Those who, being endowed with extraordinary divine potency, practice dharma with utmost propriety are designated as Ācārya. Those who engage in the service of Śrī Hari by following the conduct of such Ācāryas are pure devotees who have taken shelter at the feet of the Ācārya. The Supreme Lord has stated: "Know the Ācārya to be non-different from Me, and never in any way disrespect the Ācārya." Just as it is a duty to offer devotion to the Ācārya by those who have taken his shelter, it is also necessary to show due respect to the offspring, relatives, and associates of the Ācārya. In various places within the scriptures concerning social conduct, guidelines are provided on how to show courtesy and respect toward the son of a Guru. The pure devotees regard the son of the Ācārya as superior to themselves, offering him honor just as they would to the Ācārya himself. Extending respect to the lineage of the Ācārya is in accordance with all codes of proper conduct and is sanctioned by the scriptures.
The two principal servants of Śrī Mahāprabhu are Śrī Prabhu Nityānanda and Śrī Prabhu Advaita. Since Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu and Śrī Advaita Prabhu accepted the gṛhastha-āśrama, their śaukra (biological) descendants are known as Ācārya-santāna (offspring of the Ācārya). Furthermore, in the lineage of their servants (disciples), the devotees who have taken their shelter are also considered their offspring. In Bengal, the lineage of servants is known by the name parivāra (family), whereas biological descendants alone are referred to as santāna (offspring). In referring to the lineage of previous Ācāryas, both biological descendants and initiated disciples are to be understood.
In Bengal, due to the predominance of household life under the influence of the smārta tradition, there is a notable absence of a dedicated lineage of renounced and detached disciples. As a result, the biological descendants have, in their attempt to assert authority over uneducated and household-oriented individuals, caused immense harm to the true dharma. In fact, many ordinary householders who are not even proper devotees and belong merely to the rank of common disciples, become agitated simply by identifying themselves as Ācārya-santāna, and in many instances, by considering the mere act of offering them social and material respect to be service to Śrī Hari, they have ended up turning away from Hari. In some cases, the biological descendants of the Ācārya have misguided ignorant communities by falsely designating them as qualified devotees, thereby leading them further away from devotion to Hari.
The biological descendants of Ācāryas have, in certain instances, introduced ignorance, aversion to Hari, excessive accumulation of wealth and women, commercialized recitation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and similar texts, professional storytelling, skillful displays of dance and feasting in all eight praharas (one prahara = 3 hours), ritualistic mantra-giving in exchange for wealth and garments, and many other activities opposed to pure devotion. After the disappearance of Śrīman Mahāprabhu, all these misfortunes gradually arose within the world of jīvas (living beings), leading the Vaiṣṇava society to a state of disruption and degradation. At that time, empowered by the potency of Śrī Mahāprabhu, Śrīnivāsa Ācārya Prabhu, Ṭhākura Mahāśaya, Śyāmānanda, and other ācāryas, under the shelter of the eight Gosvāmīs of Vraja, endeavored to keep the propagation of bhakti-dharma uninterrupted. However, with the passage of time, in the era of their subsequent successors, the pure bhakti-dharma once again became obscured. Once more, within the lineage of Ācārya-santāna, aversion to Hari arose, which covered the true dharma and caused these successors to be distracted in various ways from the original principles established by their predecessors. If the Ācārya-santāna were to remain on the path of purity and uphold the practice of bhakti-dharma, then merely through their conduct, great auspiciousness would be achieved for the world. However, in many instances, when the six enemies — lust, anger, greed, illusion, pride, and envy — overtake the Ācārya-santāna, the disturbances they create are not unknown to the pure devotees.
The original Ādi-Guru (primordial teacher) is Brahmā, the very first Ācārya. From him, the four varṇas (social divisions) and all other living beings have taken birth. The different varṇas and castes have emerged among his descendants due to variations in their respective occupational tendencies. In reality, all living entities are descendants of the original Ācārya, Brahmā. Among these Ācārya-santāna, Śrī Gaurasundara and His innumerable associates have exerted boundless efforts to cultivate a strong inclination toward the service of Hari. However, due to the effects of past karma, in many places, true Ācāryas have not manifested among the Ācārya-santāna. In some instances, ignorance, foolishness, and opposition to devotion have taken root, diverting both the Ācārya-santāna and those under their shelter away from Hari. Furthermore, in certain instances, hypocrisy has infiltrated the Ācārya-santāna, leading to various forms of disorder under the guise of bhakti, and the promotion of lawlessness among those dependent on them. Due to artificiality and hypocrisy, some Ācārya-santāna have become bewildered by materialistic engagements and, having accumulated wealth and resources, have become deeply engrossed in material enjoyments. In some places, ignorance has been propagated as an ornament of bhakti. As a result, many non-devotees have begun to perceive devotional service to Hari as merely another form of deceit and exploitation. Consequently, the propagation of pure bhakti has been obstructed.
All living beings created by Bhagavān are Ācārya-santāna. To them, I offer a humble prayer at their lotus feet — that all of them, embodying the sole instruction of Śrī Gaurasundara, should become imbued with the sincere mood of tṛṇād api sunīca (being humbler than a blade of grass), adopting the tolerance of a tree, offering respect to all, and considering oneself the most fallen, should always chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. If this is done, then even those like myself, who are foolish and dependent, shall attain realization of the ācāryatva (spiritual preceptorship) of the Ācārya-santāna who are in the form of all living entities, thereby crossing over this extremely difficult ocean of material existence and becoming incessantly engaged in the service of Hari.
