The diksa-guru should be served by the process of arcana. Although sastra has said, 'visrambhena-guru-seva; one must serve the guru with a sense of intimacy', you may commit some offences if you attempt this at your stage. When you come to the level of spontaneous devotional service, then you can do visrambhena-guru-seva. Otherwise, you will have to show that gurudeva respect, awe, and reverence. On the other hand, the siksa-guru can be seen as one's own heart, and the siksa-disciple can even joke with him.
I used to joke with my Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja. Sitting on the same seat, we used to laugh together. I never sat on the same level with my Gurudeva on my own accord, but sometimes he ordered me to serve him in that way, sitting on his bed or on a nearby chair as we worked on so many things together. I did so on his order, but I always felt a sense of awe and respect.
With ones siksa-guru, on the other hand, there is so much joking and telling of everything that in ones heart. There is nothing to hide, and the siksa-guru will reveal truths about Radha and Krsna that we cannot always discuss with our diksa-guru. If anyone is very advanced, he can also act in that way with his diksa-guru, but such a disciple is very rare.
February 14, 2002 Murwillumbah