Shyamasundar: . . . established with Kṛṣṇa is first established with the spiritual master?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Every relationship . . . just like I have given you example, business relationship. So if you want to establish some business relationship, there must be a broker. You see? If you want to establish a relationship with some girl, there must be a negotiator. Of course, in your country it is very free. In India it is no . . . there is no free love. There is a negotiator, either privately or through the parents.
So in every transaction there is a negotiator. So spiritual master is the negotiator. He is the broker—of course, without any brokerage. But he is supposed to be the broker, or the transparent medium. My Guru Mahārāja used to say: "The transparent media, via media." Just like my eyes are not very perfect, so I am using this transparent via media to see. Similarly, because we have forgotten our relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or God, so we have to see through the transparent via media of spiritual master. Otherwise it is very difficult. That is the process. That is the process.