True greatness is humbly serving the Supreme while acknowledging one's insignificance before God's infinite power.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.3.11–12 — February 2, 1971, Allahabad 710202SB-ALLAHABAD [29:25 Minutes] SB-06.03.11–12_710202SB-ALLAHABAD [SB 6.3.11] Prabhupāda: So this question should be put forward for superior masters in this way, not by challenge. One may question, but the humbleness is presented also, that "If you think that I am able to understand…" Sometimes we do not, I mean to say, possess the capacity to understand. For example, when I was meeting my spiritual master in the beginning, practically seventy-five percent or eighty-five percent of his version I could not understand, but still I was hearing. I was not able to understand, but still I wanted to hear.
And for this reason only he accepted me as his disciple. When… In this Allahabad, when I was being introduced by one of my Godbrother—he contributed the land for Gauḍīya Maṭha—one [indistinct]-chandradev, he is dead and gone—so he introduced me, that… Of course, he did not know that before this introduction I met Guru Mahārāja in 1922. So as soon as he was introducing, my Guru Mahārāja captured the word, and he said, "Yes, I have seen this boy, and he is very anxious to hear me, so I shall accept him." That was the only qualification, that although I did not understand what he was speaking, I tried to sit down and hear him. So here is also is the same thing. The Yamadūta says that "You can answer about our enquiries if you think it is beneficial to us, or if we are able to understand it." iti devaḥ… iti devaḥ sa āpṛṣṭaḥ prajā-saṁyamano yamaḥ prītaḥ sva-dūtān pratyāha smaran pādāmbujaṁ hareḥ [SB 6.3.11] Smaran pādāmbujaṁ hareḥ. Hareḥ—"of the Lord, the Supreme Lord"; pādāmbujaṁ—"lotus feet"; smaran.
That should be our principle. Whenever we try to speak something, we must offer prayers to Guru-Gaurāṅga and the Supreme Lord. Not directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but smaran pādāmbujaṁ hareḥ. To memorize the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is the system that one should go through guru and Gaurāṅga. That is the prayer we offer daily: vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca śrī-rūpaṁ [Cc. Antya 3.1, Śrī Gurv Aṣṭakam]. They are all guru. One spiritual master, his spiritual master, then up to Gosvāmīs. Śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitaṁ taṁ sa-jīvam. Then the associates of Lord Caitanya: sa-avadhūta, sādvaitaṁ. Sa-avadhūta, Nityānanda Prabhu.
Sādvaitaṁ-sa-avadhūta parijana-sahitaṁ. Parijana means Śrīvāsa, Gadādhara and others. Śrī kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaṁ, that is Śrī Caitanya, Guru-Gaurāṅga. Then, śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādān saha-gaṇa-lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṁś ca. This is... So smaran pādāmbujaṁ hareḥ.
Yamarāja, although he is so exalted, great personality, the system is also there. Nobody should try to answer or speak without offering proper respects to Guru-Gaurāṅga and Kṛṣṇa. Smaran pādāmbujaṁ hareḥ. Prītaḥ sva-dūtān: and Yamarāja was very much pleased, because when the subordinates enquire from the superior master, he becomes very much pleased.
Why he becomes pleased? Because he gets an opportunity to describe the holy activities and form and qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is an opportunity. You will find in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam when Nārada also enquires from Lord Brahmā about the system of religion, he also thanked Nārada, that "You have given me an opportunity to speak about the Lord's activities." Therefore the pastimes of the Lord, His name, His form, His qualities, His entourage, His abode—whenever one enquires, and whenever one speaks, both of them become blessed. Now Yamarāja, the enquiry was, "Whether there are any other controller either equal to you or greater than you?" That was the enquiry. Now Yamarāja says, śrī yama uvāca paro mad-anyo jagatas tasthuṣaś ca otaṁ protaṁ paṭavad yatra viśvam yad-aṁśato 'sya sthiti-janma-nāśā nasy otavad yasya vaśe ca lokaḥ [SB 6.3.12] Mad-anyaḥ.
The first thing he explained, that "Don't think that I am the supreme controller." Mad-anyaḥ: "Besides me, there is another, supreme controller." That is the mistake of general population. Whenever they worship a demigod, they think he is the supreme. In the Vedic system there are different demigods, and they are meant for worshiping for different purposes. This is also recommended in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. If you want knowledge, then you worship Brahmā.