Bookworm

Expressions researched:
"bookworms" |"book worm" |"bookworm"

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 16.11, Translation: If one becomes a bookworm, reading many books and scriptures and hearing many commentaries and the instructions of many men, this will produce doubt within his heart. One cannot in this way ascertain the real goal of life.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

These so-called jñānīs, they are simply bookworms, simply reading Vedas, four Vedas. And they say, "We are concerned with Vedas. We are not concerned with Kṛṣṇa."

Lecture on SB 1.16.13-15 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1974: Through the studies of Vedas, what knowledge one should achieve? When one achieves the knowledge that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, that is, I mean to say, perfection of Vedic study. But these so-called jñānīs, they are simply bookworms, simply reading Vedas, four Vedas. And they say, "We are concerned with Vedas. We are not concerned with Kṛṣṇa." So... Just like the yājñika-brāhmaṇa. Yājñika-brāhmaṇa, they were interested in the Vedas, but their wives were interested with Kṛṣṇa. So they got perfection. So in this way, jñānīs... Karmīs are rejected. Karmīs are useless. And jñānīs, when they cultivate knowledge, not in one life... Because immediately they will not accept that Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate goal. They are surprised, "How Kṛṣṇa? He was a cowherd boy, playing with the cows and calves. He can be...? This is māyā." Therefore they are called Māyāvādī. They cannot understand. They cannot understand what is the position of Kṛṣṇa, although they are studying Vedas.

Festival Lectures

Simply by studying, becoming bookworm, you cannot advance.

Six Gosvamis Lecture, Sri Sri Sad-govamy-astaka -- Los Angeles, November 18, 1968: Yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau [ŚU 6.23]. Simply by studying, becoming bookworm, you cannot advance. The real secret is... That is stated in the Vedas. Unflinching faith in God and spiritual master. Then things will be revealed from within. How much strength we have got to study all these books? But Vedas says, yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau. If one has got unflinching faith in God and similar faith in the spiritual master, tasyaite kathitā hy arthaḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ, to him only the Vedic knowledge becomes revealed.

General Lectures

Sometimes when you open your book you find. They are called bookworm, they're very small, but it is moving.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 20, 1971: Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. He is friend of everyone. As friend, He is sitting in the heart of all living entities. He is sitting in your heart, He is sitting in my heart, He is sitting in the ant's heart. The ant has also heart and the elephant has got also heart. Sometimes we find an insect exactly like a full stop. You have got experience. Sometimes when you open your book you find. They are called bookworm, they're very small, but it is moving. And because it is moving, from biological study we must conclude that it has got a heart. Even we do not know about biology, but Kṛṣṇa said that īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. So, therefore, there must be some heart. We cannot perceive. We cannot see even the whole figure of that insect, and what to speak of study what kind of heart it has got. But we understand Bhagavad-gītā..., from Bhagavad-gītā that there is heart even in the smallest insect, in the microscopic germ, there is heart. So He is sitting in everyone's heart and He is supplying the necessities of that smaller creature or the biggest creature. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām [Bg. 5.29].

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

But he must be expertly reading, not as a book worm, expert.

Morning Walk -- February 26, 1976, Mayapura:

Hari-śauri: I read where you said that if one simply reads, though, one cannot become realized in the philosophy. One has to actually do something practical, and then the realization will be there from what he has read.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Jayapatākā: [break] ...are nondifferent.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Jayapatākā: Service and reading are nondifferent?

Prabhupāda: Yes, if one is actually reading. Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī. He was reading. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau. But he must be expertly reading, not as a book worm, expert.

1976 Correspondence

In our Vedic Universities we will not encourage anyone to be merely a bookworm.

Letter to Tusta Krsna -- Bombay 9 January, 1976: In our Vedic Universities we will not encourage anyone to be merely a bookworm. There must be life—rising early in the morning, attending mangala arati, taking prasadam, etc. The man who is studying will be brahmana, the farmer will be vaisya. In this way there will be divisions, but they are all one in service to Krishna.