So Lord Caitanya says by chanting this śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana, I become at once liberated from this misconception of life. What I need? I am suffering due to my this misconception of life. The whole Vedic literature advises me that "You are not this material body." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman." Brahman means I am spirit. I am the supreme . . . not supreme spirit, but I am spirit, Brahman. The Vedic literature does not say that I am Parambrahman. Parambrahman is Bhagavān. Qualitatively, I am one with Parambrahman, and Brahman, there is qualitatively oneness, because Brahman. Gold, big gold or small gold, that doesn't matter. Gold, both of them are gold.
So Lord Caitanya says that ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12).
This misconception of life will be the first installment of our profit by chanting, by regularly chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, by performing this yajña. The first installment. That first installment will be: I become liberated from the material conception of life at once. The many great sages, they are going to Himalaya, they are going to the forest for meditation just to realize "What I am." Now Lord Caitanya says that this, what you are, your self-realization, your spiritual realization, will be the first installment. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. This is simply . . . ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam means this is misconception, that what I am not, I am thinking I am. It is simply to understand that I am not. Actually I am not this. We can understand it very shortly, within a moment. That Bhagavad-gītā . . . I have already told you that avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam (BG 2.17).
That portion which is spread all over your body, that you are. That is avināśi, that is immortal. Now, what is that? My consciousness. And what is that consciousness? That is the symptom of my presence. I am a soul present in this body, and the consciousness is the symptom. Then as soon as this consciousness is removed, the body has no value. That we are experiencing every day. As soon as from the body the consciousness is out, oh, it is dead body. We are crying, "Oh, my son is gone," "My husband is gone," "My brother . . ." Why your son is gone? It is lying there in the floor. Why you are crying? "No, no." That gone means that consciousness gone. Gone means that . . . therefore the consciousness is the real thing.