Text 45] Pastimes of the Lord in His Youth 281

especially when engaged in their profession, yet such haggis also have the right to
become devotees. This is established by Sr7 Bhagavad-gitd where the Lord declares:

mam hi partha vyapésritya
ye ‘pi syuh pépa-yonayah

striyo vaisyas tathd siidras
te ‘pi yaénti param gatim

“Q son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth—
women, vaisyas [merchants], as well as $@dras [workers]—can approach the supreme
destination.” (Bg. 9.32)

There are many untouchables of the flower caste in India, but according to
Vaisnava principles everyone is welcome to accept this Krsna consciousness move-
ment on the spiritual platform of life and thus be freed from trouble. Equality or
fraternity on the material platform is impossible.

When Lord Caitanya declares, tradd api sunicena taror iva sahisqund, He indicates
that one must be above the material conception of life. When one thoroughly under-
stands that he is not the material body but a spiritual soul, he is even humbler than
a man of the lower castes, for he is spiritually elevated. Such humility, in which
one thinks himself lower than the grass, is called sun/catva, and being more tolerant
than a tree is called sahisrrutva, forbearance. Being situated in devotional service,
not caring for the material conception of life, is called aménitva, indifference to
material respect; yet a devotee thus situated is called sdnada, for he is prepared to
give honor to others without hesitation.

Mahatma Gandhi started the hari-jana movement to purify the untouchables,
but he was a failure because he thought that one could become ahari-janga, a personal
associate of the Lord, through some kind of materia] adjustment. That is not
possible. Unless one fully realizes that he is not the body but a spiritual soul, there
is no question of his becoming a hari-jana. Those who do not follow in the footsteps
of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His disciplic succession cannot distinguish
between matter and spirit, and therefore al] their ideas are but a mixed-up hodge-
podge of problems. They are virtually lost in the bewildering network of Mayadevi.

TEXT 45

faa firm afer cnt carotter-piotter |
WATCH SON BS, AH TSH 11 8 I

tina dina rahi’ sei gopala-cdpala
sarvange ha-ila kustha, vahe rakta-dhara

SYNONYMS

tina dina—three days; rahi’—remaining in that way; se/—that; gopda/a-capdla—of
the name Gopala Capala; sarvdfge—all over the body;ha-i/a—became visible; kustha—
leprosy; vahe—discharging; rakta-dhdra—a flow of blood.
