Ali: In choosing a master you mentioned that the choice is yours. But you have to know what you are after. For instance, if you are after . . .
Prabhupāda: Our offer is you surrender to God. Now it is your choice, whether you want to surrender not. That is your business. We are offering everyone that, "You surrender to Kṛṣṇa, or God." Kṛṣṇa also says the same thing, "You surrender to Me," and we are asking, "You surrender to Kṛṣṇa." The business is the same; there is no change. As it is. Kṛṣṇa says: "You surrender to Me," we say, "You surrender to Kṛṣṇa." There is no difference. As it is.
Ali: My question was how could one choose when he himself is ignorant?
Prabhupāda: By knowledge. Here is knowledge. You have not surrendered to God, you take the knowledge from God that, "You surrender to Me." That is knowledge. Why don't you take it? Where is the question of ignorance? You may be in ignorance, but when the knowledge comes directly that, "You surrender to Me," then you can do it. Just like a man is fallen in a dark well. He's crying, "Save me, save me," and one man drops a rope, "Please catch it, I'll save you." If you don't catch, then whose fault it is? Kṛṣṇa comes directly, paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8), and He says: "Do it." If you don't do it, then whose fault it is? It is your fault. You don't catch it. Kṛṣṇa says: "Here is the rope. Catch it. I shall take it . . . take you out of this well." But if you don't catch it, then whose fault is it?
Mrs. Sahani: Excuse me, once you surrender to God, will you still have to look for an authority to guide you, or Kṛṣṇa helps you to find Him?
Prabhupāda: Yes, Kṛṣṇa is giving direction, but we have no such intelligence. Therefore Kṛṣṇa advises:
- tad viddhi praṇipātena
- paripraśnena sevayā
- upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
- jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
- (BG 4.34)
You go to a person who has seen the truth and you understand. Because they are not understanding Kṛṣṇa directly or through the agent, they are misled, they are misinterpreting. That is their folly. They'll not understand Kṛṣṇa directly, neither they'll understand through Kṛṣṇa's agent. Therefore they are misguided.
Mrs. Sahani: Is it possible to understand Kṛṣṇa directly?
Prabhupāda: No. You can if you are intelligent enough. Otherwise, everyone can take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He says directly everyone. He's not saying to Arjuna, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66). Why don't you do it? Because you cannot understand. If you understood, you have done it immediately. But you do not understand. Therefore Kṛṣṇa—tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā upadekṣyanti (BG 4.34)—you have to understand through the person who tatva-darśinaḥ, who has seen Kṛṣṇa. Tattva-darśina, not theoretical. You have to approach such person, then he will show you, "Here is Kṛṣṇa." But if you don't follow the instruction in Bhagavad-gītā directly or indirectly . . . Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). If you do not do that, and because you may not understand Kṛṣṇa . . . but Kṛṣṇa also says, tad viddhi praṇipātena . . . you do not go to a seer, then how you'll understand Kṛṣṇa? You do not understand directly or indirectly. Then you are hopeless.
Mrs. Sahani: If you don't understand Kṛṣṇa directly . . .
Prabhupāda: Neither indirectly. If you don't understand directly, you should go to a person who understands Kṛṣṇa. But if you don't do either of these things, then how you'll understand Kṛṣṇa?
Mrs. Sahani: But how to, because in India there's so many . . .
Prabhupāda: Don' talk of India; any place.
Mrs. Sahani: Any place, yes. But how do we be sure that this person knows Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Mrs. Sahani: How can we be sure that this person knows Kṛṣṇa?
Atreya Ṛṣi: How can she be sure that the spiritual master is bona fide?
Prabhupāda: If when you see that he does not speak anything except Kṛṣṇa, that is tattva-darśi. If you are expert businessman in certain line, you have no other business than to talk with on that line. Suppose if you are to purchase some gold, then you have to go to the gold market for dealing with gold. Why should we go to the ice market? That is your ignorance. If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, then you have to know from the persons who are dealing with Kṛṣṇa. That's all. They have no other business. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we are dealing with Kṛṣṇa. That's all. We're writing books, so many books for Kṛṣṇa. We are preaching, we are going country to country. We simple deal with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the movement is known as "Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Somebody suggested me, "Why don't you write 'God consciousness'?" No, if I say: "God consciousness," they'll bring so many gods. It is very simple. If we take it seriously, then benefit is there. But if we hesitate, it is our misfortune.