Devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he does not say anything as his own opinion. He never says. What Kṛṣṇa says, he says. He may be not perfect, but what Kṛṣṇa has said, that is perfect. Therefore a pure devotee, who does not say anything beyond which was spoken by Kṛṣṇa, therefore his statement is also without mistake.
Common man within this material world, he commits mistake: "To err is human." Even big, big personalities, they commit mistake. But nārāyaṇa paraḥ. He is transcendental. Kṛṣṇa is transcendental. There cannot be any mistake; there cannot be any illusion. Those who are within this material world, they have got four defects: they commit mistake, they are illusioned, and their senses are imperfect—bhrama, pramāda, vipralipsā—and they're cheaters. Because . . . just like modern-day scientists and philosophers, they propagate so many branches of knowledge, but when, on the crucial point, they are caught, they say: "I, I do not know perfectly. I do not know perfectly. We are trying to know. In future, we shall tell you the perfect." But if you are not in perfect knowledge, why should you take the post of a teacher? If your knowledge is imperfect, then whatever you speak, that is imperfect. Therefore with imperfect knowledge, why you should become a teacher? That is cheating. That is cheating.
Therefore purposefully Vyāsadeva is writing sri-bhagavān uvāca: where there is no cheating, no imperfection, no illusion, no mistake. Four things: no mistake, no illusion, no cheating and no imperfection. This is Bhagavān. Why we are taking Bhagavad-gītā so seriously? There are so many other books we can read, so many theories, so many philosophers, big, big philosophers. But we cannot take them, because they are defective. The author is sure to commit mistake. He is illusioned. Because his senses are not perfect, therefore imperfection. So with all these defects, we cannot accept anyone's knowledge.
This is Vedic process. This is called paramparā system, disciplic succession. We receive knowledge perfectly from the Supreme Bhagavān. And if I receive the knowledge from Bhagavān, and if I distribute the same knowledge as Bhagavān has said, without any interpretation of my cheating policy, then the knowledge which I distribute, that is also perfect. I may not be perfect, but the knowledge which I have taken from Kṛṣṇa, if I present it as it is, without any interpretation, then what I give you, that is perfect. It is very easy to understand. I have given several times . . . just like a peon has brought a money order for you, thousand dollars. So he's giving you. So you cannot say: "Oh, here is a peon. He's a poor man. How he can give me one thousand dollars?" He's not giving; the money is sent by somebody else. He's simply handing you over.
Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, āmāra ājñāya guru haya tāra sarva-deśa, tāra ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). He's asking everyone to become a spiritual master. So how everyone can become spiritual master? A spiritual master must have sufficient knowledge, so many other qualification. No. Even without any qualification one can become a spiritual master. How? Now the process is, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, āmāra ājñāya: "On My order." That is the crucial point. One does not become spiritual master by his own whims. That is not spiritual master. He must be ordered by superior authority. Then he's spiritual master. Āmāra ājñāya.
Just like in our case. Our superior authority, our spiritual master, he ordered me that, "You just try to preach this gospel, whatever you have learned from me, in English." So we have tried it. That's all. It is not that I am very much qualified. The only qualification is that I have tried to execute the order of superior authority. That's all. This is the secret of success.
- vyavasāyātmikā-buddhir
- ekeha kuru-nandana
- bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca
- buddhir avyavasāyinām
- (BG 2.41)
Bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca. Vyavasāyātmikā-buddhiḥ, niścayātmikā-buddhiḥ. If one has got unflinching faith in Kṛṣṇa and guru, guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya . . . (CC Madhya 19.151). We have to receive mercy both from the spiritual master and Kṛṣṇa. We cannot jump over to Kṛṣṇa. That is another nonsense. We must approach Kṛṣṇa through guru. That is paramparā system. Kṛṣṇa is not so cheap thing that you can jump over. Somebody says: "Oh, why shall I accept guru? I can approach Kṛṣṇa directly." No. Kṛṣṇa does not accept such . . . mad-bhaktaḥ pūjābhyadhikaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says that, "First of all you become devotee of My devotee." Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80): "I am the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa." This is called paramparā system.
You have to learn how to become servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. The more you become in the lower position—servant, servant, servant, servant, servant, hundred times servant's servant—then more you are advanced. Here in this material world everyone is trying to be master of the master. Just opposite. And the spiritual world, the endeavor is to become servant's servant. This is the secret.
- yasya deve parā bhaktir
- yathā deve tathā gurau
- tasyaite kathitā hy arthaḥ
- prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
- (ŚU 6.23)
This is Vedic instruction.