Surrender to a self-realized guru through inquiry and service guarantees liberation from delusion.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Prabhupāda: Today's subject matter... What is that subject matter?
Devotee: "Knowledge is the solution." Prabhupāda: Eh? Knowledge?
Devotee: "Knowledge is the solution." Prabhupāda: "Knowledge is the solution." tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā upadekṣyanti te jñānaṃ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ [Bg 4.34] [Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.] For knowledge, we have got to go to the right person, tattva-darśī. Tattva-darśī means "one who has actually seen or experienced the Absolute Truth." So unless we find out such a person who has actually seen the Absolute Truth or who has in his experience what is Absolute Truth, so there is very little chance of our spiritual advancement. If we can find out such a person who is experienced in the Absolute Truth, and if we follow the principles, as it is stated here, praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā...
Praṇipāta means to surrender, and paripraśna means to enquire, and sevayā means service. Three things. You should find out a person who is self-realized, who has experience in the Absolute Truth and, on your part, you have to surrender there, and you have to enquire and you have to render service. When these things are completed, there is no doubt about one's spiritual salvation.
If we have actually found out a person who is self-realized and we have surrendered there honestly, with enquiry and service, then we must know that our spiritual salvation is guaranteed. Guaranteed. There is no doubt about it. So Lord Kṛṣṇa says, yaj jñātvā na punar moham evaṃ yāsyasi pāṇòava yena bhūtāny aśeṣāṇi drakṣyasy ātmany atho mayi [Bg 4.35] [And when you have thus learned the truth, you will know that all living beings are but part of Me-and that they are in Me, and are Mine.] People are anxious to see God. Here Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa says that as soon as one gets knowledge from the right person, then he never comes into the field of delusion.
The whole thing is that in the present stage of our life, we are conditioned and deluded. We do not know things as they are. That is the cause of our all miseries. Otherwise, constitutionally, we are ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt.
By nature, we are jolly. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. In the Vedānta-sūtra you'll find, the nature of Brahman is ānandamaya. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs 5.1]. [Kṛṣṇa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.] Eternal, blissful and full of knowledge, then your botheration of thisSat, cit, ānanda. Sat means eternity, cit means full knowledge and ānanda means pleasure. This is our constitution. We are all fragmental portion of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord.