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The Nectar of Instruction
very comfortable. Indeed, for Kṛṣṇa’s sake they are prepared to accept any living condition as long as they can live in the temple and associate with the Vaiṣṇavas. When one becomes so disinterested in material enjoyment, he becomes fit for initiation by the spiritual master. For the advancement of spiritual life Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.1.13) prescribes:  tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena ca damena ca . When a person is serious about accepting  dīkṣā , he must be prepared to practice austerity, celibacy and control of the mind and body. If one is so prepared and is desirous of receiving spiritual enlightenment ( divyaṁ jñānam ), he is fit for being initiated.  Divyaṁ jñānam  is technically called  tad-vijñāna , or knowledge about the Supreme.  Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet : when one is interested in the transcendental subject matter of the Absolute Truth, he should be initiated. Such a person should approach a spiritual master in order to take  dīkṣā . Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.3.21) also prescribes:  tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam . “When one is actually interested in the transcendental science of the Absolute Truth, he should approach a spiritual master.”
One should not accept a spiritual master without following his instructions. Nor should one accept a spiritual master just to make a fashionable show of spiritual life. One must be  jijñāsu , very much inquisitive to learn from the bona fide spiritual master. The inquiries one makes should strictly pertain to transcendental science ( jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam ). The word  uttamam  refers to that which is above material knowledge.  Tama  means “the darkness of this material world,” and  ut  means “transcendental.” Generally people