Choosing a Spiritual Master
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vasses somehow or other on behalf of God and tries to get everyone to become a devotee of God, he is a genuine guru.
Reporter:  What about a Christian priest?
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  Christian, Muhammadan, Hindu—it doesn't matter. If he is simply speaking on behalf of God, he is a guru. Lord Jesus Christ, for instance. He canvassed people, saying, "Just try to love God." Anyone—it doesn't matter who—be he Hindu, Muslim, or Christian, is a guru if he convinces people to love God. That is the test. The guru never says, "I am God," or "I will make you God." The real guru says, "I am a servant of God, and I will make you a servant of God also." It doesn't matter how the guru is dressed. As Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "Whoever can impart knowledge about Kṛṣṇa is a spiritual master." A genuine spiritual master simply tries to get people to become devotees of Kṛṣṇa, or God. He has no other business.
Reporter:  But the bad gurus . . .
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  And what is a "bad" guru?
Reporter:  A bad guru just wants some money or some fame.
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  Well, if he is bad, how can he become a guru? [Laughter.] How can iron become gold? Actually, a guru cannot be bad, for if someone is bad, he cannot be a guru. You cannot say "bad guru." That is a contradiction. What you have to do is simply try to understand what a genuine guru is. The definition of a genuine guru is that he is simply talking about God—that's all. If he's talking about some other nonsense, then he is not a guru. A guru cannot be bad. There is no question of a bad guru, any more than a red guru or a white guru.  Guru  means "genuine guru." All we have to know is that the genuine guru is simply talking about God and trying to get people to become God's devotees. If he does this, he is genuine.
Reporter:  If I wanted to be initiated into your society, what would I have to do?
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  First of all, you'd have to give up illicit sex life.
Reporter:  Does that include all sex life? What is illicit sex life?
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  Illicit sex is sex outside of marriage. Animals have sex with no restrictions, but in human society there are restrictions. In every country and in every religion, there is some system of restricting sex life. You would also have to give up all intoxicants, including tea, cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana—anything that intoxicates.
Reporter:  Anything else?
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  You'd also have to give up eating meat, eggs, and fish. And you'd have to give up gambling as well. Unless you gave up