A spiritual master, it is defined in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, who requires a spiritual master. That is stated: tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21).
Tasmād. Tasmād means "therefore." "Therefore one should approach a spiritual master." What is that "therefore"? Jijṣāsuḥ śreya uttamam. If one is actually inquisitive to understand about the spiritual existence, then he requires a spiritual master. A spiritual master does not mean that he'll teach you how to keep your body fit, how you can reduce your fat, how you can remain a young man, and so many nonsense. This is not the duty of the spiritual master.
However you may try to keep your body fit, how long you shall keep your body fit? As soon as you are born, the death is also born along with you. Suppose one man is twenty-five years old. That means he has already died twenty-five years. So you cannot protect yourself from death, however you may become very strong, stout.
Therefore actual education, actual spiritual knowledge, begins, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. The Bhagavad-gītā . . . the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā is that when Arjuna surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, He immediately said that, "My dear Arjuna, you are posing yourself as very learned man but you are fool number one." Why? "Because you are identifying yourself with this body." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajṣā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11).
"My dear Arjuna, you are talking just like very learned man, but you are lamenting on the subject matter of your body." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Actually one who is learned, he has no necessity for lamenting on the subject, on the body, either living or dead.
So the whole process of education in the materialistic way of civilization is on the body, how to keep the body fit, how to avoid death, how to avoid disease. Simply concentration on the body. So this bodily concept of life is immediately discouraged in the Bhagavad-gītā.
- aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ
- prajṣā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase
- gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca
- nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ
- (BG 2.11)
Paṇḍitāḥ means those who are learned, they are not affected by this body, either dead or alive. So that means one should be inquisitive to learn about the soul which is sitting in the body. That is real knowledge.
So one who is inquisitive about understanding that knowledge, he requires a spiritual master. Not that one who wants to keep this body fit or wants to reduce fat. No. For him there is no necessity of spiritual master. That he can go to a doctor or a medical physician. That's all. He can advise. What is the use of going to a spiritual master? Spiritual master means jijṣāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). Who can teach you about the highest benediction, he is spiritual master.
So we shall discuss in next meeting. This is very interesting, and you'll be profited if you please come and hear.