heritage with his brothers Dhåtaräñöra and Päëòu. Then how could he occupy the post of a preacher to instruct such learned kings and kñatriyas as Dhåtaräñöra and Mahäräja Yudhiñöhira? The first answer is that even though it is accepted that he was a çüdra by birth, because he renounced the world for spiritual en-lightenment by the authority of Åñi Maitreya and was thoroughly educated by him in transcendental knowledge, he was quite competent to occupy the post of an äcärya, or spiritual preceptor. According to Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, anyone who is conversant in the transcendental knowledge, or the science of Godhead, be he a brähmaëa or a çüdra, a householder or a sannyäsé, is eligible to become a spiritual master.
Even in the ordinary moral codes (maintained by Cäëakya Paëòita, the great politician and moralist) there is no harm in taking lessons from a person who may be by birth less than a çüdra.
Çrémad-Bhägavatam 1.13.15
Regardless of social position, if one is advanced in Kåñëa consciousness, he may become a spiritual master:
Cäëakya Paëòita advises, nécäd apy uttamaà jïänam: one may accept education from a member of a lower social order. The brähmaëas, the members of the most elevated varëa, are teachers, but a person in a lower family, such as a family of kñatriyas, vaiçyas or even çüdras, may be accepted as a teacher if he has knowledge. Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu approved of this when He expressed this opinion before Rämänanda Räya (Çré Caitanya-caritämåta Madhya-lélä 8.128): kibä vipra, kibä nyäsé, çüdra kene naya/
yei kåñëa-tattva-vettä, sei ‘guru’ haya. It does not matter whether one is a brähmaëa, çüdra, gåhastha or sannyäsé. These are all material designations. A spiritually advanced person has nothing to do with such designations. Therefore, if one is advanced in the science of Kåñëa consciousness, regardless of his position in human society, he may become a spiritual master.
Çrémad-Bhägavatam 6.7.33 Knowledge of the science of Kåñëa, not material identity, is the qualification to become a guru:
Being the wife of a great yogé, Devahüti understood her constitutional position; therefore she is plac-ing her problem before her son, Kapiladeva, an incarnation of God. Although Kapiladeva is her son, Devahüti does not hesitate to take instructions from Him. She does not say, “Oh, He is my son. What can He tell me? I am His mother, and I shall instruct Him.” Instruction has to be taken from one who is in knowledge. It doesn’t matter what his position is, whether he is a son, a boy, a çüdra, brähmaëa, sannyäsé or gåhastha. One should simply learn from one who knows.... This is Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s teaching. Whoever is qualified in Kåñëa consciousness can become a guru. His family or material identity does not matter. He simply must know the science. When we consult an engineer, a doctor or a lawyer, we do not ask whether he is a brähmaëa or a çüdra. If he is qualified, he can help with a particu-lar subject. Simiparticu-larly, if one knows the science of Kåñëa, he can be a guru. Devahüti was taking lessons from her son because He knew the science of Kåñëa.... Thus it is not birth that is important, but quali-fication. Caitanya Mahäprabhu wanted everyone in India to know the science of Kåñëa and preach Kåñëa consciousness. This is very simple. We need only repeat what Kåñëa has said or what has been said about Kåñëa in the Vedic literatures.
Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahuti
Knowledge of the science of Kåñëa, not birth or social position, is the qualification to become a bona fide spiritual master:
Whatever position one may have, if he is fully conversant with the science of Kåñëa, Kåñëa conscious-ness, he can become a bona fide spiritual master, initiator or teacher of the science. In other words, one can become a bona fide spiritual master if he has sufficient knowledge of the science of Kåñëa, Kåñëa consciousness. The position does not depend on a particular position in society or on birth. This is the conclusion of Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu, and it is in accordance with the Vedic injunctions. On the strength of this conclusion, Lord Caitanya, previously known as Visvambhara, accepted a spiritual master, Éçvara Puré, who was a sannyäsé. Similarly, Lord Nityänanda Prabhu and Çré Advaita Äcärya also accepted another sannyäsé as Their spiritual master, Mädhavendra Puré.... Similarly, another great äcärya, Çré Rasikänanda, accepted Çré Çyämänanda as his spiritual master, although he was not born of a brähmaëa family. So also Gangä-näräyaëa Cakravarté accepted Narottama däsa Öhäkura as spiritual master. In ancient days there was even a hunter named Dharma, who become a spiritual master for many people.... All çästric injunctions, as well as the versions of great sages and authorities, establish that a bona fide spiritual master is not necessarily a brähmaëa. The only qualification is that he be conversant with the science of Kåñëa, Kåñëa consciousness. That alone makes one perfectly eligible to become a spiritual master. This is the conclusion of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu in His discussions with Rämänanda Räya.
Teachings of Lord Caitanya
The Hari-bhakti-viläsa injunction to accept a bona fide brähmaëa spiritual master before a bona fide çüdra spiritual master is only applicable to those who consider social status more important than spiritual status:
In the Hari-bhakti-viläsa it is stated that if one bona fide spiritual master is born in a brähmaëa family and another, who is also qualified, is born in a çüdra family, one should accept the one who is born in a brähmaëa family. This statement serves as a social compromise, but it has nothing to do with spiritual understanding. This injunction is only applicable for those who consider social status more important than spiritual status. It is not for people who are spiritually serious. A serious person would accept Cait-anya Mahäprabhu’s instruction that anyone-regardless of his position-conversant with Kåñëa science must be accepted as the spiritual master.
Teachings of Lord Caitanya A spiritual master must know the conclusion of the Vedas—the science of Kåñëa:
The main qualification of a brähmaëa is to be inclined to the Vedic wisdom.... A real brähmaëa is the natural teacher or spiritual master. Unless one has Vedic knowledge, one cannot become a spiritual master. The perfect knowledge of the Vedas is to know the Lord, the Personality of Godhead, and that is the end of Vedic knowledge, or Vedänta. One who is situated in the impersonal Brahman and has information of the Supreme Personality of Godhead may become a brähmaëa, but he cannot become a spiritual master. It is said in the Padma Puräëa:
ñaö-karma-nipuëo vipro mantra-tantra-viçäradaù
avaiñëavo gurur na syäd vaiñëavaù çva-paco guruù
An impersonalist can become a qualified brähmaëa, but he cannot become a spiritual master unless and until he is promoted to the stage of a Vaiñëava, or a devotee of the Personality of Godhead. Lord Cait-anya, the great authority of Vedic wisdom in the modern age, stated:
kibä vipra, kibä nyäsé, çüdra kene naya yei kåsëa-tattva-vettä, sei ‘guru’ haya
A person may be a brähmaëa or a çüdra or a sannyäsé, but if he happens to be well versed in the science of Kåñëa, then he is fit to become a spiritual master. (Çré Caitanya-caritämåta Madhya-lélä 8.128) The qualification, then, of a spiritual master is not to be a qualified brähmaëa, but to be well versed in the science of Kåñëa.
One who is conversant with Vedic wisdom is a brähmaëa. And only a brähmaëa who is a pure Vaiñëava and knows all the intricacies of the science of Kåñëa can become a spiritual master.
Çrémad-Bhägavatam 3.6.30