In the Bhagavad-gita it is recommended, acarya upasanam: "One must approach acarya." Acaryavan puruso veda. Simply by speculating, by so-called scholarship, it is not possible

Expressions researched:
"in the Bhagavad-gītā it is recommended, ācārya upāsanam: "One must approach ācārya." Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. Simply by speculating, by so-called scholarship, it is not possible"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

First of all, Kṛṣṇa spoke this Kṛṣṇa consciousness science to the sun god, and the sun god Vivasvān explained it to his son, Manu. And Manu explained to his son Ikṣvāku. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). So this science is understood by the paramparā disciplic succession. So as we have understood by the paramparā system from my Guru Mahārāja, so any of my student who will understand, he will keep it running on. This is the process. It is not a new thing. It is the old thing. Simply we have to distribute it properly, as we have heard from our predecessor ācārya. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is recommended, ācārya upāsanam: "One must approach ācārya." Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. Simply by speculating, by so-called scholarship, it is not possible. It is not possible. One must approach the ācārya.

721210 - Lecture BG 18.67 - Ahmedabad

Prabhupāda: So mama vartmānuvartante means that just like on the top of . . . just like there are so many skyscraper buildings in America. A hundred and five stories, I think that is the latest. So suppose you have to go to the topmost flat. There is staircase. So everyone is trying to go there. But someone has passed, say, ten steps.Another had passed, say, fifty steps. Another has hundred steps. But you have to complete, say, two thousand steps. So the staircase is the same. Mama vartmānuvartante. Because the aim is to go to the topmost flat. But the one who has passed ten steps, he is lower than one who has passed fifty steps. And the one who has passed fifty steps, he's lower than who has passed hundred steps.So similarly, there are different processes. But all the processes are not the same. They're aiming at the same goal, karma, jñāna, yoga, bhakti, but bhakti is the highest step. Because when you come to the platform of bhakti, then you can understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Not by karma, jñāna, yoga.That is not possible. You are trying, you are going towards that aim, but Kṛṣṇa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. He does not say: "By jñāna, by karma, by yoga." No. That you cannot understand. You can go forward, steps. But if you want to know Kṛṣṇa, then bhakti. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). This is the process.Therefore mama vartmānuvartante means, "Everyone is trying to come to Me, according to their capacity, ability. But one who actually wants to understand Me, the simple process . . ." Just like the staircase is there, but—not in this country, in Europe and American countries—side by side there is lift, elevator. So instead of going step by step to the highest flat, you take the help of this lift, you go immediately, within a second.So if you take the lift of bhakti, then immediately you come in contact with Kṛṣṇa directly, instead of going by step by step by step. Why should you take? Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66): "You simply surrender unto Me. Your business is finished." Why should you labor so much, step by step by step by step by . . .? (break)Indian man (4): . . . is, what about the statement: jñānī tv ātmaivam eva tvam?Prabhupāda: Yes. That jñānī does not mean nirbheda-brahmānusandhanaḥ. Jñānī . . . without jñāna, how one can become bhakta? Because the result of jñāna is to become brahma-bhūtaḥ. So those who are taking bhakti as sentiment, they may fall down. Sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ. Prākṛta-bhakta means sentiment. But jñānī-bhakta, one who becomes a devotee, knowing Kṛṣṇa, what He is, he's very important.Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, someone has written the question that, "Who will carry on this movement after you?"Prabhupāda: Who is asking me, he'll do it. (laughter) (break)Indian man (5): Mahārāja, can I ask my godly Gurudeva that what is your plan to carry again, to push your movement after you, that it would be after Śrī Bhaktivedanta Prabhu, to keep this ladder of . . . keep this ladder held up: . . . (indistinct) . . . Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa.Prabhupāda: That is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā:imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁproktavān aham avyayamvivasvān manave prāhamanur ikṣvākave 'bravīt(BG 4.1)First of all, Kṛṣṇa spoke this Kṛṣṇa consciousness science to the sun god, and the sun god Vivasvān explained it to his son, Manu. And Manu explained to his son Ikṣvāku. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). So this science is understood by the paramparā disciplic succession. So as we have understood by the paramparā system from my Guru Mahārāja, so any of my student who will understand, he will keep it running on. This is the process.It is not a new thing. It is the old thing. Simply we have to distribute it properly, as we have heard from our predecessor ācārya. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is recommended, ācārya upāsanam: "One must approach ācārya." Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. Simply by speculating, by so-called scholarship, it is not possible. It is not possible. One must approach the ācārya.So the ācārya is coming by paramparā system, disciplic succession. Therefore Kṛṣṇa recommends, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34): "One should approach the ācārya and try to understand by praṇipāta, surrender." This whole thing is depending on surrender. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. The surrender process, the proportion of surrender, is the means of understanding Kṛṣṇa. If we are fully surrendered, then we can understand fully Kṛṣṇa. If we are partially surrendered, then we understand Kṛṣṇa partially.So ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. It is the proportion of surrender. The one who has surrendered fully, he can understand this philosophy and he can preach also, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. What is that? (break)Indian man (5): I want to ask you one more question. (break)Prabhupāda: Anyone can become perfect in his own position simply if he receives this transcendental message by proper aural reception. Śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ (SB 10.14.3) . . . (break) . . . five thousand years, Kṛṣṇa says forty millions of years, He spoke . . .Indian man (6): Forty millions of years, but as it is, Gītā was made to Arjuna five thousand years back. And so before five thousand years back, who was that surrendering? . . . (indistinct) . . . says that there may be five million years. That is what they say. Even today, you say or I say, then the world, ten million years back. That doesn't solve the problem. The problem is that Gītā was written or dictated or recited for the human about five thousand years back. So what was there before five thousand years back? Was there Kṛṣṇa consciousness?Prabhupāda: Was, yes.