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Srila Prabhupada attended the 7pm arati ceremony and kirtana. Many gifts lay at the base of his vyasasana as he sat, playing his karatals, while the devotees chanted and danced together in the long narrow temple room. After arati, Prabhupada, looking grave and scholarly in his dark-rimmed spectacles, and ruling forth as Lord Caitanya's representative, spoke on Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya Lila Chapter 20, verses 98-102.

"So this evening I shall speak to you about Sanatana Goswami, when he resigned from his ministership in the government of Nawab Hussain Shah in Bengal, and joined Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His movement of Krsna consciousness. So there is a long history."

Prabhupada gave a synopsis: Srila Sanatana Goswami had been imprisoned by the Nawab Hussain Shah. While in jail, he received news from Rupa Goswami that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had gone to Mathura. After bribing the jailer, Sanatana Goswami was released. He then crossed the Ganges and fled. With the aid of a hotel owner, Sanatana Goswami reached the hilly tract towards Varanasi. On the way to Varanasi, Sanatana Goswami met his brother-in-law, who gave him a valuable blanket. Finally, Sanatana Goswami reached the house of Candrasekhara Acarya, and sat down by the door.

Being omniscient, Caitanya Mahaprabhu told Candrasekhara, "There is a devotee at your door, please call him in." But going outside, Candrasekhara Acarya could not see any Vaisnava at all. Candrasekhara returned inside and told Caitanya Mahaprabhu that all he could see was a Muslim mendicant. Caitanya Mahaprabhu knew exactly who it was and said, "Please bring him here".

As soon as Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw Sanatana Goswami in the courtyard he embraced him, and the Lord was overwhelmed with ecstatic love. After exchanging conversation surcharged with spiritual emotion, Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked Candrasekhara Acarya to take Sanatana and make him look like a gentleman.

Prabhupada paused, and looked around the room at the mixed crowd. While the temple devotees had shaved heads, those living outside kept their hair long. Prabhupada clearly expressed the standard: "So then he was clean-shaved. This is one of the items of our movement. If one wants to be initiated, he must be clean-shaved. So Sanatana Goswami was clean-shaved."

Prabhupada resumed the story. "After becoming a regular Vaisnava, he asked like this:

tabe sanatana prabhura carane dhariya
dainya vinati kari dante trna lana

"So he approached Caitanya Mahaprabhu in a very humble manner. That is the way of approaching a guru. The Vedic instruction is, tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham. Samit-panih, taking that short grass, kusa. So Sanatana Prabhu approached Him very humbly. That is the way. We must approach a bona fide guru for enlightenment."

This, Prabhupada pointed out, was the proper mentality of a student, who approaches a bona fide guru and abides by his orders. "Then his life becomes successful. He should then inquire from the spiritual master about his duty, just like Sanatana Goswami who said:

ke ami kene amaya jare tapa-traya
iha nahi jani -- kemane hita haya."

"This is the proposition to the spiritual master, that one must admit that 'Actually I do not know what I am. Am I this body or something else?' I am not this body. That I can understand. Tapa-traya means three kinds of miserable conditions -- those miseries inflicted by the body and mind, other living entities, and other miseries inflicted by Providence."

Prabhupada gave a humorous example. "A man is lying on the death bed, dying. His friend says, 'How are you feeling?'

"'Yes, I am all right'. (Laughter) Where is 'all right'? He is suffering, he is going to die, and he says, 'I am all right'. So this is called maya.

"So, Sanatana Goswami is placing this plain fact before Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that 'I do not want to suffer. So how can I get out of this suffering? Kindly give me a lesson.' This inquiring into one's suffering condition is essential. This is where human life begins, and we should learn from Krsna how to solve the problems of life. Take Krsna's instructions and be happy. That is the Krsna consciousness movement. We are opening centres everywhere. Take advantage of this movement and be happy. Thank you very much."


- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu