Srila Gurudeva: The correct method is that the candidate first tries to obey all the rules and regulations of grhastha, or the householder asrama, then become detached from worldly affairs. Then receiving the association of Vaisnava sadhus, he comes to sraddha, again sadhu-sanga, and then he understands the need of sad-guru. He will inquire and search for a qualified Guru. He will take initiation from him as well as teachings and instructions. He will serve Gurudeva in a beautiful way, like a friend. He will engage in visrambhena guroh seva, serving him with intimacy and affection.
He will offer himself totally to Gurudeva, and after many days or many years he will become qualified in all kinds of basic and elevated bhakti-siddhanta, conclusive truths. He will learn Bhakti-sandarbha and the entire Srimad-Bhagavatam, and then he will be qualified to come to the stage of nistha. After completing the course of nistha, ruci will come naturally and automatically. Ruci manifests toward bhajana—chanting, and remembering—and is of two kinds. Asakti comes then, and it is also of two kinds.
First it will manifest as asakti in chanting and remembering, and then it will turn into asakti towards Radha-Krsna and Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally. At that time the candidate will be qualified to take dor-kaupina and the ekadasa bhavas (eleven moods), and at that stage Sri Guru will help him in manifesting his ecstatic spiritual form—at that very stage, not before. In that stage the bona-fide Guru tells his qualified disciple, “You are so and so and your siddha name is such and such.” He is not doing anything externally, meaning that he is not changing the disciple’s vesa or asrama.
Svarupa Damodara and Caitanya Mahaprabhu told all bhakti-tattvas and siddhantas to Raghunatha dasa when he came to them, and in this way he became both learned and renounced. He was so renounced that he used to eat the old, rotting food remnants of Jagannatha-deva that were rejected even by the cows. Let us become qualified like this, and then we will be qualified for the eleven kinds of moods. And then, by our siddha-deha, we will be able to serve Sri Sri Radha and Krsna twenty-four hours a day. This is the real method; this is siddha-pranali.
On the other hand, bogus sahajiya gurus indiscriminately tell their disciples, “You are the daughter of Vrsabhanu Maharaja and you are married in Javata. Your place is at Radha-kunda, you are more beautiful than Mohini, and you are of golden complexion.” That ‘disciple’ will now relinquish his big beard and don a nose ring, braid, ladies’ ornaments, and ankle bells on his feet. And, in this disguise, he bears children with many widows. If externally one has male features and the mood of a male within his heart, but hides this and dresses as a female and associates with ladies, what will happen? Falling further and further into the depths of depravity, he must go to hell—and he is already going.
Actually, theirs is not siddha-pranali—siddha meaning ‘perfect’ and pranali meaning ‘process’ or ‘system’—but asiddha-pranali, the process of imperfection.