Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.16.35
—
Hawaii, January 28, 1974
Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes, the puruṣottama, to take us back. "Why you are now covered, your shining is stopped? You are morose. You are suffering threefold miserable condition of material existence. Why you are rotting here?" Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Kṛṣṇa comes Himself. He is within everyone's heart. He's instructing. He is ready to instruct, but He'll only instruct to such persons who have engaged themselves in devotional service. Kṛṣṇa is there, just like the master is there and many workers are there also. The master speaks to the important persons, not to the ordinary person. Similarly, the master is there in everyone's heart.
īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati
brahmāyan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
[Bg. 18.61]
Whatever we are getting for our sense enjoyment, that is with the sanction, sanction of the puruṣa, the Supreme Person. The paramātmā feature is madhyama puruṣa. He is purusottama. Puruṣottama is the Supreme Person, and the Supreme Person by His expansion as the Supersoul is present in everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām [Bg. 18.61]. He's guiding, as friend. He's guiding as friend, but He speaks directly with the living entity as soon as we are purified by devotional service. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam [Bg. 10.10]. That if..., that qualification we have to attain, then Kṛṣṇa, puruṣottama, will speak from within, just like He spoke from within of Brahma: tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye [SB 1.1.1].
We have to become qualified to talk with the Supreme Person, and He will give us advice. He's giving us advice. He's ready to give us advice from within and from without—from within as Supersoul and from without as the spiritual master. Therefore it is said, guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya bhakti-latā-bīja [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. Both things are required—guru and Kṛṣṇa. If we are sincere, if we actually want Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is within your heart. He will help you in meeting the spiritual master, His representative. And by the instruction of the spiritual master, you will develop more and more your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, your original position. This is called devotional service, or bhakti-latā. Bhakti-latā-bīja. Just like one small creeper, first of all to sow the seed and water it, then gradually it spouts and gradually, I mean to say, grows. Similarly, by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa and His representative, guru, spiritual master, you get the seed of bhakti-latā, devotional service, and if you sow it in the heart, mālī haya sei bīja kare āropaṇa. Just like if you take a seed, nice seed, and if you sow it, and pour water little, little, then it will grow and it will become a big tree or big creeper and give you the fruits. You'll enjoy it. Similarly, the bhakti-latā-bīja is given by the spiritual master in cooperation with Kṛṣṇa. That is initiation. This initiation arrangement means sowing the seed of devotional service. Now, if you get, if you think that after getting initiation, "I have become perfect. Now again, whatever nonsense I was doing, I shall go on doing it," then it will be useless. It will be useless. Suppose if you get a seed. If you don't take proper care, water it nicely, then it will not grow; it will be stunned there. You have to take, mālī haya sei bīja kar āropaṇa śravaṇa-kīrtana-jale karaye secana [Cc. Madhya 19.152].