Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati to Professor Suthers

[Guest guest]

The essential principle of Vaisnavism is that however great a scholar and

intellectual giant a man may be, he will not be able to appreciate even the

easiest points of Vaisnava philosophy until and unless he has entirely

surrendered himself to an acarya whose character is the embodiment of

Vaisnava philosophy. You must have heard about the Indian scripture named

Gita, which has been translated into different languages of the civilized

world. There is a sloka in it [4.34] which says that Vaisnava philosophy is

understandable only with unconditional surrender, honest enquiry, and

serving temper. It is only to such an approach that professors of Vaisnava

philosophy with these three as preceptorial fee, that they give instructions

about the correct philosophical truths. These professors are never to be

tempted by any type of wordly fees.