Accepted by All the Great Acaryas

To understand the Absolute Truth, Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that one must follow the path paved by the great ācāryas (teachers). The standard of authenticity in spiritual life is that a truth must be accepted by all the great ācāryas. Kṛṣṇa is not just a historical figure or a mythological character; He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a fact confirmed by the unanimous verdict of the disciplic successions. By following the path accepted by these authorities, one avoids mental speculation and reaches the ultimate goal.

Kṛṣṇa is The Supreme Authority

The position of Lord Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not a sectarian belief but a truth confirmed by the greatest spiritual authorities of India. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that even Śaṅkarācārya, who is known as an impersonalist, accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme.

• Krsna is the supreme authority, accepted by all acaryas. In our India the acaryas are Ramanujacarya, Sankaracarya, Madhvacarya. They all accepted Krsna, the Supreme.
• God is Krsna, the Supreme. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah (Bs. 5.1), accepted by all acaryas, by all Vedic sastra. And when He was present Himself, He proved Himself that He's God.
• Acaryopasanam: this information (krsnas tu bhagavan svayam) is not concocted, but is accepted by the acaryas in the disciplic succession. Although an impersonalist, Sankaracarya has accepted Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The Authority of Scripture

Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that we do not accept books based on sentiment. The Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are accepted as the essence of all Vedic knowledge because the great ācāryas have studied them and confirmed their authority.

• The most authentic Vedic literature, accepted by the great Indian acaryas like Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Visnu Svami, Nimbarka and Caitanya and studied by all important personalities of the world, is the Bhagavad-gita.
• Bhagavatam is accepted as the real commentary on the Vedanta-sutra. Real commentary. Bhasyam brahma-sutranam. Vedartha paribrmhitam. These are the statements. This is accepted by the acaryas.

Rejecting Concocted Paths

In the modern age, many people manufacture their own religious methods or accept ordinary men as incarnations. These are rejected by the devotees, Śrīla Prabhupāda asserts, because they are not supported by the ācāryas.

• So our method is very simple. We don't manufacture any new method. Why new method? The old method is very perfect, authorized, accepted by great acaryas. And they are, actually, are benefited.
• There are some missionaries, they say that you can manufacture your own way of worship, and whatever you accept, that is all right. These bogus things are not accepted by the acaryas.
• An ordinary man not supported by authorized statements of the sastras and acaryas should not be accepted as an incarnation or devotee.

Conclusion

Spiritual life is not about invention; it is, as Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes, about following the footsteps of the great souls (mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ). Because the absolute truth is accepted by the ācāryas, we can accept it with full confidence, knowing that we are not being cheated.

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