Liberation is not very difficult. Simply . . . there is another verse, that by awakening knowledge one becomes liberated immediately. But, but what is that knowledge? This knowledge is very simple: God is great; we are small. We are His part and parcel; therefore it is our duty to serve Him. Two lines—liberation. Instead of undergoing so much difficult processes, if simply you understand these two lines—God is great, I am very small, and He is the supreme proprietor, or master. He is supplying us all necessities of life, therefore our duty is to serve Him. That's all.
Now, if anyone present here can challenge this statement? Is there anyone? No. You cannot challenge. This is the fact. Simply we are under false impression that, "I am this," "I am that," and lastly, "I am God. I am God." What kind of God you are? (chuckles) If you get immediately little toothache, you go to physician-god, (laughter) the dentist-god and you're claiming that you are God. This is called māyā. This is called māyā. There is a verse that:
- piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya
- māyā-grasta jīvera haya se bhāva udaya
- (Prema-vivarta)
Piśācī means ghost. When one man is ghostly haunted, he speaks so many nonsense. Similarly, when one is entangled by the illusory energy, māyā, he also speaks all nonsense. At last he speaks that "I am God." That is the last snare of māyā.
So they are not . . . they cannot be liberated, because they are under the false impression still. Anyone who is under the false impression, or anyone who is attracted by false knowledge, he's under the clutches of māyā. When there is right knowledge, right conception of life, then one is liberated. That is called brahma-bhūta (BG 18.54).
And Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54): as soon as you get right knowledge, you become jolly. First jolliness is due to, "Oh, I was in such false notion so long. Oh, how fool I was." Then you become happy, that "Now I am no longer fool. I was thinking that I'm God. But now I can understand that I am God's eternal servant." That gives him liberation, and he becomes prasannātmā, jolly. Because that is the right situation.
Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā, na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). Na śocati: he has no lamentation. Because if anyone knows that "I am a small particle, spiritual spark, and protected by the Supreme Lord," then where there is scope of my lamentation? Just like a small child, so long he knows that, "My father is standing by me; I am free. Nobody can touch my body . . ." Because he's confident that if there is any danger, "My father is there." Similarly, this surrender means completely to have faith that, "I have no danger, because God, Kṛṣṇa, is protecting me. I am now fully surrendered, prasannātmā." That is called prasannātmā.