Western Ph.D. dissertations, as anyone who has done one will tell you, have to be entirely “original.” Western scholarship dictates that they should not be unduly influenced by any one ‘expert’ in any field of study. To be awarded a Ph.D., one must come up with one’s own unique slant, interpretation, or subject, such that it cannot be attributed to anyone else, living or dead. But a Mahabharata phrase says, “Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah,” the translation being,” our duty is to follow the instructions of the mahajanas.” (From Srimad Bhagavatam 8.2.6/purport) In this purport Srila Prabhupada also says that one “should not be satisfied with the knowledge imparted by a big animal. Rather, one must take knowledge from a perfect person…” This quest for Siddhanta, which includes the three-part check and balance system of guru-sastra-sadhu, is the system followed by Vaisnavas. It’s infallible because it depends upon the Personality of Godhead and His pure representative, not upon human frailty, no matter how decorated with material knowledge it may be. In a San Francisco class, Srila Prabhupada also said, “We cannot understand higher things unless we follow the footprint of great personalities.” (BGAII 7.2,September 11, 1968).