Answer
Janme Janme Prabhu Sei — the word Prabhu refers to a vyakti, an eternal individual. Śrīla Prabhupāda is an eternal individual. Just because you have received training from him and may eventually receive guidance directly from the Supersoul within the heart, it does not mean that your worshipable spiritual master becomes redundant. Your spiritual master is always that eternal individual who trained you.
He is the one who taught you devotional service. He taught you how to worship the Lord and how to surrender. By accepting our service and surrender, the spiritual master teaches us how to render service and surrender to the Supreme Lord, because he is the representative of the Lord within this world.
We are personalists. As part of the process of spiritual advancement, you may receive inspiration from the Supersoul in the form of intelligence from within. Nevertheless, that does not diminish the eternal relationship you have with your spiritual master.
That is one aspect.
Another aspect is that the function of the spiritual master does not end with teaching you how to relate to the Supersoul. It goes much further. The Supersoul is the Lord's manifestation within the material world. The spiritual master teaches you how to love the Supreme Lord in the spiritual world.
That cannot be learned merely from the Supersoul. It must be received from a devotee. Through your connection with the Supersoul, you can become detached from material existence, understand the truth, and be guided out of the material world. In that feature, the Supersoul acts as guide, witness, friend, and maintainer. Yet even then, the Supersoul sends you to a devotee to learn.
Why? Because only a devotee possesses bhakti. Kṛṣṇa is the object of bhakti, but bhakti itself is most perfectly exhibited by His devotees. That is why Kṛṣṇa Himself appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu—to taste Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī's love for Him. Kṛṣṇa is the recipient of devotion, but devotion is best demonstrated by the devotee.
Therefore, it is by the mercy of an associate of the Lord that one learns about the devotion of the gopīs, the love of Vraja, and the intimate moods of service to Kṛṣṇa. These realizations come through a personal servant of the Lord, not simply through the Supersoul.
The Supersoul certainly performs many functions—guide, friend, witness, and maintainer of this world. Yet that particular manifestation is focused on those functions. The Lord has unlimited forms and unlimited manifestations. Although the Supersoul is Kṛṣṇa Himself, each form has its own purpose and mood.
Just as one approaches Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva in a particular mood and relationship, one does not expect every aspect of Kṛṣṇa's intimate pastimes to be revealed through every manifestation of the Lord. We must appreciate the greatness of Kṛṣṇa's unlimited forms and functions.
In this sense, we can understand why it is said that although Kṛṣṇa is already within the heart, we must cleanse the heart so that Kṛṣṇa may sit there. Which Kṛṣṇa is being referred to? Paramātmā is already present, but as the heart becomes purified, Kṛṣṇa reveals Himself in a personal relationship of love.
First we learn surrender. We surrender to the Lord as the Supreme Master, Proprietor, and Controller. After surrender comes love. Initially, our relationship is one of reverence and submission. As the heart becomes purified and the enjoying tendency disappears, our eternal attraction to a particular form of Kṛṣṇa begins to awaken.
Only then does our actual relationship with Kṛṣṇa begin to manifest. This is why Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that spiritual life unfolds through various stages. By proper guidance and purification, one gradually advances toward intimate loving service to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
The unlimited varieties of Kṛṣṇa's forms, relationships, and pastimes should fill us with wonder. The limitless ways in which Kṛṣṇa enjoys loving exchanges with His devotees are truly astonishing.
