The Bhāgavata says, pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt: "One should not try to become father. One should not try to become mother." Why? Na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum: "One who is unable to save his children from the grip of material nature." That should be Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you are a responsible father, then, if you are completely in knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then your duty will be that "These creatures, these innocent creatures now, who are playing in my, at my home as my children, as my boys, now this life should be the last installment of his transmigration from one body to another. I shall train these boys in such a way that after this body he will have no more to go into the cycle of birth and death." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
That means you have to make yourself expert. Then you can help your children also. Then you can help your nation also. Then you can help your society also. If you are yourself ignorant, then andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31).
Just like a person who is, I mean, tightly bound-up, hands and feet. Suppose we are sitting here, some people, twenty-five gentlemen, ladies, and all our hands are tightly bound-up by some rope, and if I want to make you free, although my hand is also tightly bound-up, is it possible? No. At least my hand should be free. Then I can open, I can untie, your bindings by the rope. So unless one is free man... And what is that freedom? One who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is free man. And nobody is free man.
- daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
- mama māyā duratyayā
- mām eva ye prapadyante
- māyām etāṁ taranti te
- (BG 7.14)
Everyone is under the spell of material influence. Nobody's free.
And one who is, who has surrendered unto Kṛṣṇa, one who has taken Kṛṣṇa consciousness, māyā has nothing to do. Māyā cannot touch. Just like when... If you come in front of the sunlight, there is no question of darkness. There is no question of darkness if you place yourself in light, sunlight, not this artificial light. This artificial light may be extinguished at any time, but sunlight is not like that. So Kṛṣṇa is just like sunlight. As soon as you come in front of sun, oh, there is no darkness. So there is no ignorance. So there is no māyā. Māyā means illusion.
So jñānāgni-dagdha-karmāṇaṁ tam āhuḥ paṇḍitaṁ budhāḥ. In this way, we have to become budha. Budha means learned, learned. And you'll find in the Tenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā that the Lord says who is budha. And what are the symptoms of budha. Budha means learned. What are the symptoms? What are the symptoms of mahātmā, great soul? And what are the symptoms of budha? That is described in Bhagavad-gītā. It is said that
- ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
- mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
- iti matvā bhajante māṁ
- budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
- (BG 10.8)
Budha, this word, the very word, again is used, budha. So budha, one who is learned, one who is actually in sense, he's not nonsense, he's called budha.
So budha, what are the symptoms? The symptoms of budha is that ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: he knows that Kṛṣṇa is the fountainhead of all emanations, everything, whatever we find, everything. Anything, whatever you see.
Now, take for example, take for example the material world. The most prominent thing is, I mean to say, unity between man and woman. Now, one can inquire, "Wherefrom this attraction comes between male and female?" Not only the human society, but also in animal society, in the bird society, in any society, every living be... This is a fact. So somebody criticizes, but those who do not know Kṛṣṇa, that Kṛṣṇa had so many girlfriends. So they are... Some people are criticize. But one does not know that where we get this idea of having girlfriends unless the tendency is in Kṛṣṇa? Because you can have nothing here unless that is in Kṛṣṇa. But here it is perverted. It is polluted. And Kṛṣṇa, it is pure consciousness, pure spiritual. That is the difference.
So one who does not know, they want to avoid something. Nothing is, I mean to, can be, can exist in this material world unless it is in Kṛṣṇa. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So these things have to be studied very scientifically and from books like Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and when he is perfectly learned, then his symptom is that he becomes a, a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8): "I am the source, fountainhead," Kṛṣṇa says. "I am the source and fountainhead like, of everything. One who understands this science, then he takes to Kṛṣṇa." How? Now, budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ, with full knowledge, and he becomes a devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
Similarly, so far mahātmā... Mahātmā is a Sanskrit word which is used for great soul. That is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā.
- mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
- daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
- bhajanty ananya-manaso
- jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam
- (BG 9.13)
Mahātmā. Who is a mahātmā? Who is a great soul? Great soul is he who is under the influence of the superior nature.
There are two kinds of nature: superior nature and inferior nature. Now we are under the influence of this inferior, material nature. And that, by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we shall be transferred into the superior nature. Just try to understand: a person in the prison, a person outside the prison. The government's influence is in both the places, outside the prison and inside the prison. But outside the prison, the government's rules and regulation is superior. And inside, that is inferior. So influence is there. Similarly, either in the material world or in the spiritual world, wherever you, you are, your position is marginal. You can transfer yourself either in this, under the influence of this inferior nature, or you can transfer yourself under the influence of superior nature. Your position is marginal.
Now, you are given... Because Kṛṣṇa is full independent, and because you are also part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, therefore you have got the quality of independence, to make your choice whether to be under the influence of this inferior nature or to become under the influence of superior nature. But because we do not know what is that superior nature, therefore we have no other alternative than to remain in this inferior nature. This is the whole position.