Two things required, guru and Krishna.
Hari Sauri Dasa: At the end of a full day Prabhupada likes to relax. Sometimes he is reflective, making pithy observations about society and the condition of the world. That was his mood tonight. After I set up the mosquito net over his bed, he lay down. I climbed inside also, sitting cross legged at his side, gently massaging his hips, legs, and feet.
Prabhupada talked briefly about Freud. He said that producing such a complicated philosophy and writing volumes of books just to understand sexual attraction, which is there naturally even in the pigs, is like bringing a cannon to kill a mosquito. "Big philosophy," he said, "is not required for these things."
Prabhupada is not feeling well; swelling in his legs, feet, and hands trouble him. To see his body puffed with fluid is very disturbing. Nevertheless, he went on his walk, continuing with the education of Dr. Patel and the other devotees. This morning Prabhupada stressed that one must hear from a bona fide guru if he desires to become knowledgeable in spiritual life. He condemned charlatan gurus who misrepresent the process of yoga and tell people that one can be one's own guru simply by "looking within." "If there is no need of guru," Prabhupada said sharply, "why are they writing books to tell people? As soon as you tell someone something, that is guru." As we walked back to greet Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari, the sound of children's voices singing traditional Hindi songs loudly rang out from the playground of the junior school across the road. This scene reinforced the point that Srila Prabhupada emphasized during the morning walk everyone must learn from another qualified authority.
Dr. Patel said, "Guru is necessity right from the birth. The first guru is the mother." Prabhupada answered, "And these rascals, they preach like that: 'There is no need of guru.'" "They are rascals, Sir." "Yes," Prabhupada agreed. "Simply rascals. Rascal means he does not know the thing and he still preaches. That's a rascal. Guru must be there. There are many, they say like that, 'There is no need of guru.'" When one visitor asked if some effort was required to obtain a guru, Prabhupada gave his confirmation. "Yes. Therefore Krishna says, tad viddhi pranipatena. Pranipat means you have to surrender. When you submit somewhere, you must test and then submit. That is sad-guru." "They say, sir," Dr. Patel said, "that if you are very sincere then the sad-guru comes automatically to you ... as you have come to us." Prabhupada answered, "Yes. Because Krishna is there. If He sees somebody is actually serious to understand Him.... Therefore Dhruva Maharaja, he did not make any guru, but with fervent desire he went, 'Yes, I shall find out Krishna.' Mother said, 'Krishna can be found in the forest.' He went to the forest and began according to his own way. Then Krishna sent Narada Muni: 'This boy is very serious; go and give him real mantra.' That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu, guru krishna kripaya paya bhakti lata bija. Two things required, guru and Krishna."
During his massage I pressed gently on Prabhupada's foot with my thumb to show him the swelling. It left an indentation for several minutes. Prabhupada said this is due to uremia, a toxic condition caused by waste products in the blood normally eliminated in the urine. It makes it very difficult for him to climb the steps to his apartment when returning from the temple. Yet, he tolerates the inconvenience without complaint and dismissed the sight of the dent with a smile and a shake of his head.
Reference: Transcendental Diary Volume 1 by Hari Sauri Dasa
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