In the Bhagavad-gita also, the Lord says that bhaktya mam abhijanati. Bhaktya mam abhijanati, tattvatah, yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. In another place the Lord says that "To understand Me, actually what I am, is very difficult." Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye: [Bg. 7.3] "Out of many millions of human beings, somebody tries to make a perfection of his life." Otherwise they are all working like cats and dogs, that's all, simply ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca. They have no other information. "Work hard, eat, be merry and enjoy, and have mating, that's all." So out of millions and millions of persons like this, engaged in animal propensities of life, only a few persons, selected person... Because the illusory energy has grasped us under her clutches very tightly, to get out of the clutches is very difficult. So somehow or other, a few people, out of many millions and thousands, they come to the understanding that what is the real perfection of life. Now, those who are actually perfected, out of them, out of millions of them, one can understand Krsna. That is the statement of Bhagavad-gita. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye, yatatam api siddhanam [Bg. 7.3]. Siddhanam means those who are already achieved perfection. Out of themnot these imperfect foolsthose who are actually attained perfection, they can understand what Krsna is actually, tattvatah. And that actual position can be understood... In another place in Bhagavad-gita it says, bhaktya mam abhijanati: [Bg. 18.55] "What He is actually, that can be understood by this devotional service, no other process." No other process will help to understand Krsna. You can... By other processes you can achieve some other thing, but if you want to know Krsna, then you have to understand through your devotional service. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah: [Bg. 18.55] "As I am." Tato mam tattvato jnatva.

So you will have entrance into the spiritual kingdom, into the abode of Krsna when you have perfectly... We cannot understand perfectly, but as far as possible, as far we have got the capacity, if we understand Krsna as He is, then the entrance will be there. Otherwise there is no entrance. Therefore Lord Caitanya instructed Sanatana Gosvami about Krsna through devotional service. This instruction is very important. You should very carefully hear and, if possible, note. This is directly the instruction. Just like the Bhagavad-gita: the Lord Krsna is directly instructing Arjuna. But in the Bhagavad-gita there are many phases of instruction, fruitive action, philosophical speculation, yoga system and jnana system, all kinds of different paths. Ultimately, of course, Lord Krsna instructed him that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. That is the most confidential part. But here Lord Caitanya, He is not instructing any superfluous things. So that is the blessings of Lord Caitanya. Even what Krsna could not give, what Krsna could not, or Krsna hesitated to give... Because Krsna hesitated that "If I speak in the beginning of the Bhagavad-gita, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66], people would not accept it." There was no necessity of describing Bhagavad-gita in so many phases of instruction. Because the last instruction, most confidential instruction, was that "You give up everything and just surrender unto Me." That is the actual instruction of Bhagavad-gita, but that was not spoken in the beginning because there are many phases of human beings. They are under different stages of...

So for their different stages, karma, jnana, yoga, so many things, they have been described. But here, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, His mercy is that He directly gives this highest instructionwhat Krsna could not give, but Krsna Caitanya, or Krsna in His incarnation as Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He gave us. Therefore He is considered the most munificent, charitable personality, man of charity. Rupa Gosvami offered his respect, that namo maha-vadanyaya: "You are the greatest munificent personality." Namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te: [Cc. Madhya 19.53] "You are directly offering Krsna, which is very difficult to understand." It is very difficult to understand. "So many scholars, so many philosophers, so many great personalities, they could not understand Krsna, but Your mercy is so broad that You are directly offering Krsna." Therefore, maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te: "Directly You are giving Krsna, love of Krsna."

So Sanatana Gosvami in this way, directly, here received instruction from Lord Caitanya about bhakti-yogam, what is bhakti. Tattvam sanatanayesah krpayopadidesa sah. Isa. Isa means the Lord, the supreme controller. So he is also... Just like Arjuna received instruction directly, similarly, Sanatana Gosvami also received instruction directly from the Supreme Lord. Now, here, how to receive instruction, that is given by example by Sanatana Gosvami.

So Sanatana Gosvami, actually he belonged to the brahmana family. His forefathers belonged to the sarasvata brahmana. There are different sect, gaura brahmana and sarasvata brahmana. So sarasvata brahmana, actually they belonged to the Aryan, arya-varta, the Punjab side and Kashmir side. They are considered to be high-class brahmana. So he belongs to that community. But somehow or other, their forefathers, I mean to say, make their domicile in Bengal because they had some property in Bengal. They were very rich, aristocratic family. And this Sanatana Gosvami accepted ministership in the Muhammadan kingdom. So in those days, amongst the brahmana community, if any brahmana would accept service, he becomes at once a sudra. He becomes at once, because service is meant for the sudras, not for the brahmanas, ksatriya, and vaisyas. They would never accept anybody's obligation as service. They will starve. That was the principle. Only the sudras could accept service. So because this Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami accepted government officealthough it was government office, but it was serviceso they were outside the brahmana community. So all these Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted. Otherwise, at that time social condition was very strict. You have heard the name of Rabindranath Tagore. They were also in that way ostracized. They were out of brahmana community. They also belonged to the brahmana community. So therefore he is presenting himself that nica jati. Nica jati: "I am lower caste." Why? Nica-sangi: "Because my association nica, my association Muhammadan. They are not brahmanas. They are not highly qualified. Because my association lower, so I am lower also." And patita: "I have fallen down from the standard of my paternal position." Patita: "I am fallen." Adhama. Adhama means "I am the lowest of the human beings."

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 has learned, he should forget. Otherwise there will be no benefit by approaching spiritual master. He should forget. If he keeps his personality, "I believe..., I cannot...," there is no necessity. With such nonsense things, nobody should approach a spiritual master. One should become a blank slate. That is the instruction here, that "I am fallen, I am the lowest, and I am lower born. So many things, all good qualification, this is my position." Nica jati. And kuvisaya-kupe padi' gonainu janama: "I have now wasted my time simply by sense gratification." Visaya means ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithuna. These are called visaya, objects of sense gratification: eating, sleeping, mating and defending. These are called visaya, and we are engaged only how to eat very nicely, how to sleep very nicely, how to give me protection and how to have nice mating. This is our business. So Sanatana Gosvami says that "I have simply wasted my time in this way, and my position is this." So therefore, actually, apanara hitahita kichui na jani: "Because I am so much fallen, because I have wasted my time in sense gratification, because I am ostracized, because my association is so lower, therefore my position is that I do not know what is actually beneficial to me." Apanara hitahita kichui na jani.

Now, Sanatana Gosvami was minister, educated. He was a learned scholar in Parsi and Sanskrit. So how it is that he is placing himself in that way? Is he, I mean to say, imitating something, such humbleness, but actually he was not? Actually, he was... No. Actually he was so. A devotee does not say anything falsely, unless he feels, he feels himself like that. Why does he feel? He was educated. He belonged to the brahmana, aristocratic family. His association was all nawabs and zamindars, aristocratic family, and still, he says like this. Why? What is the defect, that he felt like that? Now he is expressing. Apanara hitahita kichui na jani: "I do not know what is actually beneficial to me. I am thinking that 'If I am posted in a service like this and if I have got some aristocratic association, I have got some arrangement for sense gratification...' That is materialism. So I have passed my, wasted my time in that way. But actually I do not know what is beneficial to me." So gramya-vyavahare pandita, tai satya mani. In the Indian system a brahmana is addressed as "pandita." Perhaps you know Pandita Jawaharlal Nehru. Although he had no brahminical qualification, but because he was born in a brahmana family, so this title was... "Pandita." A brahmana is addressed as pandita, a ksatriya is addressed as thakura, and a vaisya is addressed seth, sethji, a rich man. The vaisyas are generally very rich men. Perhaps you have... As you have in your country the Rockefeller, Carnegie and Ford, similarly, in our country we have got many rich men just like Birla, Dalmiya, Bangar (?), and so many. So they are called sethji. So sethji, thakuraji and panditaji. And the sudras are called mahajana. Because if they are called sudra, they will be angry. So mahajana means great personality. So these are some etiquette for addressing different communities. Amongst the different communities, although they were of such classification, still, there was no enmity. They lived in village although in their position, but the relationship was very friendly, just like brothers, just like brothers actually. Because the culture was religion, culture was this Krsna consciousness. So they depended on the culture. There was no provincialism because they depended on culture. So culture is the thing, the Krsna conscious, which can... Even there are materially so many high and low classification, when you come to this culture, Krsna consciousness, they will be all in the same level.

So he says that gramya-vyavahare pandita: "As a matter of social etiquette, I am addressed as 'pandita.' " Pandita means learned. Learned scholar, he is called pandita. Pandita sama-darsinah. You have read in the Bhagavad-gita: a pandita means he sees everything on equal eye. Why? Because he is brahmana, he has known what is Brahman and what are these living entities. He has got such knowledge. That is called pandita. So Sanatana Gosvami has no such knowledge. At least, he is pretending like that. So he says that gramya-vyavahare kahaye pandita: "By social etiquette I am addressed as 'pandita,' but..." Tai satya mani: "And I also accept that I am pandita." If somebody falsely calls me that "Your Majesty," so it is an insult. It is not honoring him. I am an ordinary man. If somebody calls me, Your Majesty," so a man who has no qualification, if he is eulogized in that way, that is an insult. But we are so much fool that if somebody calls me "Your Majesty," I shall feel, "Oh, I am Majesty. Yes. I am His Majesty." That is our nature. If some false qualifications is awarded to me, I shall be very glad to accept it. I shall think, "Yes." So Sanatana Gosvami said that "Actually, I am not pandita because I do not know what is my benefit, what is beneficial to me. I do not know the goal of my life. I simply wasted my time in sense gratification. I do not know. And still, people say, 'You are pandita,' and I accept it. Just see my position." This is blank slate, admitting that "I am fool number one, but people say I am learned, and I accept it." This is our nature. This is called illusion. He will never think that "I am fool number one." He will always think, "Oh, who can be greater than me? I can think myself. Why? What is the necessity of a spiritual master? I can become a religious leader, I can become such and such, or..." This is our mentality.

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 your..." No. You should first of all try to understand whether he is actually fit. Then offer yourself. So just like Sanatana Gosvami, when he first saw Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he did not offer himself, but when he heard from Caitanya Mahaprabhu and he understood, "Yes, it is very nice thing. So I should now retire from service, and I should wholly devote to Caitanya Mahaprabhu," so he left his very lucrative job, ministership, and just like a very poor man he approached to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and he's placing, submitted himself as blank slate, that "These are my qualifications. Please accept me."

Thank you very much. (end)