As we are very much unfortunate, we cannot understand. That misfortunity can be avoided by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. It will cleanse the heart. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). We are suffering for misunderstanding—misunderstanding that, "I am this body. I belong to this nation, I belong to this family, I belong to this, that," so many things. All misunderstanding. All misunderstanding. My real identity is ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am spirit soul. Fortunately or unfortunately, by my own work, I have been put into the encagement of this body, temporary body, and I am creating another body. In this way I am traveling from one body to another, from one planet to another, from one place to another. This is going on." Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). "I am taking my birth, and again I am becoming annihilated, although I am eternal." Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate . . .
This is understand . . . people should be little intelligent that, "If I am eternal," na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), "I do not die even after the destruction of this body." Just like if this shirt and coat is torn out, we throw it away, that does not mean I am also torn and finished; similarly, this body . . . this body means I am spirit soul. I am covered with this gross body and the subtle body. This gross body is made of earth, water, air, fire, sky, and the subtle body is made of mind, intelligence and ego. So I am covered by these two shirts and coat. So I am different from this. That is knowledge. That is knowledge. That knowledge is being explained. And when you come to that real knowledge then you become brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). When you actually understand that, "I am Brahman," ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am spirit soul. This is my shirt and coat. Oh, so long I was busy with this shirt and coat only? I have no business with it." Yes, you have got business, but that is not your main business. Your main business is to take care of yourself as soul. That is your main business. This is called knowledge. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54).
Then one who comes into this knowledge, he becomes prasannātmā, "Oh, I was so much ignorant of knowledge." Now, just like you committed some mistake, and when you come to the knowledge that you committed, you become prasannātmā, "Oh, I was mistaking like this, and simply I was anxious. I was taking so much care, anxiety. This is mistaken." Similarly, as soon as you come to this understanding that, "I am spirit soul," then immediately you become prasannātmā, jolly. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati. So this is perfection, liberation. This is called liberation. When you come to the platform of jolliness, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt . . . (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). You are ānandamaya, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), part and parcel of sac-cid-ānanda-vig . . . sac, cit, ānanda. So when we come to our spiritual consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we immediately become ānandamaya. That is real knowledge. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣ . . . samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). Then you can understand that, "All the living entities, they are also soul, equally . . . equally important like me. As I am important, so all the living entities, they are also my brothers." That is called universal brotherhood, on the spiritual platform.
In the material platform it is not possible, because material platform means ignorance. He does not know what he is. Then when you come to the spiritual platform, then you can understand that, "This dog is also a spirit soul; this learned brāhmaṇa is also a spirit soul; this elephant is also a spirit soul." Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ.
- vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
- brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
- śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
- paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ
- (BG 5.18)
That is real sama-darśinaḥ. And so long we are on the material platform we may preach sama-darśinaḥ, so many "ism," philanthropism, nationalism, this "ism," that . . . these are all false. You cannot come into the equal level. Only spiritual level, through spiritual understanding, that, "Now, we are all soul," brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Then, when you come to that understanding, then actual bhakti begins. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām.
Therefore in the bhakti platform, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no such distinction, "Here is American, here is an Indian, here is an African, here is this and that." No. Everyone is Kṛṣṇa conscious. So actually if we want equality, fraternity, then we must come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the purpose of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And actually, it is becoming fact, factual. These boys and these girls, they are no more thinking that they are American or European or Canadian or Australian and Indian also. They are equal. So if you want equality, fraternity, friendship, love and perfection, solution of problems, all problems—economic, political, social, religious—then come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Come to this platform. Then all your ambitions will be fulfilled and you will be perfect.