All of us have accepted a spiritual master, but in doing so, have we acquired the spiritual master’s qualities? Among a guru’s thousands of disciples, how many actually realize his significance? This calls for serious contemplation. Not all disciples of a spiritual master share the same qualification. There is great variation.
To formally accept initiation from the spiritual master and to take initiation from him in the true sense are quite different. The disciple receives the diksa-mantras from sri guru, and when he becomes qualified, he too can become a spiritual master. There is no fault in his doing so. But if the disciple himself accepts disciples before he is qualified, he is not acting in accordance with his level of realization. This is the verdict of the scriptures. It is important to always consider a person’s qualification.
Sastra tells us that ordinary sound vibration (sabda-samanya) and transcendental sound vibration (sabda-brahma) are completely different. “I am just giving the same diksa-mantras that my gurudeva gave me, and therefore, the effect will be the same.” But this is not so at all. If one accepts formal diksa and does not endeavour to advance, he cannot become a real disciple. Only that disciple who possesses the qualities of a guru as described in sastra can become guru.
Sri Devananda Gaudiya Matha, Navadvipa 8 March 1998