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Prabhupada: So in our last meeting we were discussing about the constitutional position of the living entity. Sanatana Gosvami inquired from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, ke ami kene amaya jare tapa-traya. This is the first question. Arjuna also, when he became perplexed whether he should fight or not, he surrendered to Krsna and accepted Him as his spiritual master. Sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam: [Bg. 2.7] "Actually I am deviating from my duty, so I am perplexed. What to do? Therefore I know..." Arjuna knew it perfectly well that Krsna, although He is friend, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That was known to Arjuna. All the Pandava family members, they knew. Kurus also, they knew. Otherwise how it was possible to deal with Krsna as family member? Krsna was... In His human form of life He was related with the Kurus and the Pandavas by family relationship. Krsna's father's sister, Kunti, was the mother of the Pandavas, and Kunti was the family daughter-in-law in the Kurus' family. So they were very intimately related. Duryodhana's daughter was married with Krsna's son. So these two families, they were very intimately related. But they knew that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You'll read in Kunti's stotra. She was praying to Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although Krsna was offering His obeisances to the aunt, Kunti. Similarly, Narada Muni also, when he entered the royal assembly of Krsna in Dvaraka, Krsna received him by standing from His throne and taking the dust of his feet, although Narada knows that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, Krsna, whenever he used to meet Maharaja Yudhisthira, He was giving His respect by touching his feet, and Maharaja Yudhisthira embracing Him as younger brother. But they knew, all, that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
So we can also have Krsna like that. That is Krsna's pastime, that... You are thinking of God as nirakara, without any form: "He cannot be touched. He cannot be embraced. He cannot be talked." No. Krsna, personally being present, He was talking with His devotees, dealing just like ordinary human being. But the devotees knew Him, that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Only the nondevotees... Avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam [Bg. 9.11]. Those who are nondevotees, still now... Just like we are worshiping here Krsna in this temple. The others, nondevotees, rascals, they will think that "These fools are worshiping a stone statue." They will think like that. They are very learned scholar, so they think that "These are fools. They have accepted a stone statue. Everyone knows that here Krsna is made of stone, so why these fools are spending so much money, lakhs and crores, for having a temple for this stone statue? This is their foolishness." Therefore Krsna says, avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam [Bg. 9.11]. So people are unaware of Krsna and His position. Therefore one should go to the guru-tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet [MU 1.2.12] -- eva, "must," in order to learn Krsna. That is... The example is being shown by Sanatana Gosvami, the minister. He is not ordinary man. He is trying to know from guru what is his actual position. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu knew Sanatana Gosvami, intelligent, advanced. So he doesn't require to be educated by teaching Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad-gita is the ABCD of spiritual life, preliminary study. Bhagavad-gita is not meant for persons who are advanced. They know Krsna. One who does not know Krsna, for them, first reading book is Bhagavad-gita, so that he can know what is Krsna. But here Sanatana Gosvami is advanced; therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu is teaching him from the point where Bhagavad-gita was ended. That Bhagavad-gita ended... Krsna, after teaching Arjuna different kinds of knowledge-karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, hatha-yoga, dhyana-yoga, so many, bhakti-yoga -- ultimately He said, "Arjuna, because you are My very confidential friend, so I am giving you the confidential knowledge." Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] "You surrender unto Me, and whatever I say, you do. That is your duty." So from that point, when one surrenders to Krsna... Why one should surrender to Krsna? Everyone is puffed up that "I am as good as Krsna. Why shall I surrender to Krsna?" Many, many scholars, they comment on this verse, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam. Vraja, "Why? This is sophistry. Everyone should give up everything, simply surrender to Krsna?" Still they say that "Why you are after Krsna? Why not other gods or demigods?" That is their... Sometimes they question. But one who knows Krsna, he cannot be deviated from this path, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. Bhagavan means Krsna. isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam [Bs. 5.1] This is understanding. So our relationship with Krsna... Sanatana Gosvami inquired from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, ke ami, "What I am? What is my position? Why I am put into this miserable condition of material existence?" This should be the inquiry. Simply they are trying to mitigate the material distresses, but nobody inquires that "Why I am put into this condition?" That is real intelligence. When the disease is there, you go to the doctor, take medicine, try to become cured from the disease. But nobody inquires that "Why I am subjected to this disease?" That is intelligence. "Precaution is better than cure." If you know how to protect yourself from disease, then that is better position than to become diseased and cured. That is not very good intelligence. Rather, don't be diseased, not that you become diseased repeatedly and go to the medical man and be cured. Punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30]. They have been described as chewing the chewed again and again. So actually our problem is that we are diseased at the present moment, every one of us. What is that disease? Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi- So Caitanya Mahaprabhu directly says that jivera svarupa haya krsnera nitya-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108], two words. Svarupa. Svarupa means original, constitutional position. That is svarupa. Mukti means just like one is diseased, and there are many symptoms of disease. So when one becomes free from the disease, the symptoms disappear. Similarly, mukti means that we have lost our original constitutional position. Because here Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that the real position of the living entity is that he is eternal servant of Krsna. So our position is servant, subordinate position. That is the Vedic injunction also. Eko yo bahunam vidadhati kaman. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13). He is the supreme leader, supreme maintainer of everyone. That is our position. We are maintained, and Krsna is maintainer. We are predominated, and Krsna is predominator. This is our relation. How(?) Caitanya Mahaprabhu describing the constitutional position of the living entity, svarupa. Svarupa means original position, and mukti means svarupena vyavasthitih [SB 2.10.6]. Mukti means hitva anyatha rupam svarupena vyavasthitih. This is the Vedic injunction. Mukti means hitva anyatha rupa. Now we are acting differently. Actually our position is servant of Krsna. Now, at the present moment, every one of us, we are trying to become master. If not master of Krsna, at least we are trying to become equal with Krsna. This is our position. That is called maya, "which is not possible." God is not so cheap that you can become equal with God or greater than God. You must always remain subordinate to God. That is your position. Actually we are subordinate. We have no meeting with God. We have no knowledge of God. But practically we see that we are subordinate to the material nature. That's a fact. Everyone knows. Who can overcome the laws of material nature? No. Nobody can do. By nature you have to die. You cannot avoid it. You are subordinate. By nature you have to become old man. You cannot avoid it. So we know that we are subordinate to material nature. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. All these living entities -- man or not man, animal or trees or plants, everyone -- everyone is under the laws of material nature. They are, of course, dumb, the other animals or living entities. But human being has got advanced senses. He can think advancedly. So why they are thinking that they are free? They are servant of at least material nature at the present moment. Why they are thinking "master"? That is their misconception. This is called anyatha rupam. He is actually servant, but he's thinking "master." This is called anyatha rupam. Anyatha means "otherwise," not svarupam. So therefore mukti means hitva anyatha rupam, giving up this nonsense speculation that "I am master of nature. I am master of this, master of that," or "I am God. I am equal to God." These are all rascaldom, anyatha rupam, thinking otherwise. So when one gives up this rascaldom that "I am God. I am equal to God. I am nobody's servant. I am free..." So these are anyatha rupam. Hitva anyatha rupam svarupena vyavasthitih [SB 2.10.6]. When one is situated in his original constitutional position, that is called mukti. Mukti does not mean that you get a big head or big hand. No. Mukti means knowledge. Knowledge. This is our actual knowledge, that "I am not master; I am servant." This is knowledge. So mukti means hitva anyatha rupam. Everyone is thinking otherwise. Somebody is thinking "I am equal to God. I am God," or "I am master," or "I am trying to become master of nature." The scientists, they are always thinking like that, that "We want to control the material nature so that we can manufacture living entity according to our plan, according to our order." Everyone. This is called baddha jiva, conditioned soul. But mukti means... This is mukti. That means... Caitanya Mahaprabhu is immediately, by one word, giving you mukti. They are trying so much, undergoing austerities, penances, going to the Himalaya, making mystical..., so many things for mukti. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu? That mukti He's given directly: "Take this mukti." This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu. "You simply try to understand your position, that you are eternal servant of Krsna." And as soon as you accept this position, you are mukti. So mukti is not difficult for a devotee. Bilvamangala Thakura has said, muktih mukulitanjali sevate asman: "Oh, mukti? She is standing at my door with folded hands: 'What can I do for you?' " So the bhaktas, they do not care for mukti. They are already mukta. There is no need of separate endeavor for mukti. You simply accept this truth, that you are servant of Krsna -- immediately you are mukta, immediately. It doesn't require... It requires only one second to become mukta. It doesn't require... Just like Krsna says in the Bha..., sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami... [Bg. 18.66] This is mukti. "You surrender unto Me, and immediately I save you." Sarva-papebhyo... Because we become entangled by our sinful activities... There are all sinful activities, that "I am independent. I can do whatever I like. I am as good as God. I am God," or "I am God. Where is the difference for me? I can do anything. There is no question of sinful activities." Some of the big, big swamis, they lecture like that, that "Why you are thinking of sinful activities? You are God. There is no sin for you." They are preaching like that, that "You have no sin." And it is very easy to think. That is maya. Na mam prapadyante mudhah [Bg. 7.15]. Therefore these sinful persons who are thinking like that, that "I am God. I have no sinful activities. I am independent. I can do whatever I like," they have been described in the Bhagavad-gita as duskrtina, duskrtina. Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [Bg. 7.15]. So by the grace of Caitanya Mahaprabhu one can learn how to become liberated in one second, one second. It doesn't require many births. Of course, to come to this position, as Krsna says, bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19], after many, many births, that is very difficult job. We do not know. Suppose in this life I am living for hundred years or fifty years or ninety years. Then again another eighty years, ninety years, another hundred, four, five hundred years, or five thousand years... Because according to the body... The trees are standing for hundreds of years, five thousand years. So bahunam janmanam ante [Bg. 7.19] is not very easy thing. It may be millions of years. So after millions of years, if one actually becomes wise, jnanavan, he understands this simple truth, that jivera svarupa haya krsnera nitya dasa, this simple truth, that every living entity is eternally the servant of Krsna. If he understands this, then he becomes immediately liberated. But intelligent man, he takes things very intelligently: "Caitanya Mahaprabhu said jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109], then why I am falsely thinking that 'I am God. I am not dependent on anyone,' this, that? Let me accept this." Then you become mukta immediately. Simply acceptance how Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam [Bg. 18.66], he becomes immediately mukta. Then actually, when he is mukta, then there is life in mukta. Mukta does not mean finished life. Just like if you become free from a certain type of disease. So after being cured there is duty. There is duty. Not that after being cured, the diseased also cured, and you are also cured. You are also finished. No. After the disease being cured, there is healthy activities. That is required. brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54] So Brahman activities means bhakti, Brahman activities. So these devotees who are engaged in devotional service of Krsna twenty-four hours, they are not only realized soul, brahmanubhuti, but they are muktas and they are engaged in Brahman activities. Brahman activities. That is bhakti. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati, samah sarvesu bhutesu [Bg. 18.54]. Therefore devotee has no distinction between this man or that man. Samah sarvesu bhutesu. A devotee does not distinguish that "Here is American, there is Indian, and here is cat, here is dog." No. Panditah sama-darsinah [Bg. 5.18]. A devotee knows that every one of them, all these living entities in different forms... It is not difficult to understand. Krsna says, sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhavami murtayo yah, tasam bija-pradah pita aham [Bg. 14.4]. Krsna is the supreme father. So a devotee knows that the dog is also part and parcel of Krsna, living entity, but he is in a different dress, dog's dress, and a learned pandita, he is also the same spirit soul, but he is dressed as a learned scholar. Similarly, vidya-vinaya-sampanne brahmane gavi hastini suni caiva sva-pake ca panditah sama-darsinah [Bg. 5.18] That is oneness, one who can see. Even from material point of view, a pandita, a learned man knows that "What is this material form, your body or my body?" Superficially it may look black, white or colored, but if you chemically analyze -- the same ingredients: the same blood, the same muscle, the same stool, the same urine. When doctor examines the urine and stool, they do not examine differently a black man's urine and a white man's urine different, because they know the chemical composition is the same. So from material point of view you are also one. Even though you have got this material body, differently formed, the ingredients are the same: ksitir ap tejo marud vyoma, mind, intelligence. Everyone has got these things. This body, gross body, is made of earth, water, air, fire, ether, and the mind. Don't think that dog has no mind. Everyone has got mind. Everyone has intelligence. A dog know(s) intelligently how to secure his food, as we know. There is no scarcity of these things, material things, bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca [Bg. 7.4]. So a panditah sama-darsinah [Bg. 5.18], means even materially all these living entities, although in different forms of body, the ingredients are the same. Sama-darsinah. And spiritually, if living entity is spiritual spark, the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, that is all the same. You are also spark of the supreme spirit; I am also the spark supreme spirit, every one of us. So therefore they can see equally everyone. Panditah sama-darsinah [Bg. 5.18]. Samah sarvesu bhutesu. When one comes to this position, then mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54]. That means bhakti begins when one is mukta. Mukti has already been attained. Bhakti begins. So unless you accept Krsna as your eternal master, how you can engage yourself in His service? So bhakti means mukti. mam ca (yo) 'vyabhicarini- bhakti-yogena yah sevate sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg. 14.26] So here Krsna Caitanya, Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, is giving mukti immediately. People are undergoing severe austerities, penances, but if you simply understand your position, what you are, that is mukti. So here Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is giving the intelligence immediately to Sanatana Gosvami that jivera svarupa haya krsnera nitya dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108]. Simply you have to accept, and surrender to Krsna. Krsna also says the same thing, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66], the same thing. Nitya dasa. Unless you accept yourself as servant of Krsna, how you can agree that "Yes, I surrender to You"? Surrender is made to somebody who is superior, not to the equal person. So Krsna demanding that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66], that means that we are servant. Otherwise how Krsna can order that? So Caitanya Mahaprabhu is giving mukti immediately teaching the same thing -- jivera svarupa haya krsnera nitya dasa. And Krsna also says that this understanding, that "I am servant of Krsna," is realized after many, many births. bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma su-durlabhah [Bg. 7.19] So mahatma, su-durlabha mahatma, means who is liberated, not trying for liberation. There are two kinds of mahatmas. One mahatma is trying for liberation, mukti, and the su-durlabha means... Those who are trying for mukti, out of millions of such persons, one becomes mukta. That is the instruction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Out of millions of karmis, one becomes jnani. And out of millions of jnani, one becomes mukta. And out of millions of mukta, one becomes bhakta. This is the description given by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So if we accept this philosophy, Caitanya Mahaprabhu's, without falsely declaring ourself that "I am equal to God" or "I am God," if you simply accept that jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109], that we are eternally servant of Krsna, and act like that... The servant of Krsna means he must be always engaged in the service of Krsna. This is called bhakti. sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam [SB 7.5.23] This is our position. And if we understand that all of us, we are servant of Krsna -- you are servant of Krsna, I am servant of Krsna, he is servant of Krsna -- then we can understand our position is one. That is oneness -- we are all servants. So there is no question of becoming envious of you or your becoming envious of me. We are all servants of God. So we have to execute the orders of God. That is servant's business. So "How I shall execute? Where is God? I surrender to God. That's all right. So let Him speak to me." Yes, He'll speak to you. How? Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca: [Bg. 15.15] "I am situated in everyone's hearts as Paramatma, and I give everyone intelligence how to do things." And especially for the bhakta, the instruction of Krsna or Paramatma is there: tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam dadami buddhi-yogam tam yena mam upayanti te [Bg. 10.10] This is Krsna. Krsna is situated within your heart, Paramatma, in His Paramatma feature. Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate [SB 1.2.11]. So the feature by which Krsna is situated in everyone's heart, that is... Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. So yogis, they find out Krsna. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah [SB 12.13.1]. Yogis try to find out the Paramatma, and the jnanis, they are trying to find out the brahmajyoti, and similarly, the bhakta is trying to find out Krsna. Brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. So in this way Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the ultimate goal. But those who are addicted to Brahman or Paramatma, they are also addicted to Bhagavan, but in different features. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam [SB 1.2.11]. Knowledge of Brahman, knowledge of Paramatma and knowledge of Krsna is the same, but in different features. Just like knowledge of the sun planet, knowledge of the sun god and knowledge of the sunshine, they... Knowledge is the same -- heat and light -- but the heat and light which you receive from sunshine is different from the heat and light from the sun globe, and the heat and light in the sun globe is different from the sun-god. But heat and light is there, either you realize Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan. So a devotee means he is concerned with Bhagavan. That's all. So devotee is also mahatma; those who are jnanis, after Brahman, they are also mahatma; and the yogis, they are also mahatma; but one who has understood Krsna perfectly and surrendered to Him-vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma su-durlabhah [Bg. 7.19] -- that mahatma is very rare to be found. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu is teaching how to become that mahatma, su-durlabhah. Kotisv apy mahamune. Muktanam api sahasranam. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu's teaching is so sublime and very easy also. We should take it up -- this is Krsna consciousness movement -- and execute it as it is enjoined in the sastras and following the footsteps of mahajana. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. That is also described in the sastra. Svayambhur naradah sambhuh kapilah [SB6.3.20]. And... Dvadasa mahajana. Svayambhur naradah sambhuh, and prahlado janako bhismo balir vaiyasakir vayam. Everything is there in the sastra. So to become actually devotee we have to follow these mahajana. Svayambhuh is Brahma, and... Svayambhur... Narada Muni, and Sambhu, Lord Siva. They have got their parties, or their parampara system -- Brahma-sampradaya, Rudra-sampradaya Sri-sampradaya, and Kumara-sampradaya. In this way we have to accept the sampradaya and follow. Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2]. Then we become pure devotee. And as soon as we understand pure..., we become pure devotee, we can understand Krsna. Bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55]. Although Krsna is the Supreme, but He says that "If one wants to understand Me properly, then bhaktya." He does not say that "By jnana" or "By yoga." No. Why He says bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55]? The bhakta... His name is bhakta-vatsala. Because jnani will take some time to understand. Yogis also will take some time. They'll come to that point if they make actually progress. Bhakta can take immediately. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's gift. Therefore, when Rupa Gosvami met Him at Prayag, he offered his prayers to Caitanya Mahaprabhu as maha-vadanyaya: "You are the most munificent incarnation," namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te [Cc. Madhya 19.53], "because You are distributing krsna-prema. One cannot understand Krsna, but You are so munificent that You are giving krsna-prema." Just like prema means love. If you do not understand a person properly, how you can love him? That is not possible. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu's process is so nice that even we are neophyte -- we do not understand Krsna -- but if we follow His process, we immediately come to the platform of how to love Krsna. Krsna-prema-pradaya te. namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te krsnaya krsna-caitanya- namne gaura-tvise namah [Cc. Madhya 19.53] So this Caitanya Mahaprabhu is teaching Sanatana Gosvami about bhakti-sastra. He taught him for two months at Benares, Varanasi, and He... Later on, these six Gosvamis preached Caitanya Mahaprabhu's cult, which we are preaching at the present moment, according to the prediction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama sarvatra pracara haibe more nama That is His prediction, that as many towns and cities are there on the face of the globe, everywhere His name will be advertised or everyone will know His name. So by His grace this Krsna consciousness movement is going on all over the world and everyone is receiving very nicely, either in Europe or America or Africa or Canada or Australia. So we are very much hopeful. And those who are foreigners present here, take this movement very seriously and preach it all over the world. People will be happy. Thank you very much. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20.120 -- Bombay, November 12, 1975
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