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Gandhi committed mistake. Churchill committed mistake. Because "To err is human." However big you may be, you cannot avoid mistake, because you are not liberated

Expressions researched:
"Gandhi committed mistake. Churchill committed mistake. Because" |"To err is human" |"However big you may be, you cannot avoid mistake, because you are not liberated"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Who does not commit any mistake, who is never illusioned, whose senses are not imperfect and who is not a cheater. These are the qualification. (children making noise) (aside:) The children . . . These are the symptoms of perfect person. First thing is he does not commit mistake. Throughout the whole world you study big, big men, they committed mistake. Hitler committed mistake. Gandhi committed mistake. Churchill committed mistake. Because "To err is human." However big you may be, you cannot avoid mistake, because you are not liberated.

Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna that "I am giving you perfect knowledge." This is our process. We receive knowledge from the perfect person. There is no use getting knowledge from imperfect person. That is useless waste of time. And who is perfect person? Who does not commit any mistake, who is never illusioned, whose senses are not imperfect and who is not a cheater. These are the qualification. (children making noise) (aside:) The children . . . These are the symptoms of perfect person. First thing is he does not commit mistake. Throughout the whole world you study big, big men, they committed mistake. Hitler committed mistake. Gandhi committed mistake. Churchill committed mistake. Because "To err is human." However big you may be, you cannot avoid mistake, because you are not liberated.

So these are the signs of becoming perfect man: that he does not commit mistake, neither he is illusioned. Illusion means to accept something as something. That is illusion. Just like we are accepting this body as myself. If you ask me, "What you are?" "I am Indian. I am brāhmaṇa. I am this. I am that." So what are these? These are all bodily concept of life. This is illusion. Illusion means I am not this body. You have got experience when a man dies, his relatives and children cry, "My father is gone." But actually the father . . . The sons who knew the body of the father as the father, that was illusion. Now, after death he is coming to understand that "My father is gone." Why your father is gone? It is lying there. The same hand, legs, heads, coat, pant, everything is lying there. Why do you say that your father has gone away? That means the real father he has never seen. He has seen the illusion of his father. This is called illusion. Is there any doubt? I am seeing you. What I am seeing, you? I am seeing your body, your shirt, coat, pant. That's all.

But as Kṛṣṇa said, that dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13), within this body the real person is there, just like within the shirt and coat the real person is there. So . . . but the real person we never see. We see the shirt, coat, pant, and we take the shirt, coat, pant as this man. This is called illusion, to accept something for something else. The son did not know who is father. He is going on, calling the shirt, coat, pant of the father as "father." This is called illusion. To commit mistake and to become illusioned, and even if we try to become perfect, our senses are imperfect. Just like we are very much proud of our eyes. Somebody, they say, "Can you show me God?" Now, how you will see? "Now, with my eyes." But your eyes are imperfect. That he will not admit. He forgets that "So long the light is there, I can see. My pride for possessing the eyes is valid so long the light is there. As soon as there is no light, in spite of possessing the eyes, I cannot see." So you can see under certain condition. If there is sunlight, then you can see. If there is no sunlight, you cannot see. So what is the value of your seeing? Imperfect eyes.

So similarly, our eyes are imperfect, our all senses are imperfect. We gather knowledge by the senses—five knowledge-gathering senses and five working senses and mind. So if the senses are imperfect, then how can I gather real knowledge? And without getting real knowledge, if I preach, that is cheating. If you have no knowledge, then . . . Just like so many scientists, philosophers, they are cheating. Actually they have no knowledge that life cannot be produced by chemical combination; still, they are cheating people throughout the whole world that life can be produced by chemical combination. And this cheating is accepted.

So there are so many other things. They are claiming they have gone to moon planet, this, that. But according to śāstra, they are all cheaters. All cheaters. They cannot go. It is not so easy thing. Just like to enter your African city, African country, there are so many rules and regulations, immigration. And you want to go to the Candraloka without any restriction. Just see. Candraloka is the planet of the demigods. There the people live for ten thousands of years, they are so advanced. Their comforts are many thousands better than this standard of comfort. And you want to go there without any passport and without any visa. From common sense, can you enter anyone's country simply because you have got aeroplane? But these things are going on.

So to accept knowledge from these rascals who commit mistake, who are illusioned, who are cheater, whose senses are imperfect, is useless waste of time. This is the śāstric injunction. We should receive knowledge from the perfect. So in all respect, who can become the perfect than Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is accepted by Vedavyāsa, by Nārada, by Arjuna, big, big stalwart scholars and personalities, that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just like this Bhagavad-gītā. This Bhagavad-gītā is recorded by Vyāsadeva. The talks were between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, and it was recorded by Vyāsadeva's disciple, Sañjaya. And Vyāsadeva, while writing Mahābhārata, he put this dialogue within the Mahābhārata. So why Vyāsadeva put this conversation between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna in his authoritative book, Mahābhārata? Mahābhārata means "greater India." Bhārata means Bhārata-varṣa. This planet was being called Bhārata-varṣa. So Mahābhārata: the history of the whole planet. So Vyāsadeva giving the history. Mahābhārata is also Vedic literature. Mahābhārata, Rāmāyaṇa, the eighteen Purāṇas, Vedānta-sūtra, four Vedas, and then Upaniṣad, they're all Vedic literature. So Mahābhārata is authorized Vedic literature, and within the Mahābhārata this Bhagavad-gītā is there. Therefore it is Vedic literature. So unless it is authorized perfect knowledge, why Vyāsadeva should put in his Mahābhārata? Therefore it is perfect knowledge. Because it is spoken by the most perfect personality, Kṛṣṇa, there is no question of mistake, there is no question of illusion.

Page Title:Gandhi committed mistake. Churchill committed mistake. Because "To err is human." However big you may be, you cannot avoid mistake, because you are not liberated
Compiler:SharmisthaK
Created:2022-08-29, 11:22:28
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1