" Can't Satisfy Material Masters " Lecture By Srila Prabhupada Achara

[Guest guest]

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