"Hear. First of all, hearing. Hearing means the perfect knowledge, hearing from the authority. Because we are ignorant... Just like we go to the school, colleges, and hear from the teachers, from the professors, similarly, hearing means hearing from the authority, not from the rascals. That is hearing. Just like in the Vedas it is said, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). To hear the right news, the perfect knowledge, you must approach the bona fide spiritual master. Gurum eva abhigacchet. Must! It is not that 'I can get knowledge at home. Why shall I go to guru? I do not find any guru.'
These things are current very much. 'It may be there is no guru.' Not at all. You cannot say that. Just like there are imitation coin. You have met with some imitation coins. That does not mean there is no real coin. You are unfortunate. You met with imitation coins. So don't make that calculation that 'There is no real coin, all imitation coin.' That is nonsense. There is imitation coin, and there is real coin. It is up to you to find out which is the real and which is the imitation."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Vrindavan, October 26, 1972)
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