Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.7.32
वृणीमहे त्वोपाध्यायं ब्रह्मिष्ठं ब्राह्मणं गुरुम् ।
यथाञ्जसा विजेष्याम: सपत्नांस्तव तेजसा ॥ ३२ ॥
vṛṇīmahe tvopādhyāyaṁ
[vrineemahe tvopaadhyaayam]
brahmiṣṭhaṁ brāhmaṇaṁ gurum
[brahmishtham braahmanam gurum]
yathāñjasā vijeṣyāmaḥ
[yathaanjasaa vijeshyaamah]
sapatnāṁs tava tejasā
[sapatnaams tava tejasaa]
Word-for-word
vṛṇīmahe
—
we choose
tvā
—
you
upādhyāyam
—
as teacher and spiritual master
brahmiṣṭham
—
being perfectly aware of the Supreme Brahman
brāhmaṇam
—
a qualified brāhmaṇa
gurum
—
the perfect spiritual master
yathā
—
so that
añjasā
—
very easily
vijeṣyāmaḥ
—
we shall defeat
sapatnān
—
our rivals
tava
—
your
tejasā
—
by the power of austerity.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
vṛṇīmahe tvopādhyāyaṁ
vṛṇīmahe
we choose
tvā
you
upādhyāyam
as teacher and spiritual master
brahmiṣṭhaṁ brāhmaṇaṁ gurum
brahmiṣṭham
being perfectly aware of the Supreme Brahman
brāhmaṇam
a qualified brāhmaṇa
gurum
the perfect spiritual master
yathāñjasā vijeṣyāmaḥ
yathā
so that
añjasā
very easily
vijeṣyāmaḥ
we shall defeat
sapatnāṁs tava tejasā
sapatnān
our rivals
tava
your
tejasā
by the power of austerity.
Since you are completely aware of the Supreme Brahman, you are a perfect brāhmaṇa, and therefore you are the spiritual master of all orders of life. We accept you as our spiritual master and director so that by the power of your austerity we may easily defeat the enemies who have conquered us.
Purport
One must approach a particular type of guru to execute a particular type of duty. Therefore although Viśvarūpa was inferior to the demigods, the demigods accepted him as their guru to conquer the demons.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
We select you, a brāhmaṇa fixed in Brahman and a teacher as our guru so that we will be able to easily defeat our enemies by your power.
We choose you (tva) as guru. They state the reason.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Aware of the Supreme Brahman, you are a perfect brāhmaṇa and therefore guru of all orders — we accept you as our director. They accept him with explicit theological reasoning, not just convenience.
Reflection Questions
- What is the theological basis on which I accept those I follow?
- Could I articulate why someone is my teacher beyond 'I like their style'?
My note
Source: vedabase.io