Pariprashnena — Q&A Archive

There are examples of uttama-adhikaris:
uttama-uttama Sukadeva Goswami
madhyama-uttama Srila Vyasadeva
kanitstha-uttama Sri Narada (when he was the son of the maidservant and attained darsan of the Supreme)

now if anyone comes to me tell me that he is uttama guru, I would rather choose madhyama guru who is honest about himself. Seen too many cheaters, probably the worst thing is to have a pretender guru, rather then honest madhyama.

Of course some say that there are many equal to Sukadeva Goswami. We all know the story when he was contrasted with his father.

Yes, a madhyama adhikari is a preacher, so he makes a good guru.

Since a madhyama adhikari is always preaching, you can also compare what he is preaching with other sadhus and shastra. If he is a guru he probably also follows a strict sadhana, giving a good example.
The qualities of a madhyama adhikari can always be reviewed in the scriptures, and one can check if the prospective guru display those qualities outwardly.

Uttama adhikaris are rare, and since they see everyone as engaged in Krishnas service, why should they accept disciples? An uttama adhikare might also not follow what is considered a good or practical sadhana for newcomers. You cant figure out if what he does is ok or not.
If someone says he is the highest devotee, there is also a big chance that he is a cheater.

There are lower and higher grade madyama adhikaris. A more experienced and advanced probably is a better teacher and guru.

I used to think that a madhyama-adhikari guru is fine, as long as he is still advancing on the spiritual path and reaches the goal and eventually manifests the qualities of an uttama-adhikari. But today I read something that has changed my opinion. I read that one who doesn'92t have the required qualities but '91engages'92 followers in worship expecting that such qualities will manifest in the future has an incorrect understanding. And praising such as person as having qualities that he doesn'92t possess is not praise but an insult.

Srimad Bhagavatam 4.15.23, purport
'93Although Pruc0u803 thu Mahu257 ru257 ja was factually an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he rejected those praises because the qualities of the Supreme Person were not yet manifest in him. He wanted to stress that one who does not actually possess these qualities should not try to engage his followers and devotees in offering him glory for them, even though these qualities might be manifest in the future. If a man who does not factually possess the attributes of a great personality engages his followers in praising him with the expectation that such attributes will develop in the future, that sort of praise is actually an insult.'94

It brings to mind an analogy Prabhupada would use: only a man with $100 can give you $100. If he only has $10, how can he give you $100? Practically speaking, before we glorify our guru as one who can take us above and beyond the three modes, the guru should be above and beyond the three modes. Otherwise, glorifying the guru in this way is not only an insult to them, it indicates sentimentalism and/or fanaticism in ourselves and perpetuates misinformation among the innocent.

[quote][cite] deena:[/cite] I read that one who doesn'92t have the required qualities but '91engages'92 followers in worship expecting that such qualities will manifest in the future has an incorrect understanding. And praising such as person as having qualities that he doesn'92t possess is not praise but an insult.[/quote]

Thats correct. But madhyama does have the qualities that are required to be guru. Some uttama however do not.

I got this from another forum might add to the discussion here, any comments:

The Bhagavata Vaisnava tradition classifies pure bhaktas/devotees/spiritualists in three ascending categories:
1. kanistha adhikari
2. madhyama adhikari
3. uttama adhikari

The definitions of these three categories are as follows:

The kanistha adhikari, however a pure devotee and sincere spiritualist, is still limited in vision and therefore sees spirituality/religion in a more or less material way; he feels he is belonging to a specific group of spiritualists and feels loyalty to them, and he feels that only the specific form of God he is attracted to is worthy of worship.
He feels compassion for the physical and mental sufferings of people, he gives charity to those who need food and medicine, and in general he tries to patch up situations so that people will feel happy.

The madhyama adhikari is able to see the difference between transcendence and material identification (even when applied to religious identification and attachment). He is able to appreciate the devotion and realisations of others and the transcendental nature of the forms of the Divine that are different from his own ista devata.
He '93makes friends with devotees'94 (of all kinds) and keeps a distance from basket cases that show no hope of recovering the proper consciousness.
He feels compassion for the living entities'92 sufferings in a wider perspective, not only in their immediate circumstances but according to a larger scale of time and cause-effect relationships. In other words, he feels more compassion for the criminal than for the victim of a crime.
This kind of compassion is much more effective because it acts on the roots of the problems rather than on the external branches, and by trying to prevent the bad karma it automatically prevents the ensuing sufferings.

The uttama adhikari is completely situated on the transcendental level and sees the ignorance, illusion, fear and sufferings of materially identified people as nothing more than a bad dream.
His compassion is not for the immediate sufferings of others (which he sees as necessary to wake up the soul and destroy delusions), but for the ignorance and illusion that are the root cause of such sufferings, and therefore focuses on distributing knowledge and helping people to become aware of Reality - sat, cit, ananda.
The uttama adhikari is the perfect model of realised soul in all spiritual traditions; he is advaitin with the advaitins, bhagavata with the bhagavatas, Vaisnava with the Vaisnavas, Saiva with the Saivas and Sakta with the Saktas. Not because he is confused, but because he sees that all different forms of the Divine and all different realisations of the Divine are integral parts of the beautiful Reality. And at the same time he never loses sight of his own ista devata.
He is the only one who can really appreciate God, and this appreciation makes him ONE with God (visate tad anantaram, Gita 18.55). This '93merging'94 thing is impossible to understand for people who maintain a material identification; it is neither '93personalistic'94 nor '93impersonalistic'94, because the Paramatma is the soul of our soul.

It is my understanding that an uttama adhikari must place himself on the madhyama adhikari platform to preach.

"However, even if a devotee is in the uttama-bh'e4gavata status he must come down to the second status of life, madhyama-adhik'e4r'e9, to be a preacher..."
REF: CC.Adi-Lila 7.51 purport by His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Since all the Gurus that I know of preach it would seem they can all be considered madhyama adhikaris in one sense all though in actuality they may indeed be uttama adhikaris who out of compassion for the fallen souls come to the madhyama platform to preach. . It seems to me one would not desire to accept a Guru who is genuinely on the madhyama adhikari platform as it is said that one can only make as much advancement as the Guru he has chosen. Or a more mundane example, if you want to learn some high mathematical concept you cannot go to a first grade math whiz to understand it, you must go to a PHd or someone in the top of the field to get full understanding.

To bring things down to a personal level, I would not have taken shelter of my spiritual master if I did not believe him to be an completely pure devotee. The same thing can be said about choosing to be a Hare Krishna. If I did not believe that ISKCON has the most effective method of spiritual realization, I would not have joined. In other words if you can have the best, why settle for less?

I hope this helps some.

I feel I have to give my comment, and if you dont like it please criticise me, not my guru. He said there is always someone on the planet who is qualified to take shelter of. And he took shelter of Srila Prabhupada. I took shelter of him. One of my Godbrothers is so much smarter than I am. I forgot his name though, I think it is Madhavananda or something.

And on the topic of "eternal" spiritual master. I once gave a class in Washington to some new bhaktas, the only kind of class I can give, and told them that since your guru is going to be your eternal spiritual master you had better choose the right one. I had heard that in a class myself.

It didnt go over too well. Who wants to serve someone when we dont recognise their spiritual position? Its an offense to see the spiritual master materially but I made it sound that way. That we will eternally be serving some old guy in Vrndavana like some slave and he orders us around and tells us what to do.

If we end up serving someone in Krishnaloka eternally it will be out of complete devotion with no tinge of materialism at all. I should have emphasized that point.

This is what my Guru Maharaja wrote on the topic in his diary:

"Srila Prabhupada is writing '93one should not become a spiritual master unless he has attained the platform of uttama-adhikari'94. So the question may be asked why are we accepting disciples '85 especially myself. Srila Prabhupada gives the answer by further writing.

'93A neophyte Vaisnava or a Vaisnava situated on the intermediate platform can also accept disciples, but such disciples must be on the same platform, and it should be understood that they cannot advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life under his insufficient guidance. Therefore a disciple should be careful to accept an uttama-adhik'e4ri as a spiritual master'94.
Nectar of Instruction Verse 5.

The word insufficient guidance is important to understand. One of the acarya'92s gives a wonderful example, concerning the non-liberated guru (kanistha-adhikari and madhyama-adhikari) and liberated guru (uttama-adhikari).
On a battlefield many soldiers are wounded and need medical attention. There are only a few doctors who stay back at the hospital which is well behind the actual fighting line. But there are medics, apprentice doctors who are not actually qualified doctors but have some limited training in helping wounded soldiers. If you are wounded and loosing blood and a medic comes to assist you, you don'92t tell him '93Go away, you are not a bona-fide doctor, you are only a beginner, an apprentice '85. I will rather wait for a bona-fide doctor to come'94 '85 this is foolish. Being wounded and dying you should be eager to accept any help from any person. Similarly the conditioned souls are diseased and dying and if in the absence of an uttama bhagavat guru a lesser guru (kanistha guru or madhyam guru) comes to help you, surely you should be thankful. Also a madhyam-madhyam guru would be on deep ruci or asakti and an uttama-madhyama guru would be on bhava '85. so that'92s advanced. They may not be an uttama-bhagavat which corresponds to prema but ruci, asakti and bhava are all highly advanced stages."

Question should be: is it okay to choose kanistha or komala bhakta as ones diksa guru?

[quote][cite] Saryu:[/cite] "One of the acarya'92s gives a wonderful example, concerning the non-liberated guru (kanistha-adhikari and madhyama-adhikari) and liberated guru (uttama-adhikari)."[/quote]

Saryu, can you please tell me which acarya provides that analogy and where?

According to the NOI quote provided, one can accept a neophyte or intermediate Vaisnava as a guru, just dont expect sufficient guidance.

To translate this in terms of the analogy we can say that while the apprentice doctor can patch you up in an emergency situation, his insufficient treatment means there is a good chance you wont be fully cured or you may get some kind of infection. Even though the apprentice might have the best of intentions, he might incorrectly diagnose you or prescribe medicine that has adverse effects. While we would definitely take into consideration his diagnosis in an emergency situation, that doesnt mean we would sign him up as our family doctor. Additionally, if the apprentice or others misrepresent his actual qualifications there would certainly be grounds for legal action against him.

that example of emergency war is not confirmed by shastra and seems like a bogus guru cheap teaser line to gain disciples.
you know, instill fear and control.

A small correction:

Sastra has a provision for emergency (Sanskrit apad). These rules are called apad dharma and are presented in Mahabharata and dharma sastras.

from an article to be added to our site:

The Mahabharata recognizes that in times of misfortune or calamity,
it is more difficult to maintain ones regular way of life, to
practice ones normal dharma. The text responds to this situation in
two ways: a) by praising those who are able to maintain their dharma
even in the midst of apad, "misfortune" or "calamity"; and b) by
teaching a special class of apad-dharma, that is religious principles
which may be substituted at a time of crisis or unusual distress.

VEDA: how do you apply "emergency" concept to the question at hand?

The example of war time in the choosing of a spiritual master is not found anywhere in shastra.

Comparing looking for a spiritual master to an emergency situation, thus having to accept a lesser type because the rush... in BG says you approach a guru that has seen the truth.

Nowhere it is enjoined that in emergency situation you take a lesser one.

What is the rush, the emergency situation? it changes the very paradigm that we should seek a realized soul as guru.

Equating seek for a spiritual master with war is wrong, a deviation causing people lower their standards for spiritual life, watering down he philosophy and possibly offending our sampradaya line.

That was a general remark on emergency, not related to the guru issue. Sorry for not mentioning it.

I think that practical issues are an important consideration. Lets say that you have two choices:

1. you can become a disciple of an uttama adhikari guru who already has 5,000 disciples, and you can see him from a distance once every two years if you are lucky, who does not return your letters or emails, and who does not even remember your name.

2. you can become a disciple of a madhyama adhikari guru who is very accessible and local, who knows you very well, and has time for you when you need it.

I dont know about you, but I would chose the second option.

The 9 steps of devotional service corresponds to kanistha/madhyama/uttama adhikari, so by that one can see where one is oneself and where the guru is.
The stages of the kanistha adhikari are sraddha, sadhu-sanga and bhajana-kriya
The stages of the madhyama adhikari are anartha-nivritti, nistha and ruci
The stages of the uttama adhikari are asakti, bhava and prema.

The last stage of the madhyama adhikari is ruci, which is described as: '93Attaining steadiness, devotees perform their devotional activities and take association with more care. By this, the anarthas are further reduced and steadiness turns to joy in the Lord'92s service. This is called ruci (taste). With ruci for Krsna well established, everything else material becomes tasteless."

When one comes to the sage of asakti, our relationship with Krishna is reveiled within us. It does not happen on an earlier stage. Asakti is the first stage of an uttama adhikari.

So practically speaking, if we have a person who is relishing his/her relationship with Krishna internally, we have an uttama adhikari. If we dont have that but a person who have great taste for Krishnas name, and distaste for material things, we have a person on the level of ruci, a madhyama adhikari.
If we have a person with more taste for material things, we have a devotee not yet on those stages. Anartha-nivritti means a person constantly engaged in bettering him/herself, and eradicating unwaned qualities. If a person is no yet at that stage, we have a kanistha-adhikari.

A person who is a madhyama adhikari, can teach us the stages of a madhyama adhikari, to look for faults within ourselves, to better ourselves, and up to getting great taste for Krishnas name. It appears that quite some devotees could get great benefit from such a person, and thus such a madhyama adhikari guru. It is only when we transcend those stages, when we are elevated to the platform of ruci, we need an uttama adhikari to take us further.

An uttama adhikari, on the level of personal relationship with Krishna, might be quite impatient with us, if we are doing too much nonsense, and might therefore dismiss us rather than teach us. A madhyama adhikari is working on his/her own advancement and feel a natural inclination to help others to do the same.
Uttama adhikaris, in general, might not take up many disciples, so better look for someone on the madhyama adhikari platform, who do. If we reach the stage of ruci, and approach an uttama adhikari to come further, we might have a better chance to be acceped.

im a kanistha-adhikari at best and therefore not able to judge which of our gurus are madhyama- or uttama-adhikaris. the same applies to most new devotees, im afraid, i.e., those in need of a guru. so even if they decide they want to take initiation from an uttama only, how are they going to figure out who is one?

youll find plenty of articles claiming each of our gurus to be on the highest level, and at least as many claiming them to be criminals of the worst sort.

in comes krsna as the caitya-guru, directing the sincere seeker from within, provided we manage to turn down the noise from outside for a while to be able to understand his direction from within.

then theres our karma to consider: do we deserve to meet an uttama pure devotee at this time? of course, the gurus mercy can transcend our previous karma, but not necessarily or automatically.

this leaves us to decide according to our own common sense, using all the information available to us, and whatever our heart tells us.

far as im concerned, i dont consider the question of how far advanced my guru really is as overly important. i can understand that hes loads more advanced than i am, and theres plenty i can learn from him. once i come to the advanced stages of devotional service where his being uttama or madhyama would make a difference, i assume that hell have advanced beyond these stages himself, in case he hasnt been there all along.

and even if not, in our sampradaya its an accepted practice to accept a siksa-guru, and sometimes the siksa relationship becomes more important than the diksa one.

the only thing limiting me in my devotional advancement are my own mind an my own senses; certainly not my guru.

ys phani.

>far as im concerned, i dont consider the question of how far advanced my guru really is as overly important. i can >understand that hes loads more advanced than i am

Exactly - the only reason to suggest one is better, is by uttama themselves, who will have hard time following anyone less then that. For pre-kanistha states they are all perfect.

An interesting observation which seems pertinent,especially having read the cultured comments of phani concerning how one is meant to discriminate who is uttama adhikari?Faced with this exact situation with those in my family of devotees how to enable them to serve krishna ,because of our unique cultural natures and modes of material nature and also our spiritual cultured training my response will be that the guru should be chosen on behalf of the new devotee for him or her by their superior devotional authority but with consultation.This should be done much like how we choose a husband for my daughter while also being concerned that she is reasonably satisfied with the particular choice. Obviously a twenty to thirty year devotee is far more informed than the new bhakta who six months ago was possibly doing drugs.

Also we are actually a siksa line not diksa line predominantly, especially since bhaktivinoda thakura accepted viphina goswami on the authority of sri chaitanya mahaprabhu as his diksa guru.In other words western culture or lack of it,necessitates taking shelter of more advanced devotees.Since an uttama adhikari comes down to the madyama platform to preach as our srila AC Bhaktivedanta swami did,it behooves those with sufficent intelligence to take siksa guidance from her senior devotees and their several decades of devotional service and their devotional merit or sukriti.While appreciating the guidance of krishna within the heart also.

Srila Prabhupada used the analogy of a war because when one preaches,attempting to enlighten and save conditioned souls,by situating them on the boat of transcendental loving service,sometimes and in many cases the preacher also succumbs to the attacks of mayadevi.As in a real battle when a solider attempts to save his comrades he dies under fire.

The last comment was meant for mishra prabhu.

yuga_avatar_das: I do not know wherefrom you came, but you seem to be the living representative of the zonal acarya cronyism.

Almost every phrase I read from you has the minimal lack of reality check and perspective, like if you were living in a bubble, devoid of information.

You would better stop trying to convince yourself (and others) of your Disneyland ISKCON picture. Probably when you are hit with the cruel baton of the institution machinery, then you will start attacking those who you enthrone now. I have seen it again and again over decades. Mindless worshippers become part of the maddened lynching crowd.

With all respect and love I quit reading you comments, a waste of time for one that (at least) has transcended the phony and bigot fanatic religious arguments meant to extricate oneself from the problematic and necessary truth. Good luck.

"Is it OK to knowingly choose a madhyama adhikari as diksha guru?"

Risky at best, but better than unknowingly.

Dear bhakta mishra,hopefully you will receive the sublime mercy of krishnas sankirtan devotee ,who might bless you with the ability to free your mind and heart from maya devis fortress.Obviously initiation would be a good start,followed by submission service and surrender to srila Prabhupadas representative.However you show the signs of spiritual decay which seem to emanate from the united states of america,forgive me but if i am wrong but how many rounds do you chant each day Bhakta mishra....since you seem to be a new devotee try and chant 16 rounds if possible it will help your mind not to commit offenses to more advanced devotees.Good luck chant ,chant ,chant......Also this eccentric mode of ignorance old man time thing you have going,well it seems very tired ....if you could to travel to the south Pacific we have good bhakta programs for those like yourself .....unwanted ,unappreciated,plainly looking for their purpose in life.The mystery of spiritual life which is contained in sa eva yam mya ta dya,yoga prokta pura ta nam.....bhakto smi sakha ceti.rahasyam hy etad uttamam...of bhagavad gita chapter 4 verse 3That very ancient science of the relationship with the supreme is told by me to you because you are my devotee as well as my friend and can therefore understand the transcendental mystery of this science.You need to find a guru and surrender bhakta mishra.....hare krishna

Actually bhakta mishra i was initiated august 1980,yes i have been smashed many times by the iskcon institution machinery ,however my guru always trained us to develop humility,patience and fortitude and one day we will actually become good servants of krishna and his dear most devotees.

Yuga Avatar Das:

Im not as patient and tolerant as some others in this forum so Ill just be blunt and undiplomatic when I tell you that you are an idiot ... and by the way -- try using a spell checker once in awhile.

-- Swarup Das

Dhruva Maharaja is described as Madhyama bhakta. I do not mind to be his disciple (there is a long waiting list I guess:)

Dear mister mishra,you seem to be expert at criticism and obviously conscious of iskcon zonal cronyism,however how can you appreciate devotional service in iskcon if you are not initiated.....from outside the honey jar?Intellectualism and intelligence has its limits and sadly is unsatisfactory when attacking his bhaktas who are engaged wholeheartedly in pleasing their guru and archaryas.With time these present guru ,those who last will indeed become archaryas in their own rights.

[quote][cite] sri_chaitanya_govind:[/cite]Dear mister mishra,you seem to be expert at criticism and obviously conscious of iskcon zonal cronyism,however how can you appreciate devotional service in iskcon if you are not initiated.....from outside the honey jar?Intellectualism and intelligence has its limits and sadly is unsatisfactory when attacking his bhaktas who are engaged wholeheartedly in pleasing their guru and archaryas.With time these present guru ,those who last will indeed become archaryas in their own rights.[/quote]

Oh, so getting initiated by someone who isnt a pure devotee is the way into the honey? Great, so when a guru who hasnt gotten free from his sexual desires (there are enough examples that Im sure everyone can think of at least one) wants you to engage wholeheartedly in pleasing him, youll take it as the gurus mercy. Get enough of the gurus honey, and you can be the next acarya. Wonderful!

Hare krishna- Pandu das,sorry to hear that your guru has suffered as a result of taking your karma at initiation.....as a result he has encountered spiritual problems due to the immense karma which he is duty bound to burn up on your behalf.If you no longer accept him you should really use your uninitiated name,or go forth and help your guru to become spiritually more powerful by preaching and taking responsibility on his behalf.Not many have done the proper etiquette,since we lack sincerity,how ever lord chaitanya might bless you to do the right thing if you ask for forgivness for your offenses that you have committed against your diksa guru.Which are axiomatic according to your present mentality.Vaishnavaism is a culture of forgiveness and self analysis ,lovingly embossed with the ability to only see the good in others.Possibly find some senior siksa to free you from your anarthas prabhu.

[quote][cite] sri_chaitanya_govind:[/cite]Hare krishna- Pandu das,sorry to hear that your guru has suffered as a result of taking your karma at initiation.....as a result he has encountered spiritual problems due to the immense karma which he is duty bound to burn up on your behalf.If you no longer accept him you should really use your uninitiated name,or go forth and help your guru to become spiritually more powerful by preaching and taking responsibility on his behalf.Not many have done the proper etiquette,since we lack sincerity,how ever lord chaitanya might bless you to do the right thing if you ask for forgivness for your offenses that you have committed against your diksa guru.Which are axiomatic according to your present mentality.Vaishnavaism is a culture of forgiveness and self analysis ,lovingly embossed with the ability to only see the good in others.Possibly find some senior siksa to free you from your anarthas prabhu.[/quote]

I hope thats not your best preaching; because if I had to listen to your instruction instead of Srila Prabhupadas, Id leave and never look back. [br/][br/]
In any case, Im looking forward to talking with Bhaktimarga Swami next weekend about my views on the guru issue, and presently using the name he gave only as a matter of convenience, because thats the name devotees presently know of as me. As a matter of fact, I was quite disappointed when I heard it during the ceremony and would much prefer something else. He told me he gave me the name because Im a good father, but its hard for me not to think of Pandu as a tragic figure who was overcome by sex desire knowing it would leave his children fatherless, causing innumerable difficulties for Mother Kunti and the Pandavas, and which ultimately lead to the Kuruksetra War. I expected my real guru to give an inspiring name, but that didnt happen. Since I came to ISKCON based on a Krishna in a painting named Gopala Krishna telling me to seek out His devotees for some association (and actually gave me a little warning about ISKCON, which I didnt really understand at the time), and I was active protecting cows even before hearing about Krishna consciousness, I expected a real guru who knew me from a transcendental position to give me a name as the servant of that form of Krishna. [br/][br/]
Anyway the whole offensive situation, whatever it may be, is caused by cult members strategically positioning themselves between Srila Prabhupada and the aspiring devotees, forcing them to accept a so-called guru from a lineup of voted-in gurus instead of what he ordered. That means you, and it has to stop. I have no interest in giving people like you power over my spiritual life.

[quote][cite] sri_chaitanya_govind:[/cite]Dear mister mishra,you seem to be expert at criticism and obviously conscious of iskcon zonal cronyism,however how can you appreciate devotional service in iskcon if you are not initiated.....from outside the honey jar?Intellectualism and intelligence has its limits and sadly is unsatisfactory when attacking his bhaktas who are engaged wholeheartedly in pleasing their guru and archaryas.With time these present guru ,those who last will indeed become acharyas in their own rights.[/quote]
1. My name is Jagannatha Mishra das (initiated name) [p]
2. Expert at criticism, could mean pointing mistakes that the status quo wants to bury due to fear and lack of faith in Krishna?[p]
3. Looks like you are "in" the honey jar, congratulations![p]
4. Wholeheartedly working for an idea without real understanding and realization could mean mindless fanaticism that results in suffering in the long run.[p]
5. Looks like you need some "enemy" so that you feel comfortable in your "spiritual" bubble, feel free to consider me enemy of your misunderstandings.[p]
6. Are you next in line to become acharya? Uh oh.

Please accept my humble obeisances jaganatha mishra das,please forgive my lack of culture and understanding however i am unused to such aggressive devotional rhetoric......however am willing to be properly enlightened by hopefully your sound sastric arguments and logic.

I have read many of your articles and offerings jaganath mishra das on this site and your intelligence shines through prabhu,but spiritual nourishment and ones individual ability to spoon feed ones self krishna conciousness is generally achieved while subordinate,accepting an authority or at least having someone you allow,to give us quality siksa instruction .Thus enabling our pure spiritual nature to eventually manifest through the mercy of the swan like devotees .....and there encouragement and blessings.

Having grown up hearing the mahabharat,Pandu was in my opinion was a tragic figure but due to the arrangement of his unique destiny.He will indeed be remembered as such.This is due not to his own lust but infact due to the will and ardent wishes of the sadhu who was intent that he would ,HE MUST taste satisfaction.....there must be a right to rectify the wrong he personally felt having died while attempting to enjoy with his wife..And as such,these powerful personal desires also need to be sanctioned by sri krishna himself.Such powerful brahmanas,grounded in austerity and penance are what iskcon is indeed very short off.Hopefully pandu das with the inherent blessing which the sincere vaishnava can give us ,,,,,,and some natural maturity and wisdom how to proceed. Hopefully you will be one such empowered servant of our srila Prabhupada one day.Please forgive my sad ramblings which are fragile attempts to try and preach ...your servant sri chaitanya govinda shyama das.

Is it better to learn mathematics from a Class V teacher or a college professor?

Depends on your level.

Though anyone who preaches and teaches Krishna consciousness is the perfect guru; irrespective of what designation we give him.