Hanumān: I would like to ask you why we are so fortunate to have such a nice genuine spiritual master as you, and some others have bogus spiritual master. Is it something of karma or is this the pure mercy of yourself?
Prabhupāda: No, that you can think—your spiritual master is nice, others bogus—but they do not think like that. (laughter) They will think their spiritual master is good, your spiritual master is bogus. But there is standard who is spiritual master. Spiritual master means who is the best servant of God. One who does not agree the existence of God, he is bogus because he's not bona fide, mūḍhā. One who does not accept the existence of God, he is mūḍhā. He's a rascal. He cannot... A rascal cannot become spiritual master.
Hanumān: How come we come to you?
Prabhupāda: Well, that is another thing, but first of all we have to know who is spiritual master. The spiritual master is he, samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12), one who is exclusively servant of God, he is spiritual master. Otherwise anyone will come and say, "I am spiritual master." Anyone will come say, "I am incarnation of God." So there is standard. That we have to find out.
Devotee (1): Most of the people are still ignoring God. They are so weak-willed. They are so weak-willed that they are easily swayed by, you know, when somebody comes and claims that...
Prabhupāda: Well, if one is weak, he may be infected by some disease. It requires some resisting power. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that, your answer, that "Only the fortunate person, they can get the shelter of bona fide spiritual master." Kona bhāgyavān jīva. Not all, kona. Kona means some.
Devotee (1):. Some, yes. Kona bhāgyavān...
Prabhupāda: Jīva. So as there are bhagavān—somebody is rich, somebody is poor; this is also due to fortune or misfortune—similarly, if one is spiritually fortunate he gets a bona fide spiritual master.