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According to one's own whims (Conv and Letters)

Conversations and Morning Walks

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Kṛṣṇa can say anything, everything, He's God Himself, still He gives reference to the śāstra.
Room Conversation -- February 27, 1973, Jakarta:

Devotee: "He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims, attains neither perfection nor happiness nor the supreme destination."

Prabhupāda: That's it. (Hindi) ...bogus, bogus. This is statement of Kṛṣṇa. Can you give us the statement of Kṛṣṇa? I'll accept some foolish statement. So Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He's also giving reference to the śāstra, yaḥ śāstra. He can say anything, everything, He's God Himself, still He gives reference to the śāstra. So anyone who's speaking against the injunction of the śāstra, (indistinct).

In the conditioned state we act according to "my whims." In the liberated state we act according to Kṛṣṇa's whims.
Room Conversation With David Wynne -- July 9, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: If Kṛṣṇa withdraws the intelligence, you cannot work. So Kṛṣṇa is guiding already, but He's guiding at the present moment according to your whims. "You wanted to do this? All right." Kṛṣṇa is giving intelligence: "Do it." But when he'll agree to act according to the whims of Kṛṣṇa, that is perfection.

David Wynne: How do you agree to this?

Prabhupāda: Eh?

David Wynne: How does one agree to this?

Prabhupāda: There is process.

David Wynne: Yeah.

Prabhupāda: Yes. You have to learn it. In the conditioned state we act according to "my whims." In the liberated state we act according to Kṛṣṇa's whims. That's all. That is the difference. That is the difference. Just see, Bhagavad-gītā. Arjuna wanted to act according to his whims, "Oh, He is going now fight with my grandfather, with my teacher." These are the problems. Kṛṣṇa... "No, I cannot fight." And then at last he agreed to act according to the whims of Kṛṣṇa: "Yes, kariṣye vacanaṁ tava. Naṣṭo mohaḥ smṛtir labdhā (BG 18.73)." Find out this verse. Naṣṭo mohaḥ. Whatever we are speaking, there is reference in the Bhagavad-gītā. We don't speak anything according to our whims. No.

We are acting according to our whims. So if there is mistake, I am responsible.
Room Conversation with David Wynne, Sculptor -- July 9, 1973, London:

Śyāmasundara: When we try artificially to impose our idea on something, say, a sculpture, sometimes we make a mistake and it comes out not good.

Prabhupāda: That mistake you are responsible.

David Wynne: Yeah. Yeah.

Prabhupāda: Because at the present moment, as I told you, we are acting according to our whims. So if there is mistake, I am responsible.

As soon as the body is finished, thinking and everything is changed with the change of the body.
Room Conversation with French Journalist and UNESCO Worker -- August 10, 1973, Paris:

Prabhupāda: As we are changing from one body to another, another, another, even within our experience, similarly, as soon as this body is finished, I get another body. Now I am working in this body as national, as Napoleon, as Gandhi, as you according to our own whims and ideas, and fighting in the UNESCO, everything, just like recently Pakistan representative, India... But as soon as the body is finished, just like Gandhi finished, Jinnah finished, now what kind of body he has got now? May not be Indian or Pakistani. Now in that body he is thinking according to his body, a dog is thinking according to the doggish body. A man is thinking according to the man's body. So thinking and everything is changed with the change of the body.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

He has no spiritual master. He's not going to obey anyone. He's working in his own whims. That is animal life.
Morning Walk -- March 6, 1974, Mayapura:

Jayapatākā: Human life is no special advantage. Only if you come, the spiritual master comes, then it can be some advantage.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore Vedic injunction is gurum eva abhigacchet: "You must go to a bona fide spiritual master if you want to make your life perfect." There is no question whether I shall go or not. "You must!" That is the beginning of human life. Otherwise animal life. He has no spiritual master. He's not going to obey anyone. He's working in his own whims. That is animal life. Real life here begins.

tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet
samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham
(MU 1.2.12)

This is the Vedic injunction. You cannot do anything without abiding the orders of spiritual master. That is surrender.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Everyone interpreted Bhagavad-gītā in his own way to satisfy his own whims. We are just trying for the first time to present Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and it is being effective.
Answers to a Questionnaire from Bhavan's Journal -- June 28, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is not for India. He is for everyone because He is God. He claims that "I am the seed-giving father for all living entities." Not only the human society, but also other living entities like the aquatics, the insects, the plants, and the animals, all living entities. He says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). Everything is there, but this cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or Bhagavad-gītā as it is, was not preached properly. Everyone interpreted Bhagavad-gītā in his own way to satisfy his own whims. We are just trying for the first time to present Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and it is being effective. So it is not a different role. It is the actual role. Nobody tried for it. Therefore Kṛṣṇa was unknown, but we are trying for this for the few years. But because it is reality, it is being accepted. It is being accepted. No attempt was made that. So it is not a new role. The role is already there: to preach. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's vision.

We can guide you, not according to our whims, but according to śāstra. And if you agree to accept, then we can also cooperate with you.
Meeting with Endowments Commissioner -- August 24, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: When there is not a tinge of karma and jñāna, that is pure bhakti. That is Kṛṣṇa's mission. So everything is there, direction is there. We can guide you, not according to our whims, but according to śāstra. And if you agree to accept, then we can also cooperate with you. But if you manufacture your own way, then how we can possibly... Kṛṣṇa's mission is this: yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). Except kṛṣṇa-bhakti, bhaktyā, everything is glāniḥ. All glāniḥ. And that can be awakened, kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Just like these boys are doing. That is enunciated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta-nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa—everyone has kṛṣṇa-bhakti. You have to awaken simply.

Cinmayananda does not present Bhagavad-gītā as it is. According to his own whims... But the original śloka is there.
Morning Walk -- December 25, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Cinmayananda is atheist. Atheist. He does not believe in Kṛṣṇa.

Guest (2): He has donated over three hundred books in that haṭha-yoga, that can...

Guest (1): Yes, in U.S.A., Santa Cruz.

Prabhupāda: Yes, he took some lakhs of rupees from Birla for distributing the Gītā. I know that.

Guest (2): He has also translated Gītā.

Guest (1): Shh! Swamiji's saying is this, that Gītā is interpreted by different people in different way. That is true. Understanding of Gītā is a very big...

Prabhupāda: He does not present Bhagavad-gītā as it is. According to his own whims... But the original śloka is there.

Guest (1): But interpretation is his own.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Guest (1): Original śloka, of course, everybody would put. Then they interpret in their own way. I think, sir, most of us are accepted through this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, as you have rightly said.

Correspondence

1971 Correspondence

Actually, no one has got any philosophy nowadays, everyone is acting according to his own whims. Therefore there is no security, no peace, everything is unpredictable and dangerous.
Letter to Danavir -- Delhi 12 December, 1971:

The difference is that we have got absolute authority from the Source of Knowledge, Krishna, while your western mundane philosophers are simply speculating on the mental platform, which is always changing. Therefore, a philosopher is not a philosopher unless he refutes his predecessor and produces something new. This kind of knowledge is useless. Actually, no one has got any philosophy nowadays, everyone is acting according to his own whims. Therefore there is no security, no peace, everything is unpredictable and dangerous. Therefore all the young boys and girls in your country—and all over the world—are fed up with this lack of philosophy and they have taken to the philosophy of hopelessness: Everything is empty, therefore let me enjoy, it doesn't matter. But this philosophy is also useless.

Page Title:According to one's own whims (Conv and Letters)
Compiler:Labangalatika, Haya, MadhuGopaldas
Created:09 of Feb, 2009
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=8, Let=1
No. of Quotes:9