Prabhupāda: Now, this Sanātana Gosvāmī, he was formerly known as Dabira Khān. He was born in a high aristocratic family, brahmin family, and he was finance minister in the government of Nawab Hussain Shah, the then Bengal governor of Bengal. It is about five hundred years ago the India was governed by the Pathans, Muslims, and in Bengal the governor was known as Nawab Hussain Shah. Under his government this Dabira Khān was minister of finance, and his brother also, Sākara Mallika, he was also a departmental minister.
So both the brothers were in very high position. They were great scholar in Sanskrit and Farsi, Urdu. Farsi, Urdu, you know the language spoken in Arabia, in that part of the world. So they were very good scholar and born in very aristocratic family and associated with rich men, aristocratic persons. Because they were ministers, no ordinary person could mix with them. So that was their position. And when they met Lord Caitanya, they decided to retire from the service and propagate the movement of Lord Caitanya, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So he resigned from the service. The Nawab was very much sorry. He did not like that he should resign from the service, because the Nawab was so much dependent on his good service. But he decided that, "I must resign." So some way or other he got rid of the service and approached Lord Caitanya in a very humble way. Now he's presenting himself before Lord Caitanya that, "I am very low born, and my association is abominable. And people call me very learned man, and I also accept that I am very learned man. But actually, I am not, because I do not know what I am."
It is very nice picture, you see? In the Vedas the injunction is that if anyone wants to understand the transcendental science, he must approach to a bona fide person or a spiritual master in such humbleness as Sanātana Gosvāmī is approaching. He is born of a very high aristocratic family, but he says that "I am born very low." He's very learned man, but he says that "People say me learned man, but actually I am not." Just the position.
So why he's saying that? That will be explained. Because actual learning means to know oneself. That is real knowledge. This knowledge that, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am born of this family," "I am father of this person," "husband of that lady," and this and that, so many designations, that is not real knowledge. Real knowledge is to know oneself. That is being taught by Sanātana Gosvāmī, that "I do not know what I am. I am simply identifying myself with this body. That is not real knowledge." He's presenting in that way.
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Lady devotee: "You have accepted me as Your servant and You have delivered me from the entanglement of material life. Now You can tell me what my duty is in this liberated state of life."
Prabhupāda: Now he, he was a minister. Now he thinks that after resigning this service he's feeling liberated. Because he hasn't got to obey somebody who is materialistic person, therefore he's thinking liberated. And he's asking Caitanya Mahāprabhu, whom he has accepted as his master, "Now You have liberated me. Now You can say what is my duty."
Go on.
Lady devotee: "In other words, as we see by this plea, liberation is not the final word in perfection."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Here is one point. He says that, "You have liberated me. Now let me know what is my duty." This is very important point. The Māyāvādī philosopher, they think that liberation is the ultimate goal. Just like in Buddha philosophy, the nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa means annihilation of material existence. Nirvāṇa.
They think that as soon as there is annihilation of this material existence, that is the final goal. The Māyāvādī philosopher or the impersonalist, they think that not only to get freedom from this material existence, but to remain in spiritual status, jṣānam, simply in the knowledge that, "I am spirit soul. I am merged into the spirit soul." That is their goal.