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Gosani means gosvami. A person who has full control over the senses and mind is called a gosvami or gosani. One who does not have such control is called godasa, or a servant of the senses, and cannot become a spiritual master. A spiritual master who actually has control over the mind and senses is called gosvami. Although the gosvami title has become a hereditary designation for unscrupulous men, actually the title gosani, or gosvami, began from Sri Rupa Gosvami, who presented himself as an ordinary grhastha and minister in government service but became gosvami when he was actually elevated by the instruction of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Therefore gosvami is not a hereditary title but refers to one's qualifications. When one is highly elevated in spiritual advancement, regardless of wherefrom he comes, he may be called gosvami. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Sri Advaita Gosani Prabhu are natural gosvamis because They belong to the visnu-tattva category. As such, all of Them are prabhus ("predominators" or "masters"), and They are sometimes called Caitanya Gosani, Nityananda Gosani and Advaita Gosani. Unfortunately Their so-called descendants who do not have the qualifications of gosvamis have accepted this title as a hereditary designation or a professional degree. That is not in accord with the sastric injunctions. (More...)The nature of the mind is flickering and unsteady. But a self-realized yogi has to control the mind; the mind should not control him. At the present moment, the mind is controlling us (go-dasa). The mind is telling us, Please, why not look at that beautiful girl? and so we look. It says, Why not drink that nice liquor? and we say, Yes. It says, Why not smoke this cigarette? Yes, we say. Why not go to this restaurant for such palatable food? Why not do this? Why not do that? In this way, the mind is dictating, and we are following. Material life means being controlled by the senses, or the mind, which is the center of all the senses. Being controlled by the mind means being controlled by the senses, because the senses are the minds assistants. The master mind dictates, Go see that, and the eyes, following the directions of the mind, look at the sense object. The mind tells us to go to a certain place, and the legs, under the minds directions, carry us there. Thus, being under the direction of the mind means coming under the control of the senses. If we can control the mind, we will not be under the control of the senses. One who is under the control of the senses is known as go-dasa. The word go means senses, and dasa means servant. One who is master of the senses is called gosvami, because svami means master. Therefore, one who has the title gosvami is one who has mastered the senses. As long as one is servant of the senses, he cannot be called a gosvami or svami. Unless one masters the senses, his acceptance of the title svami or gosvami is just a form of cheating. It was Rupa Gosvami who thus defined the meaning of the word gosvami. Originally, Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami were not gosvamis but were government ministers. It was only when they became disciples of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu that they became gosvamis. So gosvami is not a hereditary title but a qualification. One becomes so qualified under the directions of a bona fide spiritual master. Only when one has attained perfection in sense control can he be called a gosvami and become a spiritual master in his turn. Unless one can master the senses, he will simply be a bogus spiritual master. (More...) So gosvami is not a hereditary title. It is a qualification. Under the direction of spiritual master. One who attains perfection in controlling the senses, he is called svami or gosvami. So one has to become svami, gosvami. Then he can become spiritual master. Without being svami or master of the senses, to become a spiritual master is bogus. That is also defined by Rupa Gosvami. He says (More...) The demands of the body, eating, sleeping, sex life and defense, this is the demands of the body. But if I am situated in self-realization, then these demands will not bother me. There are many persons who are not agitated by hunger, who are not agitated, not having opportunity of sleeping. They don't sleep. Nidrahara-viharakadi-vijitau **. About the Gosvamis it is said that these things, material demands of the body, sleeping, eating, sex and defense... They are the demands of the body. But how they became gosvami or svami? Because they were not affected by these demands. That is gosvami; that is svami. Svami means master. Gosvami means master of the senses. So if I am servant of the senses, how I can become gosvami, how I can become svami? That is false, hypocrisy. If you are servant of the senses, then you are go-dasa. Dasa means servant, and go means senses. And if you are master of the senses, then you are gosvami. Every word has meaning. So without being fit, we should not use this word as personal designation. That is not good. (More...) That is the position of svami. Svami means master. Gosvami. Gosvami means this controller of the senses. Go means senses. So svami or gosvami means one who has control over the senses or one who has control over the mind. The mind is very restless. The whole yogic process is meant for controlling the mind because unless you control the mind, the mind will volumes and volumes of desires, hundreds, thousands, millions. And you have to satisfy them. Then where is santi? You have to satisfy the master. Who has become your master? Mind. Then you are disturbed. There cannot be any peace. And mind has got many millions of desires. Therefore, when you can control over the mind, that mind desires something and you have to control, "No, you cannot do it," then you become a svami. Svami, these sannyasis, they are given the title "svami" or "gosvami" because the sannyasis are supposed to control over the mind, over the senses. Therefore they are called svami. Otherwise, not svami but servant. If you are controlled by the mind, then you are servant, and if you are controller of the mind, then you are svami, the same person. (More...) So bhagavad-duta. The bhagavad-duta means they are in right constitutional position. So you all become bhagavad-duta, bhagavad-duta, messenger of God. That is perfection of life. Otherwise you shall be obliged to become the servant of the senses. Go-dasa and gosvami. The bhagavad-dutas are gosvami, and the servants of the senses are go-dasa. Unfortunately the go-dasas are claiming to be gosvamis. That is the cause of falldown of Indian Vedic civilization. One has to become gosvami. Gosvami means refuse to follow the dictation of the senses. Simply he has to follow the dictation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That dictation comes through the parampara system. Krsna dictated Arjuna, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. If you follow Arjuna, then you (are) in directly contact with Krsna. There is no difficulty. The dictation comes through disciplic succession. Now Krsna is teaching to His disciple, Arjuna. Arjuna accepted, sisyas te 'ham: [Bg. 2.7] "Just now I become Your disciple." Sisya means one who voluntarily accepts the ruling of a spiritual master. He is called sisya. Nobody wants to follow the dictation of othersthat is another independent nature of living entitybut when one voluntarily agrees to serve the dictation of the spiritual master..., means to follow the dictation of Krsna... Acaryam mam vijaniyat. Krsna says, "Acarya is My self." Navamanyeta karhicit: "Never disobey." Na martya-buddhyasuyeta: "And do not think him as ordinary person and become envious of his position." Then there is fall down. Acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit, na martya-buddhyasuyeta [SB 11.17.27]. (More...) So satya saucam and sama, equilibrium of the mind, not to become disturbed in any circumstances. That is called sama. Dama. Dama means controlling the senses. Every one of us, we are all controlled by the senses. But one has to become the controller of the senses. That is brahmana. That is svami. Svami or gosvami means who is controller of the senses. My tongue wants to eat something, and if I say, "No, you cannot eat this," then... My eyes see something. I say, "No, you cannot see this." My hand wants to touch something. I say, "No, you cannot do this." My legs want to go somewhere. I say, "No, you cannot do this." When one is in full control of the senses, he is called svami. Svami is not a title; it is a qualification. It is a qualification, and it is attained by a brahmana, one who is already advanced in brahminical qualification by cleansing. Then... And truthfulness. Then this qualification also is there, controller. And when one is completely controller of the senses, or when one is actually svami or gosvami... There is no difference between these two words. Svami means controller, and gosvami is still clearer. Go means senses, controller of the senses. So Rupa Gosvami says who can be a spiritual master. So he has given specifically this definition, that one who has got controls over the tongue, over the speech, over the mind, over the belly, and over the genitals, and over the anger. If anyone has control over these six things, then he can become spiritual master. Prthivim sa sisyat: "He is allowed to make disciples all over the world." Otherwise not. These are the qualification of brahmana. Satyam saucam sama dama titiksa [Bg. 18.42]. Titiksa means tolerance. Just like in your Western countries, Lord Jesus Christ, he was being crucified. He tolerated. He never cursed even. He, rather, begged from God, "My God, these people do not know what they are doing. Please excuse them." This is toleration. So satyam saucam sama dama titiksa. Toleration. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has instructed, trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna. Tolerance. What kind of tolerance? Tolerance like the straw in the street, like the tree. Amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]. There are so many instances. Let us finish it briefly. (More...) Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/?g=2336 Previous: [none] Next: [none]
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