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).
So to understand God, the Supreme Being, who is controlling the whole universe, it is very, very difficult to understand Him. But if we become devotee, then Kṛṣṇa reveals Himself. That is the . . . then not only the devotee understands what is Kṛṣṇa, but he attains the position that he can order over Kṛṣṇa, he can control Kṛṣṇa. This is devotee's position. So why a devotee should aspire for merging into the effulgence of Kṛṣṇa's rays? They have got a different position. So we should try to become a devotee simply by service. You can become a perfect devotee simply by service. There is no other method. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Bhakti means service, simply. That is bhakti. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). Simply the spirit, bhakti . . . bhaktir uttamā. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā (CC Madhya 19.167). Ānukūlyena. Whatever Kṛṣṇa orders, if you discharge that, that is bhakti, simply favorable to Kṛṣṇa. Whatever Kṛṣṇa says . . .
So Kṛṣṇa says very simple thing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). If we become intelligent enough, then we fully surrender to Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). We take up the principle to think of Kṛṣṇa always, twenty-four hours. Satataṁ cintayanto . . . kīrtayanto mām. If you chant Kṛṣṇa's name, then satatam, twenty-four hours . . . that is possible, just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura used to do. Then you think of Kṛṣṇa without fail, and other things automatically come. Man-manā bhava mad . . . who can devote so much time for thinking of . . . unless he has become a devotee? So man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī. And a devotee is always ready to worship Kṛṣṇa, offer Him obeisances, however big he may be. In this way, we can attain this position of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira or Yaśodāmāyi when Kṛṣṇa, the Ajita, could be controlled, even by the devotee.