Someone who combines philosophy with religion—and more. Someone who is attractive, all blissful, full of knowledge. This is the only way we can see, we were not attracted in the beginning, only by philosophy. We were not attracted in the beginning only by the chanting. We were attracted, most of us, most of us by two things.
Prasādam and by the example of our blissful spiritual father, spiritual mother, spiritual teacher, spiritual preceptor, spiritual friend and such a humble servant that he wants nothing for himself. But simply our spiritual advancement. "Oh my dear Lord you are so kind that you are my constant companion, in your name". Arjuna.
Prabhupāda: Now you can speak.
Śyāmasundara:
- nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
- śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine.
I offer my most humble and respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master Swami Bhaktivedanta, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet . . .
The material world is often likened to a forest fire. To us, our spiritual master is the most austere person on this planet, or any other planets. For while we were burning in the fire, the forest fire of material existence he put, the spiritual master has put the fire out.
It is only, it is only by personal example that we can truly realise the knowledge which has been handed down from Vedic scriptur . . . vedic scriptures. It is only . . . we can read these scriptures people, a lot of people do, like Vedānta societies and so on. They read the knowledge but it is only by a personal example that we can, that we can understand how it works in practical fields and this is why our spiritual master is so important to us because . . . our . . .
We cannot spend one moment without acting. It says in the Bhagavad-gītā that, that every man has natural propensities to act and he is constantly acting. So that . . . while we act . . . while we must act, we must not have an act and therefore we would need the guidance of the spiritual master who tells us how to act and we watch him and we can see how he acts. How he acts, how he gets up, how he stands, how he moves his hands, how he talks, and most of all how he worships Kṛṣṇa Himself. Only by his guidance can we act in this way. Hare Krishna.