76 Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge
subject of service (sevayd). Without service, our
inquiries will be futile, but even before making
inquiries, we should have some qualification. If we
go to a store to purchase some gold or jewelry and
we know nothing about jewels or gold, we are likely
to be cheated. If we go to a jeweler and say, “Can
you give me a diamond?” he will understand that
this is a fool. He could charge us any price for any-
thing. That kind of searching will not do at all. We
first have to become a little intelligent, for it is
not possible to make spiritual progress otherwise.
The beginning injunction of the Veddnta-sittra is:
athato brahma-jijriasd. ‘Now is the time to inquire
about Brahman.” The word atha means that one who
is intelligent, who has come to the point of realizing
the basic frustrations of material life, is capable of
making inquiry. In Srimad-Bhdgavatam it is stated
that one should inquire from a spiritual master
about subjects that are “beyond this darkness.” This
material world is by nature dark, and it is artificially
lighted by fire. Our inquiries should be about the
transcendental worlds which lie beyond this universe.
If one is desirous to find out about these spiritual
worlds, he should seek out a spiritual master; other-
wise there is no point in searching. If I want to study
Bhagavad-gita or Vedanta-siitra in order to make
material improvement, it is not necessary to find a
spiritual master. One should first want to inquire
about Brahman and then search out a master who
has perfect vision of the Absolute Truth (jianinas
tattva-darsinah). Krsna is the supreme tattva, Abso-
lute Truth. In the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gita
Sti Krsna states:
