So we want to be cheated. That is, cheating process is one of the items of conditional life. There are four defects of conditional life. One defect is that we commit mistake, and another defect is that we accept something which is not that. Just like commit mistake, that is not to be very difficult to understand. Every one of us know how we commit mistake, blunder. Even great men, they also commit blunder, you see. Just like there are so many instances amongst the politicians, a little mistake or a blunder, great blunder... So mistake, "To err is human," mistake is there. Similarly, accepting something as fact which is not fact. How it is? Just like everyone in the conditioned life, they think that "This body is my self." But I'm not this. I'm not this body. So this is called illusion, pramāda. The best example is to accept a rope as a snake. Suppose in the darkness there is a rope like this, and you are..., "Oh, here is a snake." This is the best example of illusion. Accepting something which is not that.
So this defect is there in conditioned life. And to make error and mistake, that defect is there. And the third defect is that we want to cheat and we want to be cheated. We are also very expert. We are always thinking how I shall cheat somebody. And naturally, he's also thinking to cheat me. So the whole conditional life is the association of cheaters and cheated, that's all. So this is another defect. And the fourth defect is that our senses are imperfect. Therefore all knowledge that we receive, that is imperfect knowledge. A man may speculate, but he may speculate with his mind. That's all. But his mind is imperfect. However he may speculate, he'll produce something nonsense, that's all. Because his mind is imperfect. It doesn't matter that if you add thousands of zeros, it makes one. No. It is still zero. So this speculation process, to understand the Supreme, is nothing but zero. Therefore with all these defects of our conditional life, it is not possible to come to the real life. Therefore we have to take it from personalities like Kṛṣṇa and His bona fide representative. That is real knowledge. Then you'll get perfection.
Madhudviṣa: Prabhupāda, what is the difference between an incarnation and an avatāra?
Prabhupāda: Avatāra is incarnation. Avatāra means incarnation. Incarnation, in your dictionary, is "accepting some body"? Is that...? But avatāra... Of course, there are different grades of avatāra. Avatāra means one who comes... The real world is avataraṇa descending. Avatāra means who comes from a higher sphere, higher planet. They are not living entities of this world, this material world. They come from spiritual world. They are called avatāra. So these avatāra grades are different. There are śaktyāveśāvatāra, guṇāvatāra, līlāvatāra, yugāvatāra, so many. So avatāra means one who comes directly from the spiritual world. And incarnation, of course, this avatāra is translated with the word incarnation, but I think real meaning of incarnation means "who accepts a body." Is it not? So that incarnation, everyone accepts a material body. But avatāra, there are avatāra of Viṣṇu and avatāra of devotees also. There are different grades of avatāra. You'll read it in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya, which is coming out. Yes.
Jaya-gopāla: In Chapter Four in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, it is said that Arjuna was present at the speaking of Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god so many years ago. What position did he have there?
Prabhupāda: He was also present, but he has forgotten.
Jaya-gopāla: Which position did he have, if it wasn't spoken at the Battle of Kurukṣetra? Which position?
Prabhupāda: Arjuna was put into that position by the supreme will of the Lord. Unless... Just like in the theatrical stage, both the father and the son, they are playing some part. The father is playing a king, and the son is playing another king. Both are inimical. But actually they are playing as such. Similarly, Arjuna is eternal friend of Kṛṣṇa. He cannot be in delusion. How he can be delusioned if Kṛṣṇa is his constant friend? But he was supposed to be in delusion so that he played the part of a conditioned soul and Kṛṣṇa explained the whole thing. He played that ordinary person; therefore all his questions were just like ordinary man. Unless... Because the teachings of Gītā was lost. That is explained. So Kṛṣṇa wanted to deliver again the yoga system of Gītā. So somebody must ask. Just like you are asking, I'm answering. Similarly Arjuna, although he was not to be supposed in illusion, he placed himself as representative of this conditioned soul and he inquired so many things, the answers were given by Lord.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda, when I'm serving you sometimes I feel very nice, but then when I think of how bad and imperfect this service is, I feel terrible. Which is right to feel?
Prabhupāda: (chuckles) You feel terrible?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Why? When you feel terrible?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: When I see all the blunders I make, all the mistakes.
Prabhupāda: Sometimes... This is nice. To accept the blunders... Even there is no blunder. This is the symptom of sincere service. Just like a father is very beloved to his son or the son is very beloved to the father. A little ailments of the son, the father is thinking, "Oh, my son my die. I may be separated." It is the sign of intense love. Not always that the son is dying immediately, you see, but he's thinking like that. Separation. You see? So that is a good sign. We should not think that we are doing very nicely. We should always think that "I am unable." This is not bad. We should never think that "I am perfect." Because the māyā is so strong, as soon as you are a little confident, immediately there is attack. You see? In a diseased condition... Just like one who takes very precautionary method, there is little chance of relapse. So this is not bad. We should always think like that, that "Maybe I am not doing nicely." But as far as it is in our power, let us execute our business nicely, but we should never think that it is very perfect. That is nice.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: If māyā takes a hold on one, what is the quickest way to go back to Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: Oh, that Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa... Simply whenever there is māyā's attraction, just pray to Kṛṣṇa, "Please save me. Please save me." This is the only way. And He'll save you. We are in māyā's kingdom, so māyā is strong very here, but if we catch Kṛṣṇa very strongly, māyā cannot do anything. Yes. That we should be fixed up in catching Kṛṣṇa very tightly. Then there is no falldown. Yes.