92 Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers

SRILA PRABHUPADA: But he is thinking, “I am the master
of the dog”? A family man is controlled by his wife, his
children, by his servants, by everyone, but he is thinking,
“I am master” President Nixon is thinking that he is master
of his country, but he is controlled. At once he can be dis-
missed by the public, his servants! And he will take a posi-
tion, claiming, “I will give you very good service,” and “I
shall be a first-class servant.” Therefore people vote, “All
right, you become president.” And he is advertising:
“Reelect me! Reelect me!’”? That means he is a servant. But
he is thinking, ‘I am master.’ That is the position. Méayd.
One who is controlled by méaya is thinking himself master,
but he is a servant. And a devotee never thinks to himself,
“I am master,” only “I am servant.” That is the difference
between mdyd and reality. He at least knows: “I am never
master. I am always a servant.’ When a servant is thinking,
“TI am master,” that is called illusion. But when a servant
thinks, “I am a servant,” that is not illusion. That is mukti,
liberation. Because he is not controlled by false thoughts.
Try to think about this subject matter. A devotee is never
controlled by false thoughts. He knows his position.
Svaripena vyavasthitih. Mukti, liberation, means to be situated
in one’s own constitutional position. I am a servant. So if I
know that I am a servant, that is my liberation. And if I
think that I am master, that is bondage. This is the dif-
ference between conditioned life and liberated life.

So these Krsna conscious devotees are always thinking
that they are servants of Krsna. Therefore they are all liber-
ated. They do not endeavor for liberation. They are already
liberated because they are situated in their constitutional
position. They are not artificially thinking, “I am master”
Otherwise, everyone is thinking, “I am master’ That is il-
