Kaupīna, the underwear, loincloth, and a torn quilt, and a kuraṅga, that was their possessions. And they used to live underneath one tree, and next day another tree. In this way, in this Vṛndāvana . . . first of all Sanātana Gosvāmī came here after taking instruction from Lord Caitanya in Benares. And Madana Gopāla's temple you have seen, old. He was living there underneath a tree. There was no temple at that time. The temple was constructed later on. So this Sanātana Gosvāmī, just after giving up his ministerial post, with great difficulty he came to Benares, and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave him instruction for two months for guiding the Vaiṣṇava principles.
So he's approaching his spiritual master with humble attitude. Therefore he's speaking like that. "I am born of lower family. My associations are all abominable, and I am fallen." Actually, he was minister. He was coming of a brāhmiṇ family. But these material qualifications are not sufficient to improve one's Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One must approach a bona fide spiritual master.
That is being exhibited by Sanātana Gosvāmī. He's approaching the original spiritual master, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, with due humbleness. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21). Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāṇi śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). One must approach. Sanātana Gosvāmī is teaching us the Vaiṣṇava principle that one should approach a proper spiritual master. So he's approaching Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
So one may argue that, "Where is Caitanya Mahāprabhu now? Where is Kṛṣṇa now?" It doesn't matter. Kṛṣṇa's words are there. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's words are there. Instructions are there. So if we follow the direction and instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu or Kṛṣṇa under the guidance of a superior, bona fide spiritual master, then we associate with Kṛṣṇa or Caitanya Mahāprabhu without any deviation.
So "lowest of the mankind . . ." Now if somebody is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, and if we say that, "You are lowest of the mankind," a very, very strong word used . . . A gentleman, suppose he's not a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, but if we say that "You are the lowest of the mankind," he'll be certainly very angry that, "I am such a nice gentleman, and you are talking of me as the lowest of the mankind." But actually the fact is this.
Tāvac ca śobhate mūrkho yāvat kiñcin na bhāsate, sabhāyaṁ vastra-veṣṭhitaḥ. There is a moral instruction that a so-called gentleman, nicely dressed in the assembly of human society, may appear to be very nice so long he does not speak. But he's . . . if he speaks nonsense, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, immediately he becomes the lowest of the mankind. If he proves by his speaking that he has no knowledge in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he's simply well dressed, that's all . . . that we are finding all over the world. They are very nicely dressed, they have got very nice car, but if we ask him about God consciousness, they say: "Sir, after finishing this body, everything is finished." This is their knowledge.
Therefore they are the lowest of the mankind. Lowest of the mankind means that in the human form of life he was supposed to know that life is eternal and the soul is changing different types of bodies on account of karma, different types of activities. But although the gentleman is well dressed, he does not know. He does not know what is going to happen in his next life. Neither he believes in the next life. This is the position of the modern civilization.
So anyone in that ignorance is called the lowest of the mankind, narādhama. If you say: "How I can say this gentleman, nicely dressed gentleman, lowest of the mankind? He has already passed his university education. He has got big, big degrees. And how I can say that he's the lowest of the mankind?" the answer is given by Kṛṣṇa. I do not require to answer. The answer is given there: māyayā apahṛta-jñānā. Māyayā. Certainly he's educated. He has got degrees. That's all right. But the essence of his knowledge has been taken away by māyā. Māyayā apahṛta-jñānā asurī-bhāvam āśritāḥ.