298
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 3, Ch. 7]
spiritual master and try themselves to take his place by propagating the theory that a spiritual master is not necessary.  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam , however, does not approve this viewpoint. Even the great transcendental scholar Vyāsadeva had need of a spiritual master, and under the instruction of his spiritual master, Nārada, he prepared this sublime literature,  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam . Even Lord Caitanya, although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, accepted a spiritual master; even Lord Kṛṣṇa accepted a spiritual master, Sāndīpani Muni, in order to be enlightened; and all the  ācāryas  and saints of the world had spiritual masters. In  Bhagavad-gītā  Arjuna accepted Lord Kṛṣṇa as his spiritual master, although there was no necessity of such a formal declaration. So, in all cases, there is no question about the necessity of accepting a spiritual master. The only stipulation is that the spiritual master should be bona fide; i.e., the spiritual master must be in the proper chain of discipline succession called the  paramparā  system.
Sūribhiḥ  are great scholars, but they may not always be  anagha , or spotless. The  anagha-sūri  is one who is a pure devotee of the Lord. Those who are not pure devotees of the Lord, or who want to be on an equal level with Him, are not  anagha-sūri . Pure devotees have prepared many books of knowledge on the basis of authorized scriptures. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and his assistants, under the instructions of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, have all written various literatures for the guidance of prospective devotees, and anyone who is very serious about raising himself to the standard of a pure devotee of the Lord must take advantage of those literatures.
TEXT 40
एतान्मे पृच्छतः प्रश्नान् हरेः कर्मविवित्सया । 
    ब्रूहि मेऽङ्गस्य मित्रत्वादजया नष्टचक्षुषः ॥४०॥
etān me pṛcchataḥ praśnān 
    hareḥ karma-vivitsayā 
    brūhi me jñasya mitratvād 
    ajayā naṣṭa-cakṣuṣaḥ
etān —all these;  me —mine;  pṛcchataḥ —of one who inquires;  praśnān —questions;  hareḥ —of the Supreme Lord;  karma —pastimes;  vivitsayā —desiring to know;  brūhi —kindly describe;  me —unto me;  ajñasya —of one who is ignorant;  mitratvāt —because of friendship;  ajayā —by the external energy;  naṣṭa-cakṣuṣaḥ —those who have lost their vision.