In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). Here it is also said like that: tasya tvaṁ tamasaḥ andhasya duṣpārasyādya pāragam, sac-cakṣur janmanām ante. Janmanām ante. Janmanām. Janma is singular number, and janmanām is plural number. Many, many janma, many, many births we are spoiling in this darkness. We do not know that. The university education is blind, andha. They cannot give you this information that we are going to the university, we are spoiling our time simply. Spoiling, actually spoiling. What university education? They give some technical education, that śilpa-vidyā, to earn money and eat and sleep and have sex life and die. This is the education. This education is described here that duṣpārasya, andhasya duṣpārasya. This kind of education will not help us, because our sufferings are different. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).
So this Sanātana Gosvāmī, I was speaking to you, he was minister. He had enough money. When he retired, he came to home bringing money with him, one big boat full with golden coins. Just imagine: big, big coins in those days, Asaraphi. It is . . . at that time it was eighty rupees' worth. Now there is no gold. Where is Asaraphi? It is paper only, one-rupee note. So, so Sanātana Gosvāmī, in those days . . . even we have seen in our childhood in India, there was gold coins available, any number you want. People used to purchase this guinea gold for making ornament. We have seen it. There was no . . . now you cannot get this guinea gold.
So that is all finished. So Sanātana Gosvāmī was very rich man. Still, he's asking Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu that grāmya-vyavahāre kaha e paṇḍita satya kori māni: "These foolish villagers, or my neighbor men, they call me 'Paṇḍitajī.' " He was Brāhmiṇ. Actually he was paṇḍitajī. You know, in India, the Brāhmiṇ is addressed as "paṇḍita," because a Brāhmiṇ is expected to become very learned. A foolish man cannot be a Brāhmiṇ. Learned means Vedic knowledge. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipraḥ. How one becomes brāhmaṇa? By studying thoroughly the Vedic literature, veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipraḥ. Brahma janatiti brahmana. By reading the Vedic literature, when one can understand Brahman, he realizes himself ahaṁ brahmāsmi, then he becomes brāhmaṇa. Therefore a brāhmaṇa means naturally paṇḍita. But nowadays, simply by birth. That is another thing.
But Sanātana Gosvāmī was a great learned scholar in Urdu, Farsi, Sanskrit. And he was a very rich man, minister. Everything honorable, coming of a very respectable, aristocratic family, Sārasvata brāhmaṇa. But still, he says to Caitanya Mahāprabhu that grāmya-vyavahāre kaha e paṇḍita satya kore māni. "These, my neighborhood men, they call me 'Paṇḍitajī', and I am very much satisfied that I am paṇḍita." "Why you are dissatisfied?" Now, he says, āpanāra hitāhita kichui nā jāni: "I am such a paṇḍita that I do not know what is the goal of my life and what is real benefit for me. I am such a paṇḍita." That means "I am mūrkha. I do not know my own self-interest. I am simply being carried away by the sense gratificatory means." Therefore he came to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He did not come to Caitanya Mahāprabhu to get some gold or some medicine for curing some disease, as people go, Bhagavān: "Bhagavān will give me some gold. Bhagavān will . . ." If you want to have gold, you can have. You can get a gold mine and get, as much as you like. Why you should go to a Bhagavān? So . . . but they do not know. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu's disciple, this Sanātana Gosvāmī, he had enough gold. But he was not satisfied. He went to Caitanya Mahāprabhu to take from Him that āpanāra hitāhita kichui nā jāni: "I do not know actually what is my self-interest. You please tell me." This is the real approach of guru. "So I have got You after many, many births. I have got Your contact. Kindly enlighten me, because I am thinking I am very learned, I am very rich, but actually I do not know my self-interest. I have therefore come to You."
So here also, Devahūti, the same principle. She says, tasya tvaṁ tamaso 'ndhasya duṣpārasyādya pāragam, sac-cakṣur janmanām ante: "My dear Kapila, You have come as my son, but You are my guru. You are guru because You can give me information how I can cross over the nescience of darkness of this material life." So one who is feeling the necessity of going across the dark nescience of material existence, he requires a guru. Not for curing some disease or getting a little portion of gold. That, that does not require that one should go to guru. Guru is required for whom? Just like Devahūti or Sanātana Gosvāmī. Those who are inqui . . . athāto brahma jijñāsā, those who are interested in the matter of Brahman. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). If one is interested to understand things which is beyond this darkness, he requires a guru. To keep guru is not a fashion, just like you keep a dog or a cat as a fashion. So things should not be done like that, that, "I have got a guru. I don't care for him. That's all. I give him some money; therefore he must be my servant." That kind of keeping guru is no use. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Uttamam. Here is called tamaḥ. Here is called tamaḥ. Tamaso, tamaso andhasya. Tamaḥ and uttama. Udgata tamam. If you can transcend this tamaḥ, this darkness, that is called uttama. We use this word, uttama . . . uttama means very good. Generally, we take. How it is very good? When it is transcendental, above this darkness, that is called uttama.