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Astikyam means faith in God, faith in scripture. That is called astikyam. According to Vedic version, astikyam means faith in the Vedas. Nobody can refute the Vedas. That is called faith: no argument

Expressions researched:
"Āstikyam means faith in God, faith in scripture. That is called āstikyam. According to Vedic version, āstikyam means faith in the Vedas. Nobody can refute the Vedas. That is called faith: no argument"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Āstikyam means faith in God, faith in scripture. That is called āstikyam. According to Vedic version, āstikyam means faith in the Vedas. Nobody can refute the Vedas. That is called faith: no argument.

Rūpa Gosvāmī says who can be a spiritual master. So he has given specifically this definition, that one who has got controls over the tongue, over the speech, over the mind, over the belly, and over the genital and over the anger. If anyone has control over these six things, then he can become spiritual master. Pṛthiviṁ sa śiṣyāt (Upadeśāmṛta 1), "He is allowed to make disciples all over the world." Otherwise not. These are the qualification of brahmin. Satyam śaucam śama dama titikṣā (BG 18.42). Titikṣā means tolerance.

Just like in your Western countries, Lord Jesus Christ, he was being crucified. He tolerated. He never cursed even. He, rather, begged from God, "My God, these people do not know what they are doing. Please excuse them." This is toleration. So satyam śaucam sama dama titikṣā. Toleration. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has instructed, tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā (CC Antya 20.21, Śikṣāṣṭaka 3). Tolerance. What kind of tolerance? Tolerance like the straw in the street, like the tree. Amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ. There are so many instances. Let us finish it briefly.

So śaucam . . . satyaṁ śaucaṁ śamaṁ damaṁ titikṣā ārjavam. Simplicity. A brahmin should be very simple, not gorgeous. He wants to live, so he wants to eat something, not for the taste of the tongue but just to keep the body and soul together. He must eat nice things. There are nice things—grains, fruits, milk. Why should he take meat? If there are, by nature's products, so many nice things, why one should kill another animal? Desires, of course . . . (indistinct) . . . Titikṣā, ārjavam, and jñānaṁ. Not that simply become qualified, but these qualification are stepping stone to jñānaṁ. Jñānaṁ means knowledge.

And vijñānaṁ. Vijñānaṁ means practical application. Just like in the science class there is theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge. Theoretical knowledge—if you mix hydrogen and oxygen gas, there is water. But we have to experiment it in the laboratory, mix so many parts of hydrogen and so many parts of oxygen, and actually, when we see there is water, then your knowledge is perfect. So not theoretical knowledge but practical application. Jñānaṁ, vijñānaṁ and āstikyam. Āstikyam means faith in God, faith in scripture. That is called āstikyam. According to Vedic version, āstikyam means faith in the Vedas. Nobody can refute the Vedas. That is called faith: no argument.

A practical example . . . this practical example is given by Lord Caitanya. It is very nice. In India the cow dung is accepted as pure, although the Vedic injunction is that if you touch stool of an animal, you have to take bath to purify yourself, cleanse yourself. Of course, we see in New York City that the stool of dog is thrown all over the street, and we are touching, but we have no opportunity to take bath. But it is, according to Vedic injunction, if you touch stool of an animal, then you have to take bath immediately.

Therefore this is a system. When you go to the Deity room, you should change your cloth, because I do not know what things I have touched in the street, so better to change the cloth. And still better to cleanse, to take bath. That is the system. Anyway, to touch the stool of an animal makes one unclean—therefore one has to take bath or purify himself. That is the system. But the Veda says the stool of cow is purified. The stool of cow is purified.

Now, practically, in India they accept it, and it has been found by chemical examination that the cow dung contains all antiseptic property. That is a fact. One Dr. Ghoshal, he analyzed in his laboratory, "Why this Vedic injunction is the stool of cow, or cow dung, is pure?" So he analyzed, and he found it that the stool of cow, cow dung, is full of antiseptic properties. So this is called faith or theistic, to take the injunction of the scripture as it is, without any reformation. That is called āstikyam.

Page Title:Astikyam means faith in God, faith in scripture. That is called astikyam. According to Vedic version, astikyam means faith in the Vedas. Nobody can refute the Vedas. That is called faith: no argument
Compiler:SharmisthaK
Created:2022-09-13, 05:46:03
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1