Srila Prabhupada
I think by the beginning of December, 1936, I wrote one letter to Guru Mahārāja. I knew he was little kind upon me, so I wrote that "Guru Mahārāja, you have got many disciples. I am also one of them. But they are doing direct service to you. There some of them are brahmacārīs, some of them sannyāsīs, but I am a householder. I cannot . . ." Of course, I was giving sometimes some monetary help, but I could not give any direct service, so I asked him that, "If there is any particular service I can do for you?"
So that letter was replied in 13th December, dated 13th December, from Purī. And he passed away on the 31st December. Just a fortnight before. So the reply was the same as he wanted me to do this preaching work in 1922, when I first met him that, "You try to preach whatever you have learned from me, the English-knowing people in English. That will do good to you and to the people to whom you shall preach. That is my instruction." So I took up that . . . and then he passed away in 1936, 31st December.
(690207 - Lecture Festival Appearance Day, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati - Los Angeles)
So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a great scholar. There is no doubt of it. But in spite of His becoming a great scholar, He is presenting Himself as a great fool. He says: “My Guru Mahārāja saw Me a great . . .” Even one is very great scholar, he has to abide by the decision of his spiritual master. Even one is very great scholar, and if his spiritual master says that “You are a great fool,” he should accept it. This is called full surrender. For example, I’ll give you a practical . . . my Guru Mahārāja was very great scholar, and his Guru Mahārāja, from literary point of view, he could not even sign his name, Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja. And Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura asked Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura to accept Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja as his . . . as his spiritual master, that “You go and take your initiation from Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja.” So he thought that “I am a great scholar, and I am son of a magistrate, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, and great Vaiṣṇava. He’ll be very much pleased to accept me.” Of course, he was very much pleased. But in the beginning he refused. He refused. Because . . . of course, that is only show—he was not proud—just to teach us. Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī explained that, “I was little proud. So I was thrice refused by Guru Mahārāja,” although he was the only disciple.
So the scholarship is not a qualification of becoming devotee. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s teaching. Scholarship may help, but it is not necessary. Real necessary is that one should be humble and meek and follow the instruction of the spiritual master. This is real qualification.
(740313 – Lecture CC Adi 07.91-2 – Vrndavana)
There are many devotees, they’re illiterate practically. They do not know what is Vedānta-sūtra. But still, by their sincere devotional service they’re very much elevated. What to speak of others, Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja. Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, he was illiterate. He could not sign even his name. But he was so spiritually elevated that my spiritual master, who was the topmost scholar of his time, he accepted him as spiritual master.
What is the reason? The reason is that this transcendental science does not depend on academic qualification. It is . . . it is not that because one is very . . . academically very qualified, he’ll become a devotee. No. The secret is . . . that is given in the Vedic literature (SB 5.18.12) yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā. No.
yasya deve parā bhaktir
yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ
prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
(Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.23)
The transcendental knowledge becomes revealed. To whom it becomes revealed? It becomes revealed to such person who has got unflinching love for Kṛṣṇa and for the spiritual master. Caitanya-caritāmṛta also says, guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151). One can come to the spiritual perfectional stage, or come to the spiritual platform, by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master.
(690610 – Lecture SB 01.05.11-12 – New Vrindaban, USA)
So one may question that, "Your Guru Mahārāja was sitting on the ground in a municipal lavatory . . ." Because he did not like that, "Anybody should disturb me," he was sitting by the side of municipal lavatory. Because so many people will come for darśana and āśīrvāda, he did not like it. He did not like to be disturbed by these āśīrvāda. You see? "They will not take any spiritual instruction. They are thinking that, 'Here is a saintly person, and he'll bless me. So I have got now one thousand; I'll tell ten thousand.' That's all. Therefore they come. They do not come to take any spiritual instruction. Therefore it is botheration. It is botheration." So Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja did not like this botheration. He was sitting by the side of a municipal lavatory so that "These rascal will not come out of the bad smell and will not disturb me." You see?
So Mahārāja Maṇīndrānandī, he was one of the . . . he had organized one saṅkīrtana festival. So he came to Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja and to invite him. So after many requests, Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja said, "Mahārāja, you have got many tenants. You are Mahārāja. Why you are trying to make me your tenant? Because you are rich man, you also want . . . as your tenants carries your order, so you also want me. So why you are . . .?" "No, sir, no. You are my lord. Whatever you say, I shall carry out." "Will you carry out?" "Why not?" So he said that, "Don't go home. Sit down here. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." He fled away. (laughs) You see. So he was very humorous also, Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī, that "If you are so obedient, then I ask you, 'Don't go home. Better give up your dress and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa here.' "
(741006 - Lecture SB 01.08.26 - Mayapur)
Because Kṛṣṇa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, does not give anything else. Simply directly gives you Kṛṣṇa and His love. And to award this greatest benediction to the human society, He took sannyāsa at the age of twenty-four years only, in this land of Māyāpur, Navadvīpa. It is very glorified place. It is not ordinary place. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, gauḍa maṇḍala bhūmi, yeba jane cintāmaṇi tara hoy vrajabhūme vāsa. Anyone who understands gauḍa maṇḍala bhūmi in Bengal—this Navadvīpa, Navadvīpa-candra, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu—if anyone understands the spiritual value of this land, he lives in Vrajabhūmi, in Vṛndāvana. There is no difference between Vṛndāvana and this Gaura-maṇḍala-bhūmi. That is the verdict of the śāstra.
(740302 - Lecture CC Adi 07.02 - Mayapur)