Guru and correction

 

On 26 Nov 1999, Bhakti Vikasa Swami wrote:

Ø      Is there any sastric or "Prabhupada Said" evidence to support the following statement?

Ø      > > "If an initiated devotee develops an offensive attitude towards the Supreme Lord or His devotees, it is the duty of his guru to correct him. If the disciple does not accept the correction, the guru must reject him, otherwise he will also share in the offenses made."

 

In the Caitanya Bhagavata, Vrndavan dasa Thakura explains something to this effect.  If a disciple commits serious offenses to Vaisnavas, not only does the disciple fall down from devotional service for his offenses, but so does his guru as well (unless that guru is a mahabhagavata).  Therefore, it stands to reason that the guru should take the initiative and reject such a bogus disciple before the guru himself must suffer some reaction.

 

Along these same lines, Prabhupada explains in a purport in CC that if a guru does not teach his disciples how to properly respect other Vaisnavas, he is not a bona fide guru. We can note here that "Vaisnavas" especially means "senior and highly advanced devotees."