A true guru must free disciples from death's cycle, not exploit ignorance for material gain.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.] [break] gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt pitā na sa syāj jananī na sa syāt daivaṁ na tat syān na patiś ca sa syān na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum [SB 5.5.18] [01:27] Translation: "One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod." [break]
Prabhupāda: gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt pitā na sa syāj jananī na sa syāt daivaṁ na tat syān na patiś ca sa syān na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum [SB 5.5.18] So in the previous verse it has been described that kas taṁ svayaṁ tad-abhijño vipaścid [SB 5.5.17]. The guardian should be abhijñaḥ, and vipaścit, very learned. The government, the father, the guru, the teacher, or even the husband of... Because we are guided; everyone is guided by somebody else.
That is society. Not cats and dogs. Just like the cats and dogs, they give birth to the children and then they have no responsibility. The dogs are loitering in the street; nobody takes care.
But human society should not be like that. There must be responsible guardians. The some of the responsible guardians are described here. First of all, guru.
Either you take ordinary teacher in the school or colleges, they are also called guru, and the sublime guru is the spiritual master. Not only the spiritual master, but anyone who has taken the post of becoming guru to teach others, he must be very learned, very responsible, vipaścit, abhijñaḥ. Abhijñātaḥ, it is the qualification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is said in the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, abhijñaḥ.
Janmādy asya yataḥ 'nvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ [SB 1.1.1]. The controller must be abhijñaḥ. The same thing is here. Of course, we cannot be as abhijñaḥ as God—that is not possible—but little quantity of that abhijñātaḥ must be there.
Otherwise what is the use of becoming...? First of all, it is said about guru, anyone who takes care of his subordinate, he is guru. The first charge is that you should not become a guru unless you are completely in awareness how to save your dependent from the path of birth and death. That is the first question. Not that "I am your guru.