Raghunātha dāsa: Śrīla Gurudeva, we learn from your lectures and books, and also from the books of Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja, that we must be patient in order to achieve our goals. How can we develop intense eagerness to surrender completely to the spiritual master and advance more rapidly, rather than having to wait for many lifetimes?
Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja: You will have to wait. But at the same time, with great eagerness and following all the practices prescribed in Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s books, you must have this greed: “How can I achieve kṛṣṇa-prema? When will Śrī Kṛṣṇa sprinkle His mercy upon me?”
The first stage is to follow Śrī Upadeśāmṛta (Nectar of Instruction), and the second stage is to follow Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī’s Śrī Manaḥ-śikṣā. In this way you can develop in your bhakti.
[Excerpted from the Gaudiya Vedanta Publication "Walking With a Saint 2008"]