Absurd (Conv and Letters)

Expressions researched:
absurd |absurdities |absurdity

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Without knowing following that is absurd. You must know that this is the order of God. And if you follow that, then that is honesty.

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Bob: So you may follow God's wishes without knowing you are following God's wishes. Like somebody may be in the mode of...

Prabhupāda: No. Without knowing following, that is absurd. Without knowing following that is absurd. You must know that this is the order of God. And if you follow that, then that is honesty.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

To prove absurd is his reason? That means absurd reason.

Morning Walk -- December 15, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Frustration is not life. Frustration is frustration, disappointment. That is not life.

Karandhara: They say that frustration is the only reality.

Prabhupāda: No. That's for you.

Karandhara: Absurd, the absurd philosophy.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: That means they do not know the value of life.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's it. That means rascaldom. That means rascaldom.

Karandhara: One of their chief philosophers, his name was Camus. So after he was propounding this philosophy and writing many books, one night he was driving in his car, and he decided that "There's no meaning, so why not just drive my car off a cliff?" So he just drove his car off a cliff, finished himself off.

Prabhupāda: Mad, madmen.

Karandhara: But his books are in colleges especially. Millions and millions of students accept his books as practically gospel.

Prabhupāda: What is the subject matter of the book?

Karandhara: Subject matter of his books, that life is ultimately absurd. There is no real meaning to it. We place our own meanings on it, but those are...

Prabhupāda: So you are trying... Why you are trying to explain it? Why you are trying to explain it?

Karandhara: Yes, actually he is trying to make reason out of the absurdity.

Prabhupāda: To prove absurd is his reason? That means absurd reason.

Karandhara: Well, that's what he ultimately realized, that everything is absurd. There is no use speaking, writing or even living.

Prabhupāda: No, no, the thing is that you are saying "absurd," I am saying, "not absurd." Who will settle up this? That is the... If you settle your own affair. I settle my own affair. So who will settle up, whether I am right, you are right?

Śrutakīrti: It will be settled at death.

Prabhupāda: That's all. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca. The death is equally acceptable by you and me, but... And it is also a fact you don't want to die; I also don't want to die. Then there is authority.

But that is absurd because we see the energy is coming from the powerhouse, electric energy. How you cannot deny?

Morning Walk -- December 20, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: ...that the energy is displayed. It works; again it comes back to the original. That's all. So what is their idea of conservation of energy? The same thing.

Karandhara: Well, they say that there is no original. It never began, so there's no original.

Hṛdayānanda: They also say that there's no resting place. They say that energy has no resting place.

Prabhupāda: But that is absurd because we see the energy is coming from the powerhouse, electric energy. How you cannot deny?

Karandhara: The energy is just generated there, but it is not created there.

Prabhupāda: Generated, you simply change the name. What is the difference between generated and created?

Karandhara: Well, created means to be born or to start.

Prabhupāda: Yes, born. The child is created. There was no child.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

"I can talk with Kṛṣṇa without spiritual master." It is absurd proposition. So why you should accept such absurd proposition unless you are also another absurd?

Garden Conversation -- June 27, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Hari-śauri: We don't have a fan in here... I have to bring a fan from somewhere else.

Prabhupāda: No, no, bring, you can bring some soft cloth. Why this is, you bring some soft cloth. So don't indulge such nonsense question. You must personally understand. That is knowledge. If you are reading Bhagavad-gītā, how you can accept nonsense, he says that "I can talk with Kṛṣṇa without spiritual master." It is absurd proposition. So why you should accept such absurd proposition unless you are also another absurd? If you knew that it is not possible, you "You rascal." Don't talk with him. Don't waste time. But you also do not know with whom God talks. Clearly stated. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ [Bg. 10.10]. Teṣām evānukampārtham [Bg. 10.11]. Why don't you read all these proposals? With whom God talks? Hmm? Why did you not?

Just like our Vivekananda, he took up daridra-nārāyaṇa. This is an absurd proposition. Nārāyaṇa is never daridra. But if you put this argument, that Nārāyaṇa is everywhere, so if Nārāyaṇa is everywhere, why you take up only daridra-nārāyaṇa?

Meeting with Endowments Commissioner -- August 24, 1976, Hyderabad:

Minister: There's no doubt of that, Swamiji. Let us say there are hundred leprosy patients. There are one thousand orphans. We put them there, give them food, and make them pray to Kṛṣṇa...

Prabhupāda: Well, you are... They are mistaken. But if you have to awaken Kṛṣṇa bhakti, why you go to the lepers?

Minister: No, they have come here. They are all there in the temple. They are not allowing others to pray properly. They are all, one thousand... In the past...

Prabhupāda: We have no objection, because our principle is kṛṣṇa-bhakti nitya-siddha. So Kṛṣṇa bhakti is there in everyone. So leper and non-leper. Just like our Vivekananda, he took up daridra-nārāyaṇa. This is an absurd proposition. Nārāyaṇa is never daridra. But if you put this argument, that Nārāyaṇa is everywhere, so if Nārāyaṇa is everywhere, why you take up only daridra-nārāyaṇa? Why not dhanī-nārāyaṇa also? If you have got so broad vision that Nārāyaṇa is everywhere, therefore we see everyone, so why you particularly take the daridra-nārāyaṇa? Similarly, Kṛṣṇa bhakti is everywhere. It is in the leper or non-leper. So why should we take particularly the lepers? So that is outwardly a social service that they are taking care of the leper. So if that vision it will not be right. Kṛṣṇa bhakti even requires, even a karmī like big, big owner of factories, he's more diseased than the leper. Because he has no Kṛṣṇa bhakti. So we have to take care of the leper and the richest man also if he has no Kṛṣṇa bhakti.

That is absurd. Therefore Arjuna was ridiculed. "What is this nonsense?" Kutas tvā kaśmalam idam: "You have come to fight. You are talking nonsense, that 'I will not fight.' " Kṛṣṇa did not approve.

Morning Walk -- December 25, 1976, Bombay:

Guest (1): Human nature as it is, you can't... Unless there is some sort of a compulsion, whether in spiritual...

Prabhupāda: And in politics, might is right.

Guest (1): Of course. Survival of the fittest.

Prabhupāda: Yes. In politics you cannot become...

Guest (1): A sādhu. It is absurd. (laughing)

Prabhupāda: That is absurd.

Guest (1): Two contradictory terms.

Prabhupāda: Therefore Arjuna was ridiculed. "What is this nonsense?" Kutas tvā kaśmalam idam: "You have come to fight. You are talking nonsense, that 'I will not fight.' " Kṛṣṇa did not approve.

Guest (1): He told... He defined "What is your dharma and what is niṣkāma akarma." So it's very difficult to define dharma, but once it is defined, there should be no difficulty.

Prabhupāda: No, dharma is there. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. That is dharma. And everything is cheating. That... Because we are teaching that, that only dharma is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, therefore we are not very much liked. They are of opinion, "Why Kṛṣṇa is God? I have got this God. I have got this, so many incarnations." This is...

1969 Correspondence

The instruction given by one gentleman Mr. Somanatha to go to India as agriculturalists is absurd. Don't be carried away by all this nonsense advice.

Letter to Sivananda -- Hawaii 9 March, 1969: I have noted your points, and one thing is that the instruction given by one gentleman Mr. Somanatha to go to India as agriculturalists is absurd. Don't be carried away by all this nonsense advice. So far Indian authority is concerned for preaching work, I am prepared to go to your center for preaching at any time you call me. Your statement that you will try to organize the Hamburg center very nicely and have a smooth running energetic temple when I go there is also very encouraging. Please stick to this principle without any diversion. Take it from me that I am always praying to Lord Krishna for your success in Krishna Consciousness movement. You're very sincere devotee and if you simply stick to the principles, success is sure for your life. Krishna's Mercy is always bestowed upon one who is sincerely serving Him. You should not give attention to any outsider's advice because they are completely unfit to give you advice. Your situation is different. We do not care for any agriculturist or economist. Our only shelter is Krishna. Stick to this principle and success is sure for you.

1976 Correspondence

The co-operative society proposal is absurd. The poor members cannot pay adequately, neither are they interested.

Letter to Jayapataka -- Vrindaban 23 October, 1976: Regarding this co-operative point, who will manage all the expenditure? We will spend so much money, why should it be managed by a co-operative. The co-operative society proposal is absurd. The poor members cannot pay adequately, neither are they interested. It is not tenable from all angles of vision. In the beginning the report was given to the DM. Now again DM, DM. Why again DM, he was first given proposal? It is up to Mr. Chowdary now. The chief minister has handed the matter to him for decision. He said to wait 2-3 months for a decision. So let us simply wait.