Out of many millions of persons, somebody is interested in making this life perfect. Generally, the karmīs, they do not know what is the perfection of life. Therefore it is said, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye. They are being carried away by the waves of material nature.
Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is warning, "My dear friends, why you are being carried away by the waves of this material ocean?" Māyār bośe, jāccho bhese', khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi. This is Vaiṣṇava's desire. Vaiṣṇavaḥ para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. Kṛpāmbudhiḥ. So Vaiṣṇava vision is different. Vaiṣṇava vision is . . . he can see what is the position of these māyāśritānām, those who have taken shelter of this māyā, what is their position. Position is miserable. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). And they are being carried away by the waves. Today, one kind of body; tomorrow, another body; tomorrow or next life . . . so in this way the karmīs are being carried away. So therefore, out of such millions of karmīs, one becomes jñānī. Jñānī.
Koṭi karmī madhye eka jñānī śreṣṭha. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said that, "Out of many, many karmīs, one who is jñānī . . ." Jñānī means one who knows that "I am not this body. I am spirit." But still, there is some mistake. They think that, "I am the Supreme Spirit." So 'ham. Māyā is so strong. Even after so much austerities, coming practically on the verge of perfection, they are misled by māyā, this so ham. So ham means "I am the same." But "I am the same" does not mean "I am the same Supreme." "I am the same in quality." So 'ham does not mean that, "I am as good as the Supreme Brahman." It does not mean. Part is never equal to the whole. We are part of the Supreme Brahman, mamaivāṁśaḥ. So in quality, just like a small particle of gold is also gold—quality is the same. A small drop of seawater is the same quality—salty. But that does not mean the drop of seawater becomes the sea. The māyā is so strong. Therefore Bhāgavata says, "The impersonalist, Māyāvādīs, although they think that they have become one with the Supreme, but their intelligence is not yet complete." Ye 'nye . . . ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ (SB 10.2.32). They think like that: "Now we have become perfect, Nārāyaṇa." But Bhāgavata says, "Sir, you may think like that, that you have become liberated, but you are not liberated, because you are still in ignorance, because you are thinking one with the Supreme." Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ: "Your intelligence is not yet perfect."
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ (BG 7.3). Siddha . . . jñānīs are siddhas. Yogīs are siddhas. Although they are trying their best to become perfect, but still, they are missing Kṛṣṇa on account of aviśuddha-buddhi. And therefore āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ (SB 10.2.32). Although by austerities they come to that platform of brahma-anubhāva, Brahman realization, still, they fall down, anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ, on account of neglecting to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So they cannot understand Him. Kaścit. Kṛṣṇa says, kaścit vetti māṁ tattvataḥ. Not that everyone, jñānī, will understand. Even one is jñānī, then he'll take many births to understand Kṛṣṇa. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19).