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Pariprasna means

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Paripraśnena means by sincere inquiries. Not only surrender, you must be intelligent enough to inquire.
Lecture on BG 4.24-34 -- New York, August 12, 1966:

So here also the same thing recommended by Lord Kṛṣṇa, that praṇipāta. First of all, you have to find out a bona fide spiritual master, and then you should surrender unto him. This is the first process. Praṇipātena paripraśnena. Paripraśnena means by sincere inquiries. Not only surrender, you must be intelligent enough to inquire. Not that when something is heard, and there is no question. No. There must be some question. Paripraśnena and sevayā. So surrender, inquiry, and sevā, service.

Paripraśna means inquiry. Without inquiry, you cannot make advance.
Lecture on BG 4.34 -- New York, August 14, 1966:

Here also, Kṛṣṇa advises that "If you have to learn," say, for Bhagavad-gītā, "then you have to go to a person where you can surrender." Not only surrender, not blindly surrender. You must be able to inquire. Paripraśna. The next qualification is paripraśna. Paripraśna means inquiry. Without inquiry, you cannot make advance. Just like a student in the school who inquires from the teacher, he's very intelligent. Even a boy, a child, if he inquires from the father, "Oh, father, what is this? What is this?" that child is very intelligent. Very intelligent. So inquiry is required, not only praṇipāta... "Oh, I have found out a very good spiritual master, very learned and very good, saw. All right. I have surrendered. Then all my business finished." No.

Paripraśna means inquiry on the point, and that inquiry should be sevā.
Lecture on BG 4.34 -- New York, August 14, 1966:
You may have a very good spiritual master, but if you have no power to inquire, then you cannot make progress. Inquiries must be there. But inquiry, how inquiry? Not to challenge. Inquiry, not that "Oh, I shall see what kind of spiritual master he is. Let me challenge him and put some irrelevant questions and talk nonsensically, this way and that way." Oh, that will not make... Inquiry on the point. Paripraśna means inquiry on the point, and that inquiry should be sevā. Sevā means service. Not that "Oh, I have inquired so many things from such and such person. Oh, I have not rendered any payment or any service, so I have gained." No. Without service, your inquiry will be futile. So three things here. Praṇipāta, paripraśna and sevā. Praṇipāta. Praṇipāta means you must have the qualification to, at least to find out a person who is actually qualified to give you real instruction. That you have to do. That remains on you.
Paripraśna means to inquire, and sevayā means service.
Lecture on BG 4.34-38 -- New York, August 17, 1966:

If we can find out such a person who is experienced in the Absolute Truth, and if we follow the principles, as it is stated here, praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā. Praṇipāta means to surrender, and paripraśna means to inquire, and sevayā means service. Three things. You should find out a person who is self-realized, who has experience in the Absolute Truth, and, on your part, you have to surrender there, and you have to inquire, and you have to render service. When these things are completed, there is no doubt about one's spiritual salvation.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Paripraśnena means inquiry.
Lecture on SB 7.7.30-31 -- Mombassa, September 12, 1971:

Therefore, what is that guru? Bhagavad-gītā also says, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). Paripraśnena. Paripraśnena means inquiry. Ādau gurv-āśrayam, sad-dharma-pṛcchā. To accept a guru means to inquire from him about spiritual life, about transcendental situation. Not that fashion, "Oh, I have met a guru and he lives 300 miles away, I have no connection, no call for him(?)." No. Why the... The student should be very much inquisitive to learn, because accepting a guru is necessary for a person who is very much inquisitive to learn about the spiritual world. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Those who are not inquisitive to learn about the spiritual world, to learn about God, they need not keep a guru as a fashion, there is no need.

Paripraśna means when you cannot understand, you must place, "Sir, I cannot understand this portion." This is the process.
Lecture on SB 7.7.29-31 -- San Francisco, March 15, 1967, (incomplete lecture):

You have to select such a spiritual master that you can surrender there. If you think, "Oh, this, this swamijī or the spiritual master is less intelligent than me or less educated than me or less in so many ways," then you cannot select a spiritual master. You have to select another person where you will find that "Here is a mind, here is man where I can surrender. Yes, he is greater than me in so many respects. Therefore I can surrender." This is called praṇipāt. So selection of spiritual master means first of all you must agree that "Here is a personality where I can bow down my head, yes." Everyone is proud. Why shall he bow down before a person unless he understands that "Here is a personality who is greater than me"? So this is the first condition, praṇipāt. Praṇipāt means prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa nipāt. You have to become blank slate: "Now, sir, whatever I have learned, oh, I forget. It is now blank slate. Now you write whatever you like." This is the first condition. Praṇipātena, and sevayā. Sevayā means service. So because the service is wanting, so one has to serve the spiritual master. It is indicated that even if you are the greatest personality, you have to approach and serve the spiritual master just like ordinary menial servant. Menial servant. If the spiritual master says, "My dear boy, you just cleanse my shoes," or any, I mean to say, abominable, oh, he'll be ready. This is called sevayā. And praṇipātena, sevayā. Praṇipātena..., paripraśnena and sevayā. Paripraśna means when you cannot understand, you must place, "Sir, I cannot understand this portion." This is the process.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Paripraśna means question.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.105 -- New York, July 11, 1976:

So Sanātana Gosvāmī is guru. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is authorizing him to become guru. This is paramparā system. Nobody can become guru all of a sudden. Self-made guru, that is not guru. Here Caitanya, er, Sanātana Gosvāmī is presented as the disciple, ideal disciple. He is asking, ke āmi kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya, process how to approach guru, how to ask him question. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena (BG 4.34). Paripraśna means question. That is also required. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu is authorizing him. Therefore He says, kṛṣṇa-śakti dhara tumi (CC Madhya 20.105). Here Kṛṣṇa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is authorizing Sanātana Gosvāmī. Unless he has got the power to receive the instruction, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is not going to waste His time. He has the power. He is empowered. Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is that to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. So He is empowering Sanātana Gosvāmī to take this task and spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. There is... You'll find in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta the verse, kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe nāma pracāraṇa. Without being empowered by Kṛṣṇa, nobody can preach the holy name of the Lord. Kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe nāma pracāraṇa. So without getting the power of attorney... Just like even one is qualified lawyer, he must get the power of attorney from his client, and then he can speak. That is the law. Similarly, without being endowed with the power of attorney from Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible to preach.

Page Title:Pariprasna means
Compiler:Rishab, Serene
Created:31 of Oct, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=7, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:7