Meeting an authentic spiritual master, an intimate servant of God, purifies one's existence, is that true?
Indeed, through his position as a servant of God, the Lord granted him the power to purify the existence of the souls who turn to him, to spiritualize their bodies, to restore their sight, to place God in their minds and hearts, and to instantly free every soul from material slavery and conditioning by matter.
In truth, it is not thanks to a father or a mother that a living being, an incarnating being, comes into being. This being has an identity entirely distinct from its so-called parents. It is by the laws of nature that it is forced to enter the seed of a father and then be introduced into the womb of a mother. It does not have the power to choose who will become its father or mother.
The laws of nature compel it to approach different parents. The supposed kinship between a father and a son therefore exists only through an arrangement of material nature. It has no real meaning, and that is why it is said to be illusory. The same living being will have a father and a mother belonging sometimes to the animal kingdom and sometimes to the human species. Sometimes, his parents will be celestial beings.
This is why Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Golden Avatar, says: Harassed life after life by the laws of nature, the distinct being (distinct from God) wanders throughout the entire universe on different planets and among various species. If, in some way, he is fortunate enough to encounter a holy being who will change his entire life, he will then be able to return to God, to his original abode.
During the reincarnation of the soul through different bodies, everyone, whether human, animal, plant, or celestial, obtains a father and a mother. Therefore, there is nothing difficult about this. What is difficult, however, is obtaining a bona fide spiritual master and Krishna, God, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, it is the duty of every human being to seize the opportunity to come into contact with Krishna's representative, the bona fide spiritual master, the intimate servant of the Lord. Under the guidance of this spiritual father, they can then return to God, to their original abode in the kingdom of God, all knowledge, bliss, and eternity.
One who succeeds in establishing a harmonious relationship with such a sage, even for a moment, attains perfection. In one way or another, one who meets a saintly person and obtains his favor sees their entire mission as a human being crowned with success.
By the grace of this holy spiritual master and true servant of God, we are now busy performing a specific duty, having obtained a spiritual occupation that will save us by freeing us from material pursuits. Indeed, anyone who encounters a holy personage completely absorbed in their spiritual duties and obtains their favor will have their mission as a human being crowned with success. What is impossible to achieve through thousands of lifetimes can be attained in an instant by one fortunate enough to encounter a holy man, a wise servant of God.
This is why the holy Vedic scriptures (the Vedas, the original holy scriptures also called “the true gospel”) advise us to always seek the company of sages and strive to break all ties with atheistic, materialistic men, for with a word a saint can free us from material slavery. Indeed, by virtue of his spiritual elevation, a saint has the power to instantly liberate any soul conditioned by matter.
When a person, even an outcast, is initiated into the chanting of the holy names of the Lord by a holy being, their body is transformed as they follow the instructions of their spiritual master.
Although we cannot see how this transformation takes place, we must nevertheless accept this truth, based on the authoritative teachings of the holy scriptures, that this person changes their body. This person escapes the bonds of matter.
Through the grace of the spiritual master, one can receive the mercy of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Without Krishna's mercy, no one can make the slightest progress. Therefore, we must always remember our spiritual master, praise him, and pay him homage. He must be honored just as much as the Supreme Lord, for he is the Supreme Lord's most intimate servant. If one devotes oneself to spiritual life under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, and thus dedicates oneself to the loving and devoted service to the Lord, one becomes worthy of seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. We must follow the spiritual master's instructions, for only in this way does one become worthy of seeing Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, says: Seek to know the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire of him submissively and while serving him. The realized soul can reveal knowledge to you, for he has seen the truth.