Room Conversation – December 3, 1971, Delhi

We think, 'I am master.' We think we are master

Prabhupada: [Hindi] Aiye, aiye. [break] ...puzzle

Guest: [Hindi]

Devotee: He has been very helpful on [indistinct] program.

Visala: Your Divine Grace, [indistinct] as long as one is seeking out a bona fide… Unless one is seeking out a bona fide representative of God, is it true that he has no discrimination?

Prabhupada: Yes. [indistinct]

Visala: He has no discrimination?

Devotee: Yes. No discrimination.

Prabhupada: No. He must find out a bona fide representative of God. He must be. If you go to purchase something in the market, we must use our senses to find out. Why not use our [indistinct]?

Visala: [indistinct] I was thinking that what it means is if anyone does not have a bona fide representative of God, is it true that he doesn't have the discrimination, who is unfortunate enough not to have a bona fide representative of God?

Prabhupada: Yes. If you get bona fide representative, spiritual master, and if you follow instructions by him, your advance is guaranteed. Yasya prasadad bhagavata [Sri Gurv-astaka 8]. So bona fide spiritual master means if he is satisfied, then Krsna is satisfied. And if Krsna is satisfied, then you are successful. Because after all, we have to satisfy Krsna.

But Krsna comes Himself; He leaves His instruction, the Bhagavad-gita. He sends His representatives; He comes as a devotee. He is trying to take us back to home, back to Godhead, in so many ways. You have to take opportunity. That is His...

[underneath conversation:]

Guest: So if Your Holiness has time, I would like to… If Your Holiness [indistinct]. I can come to take Your Holiness, Gurudasa and others, tomorrow in the morning.

Prabhupada: Tomorrow morning? What time?

Guest: Any time that is convenient. [end of underneath conversation]

Devotee (2): This tendency, Srila Prabhupada… This tendency of material enviousness, this is also a serious impediment in spiritual life-to become envious of our Godbrothers? Or spiritual [indistinct]?

Prabhupada: Hmm?

Devotee: This enviousness.

Prabhupada: Oh, that is aparadha, greatest offense. That offense may kill your consciousness. That is the first offense, to become envious. The first offense. [break] Krsna never tolerates enviousness of a devotee. He can tolerate enviousness of Krsna, but He can never tolerate enviousness of a devotee.

Woman devotee: We have no proper behavior if we are envious of one another, because we are independent of one another. We are dependent on Krsna, but we're not dependent on any other living entity [indistinct]. It doesn't mean... We should not be envious of one another [indistinct]; we should cooperate.

Prabhupada: Yes. Cooperate. Therefore we are addressing another devotee as prabhu. Prabhu means "master." So if a devotee, if I think, "You are my prabhu," and if we think, "I am your master," then where is? [indistinct] enviousness. But we think, "I am master." We think we are master. No. Master must be [indistinct]. Just like Pakistan and India, both of them are thinking master, "I am master"; therefore fighting. But Vaikuntha policy[?] is not master: I am servant; I am your servant. Just to…

[break] …and if you think, "No, I am your servant," why should I order you? But if I think, "I am master, I shall order you." But the man who receives order, he thinks that "Why shall I take order? I am master." You see?

So we should not try to become master; we should become servant and teach others how an ideal servant can serve. That is Vaisnava. If I want to become master, then that is material. Everyone is material, wanting to become master. There is dissension, enviousness. But the Vaikuntha party is quite different. Here, if you advance more than me, I become envious: "Oh." But in Vaikuntha party there is competition: if you advance, then I should say, "Oh, how nice he is. He is able to serve Krsna so nicely. I could not do so, so I must follow him." This is Vaikuntha. In the material world it is, "Oh, he has advanced so much. Oh, let me cut him." This is material.

So we have to be trained not as master-as servant. That is perfect. Gopi-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasaḥ [Cc Madhya 13.80]: servant of the servant of the servant of the servant. Material world: master of the master of the master of the master. And ultimately, "I am God." [devotees laugh] This is another material thing. When he says that brahma satyam jagan mithya, that is another maya.

So maya is working in so many different ways. The only escape is to catch Krsna's lotus feet, hold tightly. [kirtana and guests talking in the background] We have to [indistinct]? [indistinct] [end]