It is not only our words; it is scientifically true. I know, there was one case, a man was condemned to death, and his pleader presented that "This man was in . . . in insanity condition; therefore he committed this act. He may be excused." So the, a civil surgeon was invited to examine him, whether he's, actually he was in sanity condition. The civil surgeon gave evidence that so far he had treated so many patients, he saw everyone is more or less crazy. (laughter) "Under the circumstances, if this man is crazy, that depends on your judgment, what to do. But in my opinion, every man is a crazy man."
So this is a fact. This is a fact. Anyone who is under the control of the material energy, he's a crazy man. He's thinking, "I am this, I am that, I am this," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am a Muslim," "I am so on, so on," so many things. But he's nothing of all this. These are all creation of māyā.
Just like if I am sitting on a certain type of motorcar, does it mean I am that motorcar? If I am . . . suppose I am sitting on a Rolls-Royce motorcar. If I say, "I am Rolls-Royce," is that my identification? (laughter) No. Actually . . . and this is a fact. If a man is driving a very nice car, and if in his front there is a ṭhelā-walla . . . I've seen it. The driver says, "He ṭhelā," as is if that man has become ṭhelā, and he has become motor. (laughter) So actually, this is the fact. Piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya (Prema-vivarta 6.2). Neither he's ṭhelā, nor he's motorcar. He's living entity, pure living entity.
Therefore in Bhagavad-gītā it is said, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). When one actually is self-realized, that "I am not American, not Indian, not Hindu, not Muslim, not man, not woman. I am spirit soul. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi," at that time, he does not lament. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. We are fighting with one another, lamenting and hankering due to this misidentification of the self with this body.
- yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
- svadhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma-ijya-dhīḥ
- yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij . . .
- sa eva go-kharaḥ
- (SB 10.84.13)
The Bhāgavata says that any person who is misidentifying himself with this body, kuṇape tri-dhātuke . . . yasya ātma-buddhiḥ. This body is made of three dhātus—kapha pitta vāyu—and if we identify that, "I . . . I am kapha pitta vāyu," then certainly he's a go-kharaḥ. He's nothing more than a cow and an ass.
So bhakti, devotional service, begins when one is actually self-realized. Before that, sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ (SB 11.2.47). Anyone who has got the identification of this body, he is engaged in Deity worship, but he does not actually realize his self, he does not know who is a devotee, and he does not know his duty to other persons, he remains a prākṛta-bhakta. Prākṛta-bhakta means he's situated on the material platform, but under the direction of spiritual master, under the direction of the śāstra, he's trying to improve his condition of material existence. That is called prākṛta-bhakta, sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ.
So we should not remain perpetually a prākṛta bhakta. We must improve: madhyama-bhakta. Madhyama-bhakta means he knows what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa; he knows what is Kṛṣṇa's devotee; he knows the people in general; and he knows the atheistic persons. Four categories of persons manifest before him. It is not that the . . . artificially, if we say that, "In my view, everyone is the same . . ." That is, of course, higher stage, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). But we should not imitate that stage. Because we are in the neophyte stage, we should not imitate the vision of mahā-bhāgavata.