Caracas Feb 19 1975 room conversation
Professor: How can I get with my imperfect senses the perfection brought by the master?
Prabhupāda: The same example. Just like the mother has seen the father, and the mother says not only to her son but other gentleman that “Here is the father of the son.” So the other gentleman who has not seen the father but on the verification by the mother, he accepts the real thing. Hearing from the perfect is also perfect. If I get the chance of hearing from the perfect, then I may not be perfect, but because I have heard from the perfect, what I say, that is perfect.
Professor (Hṛdayānanda): He’s saying that he accepts that we can receive perfect knowledge, but then because I am imperfect I make an imperfect interpretation.
Prabhupāda: No, you are not allowed interpretation. As soon as you interpret, you become imperfect. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Don’t interpret. Before this, all these rascals were simply interpreting and spoiling the whole thing. So this is the fact.
Professor: So what you really are asking for is blind faith.
Prabhupāda: Not blind faith. Perfect man is perfect. Unless you understand that he is perfect, don’t hear from him. That is blind. Without knowing that he is perfect, if you hear, that is your imperfectness. Why should you try to hear from a person whom you do not know perfectly well that he is perfect?
Hṛdayānanda: Can I translate that?
Prabhupāda: Yes. If you hear blindly, that is your imperfectness. You must be first of all convinced that. “The person from whom I am hearing, he is perfect.” Then your knowledge is perfect.
Professor: That conviction is not the product of reasoning.
Prabhupāda: It is not convention. It is not convention. It is actually knowing that “I have approached this perfect man.” Just like the same example: if you approach the mother of the son, she is the perfect to know the father, and if you have known from the mother that “This boy’s father is this gentleman,” that knowledge is perfect. Even though you have not seen while the father was begotten, giving birth, it doesn’t matter. But because you have heard from the mother—she is perfect—therefore your knowledge received from her is perfect. Therefore it is written, tattva-darśibhiḥ,“who has seen the truth.” So you have to approach such person who has seen the truth.
———————————————————————
“Unless one is under the shelter of a realized spiritual master, his understanding of the Supreme issimply foolishness” quote from TLC
LA July 13 1971—Prabhupāda: Unless one is prepared that “I am accepting somebody as my spiritual master. I must accept whatever he says,” if there is any doubt, that “I cannot accept his words verbatim,” then one should not accept him as spiritual master. That is hypocrisy
Some Conclusions-Acceptance of a bona fide spiritual master is so important that Srila Prabhupada explains above that we should not hear from anybody who is NOT perfect, otherwise we will be misled. So the first thing, is we must become familiar with who is and who is NOT a bona fide guru, otherwise, it being kali yuga,we will be cheated.One of the first things I was told when coming to this Hare Krsna Movement was that if you dont know what gold is, then anyone can sell you some fools gold (pyrite) and you will be cheated. So we still see this going on in various organizations worldwide.
The cheating will stop if the prospective candidate for spiritual life becomes familiar himself with this great science of self realization and God Consciousness. And if not, then we will become yet another victim of this horrid age of hypocrisy.
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
Below is one of our Deities of Srila Prabhupada-a bona fide spiritual master