One must be intelligent to know that, "I am eternal." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre. It is the preliminary study of Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa is instructing about the constitutional position of the soul: na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre, na jāyate na mriyate kadācit (BG 2.20). Kadācit, at any time, the soul does not take birth, does not die. And more explicitly it is said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre. The covering . . . the body is the covering. So after destruction of this body, the soul is not destroyed. Just like if I change my shirt and coat or somehow or other the shirt and coat is destroyed, I, the person who put on this dress, I am not destroyed. This simple knowledge is instructed in the beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā. There are so many big, big scholars, big, big leaders, and still, they cannot understand that, "I am not this body." This is the result, because they do not study Bhagavad-gītā in the proper way. We have got so many leaders, big, big leaders, they are teaching Bhagavad-gītā. But nobody is fully aware or convinced that, "I am not this body." This is called darkness. This is called darkness. And when one becomes disgusted with this darkness, or this position in the darkness, that is human life. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). Such person who has become disgusted with this material existence, he requires the instruction of a guru.
So here Devahūti, because she is the wife of a great yogī, she understands what is the constitutional position of herself, and she has got her son, the incarnation of God. So she is putting her, I mean, problem to the teacher. It doesn't matter . . . because Kapiladeva is the son of Devahūti, Devahūti does not deny to take instruction from Him. She does not say: "Oh, He is my son. What He can instruct me? I am His mother. I shall instruct." No. Instruction has to be taken from the person who is in knowledge. It doesn't matter what is his position. It doesn't matter, whether he's son or a boy or a śūdra or a brāhmaṇa or a sannyāsī or a gṛhastha. It doesn't matter. You should take instruction from a person who knows, who is in the knowledge.
That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. He said, when He was talking with Rāmānanda Rāya . . . Rāmānanda Rāya was a śūdra by caste. We have got the four division: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. So he was, Rāmānanda Rāya, was by caste a śūdra, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a high-class brāhmaṇa. Not only brāhmaṇa, He was a sannyāsī, the most exalted post. First of all He's brāhmaṇa. Of course, unless one is brāhmaṇa, he cannot take sannyāsa. That's a fact. So He was, from social point of view, He was son of Jagannātha Miśra, grandson of Nīlāmbara Cakravartī. Personally, He was learned scholar, born in a very high-class brāhmaṇa, very beautiful body, young man—all qualified. And He was taking instruction from Rāmānanda Rāya, who was a śūdra. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta, you'll find. So Rāmānanda Rāya, he was not only śūdra, he was gṛhastha. And he was a politician, governor of Madras. Governor of Madras. But he was very exalted in spiritual knowledge. So after converting Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, when Caitanya Mahāprabhu decided to go to the southern part of India, South India, at that time . . . Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, he was a very learned scholar, logician, nyāyī. So he wanted to teach Caitanya Mahāprabhu, because He was a young man. But later on he accepted Caitanya Mahāprabhu as his guru. He was impersonalist, Māyāvādī. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained to him the Vedānta-sūtra, that Vedānta-sūtra is personal philosophy. So he was convinced, and he became His disciple.
So when Caitanya Mahāprabhu was going to South India for His touring, he specially requested Him that, "I neglected this person, Rāmānanda Rāya. He was talking with me about spiritual subject matter, very highly elevated, and that I thought that he was a sentimentalist, so I neglected him. But I can understand now that he is a very exalted personality. When You are going to South India, please meet him. Please try to meet him. You'll be very much pleased." So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, at Kabur, He met Rāmānanda Rāya, and He was talking about spiritual subject matter, very highly elevated, simply. So because he was born in a śūdra family and a gṛhastha and a politician, so he was hesitating that, "Caitanya Mahāprabhu is a brāhmaṇa and sannyāsī. Such exalt . . ." Hesitating. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that:
- kibā vipra kibā śūdra nyāsī kene naya
- yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya
- (CC Madhya 8.128)
"Don't hesitate. Why you are hesitating because you are a gṛhastha or you are in politics or you are a . . . born a śūdra family? Why you are . . .? I am learning from you." This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching. He did not think anyone negligible. Anyone who is qualified with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he can become guru. It doesn't matter where he is born, what is his family and identification. It doesn't matter. He must know the science. It is very practical. Just like when you go to consult an engineer or a medical man or some lawyer, you do not ask him whether he's a brāhmaṇa or a śūdra. If he's qualified, if he can help you in the particular subject matter, you consult with him, you take his help. That is practical. So similarly, in the spiritual matter it doesn't matter what he is. If he knows Kṛṣṇa, then he can become guru. It doesn't matter.
So here also, Devahūti, she was taking lesson from her son because the son knew the science of Kṛṣṇa. It doesn't matter whether one is son or one is something else, or born in śūdra family or brāhmaṇa family or a sannyāsī. We are concerned with the science of Kṛṣṇa. That is required. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita also. He was a politician. You know Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. Under his name there is, New Delhi, quarter: Canakya Puri. He was a great politician, prime minister of Ma . . . Samrat, Emperor Candragupta. He also advises. He has got a moral instruction, Cāṇakya-śloka. He says that viṣād apy amṛtaṁ grāhyam: "In the poison pot, if there is nectarine, you should accept it." Don't neglect it because it is on the poison pot. You are concerned with the nectarine. Take it. Viṣād apy amṛtaṁ grāhyam amedhyād api kāñcanam. In a filthy place . . . suppose in your lavatory, in a very filthy place, there is gold. So it doesn't matter. You should take it, gold. It is not that the gold is in the filthy place, therefore you should not touch it. Other metal you cannot touch. That is the Vedic injunction. But gold you can take. Amedhyād api kāñcanam. Viṣād apy amṛtaṁ grāhyam amedhyād api kāñcanam, nīcād api . . . duṣkulād api. You can take some teachings, even one is born in lower-grade family. And the wife you can accept even she is, if she is qualified, and . . . strī-ratnaṁ duṣkulād api. Strī-ratnam. Ratna means jewel. If one girl is very qualified or beautiful, even she is born of lower family, you must accept. You can marry. This is Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. Strī-ratnaṁ duṣkulād api. Viṣād amṛtaṁ grāhyam amedhyād api kāñcanam, nīcād apy vidyā. If a man born in nīca, in lower-grade family, but if he's qualified, it doesn't matter. That is practically being done.