Prabhupāda: Yes. Every relationship . . . just like I have given you example, business relationship. So if you want to establish some business relationship, there must be a broker. You see? If you want to establish a relationship with some girl, there must be a negotiator. Of course, in your country it is very free. In India it is no . . . there is no free love. There is a negotiator, either privately or through the parents.
So in every transaction there is a negotiator. So spiritual master is the negotiator. He is the broker—of course, without any brokerage. But he is supposed to be the broker, or the transparent medium. My Guru Mahārāja used to say: "The transparent media, via media." Just like my eyes are not very perfect, so I am using this transparent via media to see. Similarly, because we have forgotten our relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or God, so we have to see through the transparent via media of spiritual master. Otherwise it is very difficult. That is the process. That is the process.
Therefore Bhāgavata, er, Vedic literature gives you injunction, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12). Tad-vijñānārtham. Tat means spiritual, or transcendental. If you want to understand about transcendental science, then tad-vijñānārtham, in order to understand that transcendental science, so gurum eva. Eva. Gurum means spiritual master; eva, eva means must; and gacchet, gacchet also, it is used in the obli . . . or the imperative, "must."
And who is a guru? Who is a spiritual master? That is also defined there. Otherwise he will be puzzled where to go. "All right, I am ready to go to a spiritual master to understand the transcendental science, but who is a guru?" Everyone will be ready, "Oh, I am your guru. I am a spiritual master." No. There are signs. What is that?
Śrotriyam. Śrotriyam means one who has perfectly heard the science of God from authoritative sources in disciplic succession. That is the qualification. Śrotriyam. And brahma-niṣṭham means not that simply he has heard, but the result is that he is firmly fixed up in God consciousness. These two qualifications.
You have to find out that whether this man is coming from disciplic succession, śrotriyam . . . Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2): "By this disciplic succession, this science of Bhagavad-gītā was learned." So we have to approach to a spiritual master who is coming down from that disciplic succession. Then he is bona fide. Not only . . . he may be coming, but if he has not understood, then simply accepting will not do. Then the next symptom is śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12). Brahma-niṣṭham means he is firmly fixed up; nobody can deviate him from his point of steadiness. These are the general. There are many other definition in different . . .
And the disciple also, he must have also qualification to approach a spiritual master. It is not that because you have got a bona fide spiritual master, therefore you will be benefited. You must be also qualified. What is that qualification? What is the disciple's qualification? That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). Śreya uttamam. Everyone is engaged for some temporary benefit, everyone in this world, you will find. Everyone is very busy. When you speak, "Please come to our temple," "Sir, I am very busy." What is his business? The business is eating, sleeping and mating. That's all, his business.