"But Not Blind"

Faith, although it can be blind sometimes and therefore fickle, is
necessary for aspiring transcendentalists. Srila Prabhupada said this
on 26 February 1973 during a conversation in Jakarta: "Religious idea
without philosophy is sentiment, and philosophy without religion is
mental speculation. They should be combined.
Religious idea
supported by philosophy. Then it is correct. And philosophy without
religious idea is simply mental speculation. They should be combined.
That combination of religious idea and philosophy, you'll find in the
Bhagavad-gita, provided you accept Bhagavad-gita as it is. If you
interpret Bhagavad-gita in your own way, then you'll miss the point."
Although
Srila Prabhupada wrote and talked many times about 'reason and faith,'
a key phrase in this excerpt is "provided you accept." This string
intimates that along with 'reason,' 'faith,' is a MUST, almost a
pre-requisite.
In a purport to BG9.3 he writes: "The faithless
cannot accomplish this process of devotional service; that is the
purport of this verse. Faith is created by association with devotees.
Unfortunate people, even after hearing all the evidence of Vedic
literature from great personalities, still have no faith in God. They
are hesitant and cannot stay fixed in the devotional service of the
Lord. Thus faith is a most important factor for progress in Krsna
consciousness. In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is said that faith is the
complete conviction that simply by serving the Supreme Lord, Sri Krsna,
one can achieve all perfection."