If we imagine that we are meditating on Krsna's asta-kaliya-lila and we have not reached the stage of rati, we will also not experience His sweetness. Rather, we will experience our own lusty and other material desires...

Always try to follow the teachings of the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and try to follow Srila Rupa Gosvami's Upadesamrta and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami's Sri Manah-siksa. This is first. Then, try to gradually come to the stage of rati (bhava-bhakti), at which time all of Krsna's pastimes will automatically manifest in a very pure form. Try to follow these instructions. Go through the channel opened by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and by our guru-parampara, and especially by Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami...

You cannot imagine what this stage will be like. It will come, after a very long time. That is the general process. However, by the mercy of Gurudeva, it can come very quickly. Sannyasi Thakura said to his Gurudeva, "You are Caitanya parisad (an associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu). Really you are." He did not say this blindly, because he had some realization. He had read all the scriptures, and he saw all the symptoms in his Gurudeva...

Have you heard of Upamanyu? His guru once told him, "Oh, you go out to graze cows all day, and you do not bring with you anything to eat, and yet you are very healthy and fat. Why is that? Do you drink milk from the cows udders?" Upamanyu replied, "Yes I do." His guru told him, "Don't drink it anymore", but he did not tell him what he would be allowed to eat or drink. During the next days Upamanyu continued to go out...

If a guru is not serving his own gurudeva, he has left the process given by him, and his guru is not satisfied by his behavior - only in that case can we reject him. However, if the guru is a madhyama-adhikari and sincere, if he is very obedient and following the footsteps of his guru, then...