Kṛṣṅadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī's Appearance Day

Pradyumna: Page 39.

Prabhupāda: Hmm? There will is [indistinct].

Pradyumna: Page 39. "I offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by whose mercy even a..."

Prabhupāda: No, no. This is... Teachings of Lord Caitanya.

Pradyumna: Oh. I'm sorry, sorry. "In the instructions of Lord Caitanya to..."

Prabhupāda: Forty-seven?

Pradyumna: Page 47. " 'Teachings to Sanātana Gosvāmī.' In the instructions of Lord Caitanya to Sanātana Gosvāmī, we can understand the science of God in the matter of His transcendental form, His opulences and His devotional service, for everything is being described to Sanātana Gosvāmī by the Lord Himself. At that time, Sanātana fell at the feet of the Lord and with great humility asked about his own real identity.

"He spoke as follows, 'I am born of a lower family. My associations are all abominable and I am fallen, the most wretched of mankind. I was suffering in the dark well of material enjoyment, and I never knew the actual goal of my life. I do not know what is beneficial to me. Although in the mundane sphere I am what is known as a great, learned man, I am in fact so much of a fool that I even accept that I am learned. You have accepted me as Your servant, and You've delivered me from the entanglement of material life. Now You can tell me what my duty is in this liberated state of life."

Prabhupāda: So today is the appearance day of Śrī Kavirāja Gosvāmī, Kṛṣṅadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī. Therefore we are discussing this evening Teachings of Lord Caitanya, which is the summary study of Caitanya-caritāmṛta. The most important chapters in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, namely, His teachings to Rūpa Gosvāmī, His teachings to Sanātana Gosvāmī, His talks with Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, His talks with Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and His talks with Rāmānanda Rāya—these five subject matters are delineated in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya specifically.

So the most important chapter of Caitanya's teaching was to Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī. Teachings to Sanātana Gosvāmī and, uh, Rūpa Gosvāmī and Rāmaṅanda Gosvāmī, Rāmānanda Rāya, so they are meant for devotees who are on the second stage. First stage, second stage and third stage. The first stage is called mahā-bhāgavata, liberated devotee. And the second stage is via media between the lowest stage and liberated stage. And the lowest stage is called prākṛta-bhakta, means persons in material condition gradually being elevated to the supreme position of self-realization.

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu met[?] with Sanātana Gosvāmī because he was to write one book for direction, Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. You know—his famous book. That is a book giving directions especially to the householders, all orders of life, especially to the householders, how to keep oneself on the proper standard of Vaiṣṅava behavior. Later on, Sanātana Gosvāmī wrote the book Hari-bhakti-vilāsa for giving direction, and Rūpa Gosvāmī wrote the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, "The Science of Devotion."

Now, these two brothers met Caitanya Mahāprabhu when they were on their ministerial posts at Maldah, a district in Bengal. So after meeting Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they decided to join with Him fully for propagating the Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, and they resigned from their posts. Rūpa Gosvāmī first resigned..., not officially resigned, because he was very much eager to meet Caitanya Mahāprabhu, so he first of all retired. And then Sanātana Gosvāmī, later on, he wanted to resign in a tactful way, but the Nawab did not like the idea. So he was imprisoned at his house... No, he was actually imprisoned. And later on, Sanātana Gosvāmī bribed ten thousand gold coins to the jail superintendent and got out of the prison house and went to meet Caitanya Mahāprabhu at Benares.

So when he met, he very humbly approached, and he said, "My dear Lord, I am born of lower family." Actually, he was born of a sārasvata-brāhmaṅa family, but because he associated with the mlecchas and yavanas, the Muhammadans, so they were rejected from the brāhmaṅa community, and therefore he represented himself as having born of a lower family. "My associations are all abominable." Ordinary men—especially he was mixing with the Muhammadans—they were habituated to drinking, meat-eating, which has become a fashion in the gentleman's society nowadays.

So he considered himself as associated with abominable. "And I am fallen." Actually he was born by the brāhmaṅa father, but later on his behavior became like the Muhammadans, so he considered himself as fallen, "the most wretched of mankind." If a human being does not take advantage of this opportunity to have a human form of life, then he's missing the point. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says...

[much talking in background]

[aside:] Stop them.

Acyutānanda: [to guests] Kṛpera, śānti kāraṅa.

Prabhupāda: Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ. Narādhama means "lowest of the mankind." Anyone who does not accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead and does not surrender unto Him, he is considered the lowest of the mankind. It is not sectarian; it is a fact. Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead says Himself. If we say somebody that "You are the lowest of the mankind because you..., you are not Kṛṣṅa conscious," it may be called sectarian view, but when the Lord Himself says that,

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhama māyaya apahṛta-jñānā asurī-bhāvam āśritāḥ [Bg 7.15]

[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]

Asurī-bhāvam āśritāḥ. There are two classes of men

[pause]: asurī-bhāvam āśritāḥ and daivī-prakṛtim āśritāḥ. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find these two words. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ [Bg 9.13].

[O son of Pṛthā, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.]

Those who are mahātmās, broad-minded... Mahātmā means broad-minded; and durātmā means cripple-minded, just the opposite word. Durātmā. Dura means far away from Kṛṣṅa consciousness, dura ātmā. And mahātmā... Mahān, mahato mahīyān, Kṛṣṅa. So whose ātmā is attached to the Supreme, the great, he's called mahātmā.

So durātmā means one who is under the influence of this material nature, far, far away from Kṛṣṅa. This material nature actually situated many, many, many, many thousands and millions of miles far away from Vaikuṅṭhaloka. This universe is unlimited according to our measurement. And beyond this universe there is the spiritual world, paravyoma. And far, far away, the topmost planet of the spiritual world is Kṛṣṅaloka.

So those who are in this material world, actually they are durātmā in this sense, that they are far, far away from the planet which is known as Kṛṣṅaloka, or Goloka Vṛndāvana. This Vṛndāvana is the replica of that original Vṛndāvana. Because when Kṛṣṅa comes on this planet He appears in this spot of Vṛndāvana. Just like when the governor goes somewhere, they have got a circuit house. It is something like that. And there is no difference between that original Vṛndāvana and this Vṛndāvana.

So mahātmā, they are always attached with Kṛṣṅa. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ [Bg 9.13]. They are no longer under the influence of this material nature. Anyone who surrenders to Kṛṣṅa, takes Kṛṣṅa everything, is no longer under the influence of this material nature. That is the significance. If one is fully surrendered to Kṛṣṅa, fully attached to Kṛṣṅa, the symptoms will be seen that he's no more attached to material enjoyment.

Just like these Gosvāmīs. These Gosvāmīs, they were very highly posted, ministers. They were not ordinary men. Big, big ministers in the government. But because they became attached to Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Kṛṣṅa, they gave up their posts. Tyaktvā tūrṅam aśeṣa-maṅḍala-pati-śrenīm [Śrī Śrī Ṣaḍ Gosvāmy Aṣṭaka 4].

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī, and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who kicked off all association of aristocracy as insignificant. In order to deliver the poor conditioned souls, they accepted loincloths, treating themselves as mendicants, but they are always merged in the ecstatic ocean of the gopīs' love for Kṛṣṅa and bathe always and repeatedly in the waves of that ocean.]

Tyaktvā means giving up; turnam, immediately. Tyaktvā tūrṅam aśeṣa-maṅḍala-pati-śrenīm. Maṅḍala-pati means leaders. They were called...

[aside:] One will do, not two.

Devotees: One, one, once.

Prabhupāda: Tyaktvā tūrṅam aśeṣa-maṅḍala-pati-śrenīṁ sadā tucchavat. Tuccha means very significant. They did not give any importance to the ministerial post. Here in the material world, if you get a nice government service, what to speak of to become minister, then we are very much proud. But the Gosvāmīs thought of their post as very insignificant. Without thinking like that, how they can give it up? Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate [Bg 2.59].

[The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.]

You cannot by force become renounced order of life. When you see something better than your present engagement, then you can be renounced. After accepting renounced order of life, if I am still attached to these material things, then that is not advancement.

So these Gosvāmīs, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, they gave up their post.

tyaktvā tūrṅam aśeṣa-maṅḍala-pati-śrenīṁ sadā tucchavat bhūtvā dīna-gaṅeśakau kṛpayā kaupīna-kantāśritau [Śrī Sad gosvāmy aṣṭaka 4]

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who kicked off all association of aristocracy as insignificant. In order to deliver the poor conditioned souls, they accepted loincloths, treating themselves as mendicants, but they were always merged in the ecstatic ocean of the gopīs' love for Kṛṣṅa and bathed always and repeatedly in the waves of that ocean.]

Kaupīna, the underwear, loincloth, and a torn quilt, and a kuraṅga, that was their possessions. And they used to live underneath one tree, and next day another tree. In this way, in this Vṛndāvana... First of all Sanātana Gosvāmī came here after taking instruction from Lord Caitanya in Benares. And Madana Gopāla's temple you have seen, old. He was living there underneath a tree. There was no temple at that time. The temple was constructed later on. So this Sanātana Gosvāmī, just after giving up his ministerial post, with great difficulty he came to Benares, and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave him instruction for two months for guiding the Vaiṣṅava principles.

So he's approaching his spiritual master with humble attitude. Therefore he's speaking like that. "I am born of lower family. My associations are all abominable, and I am fallen." Actually, he was minister. He was coming of a brāhmaṅa family. But these material qualifications are not sufficient to improve one's Kṛṣṅa consciousness. One must approach a bona fide spiritual master.

That is being exhibited by Sanātana Gosvāmī. He's approaching the original spiritual master, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, with due humbleness. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta [SB 11.3.21].

[Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.]

Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāṅi śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12].

[To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly devoted to the Absolute Truth.]

One must approach. Sanātana Gosvāmī is teaching us the Vaiṣṅava principle that one should approach a proper spiritual master. So he's approaching Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

So one may argue that "Where is Caitanya Mahāprabhu now? Where is Kṛṣṅa now?" It doesn't matter. Kṛṣṅa's words are there. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's words are there. Instructions are there. So if we follow the direction and instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu or Kṛṣṅa under the guidance of a superior, bona fide spiritual master, then we associate with Kṛṣṅa or Caitanya Mahāprabhu without any deviation.

So "lowest of the mankind..." Now if somebody is not Kṛṣṅa conscious, and if we say that "You are lowest of the mankind," a very, very strong word used... A gentleman, suppose he's not a devotee of Kṛṣṅa, but if we say that "You are the lowest of the mankind," he'll be certainly very angry, that "I am such a nice gentleman, and you are talking of me as the lowest of the mankind." But actually the fact is this.

Tāvac ca śobhate mūrkho yāvat kiñcin na bhāsate, sabhāyaṁ vastra-veṣṭhitaḥ.[?] There is a moral instruction that a so-called gentleman, nicely dressed in the assembly of human society, may appear to be very nice so long he does not speak. But he's..., if he speaks nonsense, without Kṛṣṅa consciousness, immediately he becomes the lowest of the mankind. If he proves by his speaking that he has no knowledge in Kṛṣṅa consciousness, he's simply well dressed, that's all... That we are finding all over the world. They are very nicely dressed, they have got very nice car, but if we ask him about God consciousness, they say, "Sir, after finishing this body, everything is finished." This is their knowledge.

Therefore they are the lowest of the mankind. Lowest of the mankind means that in the human form of life he was supposed to know that life is eternal and the soul is changing different types of bodies on account of karma, different types of activities. But although the gentleman is well dressed, he does not know. He does not know what is going to happen in his next life. Neither he believes in the next life. This is the position of the modern civilization.

So anyone in that ignorance is called the lowest of the mankind, narādhama. If you say, "How I can say this gentleman, nicely dressed gentleman, lowest of the mankind? He has already passed his university education. He has got big, big degrees. And how I can say that he's the lowest of the mankind?" the answer is given by Kṛṣṅa. I do not require to answer. The answer is given there: māyayā apahṛta-jñānā. Māyayā. Certainly he's educated. He has got degrees. That's all right. But the essence of his knowledge has been taken away by māyā. Māyayā apahṛta-jñānā asurī-bhāvam āśritāḥ.

Essence of knowledge is Kṛṣṅa. That he has no idea, what is Kṛṣṅa. This is the position of asurī-bhāvam āśritāḥ. The mahātmānas tu daivī-prakṛtim āśritāḥ, and the narādhamas, there are..., there are asurī-bhāvam āśritāḥ. Just like Hiraṅyakaśipu and his son, Prahlāda. Prahlāda is mahātmā. Daivī-prakṛtim āśritāḥ. And Hiraṅyakaśipu is demon. He is māyayā apahṛta-jñānā asurī-bhāvam āśritāḥ. There are two classes of men: daivī-prakṛtim āśritāḥ and asurī-bhāvam āśritāḥ.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is to induce people to become daivī-prakṛtim āśritāḥ instead of becoming asurī-bhāvam āśritāḥ. So how this can be done? This is possible if you approach Caitanya Mahāprabhu or His representative. Just like Sanātana Gosvāmī, he's approaching Caitanya Mahāprabhu with right humbleness, that "I am lowest of the mankind, most abominable associated."

Therefore the Bhāgavata says, "Who requires a guru?" Guru is not a fashion, that "Everyone has a guru. Let me possess a guru, and let me do all nonsense." Not like that. One must be very serious to accept a guru. Unless one is very serious... What is that seriousness? The seriousness is to know God, "What is God? What is my relationship with Him?" This is seriousness. Those who are not serious to know God and act godly, they do not require to seek after a guru. There is no necessity.

Don't make it a fashion to have a guru. Generally, they make it a fashion, that "Everyone has a guru, so let me have a guru also." No. The Bhāgavata says, gives this direction, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta [SB 11.3.21].

[Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.]

Guruṁ prapadyeta. To approach guru means fully surrender unto him. As Kṛṣṅa demands, mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja. Therefore when I have to surrender, I have to surrender to the Supreme and the representative of the Supreme. There surrender. Not anywhere.

So Bhāgavata says, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta [SB 11.3.21]: you surrender to a guru. Why? Jijñāsu śreya uttamam. Unless you are inquisitive to learn about the Supreme, the Transcendence, then you find out a suitable representative of Kṛṣṅa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and surrender. Tad vidhi praṅipātena. Praṅipāta. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpena nipāta. Pra means prakṛṣṭa-rūpena, and praṅipāta. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpena nipāta: fall down. Tad vidhi praṅipātena paripraśnena. First of all, praṅipāta. You cannot inquire challengingly to the guru. Just like Arjuna did it, praṅipāta. Śiṣyas te'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam [Bg 2.7].

[Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.]

So this praṅipāta required. And before praṅipāta, you must... Everyone has got his personal, puffed-up attitude: "Why shall I surrender?" That is the material disease. We do not wish to surrender. We think that "I am equal with Him. Why shall I surrender?" So... But our this Vaiṣṅava philosophy, especially, begins with this praṅipāta. Just like Sanātana Gosvāmī has left his highly-salaried post, ministership, and he has come to surrender unto Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That is the beginning of spiritual life.

He's a learned man, highly learned man in Sanskrit and Arabian language. Just like during British period we learned English, and it has now become established fact. I am Indian. I am speaking in Indian, uh, in English. Of course, I am speaking between, before, English in public, but still in India, English is still predominant. Similarly, when there was Muhammadan kingdom, people learned Sanskrit, Arabian and Persian languages. So Sanātana Gosvāmī was expert; both Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī were expert in three languages: Sanskrit, Arabian and Persian. So he was not a fool. He was very learned man. From his later contributions we can see how highly learned he was, he..., how he gave references from Vedic literatures in their writings, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Līlā-smaraṅam and others, books.

So unless one approaches a bona fide spiritual master, his so-called knowledge has no value. Māyayā apahṛta-jñānā. This atheistic view of life means he has no knowledge. Anyone who denies the existence of God, superior authority of God, he must be considered as māyayā apahṛta-jñānā, asurī-bhāvam āśritāḥ [Bg 7.15].

[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]

"I was suffering in the dark well of material enjoyment, and I never knew the actual goal of my life." That is the position of everyone. We get here a little material opulence and we forget our real business. We remain intoxicated in material enjoyment and forget the real business of life. That is a great blunder.

So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung this fact: hari hari bifale, janama goñāinu [from Prārthanā]: "My dear Lord, I have simply spoiled my life." How? Manuṣya janama pāiya, rādhā kṛṣṅa nā bhajiyā, jāniyā śuniyā viṣa khāinu. Any human being who has no knowledge of Kṛṣṅa consciousness, he's committing suicide, jāniyā śuniyā, knowingly. Knowingly. Everyone should know, at least, that human life is meant for developing Kṛṣṅa consciousness, and if he, if he knows, at least he gets this information... Just like we are broadcasting this information all over the world, that everyone should become Kṛṣṅa conscious. So in spite of this knowledge, broadcast of this knowledge, if a person does not take advantage of this movement, then it is to be understood that knowingly he's drinking poison. Jāniyā śuniyā viṣa khāinu.

So why it is so important? Golokera prema dhana. Because it is coming from Goloka Vṛndāvana. This transcendental sound, Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra, Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they are coming from Goloka Vṛndāvana. Just like you receive through radio machine news from distant place, thousands and thousands of miles away. Now the instruments have improved. They are trying to get information from other planets also. That's nice. But there is another machine, which can give you information of the Goloka Vṛndāvana. That machine is not yet manufactured by the material scientist. But there is a machine. What is that machine? That machine is this guru-paramparā.

Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayoḥ viduḥ [Bg 4.2].

[This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.]

If you receive the message by the guru-paramparā... The first guru is Kṛṣṅa. Next guru is Lord Brahmā. Next guru is Nārada. Next guru is Vyāsadeva. Next guru is Madhvācārya, and so many others, and their branches. In this way, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then the Gosvāmīs, then Śrīnivāsa, Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. In this way, the paramparā is coming.

So this is the machine. How I can understand this machine is correct? Yes, it is correct. How it is correct? You can corroborate. The Bhagavad-gītā says, the original machine, Kṛṣṅa, says, sarva-dharmān parityaja mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja. So the same message is being broadcast in the Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. What we are speaking? We are speaking, "Give up everything. Just surrender to Kṛṣṅa." Is not that the same machine? If you keep the words, the vibration of the machine, the same, then it is the same machine. You get the correct information.

Kṛṣṅa is speaking about Himself, about His abode, about the spiritual world, the activities. Kṛṣṅa is speaking everything in the Śrīmad-Bhāg..., in Bhagavad-gītā. We don't require to change unnecessarily. If we present the same thing as it is, as we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, then the machine is there. You can get all the information. There is no difficulty. Just like you are getting by the present machine, radio machine, the message from far, distant place, similarly, you can get all the information of the spiritual world by the proper machine: the Bhagavad-gītā received through the paramparā, disciplic succession of bona fide spiritual masters. It is not difficult.

So Sanātana Gosvāmī is receiving the message of the spiritual world through the exigency of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So the teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is there. Caitanya-caritāmṛta is there. If you study scrutinizingly Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teachings to Sanātana Gosvāmī, then you also get the machine. There is no difficulty. And as soon as you get the machine, and if you know how to handle it properly, then you get all the information. It is not difficult.

And how to handle properly the machine, that is being taught by example, personal example by Sanātana Gosvāmī, that he's approaching Caitanya Mahāprabhu very humbly. He's not proud of his past position that he was a minister, he was a moneyed man, rich man, born of a brāhmaṅa family and so on, so on. He's humbly presenting him that "I am the most fallen. I am the most fallen." So "I never knew the actual goal of my life. I do not know what is beneficial to me." That is the position of everyone.

Nobody knows what is the ultimate goal of life. They think that "We have got this body, and let us enjoy the senses to the fullest extent. That is the highest perfection of life." Get some material education—technologist, or something else, material education—get some good post, get good salary and eat nicely, drink nicely and enjoy your senses. This is perfection of life. This is going on all over the world.

But that is not the goal of life. Therefore, because that is not the goal of life, and we know that this is goal of life, therefore we require the enlightenment from the bona fide spiritual master. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12].

[To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly devoted to the Absolute Truth.]

That is the Vedic instruction. In order to learn that transcendental science, you must approach a bona fide spiritual master. And Sanātana Gosvāmī, although the most learned scholar, born of a brāhmaṅa family, highly posted, opulent, still he's approaching very humbly to a spiritual master.

That is the way. He's teaching us by his life example that without approaching spiritual master, you cannot have any spiritual enlightenment. That is not possible. You must approach a bona fide spiritual master and serve him. Tad vidhi praṅipātena. First of all surrender unto him, and then you question along with seva. While serving, you can put some questions which you do not understand properly.

Now Sanātana Gosvāmī says that "Although in the mundane sphere I am what is known as a great, learned man..." Sanātana Gosvāmī informed Caitanya Mahāprabhu: grāmya vyavahāre kahaye paṅḍita [Cc Madhya 20.100].

[I do not know what is beneficial for me or what is detrimental. Nonetheless, in ordinary dealings people consider me a learned scholar, and I am also thinking of myself as such.]

Just like in India, you'll find there is a system: a brāhmaṅa is addressed, "Paṅḍitjī." Still, that is the etiquette. A brāhmaṅa is addressed as "Paṅḍitjī," a kṣatriya is addressed as "Ṭhākura Saheb," and a vaiśya is addressed as a "Sethjī," and a śūdra is addressed as "Choudhari." They have got respect for everyone.

So Sanātana Gosvāmī was not a false paṅḍita. Nowadays... I have seen in Calcutta one brāhmaṅa with thread, he was pulling on ṭhelā. So somebody addressed him "Paṅḍitajī." So that sort of paṅḍitajī was not Sanātana Gosvāmī, that without any knowledge he was pulling on ṭhelā, and he's also a paṅḍitajī. Not like that. He was actually paṅḍita. He was very learned scholar. But he knew his position, that "Although my friends, my admirers, my assistants, my subordinates, they address me Paṅḍitajī, but actually I am not paṅḍita."

He said, grāmya-vyavahāre kahe paṅḍita, satya kari māni, āpanāra hitāhita kichui nāhi jāni [Cc Madhya 20.100]. Grāmya-vyavahāre. Grāmya means ordinary deals, ordinary dealings, social etiquette. "They call me Paṅḍitajī, but actually I do not know what is the aim of my life, what is my constitutional position." Ke āmi, kene āmāya jāre tapa-traya [Cc Madhya 20.102]. "I do not know why these threefold miserable conditions of material existence is troubling me. I do not want them."

So this is the real position of everyone. One may be materially, academically very learned, so-called learned, but he does not know what is the aim of life, why he's put in this material condition, ke āmi kene āmāya jāre tapa-traya. They are trying, tapa-traya, and miseries of life, we know. There is heat and cold, adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. These are miseries. And there are problems—birth, death, old age and disease. But we do not know from which source they are coming, and they are being imposed upon us, and still we are proud of our education.

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura therefore sings, jaḍa-vidyā jato māyāra vaibhava tomāra bhajane bādhā: the more we become so-called materially advanced, means we are entangled with the network of māyā.

jaḍa-vidyā jato māyāra vaibhava tomāra bhajane bādhā anitya saṁsāre moho janamiyā jīvake koroye gādhā

So anitya saṁsāra, this material atmosphere, it is anitya. Anitya means temporary. Although temporary—I shall live here, say, for fifty years or hundred years—still, I am very much busy to make adjustment of my this temporary living condition. Everyone is busy: how to have a house, how to have nice bank balance, how to be secure nationally, this way, that way. We are embarrassed with so many problems. But at any time, at any moment, the notice may come: "Please vacate this place," we have to do that. But we do not take care of this.

nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṅoti na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam asann api dehaḥ..., kleśada āsa dehaḥ [SB 5.5.4]

Asann api. This body, asann api, it will not exist forever. It is temporary, but it is troublesome always. Adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. Three kinds of miseries are always there.

So Bhāgavata says that we are mad, pramattaḥ kurute vikarma, and doing all sorts of mischievous[?] activities for sense gratification. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya. Indriya-prītaiḥ: simply for the satisfaction of the senses. Tons of beef are sold simply for satisfaction of the tongue. The tongue becomes dry. And a great trade is going on in India, everywhere, in your country also—cigarettes. It has no necessity, but simply for the satisfaction, temporary satisfaction of the tongue, this great trade is going on. So just vikarma.

In this country, there is no such government... But in your country, perhaps you know, in every cigarette package, packet, it is written it is dangerous for health, or what is that?

Devotee: Yes, yes. "Warning: The Surgeon General has determined that cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health."

Prabhupāda: Yes. So the warning is there. But still they're smoking. Why? Pramattaḥ. And vikarma. They have given warning that it is not good for health. Warning is there in every cigarette package, packet, but because he has become mad after that bīḍī and cigarette, he kurute vikarma. Although it is forbidden, he's still taking advantage of it. Just see how Bhāgavata writes frankly: nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma.

Pramattaḥ, these mad persons, persistently committing sinful activities, nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma. Why? Yad indriya prītaya āpṛṅoti: simply for the satisfaction of sense. Not for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa's satisfaction is that "You give up all this nonsense. Simply surrender unto Me." But instead of surrendering to Kṛṣṅa, he has surrendered to bīḍī and cigarette. Yes. This is going on.

Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṅoti. Ṛṣabhadeva said, "This is My proposal." Na sādhu manye: "My dear friends, you are doing very wrong." Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ. Ātmanaḥ, the spirit soul, ātmā, is pure, but because you wanted to smoke bīḍī and cigarette, you have got this body. Otherwise, spirit soul is pure.

So we have already got this body at the present moment. And that is kleśa-daḥ, always giving misery. Everyone has got experience. So again you are committing sinful activities to get another material body. This is not good. This is not good. Na sādhu manye yata ātmāno 'yaṁ kleśa-daḥ. You, you have already got experience, by your past mischievous activities you have got this body, which is always full of miseries and painful. Still you are committing the same sinful activities so that you'll get another body to enjoy.

Kṛṣṅa will give you. So long you have a pinch of material desire, Kṛṣṅa will give you opportunity: "All right, you take another body and enjoy." But we foolish people, we do not know acceptance of material body is the source of all miserable conditions. Therefore Kṛṣṅa says, "You simply try to understand." Janma karma me divyam. Simply try to understand Kṛṣṅa. Then the result will be tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg 4.9].

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

No more material body. This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. We want to stop these nonsense habits of the people. No illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling.

[women talking in background] Oh, who is talking? Don't talk. [Hindi]

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is the only propaganda to save man from the pitfalls of another material life, miserable condition, but to take him to the blissful life, eternal life, back to home, back to Godhead. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya [Bg 4.9].

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. [devotees offer obeisances] [end]