Tad-vijñānārtham means "To understand that transcendental science," gurum eva abhigacchet, "one must take shelter of guru." It cannot be manufactured. Those who manufacture the method of understanding transcendental science, they are not bona fide. So we have already discussed many times that śāstra-vidhi. Guru means one who teaches the regulative principle from śāstra, from authorized scripture. That is guru. Guru cannot be anyone. Ācārya. Ācārya means one who knows the regulative principle or direction in the śāstra. He practically behaves in terms of the śāstra regulative principle and teaches his student also in the same way. He is called ācārya. Acinoti yaḥ śāstrāṇi. He knows the purport of śāstra, he behaves himself according to the terms of the śāstra and he teaches his disciple in the same term. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2).
This is the process.
So Arjuna is asking that "There are many who actually do not follow the principles of śāstra, but they have got some faith. Then what is the result of such mentality?" Ye śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya: "Not following the śāstra-vidhi, the regulative principle mentioned in the śāstra," yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ, "they also make one guru or incarnation or this or that," there are so many going on. "So what is the result of such activities?" This is very important question, because there are so many pseudo so-called gurus. They do not know what is śāstra, neither they follow the principle. Still, they gather some people, and the world is full with such not bona fide gathering. So . . . but they have faith in their so-called guru that some way or other, so-called meditation . . . these things are going on. So what is the result of this?
It is very important question. Ye śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ. But they have got faith. Faith is there, but misguided. Teṣāṁ niṣṭhā tu kā kṛṣṇa: "Kṛṣṇa, that their faith, that blind faith, how it is to be defined? Why? What will be the result?" Teṣāṁ niṣṭhā tu kā kṛṣṇa. Now, "Whether it is faith in sattva-guṇa or faith in rajo-guṇa or faith in tamo-guṇa?" Because without coming to the platform of sattva-guṇa, nobody can advance in spiritual life. That is a fact. Just like nobody is allowed to enter the law college unless he is graduate. This restriction is there. What he will understand, law? He must be a graduate. So similarly, first of all one has to come to the platform of sattva-guṇa. Then spiritual knowledge begins. Because spiritual knowledge is above sattva-guṇa. Above sattva-guṇa. Sattva-guṇa is the best quality, when one brain is clear and he can see things as they are, no hazy understanding but clear understanding. The sattva-guṇa is the qualification of brāhmaṇa.
There are three guṇas. We should always remember. The material nature is working under three guṇas, three divisions. Just like . . . the example is that the fire, smoke and the wood. Wood . . . there is fire. Everyone knows that from wood, fire will come out. And when you ignite wood, there is smoke first of all. And then the blazing or the flame of the . . . comes out. So one may say . . . they are saying like that, that "After all, from . . . it is wood. So there is fire, there is smoke and there is no smoke—it is wood. It is all one." No. Although it is one, still, you require the flame, not the smoke, neither the wood. If you want work, then . . . "Now I have got the wood. My work is finished." No. From the wood, when you get fire, flame, then you can work. You can cook; you can get heat; you can get light, so many things. So that is required, not that, "Because I have got the wood, I have got everything." This is rascaldom. You have to ignite fire, blazing fire, flame. And that is sattva-guṇa.
Therefore, in our Society we first of all try to reform the fallen soul, or most infected materially person, to reform, to come to the stage of flame, because without there being flame you cannot work. It is not possible. It is very practical example. We want flame. Just like yajña. Yajña . . . we perform fire sacrifice, but we want to see there is flame, not smoke, although the same thing. You cannot be satisfied, "Now there is smoke. It is all right. There is fire." Without there being fire, there cannot be smoke. Parvato mandimān dhūmāt. When there is smoke one can understand there is fire, even it is far away. When there is forest fire, people understand, when the smoke is coming from the forest, then can immediately understand there is forest fire. So smoke is, although indication of the fire, but it is not fire. So similarly, so-called meditation, so-called spiritualism, concocted idea, there is some touch of spiritual life, but that is not spiritual life. One should understand. That is not spiritual life. It is called ābhāsa. Ābhāsa means just like day, sunlight, full sunlight. But early in the morning, you cannot see the sun, but there is light, there is no darkness.
So similarly, Kṛṣṇa's . . . Arjuna's inquiry is very nice, that "One who is not following the śāstra-vidhi, the direction of the śāstra, but has got some faith, some vague idea, then what will be considered? They will be taken as sattva-guṇa or rajo-guṇa or tamo-guṇa?" It is . . . Kṛṣṇa . . . now, this is very important question, and Kṛṣṇa . . . it not said: "Kṛṣṇa said." It is said, it is mentioned here, śrī bhagavān uvāca. Kṛṣṇa may be taken by low-grade person as a ordinary human being, as it is done sometimes. Big, big scholars, big, big philosophers, they also become bewildered. Just like in India, there is a party called Ārya-samājī. They accept Kṛṣṇa as a very big person but not God. Not God. There is some mistake some time. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11):
"Those who are rascals, they sometimes take Me as ordinary human being." That is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā. He is Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, when there is an authoritative judgment is required, you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā, it is said, śrī bhagavān uvāca. That means you cannot defy this judgement. Bhagavān. Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is speaking, that is final. No argument. No commentation. This is the meaning of śrī bhagavān uvāca. Similarly, after this inquiry, śrī bhagavān uvāca . . .
(aside) Who has this, marked rules and the scriptures?
Satsvarūpa: The book belongs to Karṇāmṛta.
Prabhupāda: So he does not want these rules and scriptures. He has marked this. Hmm. Yes. But Kṛṣṇa, er, personally, Vyāsadeva has purposefully written here, śrī bhagavān uvāca: "Bhagavān, the Supreme Person, the ultimate . . ." Bhagavān means the ultimate. Just like in some country there is Supreme Court. So when the judgment is given by the Supreme Court, that is final. And when it was monarchy, the order given by the king, that is final—no more questioning. Similarly, when it is mentioned śrī bhagavān uvāca, that means it is final. No more argument, no more logic. Logic is there, argument is there, but it is final. No waste of time anymore. What Bhagavān says, that is called paramparā. The first utterances, order, or statement, or judgment, is given by the Supreme Lord, and if that is followed through the disciplic chain, that is real understanding, real knowledge.