Question to Radhanath Swami: Why is it stressed so much that we understand God from a bonafide Guru? Can’t we resort to scientific research, like we do to understand any other phenomena?
Radhanath Swami: Our Guru Srila Prabhupada, in his purity of heart and humility, again and again stressed, “I am simply repeating the words of my Gurudeva and Sri Guru Parampara.” This is the descending process of acquiring knowledge. Prabhupada stressed this especially because at this particular time within the age of kali, the ascending way of approaching knowledge has become very much prevalent. In fact, modern scientific education especially trains people to doubt authority, to independently research to find out what is truth.
