God is proprietor, enjoyer, and friend; only by serving Him through guru's guidance does peace arise.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Arrival Lecture — July 15, 1975, San Francisco 750715AR-SAN FRANCISCO [38:27 Minutes] Arrival_750715AR-SAN FRANCISCO Prabhupāda: ...that one who has got unflinching faith in God and similar faith in guru, yasya deve... [buzzing feedback sound] [aside:] What is that sound? It cannot be stopped? Deve means Bhagavān.
Devāya tasmai namaḥ. yam brahmā varuṇendra-rudra... stunvanti divyaiḥ stavair vedaiḥ saṅga-pada-krama upaniṣadair gāyanti yaṁ sāma-gāḥ dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ ...devaya tasmai namaḥ [SB 12.13.1] So deva means the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is praised by the Vedic mantra. Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and all the demigods, they are offering their prayers. The Sāma Veda is singing in glorification of the Supreme Lord. The yogīs, they are always seeing the Supreme Lord within the heart, core of heart.
So that is deva. Devāya tasmai namaḥ. So yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau [ŚU 6.23(1)]. Anyone who has got unflinching faith in God...
God means Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam [SB 1.3.28]. So anyone who has got unflinching faith in God and similar faith in guru, then the Vedic purpose becomes revealed to him. Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau, tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ.
The Vedic mantras and their artha becomes revealed. This is the process. So these students, European, American students, they are offering respect to their spiritual master. Outsiders may think that the spiritual master is very puffed up, and he is sitting and taking respect from the disciple.
But the fact is that they are to be taught like that, how to offer respect to the spiritual master. This is our Vedic process. Any sect or Vedic sect, the principle is ādau gurv-āśrayam: "The first principle is to accept guru." Unless there is guru, how it can be executed, yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau [ŚU 6.23(2)]? This is Vedic injunction.
Other Vedic injunctions are like the same. Kaṭha Upaniṣad says, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet [MU 1.2.12(3)]: "If you want to learn that transcendental science, then your first business is to go to a guru." Guru... As God is one, guru is also one. There cannot be different gurus.