blank slate

So of course, because Sanatana Gosvami was under certain condition, it is not simply, particularly for this Sanatana Gosvami. Everyone, unless he is conscious of his position that he is the lowest, he cannot become the highest. One should not think... While approaching a spiritual master, one should not be puffed up with his so-called qualification. He should be a blank slate. That is the... That is the requirement. He should forget. That, whatever nonsense he had learned, he should forget. Otherwise there will be no benefit by approaching spiritual master. He should forget.    (More...)

So this mentality should be sacrificed first, before going to a spiritual master. First of all you have to select who can be your spiritual master. That requires some knowledge. Or you have to behave with a person to understand, "Whether he is fit to become my spiritual master?" Then you should offer yourself to be a student. That is the process, not that all of a sudden you shall go to a person, "Oh, please accept me as my [your] student." No. You should first of all try to understand whether he is actually fit. Then offer yourself.    (More...)

Tai satya mani, gramya-vyavahare: because brahmana is generally addressed as, "panḍitji." So Sanatana Gosvami says that gramya-vyavahare, "By this ordinary neighborhood behavior they say panḍitji and I also say that I am panḍita." Because everyone thinks like that, everyone things that "I know," and maybe everyone knows something. That, "I am this, I am that," but that is not sufficient knowledge. Sanatana Gosvami therefore says: apanara hitahita kichui na jani! "Although I am addressed by my neighboring people as panḍitji-as learned scholar but if you kindly know that I do not know what is actually beneficial for me, I am such a panḍita. I do not know my own welfare but they say that I am very much learned." This is the position of everyone. Sanatana Gosvami is representing the ordinary cult of man. Everyone thinks that he is most learned but if you ask him, not only ordinary man. If you ask any scientist, any scholar, any philosopher. Generally of the modern age, they will say: "Well I have, my existence is from void and I shall become void." That is going on, voidism. "I. I. I develop some pastimes. By combination of matter my consciousness has developed, my body has developed so as soon as this combination is separated there is no more my existence."    (More...)