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Not know what is God (Lectures, BG)

Expressions researched:
"cannot know what he is or what the Lord is" |"not know what is god" |"not know what is the supreme personality of godhead"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.20 -- London, July 17, 1973:

There is no difficulty. Simply one must be sincere, not sinful. But a sinful man cannot understand Him. The sinful man, he will say, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is also man. I am also man. Why I am not God? He is simply God? No, I am also. I am God. You are God, you are God, every God." Just like Vivekananda said, "Why you are searching after God? Don't you see so many gods are loitering in the street?" You see. This is his God realization. This is his God realization. And he became a big man: "Oh, he is seeing everyone God."

This foolishness, this rascaldom, is going on all over the world. One does not know what is God, what is power of God, what is meant by God. They are accepting some rascal as God. As nowadays, that is going on. Another rascal has come. He is also declaring himself God. So it has become very cheap thing. But they have no brain to think that "I am claiming God; what power I have got?"

Lecture on BG 1.21-22 -- London, July 18, 1973:

It is not so easy thing that "I do everything, whatever I like." Some rascals preach that "Oh, religion has nothing to do with your eating. You can eat anything you like, and still you become a religious man." This is all nonsense. Nobody can become religious man if he is attracted by sinful activities. It is not possible. You must stop sinful activities. That is first condition. Otherwise you cannot understand what there... People... Perhaps, in this Kṛṣṇa conscious, except this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, all rascals, they do not know what is God. They have no clear conception of God. Because they are sinful. We can give the name, address and everything of God, clear conception, not vague idea, "God may be like this, God may be like that." Why maybe? He is God.

Lecture on BG 1.23 -- London, July 19, 1973:

So what kind of religion? They accept dharma as religion, faith, a superfluous faith only. But that is not dharma, religion. Dharma means to abide by the orders of the Supreme. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). That is the meaning of dharma: obedience to God. There is no conception of God, and what to speak of obedience. But this is the simple meaning of religion: obedience to God. That's all, three words. God is the supreme proprietor, God is the maintainer... Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). Therefore we are maintained, we are predominated, we are servant, we should remain obedient to God. This is religion. Where is the difficulty? Unfortunately, they do not know what is God, what is His command, what is religion. They do not know. They manufacture. And because they do not know the simple process, they are called durbuddhi, not very nicely intelligent. A rascal, in other words.

In the Bhagavad-gītā it is plainly said, mūḍha. Mūḍha means asses, rascal. He does not know his own interest. He is called mūḍha, ass. Just like ass. Ass is whole day working with tons of cloth on his back, but he does not... Not a piece of cloth belongs to him. This is ass. And he is working so hard only for a morsel of grass, which is available everywhere. But he is thinking that "This gentleman, washerman, is giving me food." This is ass. Such food can be available anywhere and everywhere, but he is thinking like that and working so hard.

Lecture on BG 1.24-25 -- London, July 20, 1973:

That is the abode of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-dhāma. Kṛṣṇa-dhāma. People are searching after God. But actually there is the planet where God lives, Kṛṣṇa lives. But you have got your machine, aeroplane, sputnik. You can reach there, but you cannot reach even the highest planet, even on this material planet, material universe. Everyone sees. We see the stars or planets. Now you have got the machine; you go there. No. You cannot go. You are so limited. Even you cannot go to the moon planet, which is so nearest. You cannot go. But still, we are proud of our these airplanes, sputniks. We are thinking, "Now we have become God." These rascals they do not know what is God. They are all rascals. They have no idea what is God. Therefore they have accepted another rascal as God. This is going on. You cannot reach. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām, so 'pyasti yat prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve (Bs. 5.34). Śāstra gives you. Just like your material science also gives you information that there is one planet, highest planet, and one can go there by sputnik in forty thousands of years. So who is going to live forty thousand years to reach there? But they have got theoretically all these things. The highest planet. Material. That is not spiritual.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- New York, March 4, 1966:

You see? You'll find that in the Bhagavad-gītā, when Arjuna was convinced that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead... But because in future others will have doubt about Kṛṣṇa, he requested Kṛṣṇa that "Will You show me Your universal form?" And Kṛṣṇa agreed and showed him the universal form. That means in future any intelligent man, accepting a so-called God, may also ask him, "Just show something, that you are God." Without showing something, simply by false advertisement, one cannot be God. So whole mistake is that we do not know what is God. We consider God may be just like one of us. No. The God who is controlling such a huge affairs of universal administration, He cannot be, He is superconscious. That is superconsciousness.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Hyderabad, December 12, 1976:

Until one dies, the fighting will go on.

So yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam. This is the qualification of kṣatriya. So here it is said, Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa is chariot driver of Arjuna. So He says, janādhipāḥ. There were many kings. Different parts of the world, they joined. Janādhipāḥ, the leaders, when there is fight the leaders must come forward. And as soon as the leaders are killed, then it is victory, not by killing the soldiers or common men by atomic bomb. No. That was not fighting. So Kṛṣṇa says, na tu eva aham. Kṛṣṇa is individual person. God is person also. Vetti. The one who does not know what is God, they think impersonally, but God is person. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He appeared upon this earth as person, as the son of Vasudeva. He acted as person. The original God is person, not imperson. Imperson is a feature. Just like the sunshine. This is an imperson, but the sunshine is coming from the sun globe. That is local place, and within the sun globe there is sun god. He's person. He's not imperson. Similarly, the impersonal feature, brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11), Absolute Truth... The imperson is a feature of God, aṅga-jyoti. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). It is the bodily rays, impersonal Brahman. But God is person. Here He said that na tu eva aham. Aham means "I am person," jātu, "at any time," nāsam, "we are not annihilated." Na tu, na tvam: "You are also not annihilated." Because Arjuna is jīva, and Kṛṣṇa is God, so both of them are existing, part and parcel. Just like this sunshine. What is the sunshine? It is very small atomic particles of shining material. This is sunshine, combined together. Similarly, we are also a small particle of the rays, bodily rays of God. We are living entities, very minute particle. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7).

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 18, 1972:

So this class of men could not understand Kṛṣṇa, that He's the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the defect of the mūḍhas. They may be very great scholars, academic scholar, but in the matter of understanding God, they're mūḍhas, asses. Why? Māyayā apahṛta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ (BG 7.15). At the present moment, people are mostly āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Āsuri, āsuri bhāva means to defy God: "There is no God. God is dead. I am God. You are God. So many Gods are loitering in the street. Why you are finding out God?" These are so many statements. So God has become so cheap. There are so many incarnations of God, especially in India. It is a breeding ground of Gods, so many. So that is, means they do not know what is God. Mūḍha. They think God is so cheap thing. But from the śāstra we understand, from Bhagavad-gītā we understand... When Kṛṣṇa was asked by Arjuna, "How You are controlling the whole cosmology, Your vibhūti, Your power, energies?" So Kṛṣṇa explained, and the, at last, He concluded,

athavā bahunaitena
kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna
viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam
ekāṁśena sthito jagat
(BG 10.42)

"The whole cosmology, material world, is just sustained by My partial manifestation of energies." Ekāṁśena. This material cosmology, material manifestation, is one fourth demonstration of God's energy. The three-fourths manifestation of His energy is the spiritual world. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). There is another nature which is spiritual nature, para, superior.

Lecture on BG 2.16 -- Mexico City, February 16, 1975:

Prabhupāda: Have you got any understanding of God? Do you know what is God?

Mexican: Yes.

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Hṛdayānanda: (translating) It is the essence. He calls it some big thing, the essence.

Prabhupāda: "Some." That means he has to clear idea. You do not know what is God clearly. You say, "Some, this, that." That is not clear idea. So how you can understand the part and parcel of God if you do not know what is God? How you can understand what is part and parcel of God?

Hṛdayānanda: He's saying that God is love, and therefore we should love each other.

Prabhupāda: So that we are preaching, that we are... Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu, see everyone on the equal level and love.

Mexican: Thank you.

Prabhupāda: That's all.

Hṛdayānanda: (break) (translating) ...happens after death, where do we pick up?

Prabhupāda: That we have explained that you have to accept another body. And there are 8,400,000 different forms of body. And you will be awarded one of the bodies out of the 8,400,000. The body is awarded according to your karma or action. We are acting in three modes of material nature. Some of them are acting in goodness, some of them are acting in passion, and some of them are acting in ignorance. So there are three different modes of activities. Now, when you mix up three, three into three, it becomes nine. And again if you multiply nine by nine, it becomes eighty-one. So it increases in so subtle division of the mixture of the three qualities. Just like the painter. He knows how to mix the three original color, namely blue, yellow and red.

Lecture on BG 2.16 -- Mexico City, February 16, 1975:

Hṛdayānanda: (break) (translating) ...take that maybe religion is simply imagination or a big business.

Prabhupāda: Yes, if there is no right information, it is something like that. (break) We should try to understand what is religion. Religion means the law of God. Just like law means the rulings given by the state, that is law, similarly, religion means the rulings given by God. But if one does not know what is God, then how he can accept what is His ruling? Therefore anyone who has got very scanty knowledge of God, that kind of religion is also scanty. That is the definition in the Vedic literature. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam: (SB 6.3.19) "Dharma, or religion, means the codes or the law given by God." And the Bhagavad-gītā, the same ruling is given, law, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You give up all types of man-made religion; you simply surrender unto Me." Therefore the conclusion is religion means to surrender to God. So one who is fully surrendered to God, he is religionist. (end)

Lecture on BG 4.1-2 -- Columbus, May 9, 1969:

Prabhupāda: Thousands and thousands of times Kṛṣṇa appeared on this world, but He remembers everything. And I cannot remember about my childhood. So how can I become one with Kṛṣṇa? These Māyāvādī philosophers, they are declaring that "I am God." How you can? What is your qualification that you become God? God is not so cheap thing. People have taken it that "Everyone can become God. Every one of us God." This is another illusion, another māyā, because we do not know what is God. Here is God. He says that "Many, many millions of years ago I spoke to sun-god. I remember it." This is God. Simple truth. This is the proof that He is God. Read the explanation, purport. "In the Brahma-saṁhitā..." Read it.

Pradyumna: Oh. "In the Brahma-saṁhitā we have information of many, many incarnations of the Lord. It is stated there, 'I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, who is the original person, absolute, infallible, without beginning, although expanded into unlimited forms, still the same, original, the oldest, and the person always appearing as a fresh youth."

Lecture on BG 4.1-6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1969:

If I ask you just exactly at this time what you were doing last evening, you will have to remember. You have forgotten. And what to speak of one week ago or one year ago? That is our nature, forgetfulness.

So here Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa, although they are on the level of friendship, one is God and another is ordinary living entity. God does not forget; living entity forgets. That is the distinction. How you can say that you are God? You are so forgetful that you cannot say what you were doing a few hours before, and you claiming that you are God? They have made God as very cheap thing. Everyone is claiming, "I am God." They do not know what is God.

Now, here try to understand what is the difference between God and dog. A dog forgets. A dog comes to your place to eat something. You give it a slap. He goes away, again comes. He forgets that slapping. You see? That is the dog's nature. And God's nature is different.

Lecture on BG 4.3 -- Bombay, March 23, 1974:

Just like law is given by the state, by the government. You cannot manufacture law. I have repeatedly said. Law is made by the government. Similarly, religion is made by God. If you accept God's religion, then that is religion. And what is God's religion? (aside:) If you stand, you come stand here. Other people are seeing. God's religion is... You'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is God's religion. "You give up all these nonsense religions. You become a devotee, a surrendered soul unto Me." That is religion.

One who does not know what is God, one who does not know how to surrender to Him, he's not religious. Any religion without the conception of God, without knowledge of God, without knowing the surrendering process, that is called, described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as "cheating religion." Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra. The so-called religious system, which is cheating only, that kind of religion is completely thrown away, kicked out. Because religion means to develop your dormant love for God, or to execute the laws of God. That is... The laws of God is, (as) Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). And how to achieve that? That also Kṛṣṇa says: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Four principles only. "Always think of Me." Hare Kṛṣṇa. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then you're remembering Kṛṣṇa. Man-manāḥ. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa... This is the religion; at least, of this age.

Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:

That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Any person who is thinking that by merging, or one who has already merged into the brahma-jyotir, he has become liberated. Bhāgavata says that is not intelligence, what to speak of liberation. He says ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. Vimukta-māninaḥ means he is simply falsely thinking that he is liberated. Māninaḥ. Just like you think yourself, just like so many rascals, he is thinking, "I am God," you see. "I am God."

So this is only thinking. Actually they do not know what is God. Otherwise they would not have dared to say that "I am God." They do not know the meaning of God. You see. Therefore they are less intelligent. They are thinking, "I am merged into the..." Just like the rabbit. The rabbit when he is faced with some enemy he closes his eyes. He thinks, "Now I am safe." (laughter) The rascal animal thinks that he is safe now. "I cannot see the enemy."

Just like a child. When there is something fearful the child, it is nature, closes the eyes. I have practical experience. When I was young man I went to the zoo with my little son and as soon as there was a tiger cage, oh, the child closed the eyes. Yes. He could not bear the vicious sight. This is natural.

Similarly, these impersonalists they are closing their eyes. That's all. Just like voidists, they are also doing that. "Now I have become free by smoking or by gāñjā eating, drinking, or smoking." You see? These things are simply false imagination. Therefore they are less intelligent. They are not intelligent. Bhāgavata says ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. They are self-complacent that "I have become free, liberated," this and that. But actually their intelligence is very contaminated.

Lecture on BG 4.34-39 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1969:

These are absurd thing. Suppose if you are not qualified, how you can see things? Suppose if you have never seen what is ten dollar note, then, if you ask somebody, "Can you give me ten dollar note?" and if he gives you one piece of paper, "Yes, it is $10 note," then are you not cheated? You must know what is $10 note. Otherwise you'll be satisfied with a paper, piece of paper. That's all. If you do not know God, then how you can see God?

You have to check it. You go to a market place. You buy something. Suppose you buy, purchase one knife. You know what is knife. It must be a sharpened instrument. You see how it is cutting. You test it. So suppose if you go on to somebody to see God, how you'll test it if you do not know what is God? Then he will give you, supply you, deliver you one dog, and you understand, "This is God." So what is your testing power? At least, you must have some theoretical knowledge what is God. So these things are going on, absurd things. You must know what is God.

Just like here the Bhagavad-gītā is the description, what is God, how He is creating. You know that God has created this world. Now, here there is description how He creates. So such inquiries, such spiritual master, is overcrowded, but you have, if you are sincere, then you have to find out some spiritual master, bona fide spiritual master, who knows about the science of God. Then you try to see God. Otherwise you'll be cheated.

Somebody says, "Oh, everyone is God." Oh, he becomes puffed-up: "I am also God." But what you know about God? You are thinking, "My spiritual master has said that I am God." But you should not inquire that "How I become God?" We learn from scripture, God has created this material universe. Oh, what I have created? And still I am puffed-up—"I am God"? So this cheating business is going on. So these are absurd. Absurd inquiries are condemned herewith. Yes. One must approach to the real spiritual master in submission. Inquire from him by rendering service. Then, gradually, you learn the science.

Lecture on BG 4.39-42 -- Los Angeles, January 14, 1969:

Prabhupāda: Yes. That I have already explained, that our relationship with God is that I am infinitesimal, and He is infinite. This is knowledge. I am very small, and He is very great. "God is great." That is definition of every theistic man. So I cannot be equal with God. This is transcendental knowledge.

But unfortunately, we are declaring, "I am God." This is insanity. How you can be God? Do you know what is God? Because you do not know what is God, therefore you are claiming that "I am God." What you have done? What is your testimonial that you are God? Simply by declaring "I am God," you become God? This is no knowledge, less intelligent, no knowledge about God. This is knowledge that God is great. God is infinite. I am finite. I am infinitesimal. That is knowledge. Yes?

Madhudviṣa: Then realization of the impersonal feature of the Absolute wouldn't be classified as a spiritual activity?

Prabhupāda: Well, impersonalists, they have no spiritual activities practically. They have got some ritualistic performances to come to the platform of negativing this material condition. Just like to find out...

Just like you take milk. So you have to find out where the butter is there. So if you know the process, then you can find out the butter. But if you do not know the process, you can say, "Oh, this is simply milk. Where is butter?" You must know the process.

Lecture on BG 6.6-12 -- Los Angeles, February 15, 1969:

You have to purify your senses and you have to wait for the time when God will be pleased to reveal Himself before you. That is the process. You cannot challenge. "Oh my dear God, my dear Kṛṣṇa, please come. I shall see you." No, God is not your order supplier, your servant. So when He'll be pleased, you'll see.

So our process is how to please Him so that He will be revealed to me. That is real process. You cannot, therefore they are mistaking a nonsense God. Because they cannot see God, anybody says that "I am God," are accepted. But they do not know what is God. Somebody says that "I am searching after the truth." But you must know what is the truth. Otherwise how you will search out truth? Suppose if you want to purchase gold. You must theoretically know, or at least some experience what is gold. Otherwise people will cheat you. So these people are being cheated, accepting so many rascals as God. Because they do not know what is God. Anyone comes, "Oh, I am God," and the rascal—he is rascal, and the man who says that "I am God," he's also rascal. So rascal society and one rascal is accepted God. God is not like that. One has to qualify himself to see God, to understand God. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). If you engage yourself in the service of the Lord, then you'll be qualified to see God. Otherwise it is not possible. Go on.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 13, 1972:

That's all. So both should be combined. Religion based on philosophy and logic, that is religion. So that combination is Bhagavad-gītā. So here in the Seventh Chapter, beginning, opening chapter, it is said, bhagavān uvāca. You are searching after God. Now here is God Himself speaking. So recognized God by all sages: Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Asita. And later on by Rāmānujācārya, by Śaṅkarācārya, by Madhvācārya, by Viṣṇu Svāmī, by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and then our Guru Mahārāja. So our method is very simple: evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). So we accept this paramparā system. I may not know what is God, but because my predecessors, ācāryas, confirm it, the "Here is Bhagavān," we accept it. That's all. We save so much trouble by mental speculation. We accept the paramparā system. Therefore... And we get the result. So that is the way.

Now, here, not only the paramparā system... The paramparā system begins from Kṛṣṇa. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Fourth Chapter: imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam: (BG 4.1) "I spoke first to the sun-god." It is not said, "First." Many times He has said to many predominating deities. But in this era... This is called the age of Vaivasvata Manu. There are fourteen Manus in one day of Brahmā. So Vaivasvata Manu is the eighth Manu. That means we are passing through the midday of this era, manvantara. There is fourteen Manus in one day of Brahmā, and this era is called Vaivasvata Manu, because he is the son of Vivasvān. And that Vivasvān is given reference in the Fourth Chapter: imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1).

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 13, 1972:

One should try to learn how to love Kṛṣṇa. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). That is first class. And tad, īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca, prema, prema, love for Kṛṣṇa, and maitrī, and to make friendship with the devotees. Prema-maitrī. And kṛpā: those who are innocent, one should be merciful. The devotee should be merciful, just to awaken their Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And dviṣatsu ca upekṣāḥ: and those who are envious, they should be rejected. These four classes... To try to love Kṛṣṇa, to make friendship with devotees, and to give some service to the innocent public who does not know what is God, and those who are envious, asuras, they should be rejected. The madhyama-adhikārī should not touch the demons. Because maybe, he may turn again, be demon. Therefore one should be very careful to associate with the demons.

But when one becomes uttama-adhikārī, mahā-bhāgavata, he does not see anyone as demon. He sees, "Everyone is worshiping Kṛṣṇa. I am not worshiping." This is mahā-bhāgavata. Just like Rādhārāṇī. Rādhārāṇī always feels that "I do not know how to love Kṛṣṇa. Oh, he, here is a gopī. How she loves Kṛṣṇa." That is Her... This is called mahā-bhāva. So we should not imitate Rādhārāṇī. Caitanya Mahāprabhu... Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He's the symbol of Rādhārāṇī's mahā-bhāva. He says that "I do not love Kṛṣṇa. I do not know how to love Kṛṣṇa." Then if you, somebody, if somebody says, "Then why You are crying?" "Well, that is a show. I am making a show. I am crying." Then what is the symptom? "The symptom is that if I would have loved Kṛṣṇa, then without Him I have died long, long ago. I should have died. I am living still without Kṛṣṇa; that means I do not love Kṛṣṇa." This is mahā-bhāgavata-bhāva, separation.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, January 13, 1973:

Yajña, yajña means to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To satisfy. But we do not know... Our culture is meant to... We do not know what is Supreme Personality of Godhead. We do not know what is God. Everything forgotten. If there is, we speak about God, they think that "These people have become crazy. They are, in this modern civilization, talking of God. What is this nonsense?" This is the position. But that is not the fact. God is there. God is there. God is personally canvassing here, Kṛṣṇa. How you can say God is not there? God is there. God must be there. Otherwise, how things are going on? Just like because you are within this body, although you cannot see yourself. We cannot see ourself, where I am in this body. But I am in this body. As soon as I go away from this body, this body's useless. Not even worth farthing. The such nice brain, such nice dress, such nice activity, as soon as I go away, I leave this body... Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As I leave this body and accept another body, this body's useless, immediately. Similarly you are seeing the whole cosmic manifestation, the gigantic body of this material world. So there is something, soul. Just like in this body, there is soul. Similarly this gigantic body has got a soul. That is God. How you can deny it?

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Paris, June 13, 1974:

We have proposed to publish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in sixty volumes, but we have published only fourteen. But still, the big, big professors, they are giving us order, forward order, for all the sixty volumes. As soon as scholarly people, they read these books, they'll welcome this movement all over the world. Is that all right, or any more? Any more questions?

Translator: She would like to know if our religion can bring something more than the other religions.

Prabhupāda: There is one religion. One who knows God, he is religious. One who does not know God, that religion has no meaning. Religion means to understand the order of God. That is religion. But if you do not know what is God, and how you can hear His order? So religion without understanding God philosophically and logically is sentiment. And philosophy without understanding of God is mental speculation. So when philosophy and religious sentiments combine, that is called religion. Otherwise, it is not religion.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- London, March 10, 1975:

He is the richest. He is the richest. And why He can, He will be daridra? The argument is forwarded that "God is in everyone's heart; therefore everyone is God." What is this argument? Everyone's heart, God is there. God said, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Where God says that because īśvara, the Supreme Being, is situated in everyone's heart, therefore everyone is God? What is this argument? Where Kṛṣṇa says that because īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61), therefore everyone is God? Is that very sound argument?

So this is going on. They do not know what is God, and still, there are so many incarnations of God. And foolish people accept that "Here is an incarnation of God." He does not know what is God, and he accepts, "Here is incarnation." We do not do so. If there is incarnation of God... That is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Their activities are mentioned, wonderful activities. We accept Lord Rāmacandra as God, Lord Kṛṣṇa as God, Caitanya Mahāprabhu as God, because They are mentioned in the śāstras, all the incarnations, even this age. One may say that "Lord Rāmacandra is accepted God, Lord Kṛṣṇa is also accepted, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is the greatest devotee of God, but..." There are some persons in the Nimbārka-sampradāya, they put this argument. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu's name is there in the śāstra, many Upaniṣads, especially in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that in the Kali-yuga this incarnation of God should be worshiped. What is that description?

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:

If there is no sugar, it will remain neutral. Similarly, there is test paper. What is that test? That test is, Kṛṣṇa says, the supreme authority says, that na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Prapadyante narādhamāḥ. Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ āsuriṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. So anyone who is not surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, he must be duṣkṛtinaḥ. Duṣkṛtinaḥ means he has got brain, but his brain is being utilized for sinful activities. So duṣkṛtinaḥ, mūḍhāḥ, and rascal who does not know anything—what is God, what I am, what is this world—he's a rascal. He's animal. Mūḍhāḥ means ass. As ass does not know what is God, what I am, what is this world, what is our relationship, what is this universe, nothing, no knowledge—mūḍhāḥ—and narādhamāḥ, narādhamāḥ means human being is especially meant for understanding this philosophical aspect of life, but one does not care. He is simply acting where to eat, where to sleep and where to get woman, and that's all. That's his business. This is mūḍhāḥ. This is the business of hogs and dogs. So therefore, mūḍhāḥ, duṣkṛtinaḥ, narādhamāḥ, these description was there.

So our test is there. If one is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, then he must be within these division: narādhamāḥ, mūḍhāḥ, duṣkṛtinaḥ, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. And one who has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, then what he is? Aahh, sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. Sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ.

Lecture on BG 9.5 -- Melbourne, April 24, 1976:

So last verse we have discussed. Kṛṣṇa said... When we speak, "Kṛṣṇa," you should understand "Kṛṣṇa" means God, the Supreme Being. "Kṛṣṇa," the etymological meaning is "the all-attractive." Without being all-attractive there is no meaning of God. It is not that God is attractive only to certain class of men. No. God is attractive for all classes of men, unless he is animal. Animal does not know what is God and what is the attraction of God. He does not know. But human being, in the human society, at least in the civilized human society there is a certain idea of God. Either you follow Christianity or Vedic principle of Mohammedan religion or even Buddha religion, there is conception of God. There is an attempt to understand God. That is human society. Therefore, according to the capability or country and the people, the conception of God may be a little different from one another. But the attraction for God is there. There is no doubt about it. So God appears in three fundamental features: brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate.

Lecture on BG 9.11 -- Calcutta, June 30, 1973:

That is being done. Although Kṛṣṇa is in Goloka Vṛndāvana, He has nothing to do... Why God has something to do? Then what kind of God He is? Here we see practically a big man, a big minister, a big prime minister or president, he is also sitting, giving direction. He has nothing to do. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa also, He has nothing to do. Kṛṣṇa is enjoying. Just like you see Kṛṣṇa's form, He is enjoying with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. He has nothing to do. That is confirmed in the Vedic literature: na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Why God should be busy doing something?

So paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ. They do not know what is God. Although God is appearing before them. We have got the name of God, the fame of God, the pastimes of God, the demonstration of His different energies of God. Everything is there. Still, we are searching after God, and unfortunately we are manufacturing a man-god. Therefore we are mūḍhas. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Here is God, accepted by all ācāryas. Not that by sentiment. There are ācāryas in India. Actually, practically, our whole civilization is guided by the ācāryas. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. We have to accept ācārya.

Page Title:Not know what is God (Lectures, BG)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:22 of Dec, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=24, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:24