The Conversations With Prakasananda
169
engaged in the transcendental loving service of Krishna. The Lord confirms this in  Bhagavad Gita : "I am the Source of everything, and everything emanates from Me. Therefore, one who knows Me perfectly well is fully engaged in My transcendental loving service." A living entity is eternally related with Krishna by that relationship of Master and servant, and once that service is wanting—or, in other words, when one is not situated in Krishna Consciousness—it is to be understood that his study of Vedanta is insufficient. When one does not understand what is Krishna Consciousness, or is not engaged in the transcendental loving service of Lord Krishna, it is to be understood that he is adverse to the study of Vedanta or understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The path shown by Lord Chaitanya in the matter of studying Vedanta philosophy, as explained in this connection, should be followed by all. A person who is puffed up over his so-called education, has no humility and therefore does not seek after the protection of a bona fide Spiritual Master, thinks that he does not require a bona fide Spiritual Master, and, rather by his own effort, he can achieve the highest perfection. Such persons are not eligible for the study of  Vedanta Sutra . Those who are under the spell of the material energy, instead of following the instructions of the discipline succession, try to manufacture something of their own, and thereby step outside the sphere of Vedanta study. A bona fide Spiritual Master must always condemn such independent mental speculators. If the bona fide Spiritual Master directly points out the foolishness of a disciple, that should not be taken otherwise. In other words, a person who is completely innocent in the Science of God is actually not learned. And, more or less, everyone who is not in Krishna Consciousness is subject to that foolishness.
Sometimes we display our foolishness by accepting somebody who is barely even educated as our Spiritual Master. That is another sign of our foolishness. It is our duty to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Whose Lotus Feet are worshipped by all the Vedas. One who does not understand that Supreme Personality of Godhead, and is proud of his false understanding of Vedanta, is actually a fool. Mundane attempts at academic knowledge are another foolishness. So long as one cannot understand the cosmic manifestation as a representation of the three modes of material Nature, one must be considered in the darkness of inebriety and caught in the duality of this material world. Actually, a person who is in perfect knowledge of the Vedanta becomes a servitor of the Supreme Lord, Who is the Maintainer and Sustainer of the whole cosmic manifestation. So long as one is not transcen-