One has to become purified by freeing himself from all designations. This is the first step. We are now under different designations

Expressions researched:
"One has to become purified by freeing himself from all designation. This is the first step" |"We are now under different designation"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Our senses are now materially contaminated—therefore we cannot understand what is God, what is His appearance, what is His disappearance. This is not possible. The whole thing is to accept the purificatory process of the senses. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). One has to become purified by freeing himself from all designation. This is the first step. We are now under different designation.

680619 - Lecture BG 04.09 - Montreal

One has to learn the subject matter. And how it can be learned? Simply by service attitude. Sevonmukhe. We cannot learn this transcendental subject matter by challenge. If we are submissive, if we are engaged in His service, then, by His divine grace, He reveals Himself. Everything understanding of Lord, that is revelation. By our experimental knowledge, we cannot understand what is God. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmadi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136).

Our senses are now materially contaminated—therefore we cannot understand what is God, what is His appearance, what is His disappearance. This is not possible. The whole thing is to accept the purificatory process of the senses. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). One has to become purified by freeing himself from all designation. This is the first step.

We are now under different designation. Every one of us is thinking that, "I am this body, and because I am this body and this body is produced under certain condition, in a certain family, by certain father and mother, in a certain society, certain country, certain land, therefore I have got, you have got so many designation." So we have to become first of all free from the designation. That is the first qualification for understanding the science of God. We have to become free from all designation.

And how one can become free? This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I am neither Indian, I am neither American, I am neither white, I am neither black, I am neither Christian, I am neither Hindu, Muhammadan. Caitanya Mahāprabhu described Himself like that. He said: "I am not a Brāhmiṇ, I am not a Kṣatriya, I am not a Vaiśya, I am not a Śūdra; I am not a brahmacārī, I am not a householder, I am not a vānaprastha, or I am not a renounced order, sannyāsī." Then what You are? Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80): "I am the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa." This should be my real identification. This is very good identification.