Teachings to Sanatan Goswami 49

So far as adhidaivic miseries are concerned, they originate with the demigods
from the higher planets. For instance, sometimes we suffer from serious cold
weather, sometimes we suffer from the thunderbolt, sometimes from earth-
quakes, tornadoes, droughts and other natural disasters. So we are always
suffering one or another of these three kinds of miseries.

Sanatan’s enquiry was: “What is the position of the living entities? Why
are they always undergoing these three kinds of miseries?” Sanatan has
admitted his weakness: although he was known by the mass of people as
a greatly learned man (and actually he was a highly learned Sanskrit scholar)—
and although he accepted the designation of a very learned man given him
by the mass of people, yet he did not actually know what his constitutional
position was, and why he was subjected to the threefold miseries.

The necessity of approaching a spiritual master is not a fashion, but is
for he who is seriously conscious of the material miseries, and who wants to be
free of them. It is the duty of such a person to approach the spiritual master.
We find similar circumstances in the Bhagavad Gita: When Arjuna was
perplexed by so many problems involving whether to fight or not, he ac-
cepted Lord Krishna as his Spiritual Master. There also it was a case of the
Supreme Spiritual Master instructing Arjuna about the constitutional position
of the living entity.

In the Bhagavad Gita we are informed that the constitutional nature of the
individual entity is spirit soul: he is not matter. Therefore, as spirit soul, he is
part and parcel of the Supreme Soul, the Absolute Truth, the Personality of
Godhead. We also learn that it is the duty of the spirit soul to surrender; for
only then can he be happy. The last instruction of the Bhagavad Gita is that
the spirit soul is to surrender completely unto the Supreme Soul, Krishna,
and in that way realize happiness.

Here, also, Lord Chaitanya, in answering the questions of Sanatan, repeats
the same truth; but without giving him information about the spirit soul
which is already described in the Gita. He begins from the point where
Krishna ended His instruction. It is accepted by great devotees that Lord
Chaitanya is Krishna Himself. And from the point where He ended His instruc-
tion in the Gita, He now begins His instruction again, to Sanatan. The Lord
said to Sanatan:

“Your constitutional position is that you are pure living soul. This material
body is not the identity of your real self, neither is your mind your real identity,
nor your intelligence, nor is false ego the real identity of the self. Your identity
is that you are the eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord, Krishna. Your posi-
