Choosing a Spiritual Master 59
Therefore Visvanatha Cakravarti says, kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya.
Because he is the most confidential servitor of God, the guru is offered
the same respect that we offer God. God is always God, guru is always
guru. As a matter of etiquette, God is the worshipable God, and guru is
the worshiper God (sevaka-bhagavan). Therefore the guru is addressed
as prabhupdda. The word prabhu means ‘“‘lord,”’ and pdda means
*‘position.”’ Thus prabhupdda means ‘‘he who has taken the position of
the Lord.”’ This is the same as sdksad-dharitvena samasta-Sastraih.

Only if we are very serious about understanding the science of God is a
guru required. We should not try to keep a guru as a matter of fashion.
One who has accepted a guru speaks intelligently. He never speaks non-
sense. That is the sign of having accepted a bona fide guru. We should
certainly offer all respect to the spiritual master, but we should also
remember how to carry out his orders. In the Bhagavad-gita [4.34] Sri
Krsna Himself tells us the method of seeking out and approaching the
guru:

tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jianam
Jfdaninas tattva-darsinah
‘Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire :
from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized
soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.’’ The
first process is that of surrender. We have to find an exalted person and
willingly surrender before him. The sdstras enjoin that before we take a
guru we study him carefully to find out whether we can surrender to him.
We should not accept a guru suddenly out of fanaticism. That is very dan-
gerous. The guru should also study the person who wants to become a
disciple to see if he is fit. That is the way a relationship is established be-
tween the guru and disciple. Everything is provided, but we must take up
the process seriously. Then we can be trained to become a bona fide disci-
ple. First we must find a bona fide guru, establish our relationship with
him, and act accordingly. Then our life will be successful, for the guru
can enlighten the sincere disciple who is in darkness.

Everyone is born a rascal and a fool. If we are born learned, why do we
need to go to school? If we do not cultivate knowledge, we are no better
than animals. An animal may say that there is no need of books and that
he has becomé a guru, but how can anyone obtain knowledge without the
