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If you are layman you must go to a person who has seen the truth. If you remain at home, then how you can see

Expressions researched:
"If you are layman you must go to a person who has seen the truth. If you remain at home, then how you can see"

Conversations and Morning Walks

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Layman, he must go to a person who is experienced.

tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ (BG 4.34) This is the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. If you are layman you must go to a person who has seen the truth. If you remain at home, then how you can see?.

Prabhupāda: In the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says . . . the first beginning of the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā . . . (aside) You have to go. No children; otherwise it will be disturbed. When Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). First of all, he was talking like friends. When he saw, "The friendly talking will not help us," so Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as his spiritual master. Then as spiritual master He said: aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11): "My dear Arjuna, you are lamenting on the subject matter which is not the subject matter of lamentation, and you are talking like a very learned man." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. This body, either alive or dead, it is not a serious subject matter of study, neither a learned man laments over it. This is the subject matter of Bhagavad-gītā, or spiritual knowledge. Those who are not human being . . . according to Vedic śāstra, anyone who has no self-realization, he's animal. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). If one is identifying with this body, "I am this body, which is made of three elements, kapha, pitta, vāyu . . ." Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke. Tri-dhātuke, this combination of three elements. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13): he's animal.

So practically now in this age especially, everyone is identifying with this body. That is the basic principle of nationalism, communism, or this "ism" or that "ism": the bodily conception of life. And according to Vedic version, anyone who is identifying with this body, he is animal. So under the circumstances—(aside) Hare Kṛṣṇa—we are trying to revive the spiritual education of the human society. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement: what is spirit soul, what is its identification, what is God, what is our relationship with Him, how to work on that plan. Then we become happy. Otherwise, you may make various plan on material basis, it will never be successful, and there is no question of happiness, because the basic principle is lost.

Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām (SB 2.1.2). This was spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, that śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ. The subject matter of hearing, there are many thousands for persons who has no self-realization.

śrotavyādīni rājendra
nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ
apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ
gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām
(SB 2.1.2)

Those who are not searching after self-realization, they have got many subject matter for hearing and deliberate. That means material subject matter. We have in the newspaper different subject matters for different public interest. But those who are searching after spiritual realization, athāto brahma jijñāsā. As it is stated in the Vedānta-sūtra, also in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā (SB 1.2.10). Human life means tattva-jijñāsā, inquiry about the Absolute Truth. But that is now stopped. People are not interested self-realization, tattva-jijñāsā.

So this is an attempt to revive their spiritual consciousness, and it is authorized on the basis of Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without misinterpretation, and people are taking to it. So it is India's culture, and if we distribute this knowledge systematically, there are departments, cultural departments. So the things are there. If we cooperate, government and the public, then we can give to the whole world something which is very substantial. And there is no difficulty. The things are there, Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and this is our movement.

Now if you have got any question, you can ask.

Interviewer (1): (indistinct) . . . from the West and not from India itself?

Prabhupāda: India is already there, but you have kindly suppressed them. Bhagavad-gītā is there, but are you preaching Bhagavad-gītā? Why you don't preach this great science? Why you are disinterested? Answer this question.

Interviewer (1): But who has to preach?

Prabhupāda: You have to preach, because you are born in India.

Interviewer (2): But you yourself didn't preach it here. First you went to USA.

Prabhupāda: Yes, it is preaching. But the thing is that it is not in India, not outside India. But it is the duty of every Indian to do it. I tried to preach it, begin it from India, but nobody joined. Still they are not joining. What can I do?

Interviewer (3): But how to make the people realize the importance of Bhagavad-gītā?

Prabhupāda: If you don't realize, here is Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Bhagavad-gītā was spoken in India. If you don't take interest, who can induce you? If you don't take interest at all, those who are preaching Bhagavad-gītā, they are making different interpretation.

Interviewer (3): I am a layman. I do not know the importance . . .

Prabhupāda: You are not a layman, you are a representative of paper.

Interviewer (2): He doesn't mean that he's a layman, but suppose he is a layman . . .

Prabhupāda: Layman, he must go to a person who is experienced.

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
(BG 4.34)

This is the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. If you are layman you must go to a person who has seen the truth. If you remain at home, then how you can see?

Page Title:If you are layman you must go to a person who has seen the truth. If you remain at home, then how you can see
Compiler:BhavesvariRadhika
Created:2023-01-20, 11:08:01
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1