SP Speaks Out on Becoming A Servant of the Servant

[Guest guest]

Srila Prabhupada's lecture on SB 7.9.24, March 2, 1976

 

(partially quoted in Bhurijana prabhu's My Glorious Master, p.268)

 

Disease is disease. Actually that is the fact. You say that "We are

suffering from malaria. It is better than to suffer from syphllis." No.

Disease is disease. Similarly, either Brahma or the ant, the disease is how

to become master. This is the disease. Therefore, to cure this disease,

Krsna comes to cure this disease, to say plainly, "Rascal, you are not

master; you are servant. Surrender unto Me." This is the cure of disease. If

one agrees that "No more, no more trying for becoming master," that is the

cure of disease.

 

Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, as Prahlada Maharaja says, nija

bhrtya-parsvam: "Engage me as the servant of Your servant." The same thing

Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, gopi-bhartur pada-kamalayor dasa-dasa-anudasah. So

this Krsna consciousness movement means we have to give up this nonsense

idea of becoming master. This is Krsna consciousness. We have to learn how

to become servant. Not only servant, servant of the servant, servant of

the... That is cure.

 

Therefore Prahlada Maharaja said, "So I have understood all this nonsense of

becoming master. My father also tried to become master. So this knowledge,

now I am perfect. There is no use of becoming master. Better, if You kindly

want to give me some benediction, kindly make me the servant of Your

servant." This is benediction. So one who has learned to become the servant

of Krsna's servant, he is perfect. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, trnad

api sunicena taror api sahisnuna. A servant has to tolerate. Tolerate.

Servant, sometimes master orders so many things, so he becomes disturbed.

But still, he has to execute and tolerate. That is perfection.

 

Here in India still, when a person goes to marry, so his... This is a

custom. His mothers ask the bridegroom, "My dear son, where you are going?"

He replies, "Mother, I am going to bring one maidservant for you." This is

the system. "Mother, I am going to bring one maidservant for you." That

means "My wife, your daughter-in-law, will serve you as your maidservant."

This is Vedic civilization.