A long and interesting conversation ensued with Ali asking good questions about how one understands God and how one makes spiritual progress, and Srila Prabhupada supplying the kind of deep insights only a master practitioner could know. The main qualification required, Srila Prabhupada said, was that one must be eager to know God more and more intimately. By practical action the imperfect material senses become purified, and when they are fully spiritualized then the reciprocal exchanges can take place. In order to take up practical action one needs proper training and therefore acceptance of a spiritual master is mandatory.
He gave an example. "Just like if you want to be an engineer, you must be trained under some engineer. Similarly, if you want to be trained up spiritually, then you must accept a spiritual master. Tad vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: must, otherwise not possible. Training. So spiritual master trains with these books, and explanation, practical demonstration. In this way the student makes progress spiritually."
He elaborately described the difference between the body and soul, repeatedly stressing the need to be practical. Simply talking of God, he told Ali, was not enough. It was like swimming -- one can learn the theory, but when you get in the water you actually have to do it. "We are talking of God, but instead of loving God, we are loving this body. So that is not practical. That is simply waste of time, srama eva hi kevalam. If one does not become enthused to love God, then simply talking about God is a waste of time. That is going on all over the world. Somebody's Hindu, somebody's Christian, somebody's Muhammadan. They are going to the church, they are going to mosque, they are going to temple, everything is going on, but when you ask whether you love God or dog, he'll say, 'I love dog.' Practically we see. Everyone is keeping a dog, very favorite pet. And in church, they'll talk of God, but practically they love the dog. Is it not? This is going on, in the name of religion, that's all. Therefore Bhagavata says it is simply waste of time."
He gave another graphic example illustrating the mentality of those who approach God for material things such as a car, wife, house or some money. "Just like a vulture. The vulture goes very, very high, four miles high, five miles. But his business is to find out where there is a corpse." He raised his hand in the air. "Very highly elevated, but business is to find out a dead body. And as soon as he finds it ..." He brought his hand sweeping down. "So this is going on. Very religious, very regularly performing religious ceremonies, rituals, but the business is where is a corpse. 'Come on, here is some sense gratification.' This is going on. If you are talking of God, then you must love God. That is progress. But there is no love of God, there is love of something else, so what is the use of talking about?"
- From "A Transcendental Diary Vol 4" by HG Hari Sauri Prabhu
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