Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 20.100 Washington, D.C., July 5, 1976
listen Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.) "Translation: I do not
know what is beneficial for me and what is detrimental. Nonetheless,
in ordinary dealings people consider me a learned scholar, and I am
also thinking of myself as such." Prabhupada: apanara hitahita
kichui na jana! gramya-vyavahare pandita tai satya mani So in
India, still, a brahmana is called pandita, panditaji. Just like you
know our Prime Minister was Pandita Jawaharlal Nehru. He happened to
be a Sarasvata brahmana. Sanatana Gosvami, he also a Sarasvata
brahmana by caste. But he has placed himself: nica jati nica-sangi
patita adhama kuvisaya-kupe padi' gonainu janama He could
understand that "These people call me pandita." Pandita means one who
knows everything. The ultimate pandita is mentioned in the Bhagavad-
gita, panditah sama-darsinah [Bg. 5.18]. Pandita means he sees every
living entity on the equal level. That is real pandita. Panditah sama-
darsinah. vidya-vinaya-sampanne brahmane gavi hastini suni caiva
sva-pake ca panditah sama-darsinah [Bg. 5.18] He's really pandita.
That is spiritually. And material pandita, that is also mentioned by
Canakya Pandita, his moral instruction. He gives description of a
pandita: matrvat para-daresu para-dravyesu lostravat atmavat sarva-
bhutesu yah pasyati sa panditah He never said that anyone who has
passed his M.A. degree or Ph.D. degree, he is pandita. No. The test
of pandita is here, from moral instruction, that anyone who sees all
other woman except his wife as mother, he is pandita. Just see. This
is the test. Matrvat para-daresu and para-dravyesu, other's property
as garbage in the street, nobody touches. And atmavat sarva-bhutesu,
and treat everyone as his own self. If anyone has learned these three
things, then he is pandita. And spiritually, when one sees that all
living entities, may be in different types of bodies, he is spirit
soul, part and parcel of God, then he is pandita. brahma-bhutah
prasannatma na socati na kanksati samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhaktim
labhate param [Bg. 18.54] So these are Vedic instructions, and
Sanatana Gosvami, although he was a minister in Muhammadan
government, Nawab Hussain Shah's, but in touch with Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, he has come to his knowledge that gramya-vyavahare
pandita: "Actually, I am not pandita, but in village, in ordinary
common sense, because I happen to be a brahmana, they call me
pandita. I also accept as pandita. But my real position is that I am
such a pandita, such a learned man, that I do not know what is good
for me. This is my position." He is submitting to Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, his guru. Why guru is necessary? Tad vijnanartham. When
we are perplexed that "I do not know what is my actually goal of
life, what is benefit here for me..." Just like Arjuna did. When he
was talking with Krsna on equal terms, two friends... But when he saw
that the actual solution is not coming, then he submitted himself to
Krsna, that "Krsna, now we are not friends. We are friends, but treat
me as Your disciple." Sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam [Bg.
2.7]. So "Make me pandita. I am talking all foolishly. I am ksatriya,
it is my duty to fight and I am denying it. I know that I am
deviating from my duties. So how it has happened? What is the cause?
So kindly, sisyas te, I am submitting myself before You as Your
student. Sadhi mam prapannam, I am surrendering." So one has to
learn the philosophy of life from the person superior, spiritual
master. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. Do not
remain puffed-up, that "I am all-learned, I know everything." That is
false. One has to submit. In order to know the solution of life, we
have to submit to the proper spiritual master. That is essential. Tad-
vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet. This is Vedic injunction. This
abhigacchet, this word is used when it is meant "must." There is no
escape. We have seen big, big personalities... Just like Caitanya
Mahaprabhu; He is Krsna Himself, but He accepted Isvara Puri as His
guru. Krsna, He also accepted His guru as Sandipani Muni. Lord
Ramacandra, He accepted His guru as Vasistha. So it is (not)
necessary, Krsna or Rama. They are Supreme Personality of Godhead.
They are the supreme instructor, full of knowledge, everything.
Aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya. There is nothing short, but still,
to show us example, They accepted guru. That is essential. So here
Sanatana Gosvami, he is also born in a very well-to-do brahmana
family. He was well-situated as minister in charge of the government
of Hussain Shah. So everything was quite all right, and still, he
thought himself as nica jati. nica jati nica-sangi patita adhama
kuvisaya-kupe padi' gonainu janama If we remain puffed-up, that "I
am born in such and such family. I am educated such and such, and I
am posted in such and such post, so now my life is successful," that
is false. Life is successful when we understand that... Here it is
said, apanara hitahita kichui na jani. When we understand what is the
goal of life, then life is successful. Not the temporary position, "I
am getting good salary, I am very nicely posted, I have got good
family," and so on, so on. No. One must know the goal of life. The
goal of life is that... We are fallen in this material world somehow
or other. As Bhaktivinoda Thakura sings, anadi karma-phale pori'
bhavarnava-jale. Now when a man is fallen in the ocean or in the
water, he's asking help, you cannot say that "How did you fall? What
was the cause?" That we shall discuss later on. First of all, save
him. So that is the immediately necessity. There is no... Sometimes
we are questioned that "How a living entity fallen in this material
world?" Yes, that is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita: iccha-dvesa-
samutthena sarge yanti parantapa [Bg. 7.27]. Iccha-dvesa. Actually,
we are servants of God. That is our real position. But we sometimes
become envious, that "Why shall I become servant of God? This is
slave mentality." Sometimes we are accused, the Vaisnavas are, of
slave mentality because they want to serve God. And the Mayavadis,
they think that "We are so exalted that I am as good as God. I am
God." That is their position. But actually, nobody is God here.
Everyone is servant. He's simply falsely thinking that he's God, he's
master, he's this or that. You have got very nice example in the life
of Mr. Nixon. He was thinking that he's everything: "I am the
President." But now what is his position, you can understand. So
similarly everyone..., nobody is master. The master is Krsna. That is
stated in the Caitanya-caritamrta, ekale isvara krsna ara saba bhrtya
[Cc. Adi 5.142]. The master is there, that is Krsna, and everyone is
servant. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches that jivera svarupa
haya nitya krsna dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. We living entities, we
are eternally servant of God. Krsna means God. One who attracts
everyone, that is Krsna, and Krsna is God, accepted by everyone.
isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana-karanam [Bs. 5.1] Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB
1.3.28]. These are the Vedic evidences. So actually nobody can be
master; everyone is servant. Either we are servant of God or we are
servant of dog. That's all. Nobody can be master. If anyone has no
master, then he keeps a pet dog to become his servant. That is
nature, we can see. One is servant of his wife, one is servant of his
pet or government service or this service. Nobody can claim that "I
am the master." That is not possible. That is also temporary. So
actually this is the position of all living entities. Everyone is
servant. But in the material sense, he is servant of maya, servant of
senses. Servant of maya means servant of senses. And spiritual life
means instead of becoming servant of maya or servant of senses, we
become the servant of Krsna or God. That is the position. Servant we
shall remain. We have to change the position. And if we become
servant of God, then we become happy, and if we remain servant of dog
or maya, then we remain unhappy. This is the position. We have to
change the position. Kamadinam kati na katidha palita durnidesas
tesam mayi na karuna jata na trapa nopasantih. One intelligent
brahmana, he's offering, "My Lord, I have become servant of so many
senses, but neither the senses are satisfied, neither I am satisfied.
This is the result of my service. Therefore now I have got my
intelligence that I want to become Your servant." This is
intelligence. So I have experienced that I became a servant of my
family, servant of my society, servant of my country, and so on, so
on, but nobody, neither my so-called master was satisfied, neither I
was satisfied. We see practical examples, there are many examples. In
our country, Mahatma Gandhi, he dedicated his life for the service of
the country. Nobody can doubt about his service, but what is the
result? His master killed him. He worked for his country, he took
country as his master, and he worked so hard, and his countrymen
killed him. We should take lesson from this that you cannot satisfy
in this material world by becoming servant of your family or
community, society, nation. No. It is not possible. You can satisfy
very easily Krsna by little service. By little service. Svalpam apy
asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat. So this is intelligence, how
to become a servant of Krsna. That is the perfection of life. That
means mukti. Mukti does not mean you'll get four hands and eight
heads. No. Mukti means, as it is defined in the Srimad-Bhagavatam,
muktir hitvanyatha rupam sva-rupena vyavasthitih. That is mukti. Sva-
rupena, legally, constitutionally, I am servant of God, or Krsna. Now
I have become servant of dog and maya. So if I give up this service
and again become servant of God, that is mukti. That is mukti. Muktir
hitvanyatha rupam. We are trying to become... Here maya means "which
is not." Ma-ya. We are every one of us, we are thinking, "I am
master." "I am the monarch of all I survey." Here is a poetry.
Everyone is thinking. I made my plan, I make my survey, and I become
king. But that is maya. You cannot become. You are already servant of
maya. prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah ahankara-
vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27] Everyone is under the
clutches of these material laws. You cannot violate even an inch. And
still the rascal, ahankara-vimudhatma, by false prestige, he's
thinking that "I am the master." I was asking this morning that what
is this independence meaning? Actually, where is independence? This
independence, has it meaning? If you are completely under the rules
and regulations of the material nature, what is the meaning of this
independence? So those who are pandita, they do not take it as
independence. They do not take it. Therefore Sanatana Gosvami said,
apanara hitahita kichui na jani. "I do not know what is independence,
I am dancing like dog, independence." Therefore he says, apanara
hitahita kichui na jani: "How independence I can get, that I do not
know." Real independence is, as Krsna puts in the Bhagavad-gita,
janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi duhkha-dosanudarsanam [Bg. 13.9]. One who is
intelligent, he sees that "My real problem is janma-mrtyu-jara-
vyadhi, birth, death, old age and disease."So when we get free from
these four problems, that is real independence. Otherwise, there is
no independence. I may dance with independence, but any moment I
shall have to leave my country, my society, my friends, my family,
any moment, "Get out immediately. No, no independence." That is my
position. So that is intelligence. So in order to know all these
problems of life... Just like Arjuna submitted, and any one has to
submit. One has to... Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet [MU
1.2.12]. So Sanatana Gosvami is teaching us by his personal behavior
how to approach the bona fide spiritual master and submit before him
and putting himself pranipa, blank. Not that "I know something, and
what my spiritual master can teach? I know everything. There is no
need of spiritual master." No. This will spoil our life. The Vedic
injunction is that you must have not a so-called guru but... That is
also given definition. tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya
uttamam sabde pare ca nisnatam brahmany upasamasrayam [SB 11.3.21]
That is the symptoms of guru. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, because
we are discussing Caitanya-caritamrta, He said that you become, all
of you, become guru. He said. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission.
He said, bharata-bhumite haila manusya-janma yara janma sarthaka
kari' kara para-upakara [Cc. Adi 9.41] This is Indian mission. Para-
upakara. Not exploit others -- to give something. That is Indian
mission, that he has to give something. He has nothing to take. He
has to give something. And what is that? That Caitanya Mahaprabhu
teaches, that amara ajnaya guru hana tara' ei desa [Cc. Madhya
7.128]. Even if you cannot deliver the whole world or very expansive
area, at least, wherever you are, you just deliver them. Amara ajnaya
guru hana tara ei desa. "You become a guru by My order." So one may
say that "I have no qualification. How can I become a guru or how can
I deliver these fallen persons?" So Krsna, Caitanya Mahaprabhu
says, "Don't be disappointed." amara ajnaya guru hana tara ei desa
yare dekha tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128] Bas. Simply
as messenger, as peon, you simply carry the messages of Bhagavad-
gita, krsna-upadesa. Then you become guru. Then you become guru. It
is not difficult. So it is the duty of every Indian not to forget
their culture, but bring that culture, pure, wherever you are living
and behave yourself to that culture and teach others. That is Indian
mission. Thank you very much. [break] What is that question?
Vipina: Mr. Deyani, you have any questions you would like to ask
Srila Prabhupada? Mr. Deyani: Well, I just have one thing here, you
stated about Gandhi, and we respect that he was really a great leader
of us, but stated one point in your lecture, this thing, that Gandhi,
mostly, was a servant of the country, but in India, during that
period, I didn't see other religious people or the great leaders of
India fighting for the country, and they..., he's the one...
Prabhupada: That is admitted. Why you are bringing that question? I
mean to say that Gandhi gave the best service to you, but your
country is so ungrateful that he killed him. That is my point. So the
point is that the best service you can give, but you cannot satisfy
everyone. That is material. Mr. Deyani: No, but my question, sir,
was that at some point you have to be the servant of the God, you
will have to be a servant of your family or the country or something
to serve. Prabhupada: Yes, that I'm already explaining, that amara
ajnaya guru hana tara: [Cc. Madhya 7.128] wherever you are, you
deliver them. That is service. That is service. Wherever you are.
Either you are in the family or in the community or in the country or
anywhere, you simply give them service, deliver them. Without
service, how you can deliver them? And you haven't got to discover
anything or make research. What is already there, krsna-upadesa, you
teach them, that's all. He'll be delivered. You'll be delivered,
he'll be delivered. It is not at all difficult. Not that I have to
manufacture some transcendental means. No. The already instruction is
there, krsna-upadesa. Yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa [Cc.
Madhya 7.128]. Then you deliver yourself, you deliver others also.
That is the mission. So what we are doing? We are not discovering
anything. We are simply presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is. That's
all. Krsna said, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru
[Bg. 18.65]. We are teaching all over the world the same thing,
that "Here is Krsna. You always think of Him, you just offer your
obeisances, you just become a devotee of Krsna, man-mana bhava mad-
bhakto mad-yaji, worship." So we are teaching. So there is no
discovery. It is already there. So that we are carrying simply. Yare
dekha tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. Krsna says, man-
mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. We don't
interpret. There is no need of interpretation; then there is no
authority of Bhagavad-gita. If I am a third-class man, if I interpret
Bhagavad-gita, then Bhagavad-gita has no authority. Bhagavad-gita
should be preached as it is. Then you become guru, you can deliver
others. This is the process. (indistinct) Hare Krsna. Devotee:
Srila Prabhupada, sometimes when we go preaching, people do not want
to take Krsna consciousness. Sometimes they actually... Prabhupada:
So if they want to take, then where is the question of preaching?
Because they do not want to take, you have to preach. Otherwise,
where is the necessity of preaching? You have to prepare yourself in
such a way that nobody is dying for your Krsna consciousness, but you
have to convince him that your life is spoiled without Krsna
consciousness. That is your capacity. They are under the clutches of
maya. They are thinking... [break] Women: ...convinced that they
have some revelation or some experience that is assuring them of
eternal life. So they are not very open to hear about Krsna, and
they... Prabhupada: If they are not open to hear about Krsna, then
don't waste your time. The simple thing. There are four things. For a
preacher, there are four things: isvare tad-adhinesu balisesu
dvisatsu ca prema-maitri-krpopeksa yah karoti sa madhyamah When in
the lower stage of devotional service, he cannot become preacher.
When he's in a little upper, second stage, he can become preacher. So
preacher has to see four things. First of all God, isvara, and tad-
adhinesu, and those who are devotees. God, His devotees, and balisa,
innocent. He does not know anything about... So three: God, devotee,
and the innocent. And dvisat, envious, atheist class. He has to see
four things, and he has to deal with four persons differently. With
God, isvare prema: how to advance my love for God, these dealings.
Prema-maitri, and to the devotees, we have to make friendship with
them. Prema-maitri. And to the innocent, we have to preach,
krpa: "Oh, here is an innocent person. He does not know; he's eager
to learn." There teaching is required. Teaching, you cannot teach God
or you cannot teach God's devotees. But you can teach the innocent.
And those who are dvisat, atheist, upeksa, don't go there, save
yourself. These are the four things. So when one is not open to hear,
then don't bother yourself. That requires very strong preacher to
convince the atheist class, provided he is reasonable also. If he's
stubborn, obstinate, then it is also very difficult. But preaching is
meant, innocent, that one who is actually sincere but he does not
know what is God, what is my relationship with God, there is
necessity of preaching. Not to the envious or those who are already
advanced, or to God. This is the... Hmm. Baliya. (indistinct)
Indian man: Prabhupada, you are giving a very simple process, which
is... I can confirm by (indistinct) ...it is not (indistinct) Indians
coming? Why? They are exposed to Krsna from their birth; still they
are not interested. Nobody wants to listen. Prabhupada: Because
they have become bara-sab. Especially in the foreign countries, they
become bara-sab. So that is the misfortune of India. They are giving
up their culture and being misguided. So if they actually feel that
they must maintain their own culture, then it is not difficult. It is
the duty of every Indian, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that, bharata-
bhumite haila manusya-janma yara janma sarthaka kari' kara para-
upakara [Cc. Adi 9.41] If that mentality is developed, that "In
India we were born, we have got the greatest culture, recognized by
all the world. So I must make my life successful by taking this
culture and distribute it to the whole world," that is real Indian
culture. If... They are thinking that they are poverty-stricken.
Poverty-stricken because they have given their own culture; therefore
poverty-stricken. Otherwise, there is no question of poverty-
stricken. So anyway this is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's message, that every
Indian should take advantage of the great culture, Vedic culture, and
make his life successful, and after acquiring mature knowledge he
should distribute the knowledge throughout the whole world. This is
Caitanya Mahaprabhu's... Indian man: (indistinct) How can we
(indistinct)? Prabhupada: By preaching. If you preach, then you'll
meet with so many obstacles, and you have to prepare yourself how to
meet the obstacles. Then you become strong preacher. Resistance.
There is no difficulty, but if there is difficulty, atheist class of
men, and it is very difficult, so take innocent, those who are
actually eager to know. Everyone should be. That is the human life.
Athato brahma jijnasa. That is human civilization. Everyone should be
inquisitive to know about the Absolute Truth, Brahman, but education
is different nowadays. People are interested with hammer, how to play
on hammer, that's all, technology. There is no question of Brahman.
Let Brahman go to hell, now take out the hammer. That Russian emblem?
Hammer? And scythe? That's all. Yes? Indian man: Prabhupada, the
basic confusion is that the Mayavadis take Bhagavad-gita, they can
recite the same Sanskrit words and interpret it in their way and
convince someone that the ultimate Brahman is impersonal and the
(indistinct) Brahman, Krsna is only a technique. Prabhupada: That
means they misinterpret and they misguide. So people should be
intelligent enough that they are impersonalists but Bhagavad-gita
means Krsna, the person, He is teaching. Where is the impersonalist?
But nobody has any common sense even that Krsna says aham adir hi
bhutanam. Aham sarvasya prabhavo [Bg. 10.8]. This aham is person, so
how He can be imperson? And He's talking personally with Arjuna. So
how He is imperson? Can the air talk with you? Air is imperson. Sky
is imperson. Can he talk with you? What do you think? No, sometimes
talks. (laughter) So we should have common sense, that where is the
question of... And Krsna says in the Second Chapter that "My dear
Arjuna, both you, Me and all these soldiers and kings who are
assembled here, we existed in the past, we are now existing, and we
shall continue to exist in the future." So three things: first
person, second person and third person. I am first person, you are
second person and all others third person. So they existed
individually in the past, they are existing now, and they will
continue to exist like that. Then where is imperson? There are three
things, three different phases, past, present and future. In all the
times, if they are individual, where is imperson? Rather, Krsna has
condemned, avyaktam vyaktim apannam manyante mam abuddhayah [Bg.
7.24]. Those who are rascals, they think avyaktam, impersonal. Now He
has become person. Avyaktam vyaktim apannam manyante mam. Mam means
individual person. Abuddhayah: he has no intelligence. So how He can
be imperson? So we have to take the words of Bhagavad-gita and then
we understand. Why we should be misled by these so-called
interpreters? Indian man: They say that if you develop pure love of
Krsna, then you'll see only Krsna. Your own personality is...
Prabhupada: But anyway, but Krsna, if you think of Krsna, the Krsna
person, He's not imperson. Indian man: No, but they..., they say
that has happened. Prabhupada: They say that if you think of Krsna.
Krsna is a person. So you have to begin with person. Indian man:
But they also say one can go directly to Brahman. Prabhupada: Never
says, Krsna never says in the Bhagavad-gita. Indian man: This is my
basic confusion. Prabhupada: Confusion... How you should be
confused? Where is Krsna says? The basic (indistinct) is in person?
Krsna's teaching personally. Where is the imperson? Why you should be
misled unless you are also one of them. Krsna is always person. He's
always speaking aham. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja
[Bg. 18.66]. Person. Aham adir hi devanam [Bg 10.2]. Mattah parataram
nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg. 7.7]. Mattah. This, aham-sabdah,
is used. So they misinterpret just to mislead people; therefore whole
India has become godless. This is the misfortune of India. On account
of these impersonalists, Mayavadis, India is now godless. Very
difficult position. So don't be misled by these rascals. Take real
Bhagavad-gita as it is. Then you'll be benefited. That's all. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20.100 --
Washington, D.C., July 5, 1976
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with
permission.
Hare Krsna, I will soon Be sending Verses From Srimad Bhagavastam and
Bhagavad Gita As it is,Also Lectures in sound and Verse By His Divine
Grace Srila Prabhupada,Your Humble
Servant
, Jaya Kesava Dasa
(Krsnajoe)
Please Look at Pleasure Unlimited in Krsna Consciousness
http://www.geocities.com/jayakesava2001