So mahātmā means, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritaḥ (BG 9.13). Mahātmās, those who are mahātmā, they take shelter of the spiritual nature, and those who are durātmā or kśūdrātmā... Mahā means great, and just opposite to mahā means, opposite to mahā is kśūdra, small. Just like somebody is very liberal and somebody is very miser. So mahātmā is broad, broader-minded, broader soul, whose soul has become broader. How you can become broader? If you dovetail yourself with the supreme broadest, then you become broader. Otherwise you become smaller. So this is the difference between mahātmā and kśūdrātmā. People are generally, they are doing something for his own body, something for his society, something for his family, something for his country. So you can expand your activities, but unless you expand your activities to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you become the smaller. So,
- mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
- daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritaḥ
- bhajanty-ananya manaso
- (jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam)
- (BG 9.13)
So mahātmā means Kṛṣṇa conscious, who is unalloyedly attached to the loving transcendental service of Kṛṣṇa. Bhajanti mām ananya manaso, this is the definition of mahātmā. Anyone who is cent percent engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, he is mahātmā. Not by stamping, that "You are mahātmā, I am mahātmā." No. This is the definition of mahātmā. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritaḥ (BG 9.13). Daivī prakṛti means they are no more interested with this material world. They are interested with the spiritual energy. Because we are spiritual energy. We are... The same energy, we are seeking after the same energy. Just like water can mix with water. Oil cannot mix with water. If you put a drop of oil with water, the oil will remain separate. But if you put a drop of water with water, immediately mixes. Similarly we are spirit soul. As soon as we are in the spiritual world, in spiritual activities, then we are one. There is no discordance. There is no opposing elements. But so long we exist in the material world, everything opposing. Everything opposing. Therefore it is struggle. Struggle for existence. Suppose if you are thrown into the sea, however expert swimmer you may be, it is struggle. It is struggle for existence. But if you are on the land, there is no such struggle. You live natural life. Similarly, mahātmā, those who have become broader by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by surrendering unto Kṛṣṇa after many, many births... Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). Ante means after. Janma means birth. And fully understanding that everything is Kṛṣṇa, everything is display of Kṛṣṇa's energy.
So Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's energy, there are two things. So we are praying, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare means we are praying to the energy, the internal energy, the spiritual energy, Rādhārāṇī. Hare. We are praying "Hare, O the energy of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa is always with energy. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śruyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, has many multifarious energies. Whatever we are seeing, it is all manifestation of His energy. So we are praying both to the energy. We are praying to the material energy also—material energy also, perverted reflection of the spiritual energy. Actually, there is no material energy. Everything is spiritual. But when the spiritual energy is covered by ignorance... Just like when the sky is covered by cloud it becomes dark. Similarly, spiritual energy, when it is covered by material energy... The cloud has no separate existence. It is also creation of the sunshine. Similarly, the material energy has also no separate existence. It is also creation of Kṛṣṇa, but it appears and disappears. The spiritual energy remains. So when we dovetail ourself with the spiritual energy, then we become perfect. That is our perfection. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is dovetailing ourself with the spiritual energy and thus become perfect. And this human form of life is meant for that purpose.