So a human life should be engaged inquiring about the Absolute Truth, and he should inquire from a person who, who has heard about the Absolute Truth from a realized person. There is a.... Therefore it is called sruti, parampara, disciplic succession. One... Just like Vyasadeva is hearing from Narada. Narada is authorized. He has heard from Brahma. Brahma has heard from Krsna. So this is the parampara system, disciplic succession. So there are four parampara systems. They are known as, at the present moment, Ramanuja-sampradaya, Brahma-sampra..., Brahma-samprada..., yes, Madhva-sampradaya, Brahma-sampradaya, Madhva-sampradaya, the same, and Rudra-sampradaya and Sri-samp..., Sri, Rama, Kumara-sampradaya. These is four sampradayas. So we should hear from the sampradaya-acarya by disciplic succession. As Krsna recommends in this Bhagavad-gita: evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh (BG 4.2).
- imam vivasvate yogam
- proktavan aham avyayam
- vivasvan manave praha
- manur iksvakave 'bravit
- (BG 4.1)
Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh (BG 4.2). So that is the system. We should receive knowledge by the bona fide, parampara system. Otherwise it may be bogus. Because without parampara system, we cannot understand actual fact. And we have to become in the disciplic succession. We must accept a guru. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). If you are actually eager, anxious to understand the spiritual science, then you must approach a guru. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam. Uttama means transcendental subject matter. You cannot learn it. Just like if you purchase one pharmacology book from the bookseller's shop, and if you read, at home, do you mean that you become a medical practitioner, pharmacist? No. You must go to the university, you must go to the college. You must hear the experienced professor and learn it and practically experiment it. Then you can learn. Not that by purchasing a book you become a medical practitioner or lawyer. That is not possible. Therefore the direction is that tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) "Must." Here also we see, Krsna in the beginning was talking with Arjuna just like friends. But when Arjuna understood it that "We are talking like friends. So we cannot come into conclusion." The friend, they talk, they argue, they put logic. In that way, we cannot understand. Na tams tarkena yojayet. Then? Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet. So therefore Arjuna surrendered himself: sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam (BG 2.7). Karpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah. "I, I can understand that I am a ksatriya. It is my duty to fight. But in front of my grandfather and relatives, I am declining to fight. Therefore I am affected with karpanya-dosa. I am deviating from my duty. So why I am deviating from this duty? Therefore I am surrendering myself unto You."