We must be very conscious about reading the scriptures. The Scriptures are not the easiest thing to understand. The Bhagavad-gita explains how a student should approach a teacher to learn spiritual knowledge:
tad viddhi pranipatena pariprashnena sevaya
upadekshyanti te jnanam jnaninas tattva-darsinah
(Srimad Bhagavad-gita: 4.34)
Here it is explained that a student must be a little qualified to approach a teacher. Srimad Bhagavad-gita says, “First be surrendered, then inquire and serve. Your spiritual master (Guru) will want to hear your questions and bestow his mercy upon you if you are really surrendered to him, you are humble and you have real hankering.” So first approach Gurudev through surrender, and then serve him.
Surrender alone is not sufficient
Surrender alone is not actually sufficient. Surrendered service, or devotional service, to the spiritual master (Guru) is really the main thing that will give the sincere seeker the proper result in his search for transcendental knowledge. Someone may obtain general knowledge (tad viddhi) in other ways. But without surrender (pranipatena), sincere inquiry (pariprashnena) and devotional service (sevaya), then transcendental knowledge will not reveal itself in the heart.
Srila Govinda Maharaj (right) the perfect disicple of Srila Sridhar Maharaj (left) the perfect teacher
Qualified student and qualified teacher
When a student is a little qualified in this way and he finds a Guru who is a qualified teacher he must surrender to him, ask him questions and serve him. Everything will be revealed and manifested in the heart of the qualified sincere seeker by the qualified Guru when the disciple is enriched with the mood of devotion: surrender, inquiry and service.
With the Proper Mood of Devotional Service
When that mood is present everything will be set right. The Guru’s heart will be melted by that student’s sincere approach and he will be ready to teach the student. By this process the student will understand through the melted heart of his Guru the essence of all the Scriptures—everything that is to be found within the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Srimad Bhagavatam, and the other spiritual literature. In this way we should try to learn the meanings of the Scriptures.
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