God cannot be seen by material senses, only known through pure devotional surrender to the spiritual master.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.3.16–17 — February 6, 1971, Gorakhpur 710206SB-GORAKPHUR [65:11 Minutes] SB-06.03.16–17_710206SB-GORAKPHUR Devotee: [introducing recording] Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam lecture, morning, 6th February, 1971. Prabhupāda: [indistinct aside] yaṁ vai na gobhir manasā subhir vā hṛdā girā vāsu-bhṛto vicakṣate ātmānam antar-hṛdi santam ātmanāṁ yac-cakṣur yathaivā kṛtayāntaḥ param [SB 6.3.16] Tasmād..., tan-māyā-mohitatvād na jānanti ity uktam aviṣayatvāc ca tasya ity āha. So Śrīdhāra Swami give his comment that "Those who are," I mean to say, "involved with the material energy..." This material energy means the three modes of passion, ignorance and goodness. Tan-māyā-mohita. This is the moha.
Moha means illusion. Anyone who is contaminated by these three qualities of māyā, he is supposed to be involved in māyika..., material existence. Tan-māyā-mohitatvād na jānanti: "And anyone who is involved with the material qualities of this external energy, they cannot understand what is God." It is not possible. Aviṣayatvāc ca. This is not their subject matter at all.
The subject matter for them, different. Therefore we see, they are becoming educated, scientists, philosophers, but they do not understand what is God. Avisayatvāc ca. It is not their subject matter. That I repeatedly say, that one who is not a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, it is..., Bhagavad-gītā is not a subject matter for their study, what to speak of commenting upon it.
He has no business to comment on Bhagavad-gītā, because it is not their subject matter. This should be very distinctly understood. There is a Bengali parable, ādhāra vyapari yahāre khabola[?]. Ādhāra vyapari, a merchant dealing in ginger, so he is taking information, "What about the shipping one..., just like one cartload or one ship full of ginger?" So ādhāre vyapari means he has not very large quantity to sell. Ginger is taken very little quantity. So ginger merchant, if he has got stock, say, one bag, it will take months together to sell it. And if he thinks that "I will stock hundreds of bags," it is useless for him.
That is not his subject. But one who sells rice or wheat, that is in great demand. That he can stock and talk of large shipment. Similarly, those who are already engrossed in material qualities, the science of God is not their subject matter at all. So that is the test.
Just like who shall be the guru? Whose subject matter is only Kṛṣṇa, or God, he shall be guru, not an amateur man, he is doing some other business, and in some pastime he makes a guru business. No, that is not their subject matter. The subject matter is different. Therefore Śrīdhāra Mahārāja..., Śrīdhāra Swami says, aviṣayatvāc ca tasya ity āha, gobhir indriyair na cittena: "Because the subject matter is not for them, however they may exercise their senses, gobhiḥ..." Go means indra.
Simply by exercising... Just like there are so many yogīs. They exercise their senses only—yama, niyama, prāṇāyāma. Senses.