To remain conditioned under the laws of nature, that is not good life. That is not good, either you become a Brahmā or Lord Indra or Chandra or a big minister, big president, just (indistinct). That is Kṛṣṇa's advice, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's: finish this business. Sarva-guhyatamaṁ. This is the most confidential knowledge. Finish this business of material existence, either as Brahmā or... That is the verdict of all Vedic śāstras. They do not know what is there, the conditioned souls; they do not know what is real self-interest. Everyone will say that "I have got some self-interest." That's very good. Everyone should be self-interested. One should be interested in his own self and the goal of life. That is very intelligent. But they do not know what is self, that is the problem. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ (SB 7.5.31). Svārtha-gatiṁ, real life, is to go back to Visnu, tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayo (Ṛg Veda 1.2.22.20). Those who are sūrayaḥ—not asūrayaḥ—sūrayaḥ, learned demigods, learned persons, they are aiming how to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is param padaṁ, tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā. This is Vedic mantra. They’re trying to be happy by material adjustments, durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Bahir-artha, external. This material world means creation of the external energy. So they have taken it, if here he can become a big man, or big demigod, that is our self-interest. But that is not (indistinct). That is not self-interest. Real self-interest is to go back to home, go back to Godhead.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu also directly teaches the same principle, and Kṛṣṇa also teaches the same principle because They are one. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu is more kind, merciful than Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is teaching the same principle, but as the Supreme Personality of Godhead He commands, "Do this, rascal!" Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66). That is His position. But the rascals are so rascals they could not understand Kṛṣṇa; they began to comment upon Kṛṣṇa in different way. They are so rascal that even very learned scholars that..., like..., mundane scholars—they’re not scholars, but so-called scholars. They are full of ignorance but proud of their material knowledge. Āḍhya-māninā (SB 8.21.34), vimukta-māninaḥ, this word is used. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ (SB 10.2.32). These rascals, they are thinking only that have become very learned scholars, and sometimes they think, "We are now liberated," they have become Nārāyaṇa, and somebody is designating daridra-nārāyaṇa, so on, so on. That means actually they are not very learned, but vimukta-māninaḥ, they are thinking like that.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, because these rascals, they have misunderstood Kṛṣṇa—"Why shall I surrender to Kṛṣṇa? I am also Kṛṣṇa"—therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, without any condition, He's distributing kṛṣṇa-prema. Kṛṣṇa-prema is not so easy thing. First of all one cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. And what is kṛṣṇa-prema?
- manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
- kaścid yatati siddhaye
- yatatām api siddhānāṁ
- (BG 7.3)
Big, big personalities, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu is so kind that in this age He understood that these rascals, they'll not understand what is Kṛṣṇa, and what to speak about kṛṣṇa-prema? (train passing overhead on bridge) Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī offers prayers, namo mahā-vadānyāya: "Most munificent avatāra." There are many avatāras of Kṛṣṇa: advaitam acyutam anādir ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). He has done many millions and millions of avatāras. But this avatāra, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, is the most munificent, kind, merciful avatāra. In every avatāra He takes two parts,
- paritrāṇā sādhūnāṁ
- vināśāya ca duṣkṛti
- (BG 4.8)
Cut off the head these rascals. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu does not. He, without any comparison, is giving kṛṣṇa-prema, kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te. That is detected by his pure devotee, Rūpa Gosvāmī, that "Here is..." Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, they understood, "Here is the Supreme Person."
- vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam-
- śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ
- (CC Madhya 6.254)
Same Supreme Person, purāṇaḥ. He has come to teach us vairāgya-vidyā.
This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means vairāgya-vidyā, to become detestful to this material world. Because we are not becoming detestful. The karmīs, they are more and more becoming entangled: "Give me this, give me that, give me that"; ultimately, "Give me the post of Brahmā," "Give me the post of Indra." So their business is simply "give me." So they are karmīs. And jñānīs, when they are disgusted with this asking... They are also asking, but they are asking in a finer way, that "We shall become one with Viṣṇu. Why shall I ask?" He's asking. He's asking, "Make me one," but in a subtle way. He's also beggar. And yogīs, they’re also asking, "Give me this mystic power. I shall manufacture gold and delude this poor conditioned soul," and advertise, "I have become God." These are third-class yogīs. First-class yogīs, they do not want. They, although get this power, like this, they do not utilize it; they simply, dhyāna avasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). That is their (indistinct): always meditating and seeing Kṛṣṇa.
- yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
- mad-gatenāntarātmanā
- śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
- sa me yuktatamo
- (BG 6.47)
He's actually yogī, that always trying to seize the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, so that gradually they’ll be promoted to the pure devotional stage.