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 you choice, whether you want to surrender not. That is you 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," 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: But 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 it. 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-darśi, 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; at any place.