Our Guru Maharaja, when we offered obeisances, he used to return me, daso 'smi: "I am your servant"

Expressions researched:
"daso 'smi"

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

The spiritual master, bona fide spiritual master, he thinks that "I am your disciple. I am your disciple." And practical example I have seen: our Guru Mahārāja, when we offered obeisances, he used to return me, dāso 'smi: "I am your servant." He used to return me this way, "I am your servant."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.66-96 -- New York, November 21, 1966:

And when the questions and answers were going on between Rāmānanda Rāya and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Rāmānanda Rāya was not even a brāhmin. Because in those days, the brāhmiṇs were very respectable community, and they were learned scholars, so . . . and he was a kāyastha. Kāyastha. Kāyastha, in . . . of course, now . . . not now, in some hundreds or two hundred years before, these kāyastha were considered very lower caste. So Rāmānanda Rāya belonged to that kāyastha community. But he was very much learned. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He belonged to the brāhmiṇ community, and He was vastly learned. At the same time, He was in renounced order of life.

So when Caitanya Mahāprabhu was asking question from Rāmānanda Rāya, he felt himself shy, that "I am a householder, and I belong to the kāyastha community, and Lord, You belong to the . . . you come from the brāhmiṇ community, and You are so vast learned. At the same time, You have accepted renounced order. So You are in all respect my master. How is that, You are trying to understand from me?" Caitanya Mahāprabhu showed this example by His life's activity. So he was hesitating, that "I should rather put question to You as teacher, and You should answer me."

But Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: "No, no, no. There is no such differentiation between master . . ."

kibā śūdra kibā vipra nyāsī kene naya

yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya

(CC Madhya 8.128)

"It doesn't matter whether you are a householder or you are a brāhmiṇ or you are a renounced order of . . . if you know the science of Kṛṣṇa—you are fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness—you are My guru. You are my spiritual master."

So that is the relation between spiritual master and the student, not that the spiritual master, because he has officially accepted the post as spiritual master, he should remain as . . . he should accept the students also as his spiritual master. This is the reciprocation. Prabhu. Everyone would address the other as prabhu. But officially one may be a spiritual master. But in spiritual platform there is no such difference. But officially, custom is that spiritual master is considered in the place of Supreme Lord, and therefore he is given the such respect.

But the spiritual master, bona fide spiritual master, he thinks that, "I am your disciple. I am your disciple." And practical example I have seen: our Guru Mahārāja, when we offered obeisances, he used to return, dāso 'smi: "I am your servant." He used to return me this way, "I am your servant."

So these are the things we have to learn from the behavior, practical demonstration, of Caitanya's Mahāprabhu's life. So tomorrow we shall discuss the questions and answers of Sanātana Gosvāmī.