Choosing a Spiritual Master
59
Therefore Viśvanātha Cakravartī says,  kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya . Because he is the most confidential servitor of God, the guru is offered the same respect that we offer God. God is always God, guru is always guru. As a matter of etiquette, God is the worshipable God, and guru is the worshiper God ( sevaka-bhagavān ). Therefore the guru is addressed as  prabhupāda . The word  prabhu  means “lord,” and  pāda  means “position.” Thus  prabhupāda  means “he who has taken the position of the Lord.” This is the same as  sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ .
Only if we are very serious about understanding the science of God is a guru required. We should not try to keep a guru as a matter of fashion. One who has accepted a guru speaks intelligently. He never speaks non-sense. That is the sign of having accepted a bona fide guru. We should certainly offer all respect to the spiritual master, but we should also remember how to carry out his orders. In the  Bhagavad-gītā  [4.34] Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself tells us the method of seeking out and approaching the guru:
tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.” The first process is that of surrender. We have to find an exalted person and willingly surrender before him. The  śāstras  enjoin that before we take a guru we study him carefully to find out whether we can surrender to him. We should not accept a guru suddenly out of fanaticism. That is very dangerous. The guru should also study the person who wants to become a disciple to see if he is fit. That is the way a relationship is established between the guru and disciple. Everything is provided, but we must take up the process seriously. Then we can be trained to become a bona fide disciple. First we must find a bona fide guru, establish our relationship with him, and act accordingly. Then our life will be successful, for the guru can enlighten the sincere disciple who is in darkness.
Everyone is born a rascal and a fool. If we are born learned, why do we need to go to school? If we do not cultivate knowledge, we are no better than animals. An animal may say that there is no need of books and that he has become a guru, but how can anyone obtain knowledge without the