doesn't matter. As Caitanya Mahaprabhu certified the illiterate
brahmana who was reading Bhagavad-gita in Ranganatha temple.
The brahmana was illiterate. His guru ordered him that "You read
Bhagavad-gita daily, eighteen chapters." So he could not refuse the
order of guru maharaja; so he was taking the book and simply seeing.
So those who knew that he was illiterate, they were criticizing,
"Well, brahmana, how you are reading Bhagavad-gita?" He could not
answer because he knew that "I am illiterate. I do not know." Caitanya
Mahaprabhu saw this fun and approached him, "Well, brahmana, what you
are reading?"
So he could understand that this Caitanya Mahaprabhu has not come to
criticize him: "He's serious." So he informed Him, "Sir, I am reading
Bhagavad-gita, but I am illiterate. I am illiterate, but my spiritual
master has ordered to read. So what can I do? I have taken this book
and moving these pages. That's all. What can I do? Actually I cannot
read." Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired, "But I see you are sometimes
crying." "Yes, sir, I sometimes cry." "Why?" "Now, because as soon as
I take this book in my hand and I see the picture that Lord Krsna is
driving the chariot of Arjuna, I cry. ‘Oh, Krsna is so kind that He
has taken the service of His devotee. He should have been seated on
the chariot -- Arjuna should have driven the chariot -- but He's
driving the chariot and Arjuna is sitting on the seat. So Krsna is so
kind and beloved that He can serve His devotee. It is the duty of the
devotee to serve Him, but He's so kind and affectionate that He serves
His devotee.' So as soon as I think of this -- Krsna's magnanimity --
I cry."
Then immediately, Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced him, that "You are...
Your reading of Bhagavad-gita is perfect. Because you have understood
the essence of the Bhagavad-gita." The scholars cannot conceive that
the Supreme Absolute Truth can become a person. Such a huge cosmic
manifestation is created by a person like us, resembling like us, two
hands, two legs -- their poor brain cannot accommodate. [Bg. 9.11].
That is stated in Bhagavad-gita. Param bhavam ajanantah, "He does not
know what is the transcendental potency behind Me."
One cannot understand Krsna unless he becomes a devotee. And how he
can become a devotee?
That is stated here: bhagavatanghri-renum. One has to surrender
himself to His representative - Bhagavata. God is called Bhagavan.
Bhagavat, the original word is bhagavat, and one who has got intimate
relation with Bhagavan, he is called bhagavata.
Although this body's mortal, we can get, we can achieve a great
success. And what is that? To take the dust of the lotus feet of a
bhagavata. Simple thing.
In other words, Lord Sri Krsna is the property of His pure
unconditional devotees, and as such only the devotees can deliver
Krsna to another devotee; Krsna is never obtainable directly. Lord
Caitanya therefore designated Himself as gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor
dasa-dasanudasah, or "the most obedient servant of the servants of the
Lord, who maintains the gopi damsels at Vrndavana." A pure devotee
therefore never approaches the Lord directly, but tries to please the
servant of the Lord's servants, and thus the Lord becomes pleased.
- Srila Prabhupada [SB 2.3.23 Los Angeles 1972]
Comments
Hare Krishna
Hare Rama