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Wednesday, September 11, 1968 San Francisco, Calif
Letter to Syama dasi
"In the Vedas it is stated that simply by understanding Krishna, one understands everything. This means there are two departmental educational policy; one departmental education is spiritual education, and the other departmental educational system is material education. One who is highly elevated in material education, cannot understand about anything spiritual. But one who is elevated highly in his spiritual education can understand anything material. In other words, all material things are dependent on the spiritual soul. Just like your body, my body, this material body, they have developed on the basis of the spirit soul.
Therefore, Krishna being the Supreme Spirit, one who tries to understand Krishna, he can understand everything else. From your statement of the letter under reply, I can understand that by the Grace of Krishna, you are improving in Krishna Consciousness. And if you continue to keep up your attitude in this spirit, surely in this very life, you will be successful to reach the perfectional stages.
It is my duty to open your eyes, because a Spiritual Master is he who can save his disciples from the darkness of nescience, illusion. So I am trying my best to do my duty, and if you cooperate with me, fully, certainly both yourself and myself will be successful in our missionary work."
Srila Prabhupada Lecture
Bhagavad-gita 9.3
Toronto, June 20, 1976
"So our simple method is to see whether somebody is speaking about Krsna or what Krsna has said. If he does not do so, then immediately accept him asuram bhavam asritah, a raksasa. How you can accept him as guru? A raksasa? That is your mistake. How can you accept a person as guru who has imbibed with raksasa. So then what is their position? Duskrtinah. Very sinful. Mudhah, rascal, ass. Naradhamah, lowest of the mankind. "No, he's so educated." Mayayapahrta-jnanah. His so-called education has no value because maya has taken away the essence of... Because education means... Veda means knowledge. So the Vedas are there for education. So vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. Ultimately Vedanta, Vedanta means the ultimate knowledge. The end of knowledge. The end of knowledge is to know Krsna. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. So after studying Vedas, if he does not understand Krsna, then it is to be understood, mayayapahrta-jnanah, his knowledge has been taken away by maya. So simple thing is that Krsna is the original guru. Mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg. 7.7]. There is no more better guru than Krsna. So anyone who repeats the words of Krsna, teach others, he is guru. Otherwise he's a rascal."