View source for In this age people want false, I mean to say, designation that, "I am very religious," "I know everything," "I am God." These are false pride. Actual knowledge is that "I am smaller than the straw in the street." That is the instruction of Caitanya

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"in this age people want false, I mean to say, designation that"|"I am very religious"|"I know everything"|"I am God"|"These are false pride. Actual knowledge is that"|"I am smaller than the straw in the street"|"That is the instruction of Caitanya"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|SharmisthaK}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2022-12-09T11:04:12Z}}
{{last|2022-12-09T11:04:12Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=1|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:In This Age]]
[[Category:People]]
[[Category:Want]]
[[Category:False]]
[[Category:I Mean to Say (Prabhupada)]]
[[Category:Designation]]
[[Category:Material Designation]]
[[Category:I Am]]
[[Category:Very Religious]]
[[Category:Know Everything]]
[[Category:"I Am God"]]
[[Category:These Are]]
[[Category:False Pride]]
[[Category:Actual Knowledge]]
[[Category:Is That]]
[[Category:Smaller Than]]
[[Category:Straw]]
[[Category:Street]]
[[Category:That Is]]
[[Category:Caitanya's Instructions]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - SHARMISTHA]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Lectures</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Generally, in this age people want false, I mean to say, designation that, "I am very religious," "I know everything," "I am God." So many things. These are false pride. So actual knowledge is that "I am smaller than the straw in the street." That is the instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:681025 - Lecture BG 13.06-7 - Montreal|681025 - Lecture BG 13.06-7 - Montreal]]
</div>
<div class="text">
I am identifying myself as belonging to this material world. This is misunderstanding. Actually, I don't belong to this material world. The whole concept of my material life is based on this misunderstanding that, "I am matter. I am this body." So Lord Caitanya says that even if you do not follow the regulation of acquiring this knowledge, simply if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, then your first installment of profit will be vanishing this misunderstanding that "I am this body."

Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam ([[Vanisource:CC Antya 20.12|CC Antya 20.12]]), clearing the dust of the mirror of the mind. Darpaṇa means mirror. Just like on the mirror if there is dust, you cannot see your face very nicely. If you wipe the mirror very nicely . . . so this Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting is the process of wiping out the dust accumulated on the mirror of my mind. Mind, cetaḥ. Cetaḥ is consciousness. Mind is not exactly cetaḥ—consciousness.

So our movement for Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a process of clearing the consciousness. Originally, we are all Kṛṣṇa conscious. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā we understand that we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Fifteenth Chapter, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 15.7 (1972)|BG 15.7]]), "These jīvas, these living entities, they are My part and parcel." And sanātana, part . . . but they are not whole.

The Māyāvādī philosophers, they claim to be the whole. But Vaiṣṇava philosophy, we do not claim that we are the whole. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they claim that, "I am God." But we do not claim. We claim that we are part and parcel of God. As part and parcel of God, we have got the same quality. Just like minute particle of gold is also gold, but that part gold and the whole gold, they are never equal.

So I have got all the qualities. Qualitatively I am one, but quantitatively I am different. That is the version of Bhagavad-gītā. And actually, if we falsely claim that, "I am God," then we have to show godly power. Unless we show godly power, simply claiming that "I am God," that is dambha, that is false pride.

Therefore the first condition of acquiring knowledge is adambhitvam. Amānitvam adambhitvam, first of all to deny that, "I am not matter. I am . . ." Then "If I am not matter, then I am God." Oh, then Kṛṣṇa says, "No. That is your false pride. You are not God." Adambhitvam. Amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā ([[Vanisource:BG 13.8-12 (1972)|BG 13.8]]). Then nonviolence. As soon as one is a realized soul, he will be nonviolent. These are the different stages of acquiring knowledge. And when one is in full knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he becomes qualified with all the good qualities, all the good godly qualities.

The Bhāgavata says, yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiṣcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ ([[Vanisource:SB 5.18.12|SB 5.18.12]]), If one is actually in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then all godly, good qualities will develop. Because we are part and parcel of God, the godly qualities are there. It is simply covered. Just like the fire is covered by ashes. If you fan out the ashes, then the fire comes out. Similarly, spirit soul is pure. So when he comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he becomes pure soul. So amānitvam adambhitvam.

(reading commentary) Amānitvaṁ sva-sat-kāraṇam apekṣatvam, adambhitvam dharmikatva-khyāti-phalaka-dharmācaraṇa-virahaḥ. Adambhitvam means one should not think . . . suppose I am very much advanced in spiritual knowledge, but I should not be very much proud of it. Generally, in this age people want false, I mean to say, designation that, "I am very religious," "I know everything," "I am God." So many things. These are false pride. So actual knowledge is that "I am smaller than the straw in the street." That is the instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that tṛṇād api sahiṣṇunā (CC Antya 20.21, Śikṣāṣṭaka 3): one should be tolerant. One should be humbler than the straw in the street. Sunīcena. One should think himself as smaller than the grass on the street. And tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā: and one should be tolerant like the tree. Amāninā, without claiming any respect from others. Amāninā mānadena, but one should give all respect to others. Mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ ([[Vanisource:CC Adi 17.31|CC Adi 17.31]]). In that stage one can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa very nicely. Of course, it is very difficult, but Kṛṣṇa will help us.
</div>
</div>
</div>