330 Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila, Ch. 6

of nescience. Those whose intelligence is fixed in the bodily conception, who
think, “I am this body,”’ are fit food for dogs and jackals. The Supreme Lord

on

never bestows His mercy upon such people.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord never bestows His benediction upon those fixed in the
bodily conception. As Bhagavad-gita clearly states:

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja

aharm tvam sarva-papebhyo

’ moksayisyami ma sucah

‘Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. | shall deliver you
from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.” (Bg. 18.66)

In this verse that Caitanya Mahaprabhu has quoted from Srimad-Bhagavatam
(2.7.42), the meaning of Sri Krsna’s statement is explained. Krsna bestowed His
causeless mercy upon Arjuna just to get him out of the bodily conception. This
was done at the very beginning of the Second Chapter of Bhagavad-gita
(Bg. 2.13), where Krsna says, dehino ’smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jard.
In this body, there is an owner, and one should not consider the body to be the
self. This is the first instruction to be assimilated by a devotee. If one is under the
bodily conception, he is unable to realize his true identity and engage in the lov-
ing devotional service of the Lord. Unless one comes to the transcendental posi-
tion, he cannot expect the causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord, nor can he cross
over the vast ocean of material nescience. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita
(7.14): mam eva ye prapadyante maydm etarh taranti te. Without surrendering
unto the lotus feet of Krsna, one cannot expect release from the clutches of mdayd,
the illusory energy. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam, Mayavadi sannyasis who
falsely think of themselves as liberated from the clutches of mdayéd are called
vimukta-maninah. Actually, they are not liberated, but they think that they have
become liberated and have become Narayana Himself. Although they have ap-
parently realized that they are not the material body but spirit soul, they none-
theless neglect the duty of the spirit soul, which is to render service to the
Supreme Soul. Therefore their intelligence remains unsanctified. Unless one’s in-
telligence is sanctified, he cannot apply it to understanding devotional service.
Devotional service begins when the mind, intelligence and ego are completely
purified. Mayavadi sanny4asis do not purify their intelligence, mind and ego, and
consequently they cannot engage in the service of the Lord nor expect the cause-
less mercy of the Lord. Although they rise to a very high position by executing
severe austerities and penances, they still hover in the material world without the
