52 The Nectar of Instruction

very comfortable. Indeed, for Krsna’s sake they are pre-
pared to accept any living condition as long as they can live
in the temple and associate with the Vaisnavas. When one
becomes so disinterested in material enjoyment, he becomes
fit for initiation by the spiritual master. For the advance-
ment of spiritual life Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.1.13)
prescribes: tapasa brahmacaryena samena ca damena ca.
When a person is serious about accepting diksa, he must be
prepared to practice austerity, celibacy and control of the
mind and body. If one is so prepared and is desirous of
receiving spiritual enlightenment (divyam jianam), he is fit
for being initiated. Divyam jrdnam is technically called
tad-vijndna, or knowledge about the Supreme. Tad-
vijndndrtham sa gurum evabhigacchet: when one is in-
terested in the transcendental subject matter of the Absolute
Truth, he should be initiated. Such a person should approach
a spiritual master in order to take diksd. Srimad-
Bhégavatam (11.3.21) also prescribes: tasmad gurum
prapadyeta jijfidsuh sreya uttamam. ““When one is actually
interested in the transcendental science of the Absolute
Truth, he should approach a spiritual master.”

One should not accept a spiritual master without following
his instructions. Nor should one accept a spiritual master
just to make a fashionable show of spiritual life. One must
be jijfidsu, very much inquisitive to learn from the bona fide
spiritual master. The inquiries one makes should strictly
pertain to transcendental science (jijfdsuh Sreya uttamam).
The word uttamam refers to that which is above material
knowledge. Tama means “‘the darkness of this material
world,” and ut means “‘transcendental.” Generally people
