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In his continuing discourse on mahat-seva, service to the mahatmas, Prabhupada this morning gave a few definitions how we can recognize such great souls, both by their behavior and by their work. He advised that we should go beyond outer appearances and study their actual character and activities.
"What is the symptom?" he asked. "In the sastra we'll find not by one symptom that one has got saffron cloth or big beard, then he is mahatma. No. There are other symptoms. Just like brahmana. In the Kali yuga brahmana means one two paisa thread, that's all. But that is not brahmana. Brahmana means samo damo titikshva. These are the symptoms. Similarly, mahatma does not mean a dress, but people have taken advantage of this dress. In India still, although poverty stricken, if a person, simply by dressing in saffron cloth goes to a village, he has no problem. Everyone will call him, invite him, give him shelter, give him food. 'sir, come here; take prasada,' everyone will ask. Poor people have taken advantage of it. Without any education, they take it for solving economic problems. Here also in Vrindavana you'll find so many people have come here because there are many chatras. You can get free capati, dal. You'll find in the morning so many wretched class. They have come to Vrindavana just for this bread and dal. And they collect and they exchange. They purchase bidi [cigarettes]."
A real mahatma, he said, was a pandita, a learned man who saw every living being equally. And Krishna similarly offers the chance equally to any living being to go back to Godhead, no matter how lowly they may be by birth. So if Krishna is making the offer for all to return to Him, "Then who will do it?" Prabhupada asked. "You are a big sadhu, very learned sadhu, and if you sit down, 'No, no. I shall not go out of India. As soon as I cross the sea, immediately I'll become fallen,' then who will do this business? Krishna wants that te 'pi yanti param gatim, ye 'pi syuh papa yonayah. Then who will deliver these papa yoni? If 'I am a big sannyasi and big devotee, I do not go outside Vrindavana, I do not go outside India. I am jagat guru . . . ' 'Have you seen jagat?' 'No. I'm self made jagat guru.' This is going on. Cheating. This cheating is going on. What is mahatma they do not know; still, they are posing themselves mahatma."
A symptom of a great soul, he said, is that they are prasanta, peaceful, despite the difficulties encountered in the course of preaching. Lord Nityananda was ideal in His reaction to the attack on Him by Jagai and Madhai; He was hit by an earthen pot and still He asked them to simply chant. But Prabhupada also pointed out that it was not always appropriate to be peaceful. "When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard it, He immediately came, and He was so angry, that 'I shall kill these two men immediately. Bring My cakra.' Nityananda Prabhu said, 'My Lord, You have promised not to take weapon in this incarnation, so kindly be merciful upon them.' 'No! They have insulted Vaishnava!' This is another example.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu is teaching this humbleness: trinad api sunicena taror api sahishnuna [Cc. Adi 17.31]. But when Nityananda Prabhu was injured, did He stop punishing them? No. At that time He became fire: 'I shall kill them!' Trinad api sunicena does not mean that if a Vaishnava is insulted or Vishnu is defamed, you remain silent. No. At that time you should become fire. That is the teaching of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Just like Hanumanji; he's Vaishnava. But when there was need for the service of Lord Ramacandra, he set fire in the Lanka. So when there is vishnu vaishnava ninda, defamation, you should not remain trinad api sunicena. You should take steps. This is the instruction. Anyway, Vaishnava is never angry, but that does not mean that you tolerate insult to Vishnu and Vaishnava. No."
Citing several other examples of devotees who exhibited extreme tolerance in the face of demonic opposition, including that of Lord Jesus, whom he called a saktyavesa avatara, God's son, Prabhupada then told us something very surprising-that mahatmas are found not only in the human species. "Don't misunderstand that we are preaching that mahatmas are only in India. No. By the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there are mahatmas even amongst the birds, even amongst the beasts, even amongst the lower than animals. Because this Krishna consciousness movement is going on in different places, in different circumstances. That is God's desire, yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata tadatmanam srijamy aham [Bg. 4.7].
"So Krishna wants this. Just like in your country there are welfare activities by the government. Welfare department is seeing that nobody is unhappy for want of money. Similarly, mahatmas, they are in the welfare department of Krishna. They are sent to different countries, different places, different species of life, so that the living entity may take advantage of Krishna consciousness."
Reference: Transcendental Diary Volume 5 by Hari Sauri Dasa
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