So we have no independence. As in materially also, we have no independence. In... There is no independence, either materially or spiritually. But we're falsely thinking to become independent. That is called illusion, māyā. The rascals do not know that there is no independence at all, either materially or spiritually. Just like the outlaws, they have no independence, either criminally or civilly. When he's a civil citizen, good citizen, there is no independence, and when he's criminal, there is no independence. So why he's thinking that "I shall act this work criminally and become independent"? That is not possible. And because they cannot understand it, they are rascals. What he's thinking, independence, that is illusion. Where is, where is your independence? Illusion. Māyā. When you are under the strict rules and regulations of the material nature, how you are independent? Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). They think that to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, this is slave mentality. "I shall remain free." But where is your freedom, sir? That is illusion.
They may criticize that "The bhaktas, the Vaisnavas, they have got slave mentality"
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So some way or other, we are fallen in this material condition of life, making a... Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). This manasaś cendriyāṇi, as it is stated here, manasaś ca indriyāṇāṁ ca bhūtānāṁ mahatām api. Mahā-bhūta, mahā-bhūta, these five elements, kṣitir āp tejo marud vyoma, and mind. So in this way we are entrapped, and there is struggle. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati, mamaivāṁśa: (BG 15.7) "They are My part and parcel. They can live as good as I am, but unfortunately, they are undergoing a struggle for existence on account of this polluted mind." What is that pollution? Kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā kare. He thinks that "What is the use of..." this is, what is called, "service mentality, slave mentality." They say, "This bhakti-mārga is slave mentality. Instead of becoming God, they want to become servant or slave of God. So this is slave mentality." No, this is not slave mentality. This is actual liberation, because our constitutional position is to remain. We are servant of Kṛṣṇa. But somehow or other, we revolted. Still we are revolting. Although Kṛṣṇa coming and canvassing, "Just surrender unto Me," but still we are revolting. This is our disease. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7).
Just like I have already explained that we are gold because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the big gold, we are simply small particle of gold. That is the difference. But gold is always valuable, may be a small particle or big. So our position is transcendental. Our position is not material. But we have been captured by the material nature because we wanted to disobey the orders of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā... And because we disobeyed or we did not like to serve Kṛṣṇa, therefore we have been sent into this material world. Icchā-dveṣa-samutthena sarge yānti parantapa (BG 7.27). Icchā: "Why shall I serve Kṛṣṇa? Why shall I not become Kṛṣṇa? Let me become God." That is still going on. Even big, big advanced spiritually sannyāsī, they are thinking that "I am Kṛṣṇa. I am Kṛṣṇa. Why shall I go to serve Kṛṣṇa? This is slave mentality. Just become Kṛṣṇa. I am Kṛṣṇa. Now I am in māyā; I am not Kṛṣṇa. But as soon as my māyā is over, then I become Kṛṣṇa." Then the question is this: "If you are Kṛṣṇa, why māyā covered you? Then māyā is greater than Kṛṣṇa." So this question they cannot answer, that "Why you have been fallen?" No. The real explanation is that because we are little Kṛṣṇa... Just like the father and the little child, if there is fight, the father may come out victorious, the child may become overwhelmed, similarly, we are also Kṛṣṇa, a small particle of Kṛṣṇa, but some way or other, when we come in touch with this material world, we contact either of the three modes of material nature, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, and according to our association with the particular type of nature, we get a different type of body. Kāraṇāṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
So our, this bhakti process is also the same. Sometimes we are criticized: "Slave mentality." Yes, we want voluntarily to become slave—of Kṛṣṇa. We are, at the present moment, we are slave of the senses. Kāma krodha moho mātsarya. Kāmādi. Kāmādi means kāma, desire to enjoy. And if our enjoyment, if our desire is not fulfilled, then we become krodhi, angry; lobhi, moha mātsarya. The material existence means we are servant of so many sense gratificatory processes. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). We are now engaged to act sinfully. Any kind of sinful activity we can accept. Why? Yad indriya prītaya āpṛnoti. Simply for sense gratification. That's all. We are prepared to take any risk only for sense gratification. But we do not know that we are taking great risk, great risk. Because there is another life. After death, there is life. The modern people, they do not understand it. Therefore śāstra says, na sādhu manye: "These kinds of activities are not very good." Na sādhu. It is not honest. This is not good. Yato ātmano ayam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). We have got this body. That is kleśada. Just like we are feeling warm; therefore we want this fan, because the, on account of this body, we are feeling warm. Or sometimes chilly. So if I feel chilly, then I have to stop this fan. I'll have to cover this body. So all our pains and pleasure are due to this material body. That we do not understand. Śāstra says, asann api. Although this body's temporary, but it is kleśada, it is full of miserable condition: ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, ādhidaivika.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
We are fallen in this material world somehow or other. As Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings, anādi karma-phale pori' bhavārṇava-jale. Now when a man is fallen in the ocean or in the water, he's asking help, you cannot say that "How did you fall? What was the cause?" That we shall discuss later on. First of all, save him. So that is the immediately necessity. There is no... Sometimes we are questioned that "How a living entity fallen in this material world?" Yes, that is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: icchā-dveṣa-samutthena sarge yānti parantapa (BG 7.27). Icchā-dveṣa. Actually, we are servants of God. That is our real position. But we sometimes become envious, that "Why shall I become servant of God? This is slave mentality." Sometimes we are accused, the Vaiṣṇavas are, of slave mentality because they want to serve God. And the Māyāvādīs, they think that "We are so exalted that I am as good as God. I am God." That is their position. But actually, nobody is God here. Everyone is servant. He's simply falsely thinking that he's God, he's master, he's this or that. You have got very nice example in the life of Mr. Nixon. He was thinking that he's everything: "I am the President." But now what is his position, you can understand.
Festival Lectures
So out of that independence we have come to this material world, to enjoy freely. So Kṛṣṇa has given us freedom, "You can enjoy freely." And we are trying to do that. But the result is that we are becoming entangled. We are given the freedom to work in this material world. Everyone is trying to become the master of the material world. Nobody is trying to become the servant. Only we, the Vaiṣṇavas, we are trying to become servant. The karmīs and jñānīs, they do not like to become servant. They criticize us that "You Vaiṣṇavas, you have got slave mentality." Yes, we have got the slave menta... Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). That is our position. What is the use of claiming artificially, "I am master"? If I had been master, then why the fan is required? I am servant of this influence of summer season. Similarly, I shall be servant in the winter season, too much cold.
So we are always servant. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Actual, our constitutional position is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.
So if Kṛṣṇa is proprietor, if Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer, then how you can renounce? The proprietor is somebody else, so what is the value of your renouncement? You are sitting in this room. While going away, if you say, "I renounce this room," what is the meaning of this renouncement? When this room belonged to you? You have come here for some time and sitting here for one or two hours. That does not mean you possess it. Similarly, we come here empty-handed; we leave here, say, fifty years or hundred years. When I become proprietor? This is another māyā, renouncement. As enjoyment is another māyā, similarly, renouncement. So we have to give up this renouncement or enjoyment. We have to take the real position, that "Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, or God. We have simply to serve Kṛṣṇa." That is bhakti-yoga. That will give you actual peace. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer. You simply supply ingredients of His enjoyment; then you'll be happy. Because He is enjoyer. And bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). And He is the proprietor. So this attitude... Of course, they may criticize that "The bhaktas, the Vaiṣṇavas, they have got slave mentality." Some so-called philosopher remarked like that. But that is not slave mentality. That is the actual position. That we get information from Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). We are eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa. And mukti means svarūpenāvasthitiḥ. When you are situated as servant of Kṛṣṇa, that is mukti. And so long you are falsely claiming that "I am enjoyer, I am proprietor," that is māyā. That is our philosophy.
General Lectures
As soon as our original consciousness becomes polluted with the consciousness of material enjoyment, that "I want to lord it over the resources of matter..." As soon as we turn our consciousness in this way, then our troubles begin. Immediately māyā. This very consciousness, that "I can enjoy this material world to my best capacity..." Everyone is trying to do that. Every one of us, beginning from the ant up to the highest living creature, Brahmā, everyone is trying to become one of the lords. Just like recently in your country there were so many canvassing for becoming the president. Why? The same idea. Everyone is after becoming some kind of lord. This is māyā. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is completely opposite. We are just trying to become the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. Just opposite. Instead of becoming the lord, we want to be the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80).
So in the modern trend of civilization, people may say that this is slave mentality. It is very good idea. "Why shall I become a slave? I shall become the master." But one does not know that this consciousness, that "I shall become the master," is the cause of his suffering. This philosophy has to be understood. Because constitutionally we are all servants. In the name of becoming master of this material world we have become the servant of our senses. Because constitutionally we are servants. We cannot do without serving. Every one of us who are sitting in this meeting is a servant. Now, these boys who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they have agreed to become servant of Kṛṣṇa. So their problem is solved. But others, who are thinking that "Why shall I become the servant of God or servant of Swamijī? I shall become the master..." But actually, he cannot become the master. He's the servant of his senses, that's all. Just try to understand. Servant he must be, but he's servant of his lust, he's servant of his avarice, he's servant of his greediness, servant of his anger, servant of so many things. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ. In higher state, somebody has become the servant of humanity, somebody has become the servant of the society, somebody has become the servant of the country, but actual purpose is that "I shall become the master." That disease is there.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: The lower class, still they are maintaining. Manager class, the worker class. That is going on. That higher and lower level must continue in the material world. You cannot stop it. Individually, nationally, communally.
Devotee (1): They have simply taken the sides of the low class against the upper class.
Prabhupāda: That is a sympathy. But you cannot change it. That is not possible. It is very good sympathy.
Devotee (1): This poet, in her poetry, her business was to try to create that sentiment.
Prabhupāda: (Sanskrit) He is not poet. Poet means he must have full knowledge. Then if he writes poetry, that will be beneficial. The rascal's poetry, just like in your country, one line, three lines, one line. This is rascaldom; it is not poetry. (aside:) You should not show your feet before the Deity. That is possible only in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We teach our men to address his fellow man as prabhu: "You are master, I am servant." In the material world, everyone is trying to become master; nobody is trying to become servant. And we are teaching that you try to become servant. Just the opposite. Nobody will agree. Therefore, they say the Vaiṣṇava religion is slave mentality. They say. They do not know that it is success of life to become slave of Kṛṣṇa. They do not know. Who has become happy trying to become master? (indistinct)
Devotee (2): They'll all be cheated.
Prabhupāda: No, not a single person. Actually he remains slave, artificially he thinks that "I am master." Just like Nixon was thinking. He was actually slave of the nation, but he was thinking, "I am master." When he was pressed too much, he had to admit, "Yes, I am your slave." He was pressed. Rather, oppressed. Nobody is thinking. Idam adya mayā labdham imaṁ prāpsye punar dhanam. Everyone is thinking, "I have got now so much money (indistinct) ...lot of money, so who is better than me?"
| Page Title: | They may criticize that "The bhaktas, the Vaisnavas, they have got slave mentality" |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika |
| Created: | 03 of Jun, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=8, Con=1, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 9 |