Choosing a Spiritual Master 73

edge is permanently sealed to the cognitive approach of the empiricists.
As it is said in the Svetdsvatara Upanisad (6.23):

yasya deve para bhaktir
yathd deve tathad gurau

tasyaite kathita hy arthah
prakasante mahatmanah

“Only unto those great souls who simultaneously have implicit faith in
both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic
knowledge automatically revealed.”’

Gentlemen, our knowledge is so poor, our senses are so imperfect, and
our sources are so limited that it is not possible for us to have even the
slightest knowledge of the absolute region without surrendering our-
selves at the lotus feet of Sri Vyasadeva or his bona fide representative.
Every moment we are being deceived by the knowledge of our direct per-
ception. It is all the creation or concoction of the mind, which is always
deceiving, changing, and flickering. We cannot know anything of the
transcendental region by our limited, perverted method of observation
and experiment. But all of us can lend our eager ears for the aural recep-
tion of the transcendental sound transmitted from that region to this
through the unadulterated medium of Sri Gurudeva or Sri Vyasadeva.
Therefore, gentlemen, we should surrender ourselves today at the feet of
the representative of Sri Vyasadeva for the elimination of all our
differences bred by our unsubmissive attitude. It is accordingly said in Sri
Gita (4.34):

tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya

upadeksyanti te jidnam
jndninas tattva-darsinah

‘‘Just approach the wise and bona fide spiritual master. Surrender unto
him first and try to understand him by inquiries and service. Such a wise
spiritual master will enlighten you with transcendental knowledge, for he
has already known the Absolute Truth.”’

To receive the transcendental knowledge we must completely sur-
render ourselves to the real dcdrya in a spirit of ardent inquiry and ser-
vice. Actual performance of service to the Absolute under the guidance
of the dcarya is the only vehicle by which we can assimilate the transcen-
dental knowledge. Today’s meeting for offering our humble services and
