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Rāja-vidyā: The King of Knowledge
subject of service ( sevayā ). Without service, our inquiries will be futile, but even before making inquiries, we should have some qualification. If we go to a store to purchase some gold or jewelry and we know nothing about jewels or gold, we are likely to be cheated. If we go to a jeweler and say, “Can you give me a diamond?” he will understand that this is a fool. He could charge us any price for anything. That kind of searching will not do at all. We first have to become a little intelligent, for it is not possible to make spiritual progress otherwise.
The beginning injunction of the  Vedānta-sūtra  is:  athāto brahma-jijñāsā . “Now is the time to inquire about Brahman.” The word  atha  means that one who is intelligent, who has come to the point of realizing the basic frustrations of material life, is capable of making inquiry. In  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  it is stated that one should inquire from a spiritual master about subjects that are “beyond this darkness.” This material world is by nature dark, and it is artificially lighted by fire. Our inquiries should be about the transcendental worlds which lie beyond this universe. If one is desirous to find out about these spiritual worlds, he should seek out a spiritual master; otherwise there is no point in searching. If I want to study  Bhagavad-gītā  or  Vedānta-sūtra  in order to make material improvement, it is not necessary to find a spiritual master. One should first want to inquire about Brahman and then search out a master who has perfect vision of the Absolute Truth ( jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ ). Kṛṣṇa is the supreme  tattva , Absolute Truth. In the Seventh Chapter of  Bhagavad-gītā  Śrī Kṛṣṇa states: