Qualifications of a Bona Fide Disciple

(Taken from the GBC book on Deity Worship, Supplement 4: Additional Notes)

The Hari-bhakti-vilasa lists the following qualifications for a bona fide disciple, who may be trained and engaged in Deity worship:

He should be devoted to the lotus feet of the spiritual master.

He should be fully capable of upholding the vows made to the spiritual master.

He should be engaged day and night in the Lord's service with body, mind and words.

He should be desirous of knowing the Absolute Truth.

He should be spotless in character, truthful, gentle and polite, pleasing in appearance and intelligent.

He should show proper respect to elders, to initiated Vaisnavas and to the Lord; he should observe silence concerning material subjects and should have control of his senses.

He should have no attraction for committing sinful activities.

The bona fide disciple should not possess the following characteristics:

He should not be lazy, dirty, sickly, continually afflicted or lamenting, angry, proud, lusty or coveting material desires.

He should not show the enjoying mood; he should not indulge in sinful activities such as taking meat, intoxication, gambling or illicit sex; he should not earn a living by unjust means.

He should not use vulgar or coarse language, should not be critical of others, and should not be miserly, malicious, devious or envious; he should not give pain to others or be addicted to cruel activities.

He should not be ignorant, nor should he be proud of material learning; he should not indulge in non-Vaisnava philosophies; he should not be addicted to over-eating.

The following rules of etiquette should be observed by the bona fide disciple in relation to the spiritual master:

He should fall down like an uprooted tree (dandavat) on seeing the spiritual master.

When the spiritual master approaches he should face him and when he leaves, he should follow him.

He should not leave the spiritual master's presence without asking permission.

He should not utter the spiritual master's name inattentively, but always with respect.

He should not imitate the gait, activities or voice of the spiritual master.

He should always hold the spiritual master's words in great respect.

Though he may be punished by the spiritual master, he should not take it unkindly.

He should not bear t hear criticism of the spiritual master, the scriptures or the Lord, but should leave the place immediately.

He should not step on the spiritual master's garland, bed, shoes, asana, shadow or eating table.

He should not spread his legs before the spiritual master, nor should he yawn, laugh or make disrespectful noises before him. (Of course, when laughter is appropriate, one is not forbidden to laugh, for example when the spiritual master makes a joke. Then one's laughter should not be uncontrolled. Of course, one should never laugh at the spiritual master.)

He should not sit on an asana or bed before the spiritual master.

He should not worship others in preference to the spiritual master.

He should not give diksa [initiation], give scriptural explanations or show superiority in front of the spiritual master.

He should not give orders to the spiritual master, but always obey him.

He should treat the spiritual master's spiritual master with similar respect.

He should treat the wife, son and relatives of the spiritual master as the spiritual master, but he should not clean the body of the son, take his remnants or wash his feet. (A spiritual master with a wife, refers, of course, to a spiritual master who is in the grhastha asrama)