You'll be surprised to know that my grand–spiritual master, my spiritual master's spiritual master, he was illiterate. And my spiritual master was the learned . . . greatest learned scholar of his age.
Now, how he became the disciple of an illiterate man? So, but that Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja . . . his name was Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, my spiritual master's spiritual master, my grand–spiritual master. So he was illiterate, but when you asked him some question, some intricate question of spiritual significance, he'll answer you immediately very nicely. That is realization.
Now, how this realization takes place? Not by academic education, but by sincerity. If one is very sincere, that he wants to know what is spiritual science, what is God, what is self, what is Superself, what is this world, what is spiritual world—there are so many questions. Unfortunately, we are not inquisitive. And one who is not inquisitive, for him there is no need of accepting a spiritual master.
In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is directed, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21): "One should surrender to a spiritual master." Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ. Who will surrender? Who has become very inquisitive, "What is God?" Take for example, "What is God? What I am?" Now, unless one is very seriously inquisitive about this subject matter, there is no need of spiritual master. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ. Jijñāsuḥ means very inquisitive.