So to become a disciple of spiritual master, unless there is awakening of this knowledge, to know, "What I am?" there is no need of making a show, accepting a spiritual master. There is no need. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). For whom guru is needed? Guru, spiritual master, is not a farce, that "Let me have a guru, nice guru. Then I become perfect." And if you do not follow the instruction of guru . . . first of all, you must have a bona fide guru. And if you follow, then your life is perfect. So two things must be correct: the guru must be correct and the disciple must be correct. Then the business will be correct. And either of them—if guru is incorrect or the disciple is incorrect—there will be no action.
So therefore Bhāgavata says, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). Who shall approach? Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). According to Vedic instruction, everyone should approach a guru. But who is that everyone? One who is jijñāsu. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. One who is inquisitive to understand, "What I am? Am I this body or something else?" That is beginning of spiritual instruction.
Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā the first instruction to Arjuna was to know that beyond this body, there is the soul.