Power to understand

Expressions researched:
"power to understand"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 2.12, Purport: Lord Caitanya has forbidden us to read commentations made by the Māyāvādīs and warns that one who takes to such an understanding of the Māyāvādī philosophy loses all power to understand the real mystery of the Gītā. If individuality refers to the empirical universe, then there is no need of teaching by the Lord. The plurality of the individual soul and of the Lord is an eternal fact, and it is confirmed by the Vedas as above mentioned.

Persons who are everlastingly fooled by lust and desire lose all power to understand.

BG 15.9, Purport: As a result, he is suffering different kinds of happiness and distress, under the illusion of sense enjoyment. Persons who are everlastingly fooled by lust and desire lose all power to understand their change of body and their stay in a particular body. They cannot comprehend it. Those who have developed spiritual knowledge, however, can see that the spirit is different from the body and is changing its body and enjoying in different ways.

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 3

Intelligence is the discriminating power to understand an object, and it helps the senses make choices.

SB 3.26.29, Purport: Intelligence is the discriminating power to understand an object, and it helps the senses make choices. Therefore intelligence is supposed to be the master of the senses. The perfection of intelligence is attained when one becomes fixed in the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By the proper use of intelligence one's consciousness is expanded, and the ultimate expansion of consciousness is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

SB Canto 7

Everyone must learn the Vedic literatures according to their capability and power to understand.

SB 7.12.13-14, Purport: To study the Vedas and understand them, of course, requires some special intelligence, but the members of the three higher sections of society—namely the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas—must learn the Vedic literatures according to their capability and power to understand.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Madhya-lila

Who has the power to understand the transcendental pastimes of the Lord?

CC Madhya 17.54, Translation: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave even the Bheels an opportunity to chant the holy name and come to the platform of ecstatic love. Thus He delivered all of them. Who has the power to understand the transcendental pastimes of the Lord?

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Becoming so powerful, tiger has no power to understand what he is or what is the perfection of life.

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- London, August 4, 1971: That inquiry is possible in the human form of life. The tiger has got body and a man has got body. Tiger may be very powerful, a man may be very weak, but there is a great distinction between the tiger and the man. Because tiger, becoming so powerful, he has no power to understand what he is or what is the perfection of life. But a human being, although he may be very feeble and very weak than the tiger, he has got the developed consciousness to understand what is perfection of life and what he is. That is the distinction.

This special power to understand Kṛṣṇa, if it is misused for other purposes, he is narādhama.

Lecture on BG 7.11-13 -- Bombay, April 5, 1971: An animal hasn't got the chance to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. I cannot call animal, cats and dogs, in this meeting. That is impossible, because they have no chance. But we can call, we can hold a meeting amongst the human beings for discussing Kṛṣṇa because they have got the special power to understand. This special power to understand Kṛṣṇa, if it is misused for other purposes, he is narādhama. He got the chance of human being, but he has become degraded on account of his unwillingness to take Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

"Everything belongs to God"—that we cannot believe or neither we have got the power to understand it.

Lecture on SB 3.28.20 -- Nairobi, October 30, 1975: We cannot see God by this blunt, materialistic eyes. Materialistic eyes means everything we think in the, with reference to our sense gratification. That is materialistic eyes. "Everything belongs to God"—that we cannot believe or neither we have got the power to understand it. Kṛṣṇa says, God says, sarva-loka-maheśvaram: [Bg. 5.29] "Everything belongs to Me."

Sri Isopanisad Lectures

Therefore in the present situation or the civilization they have become godless, because naturally they have no power to understand God, neither they are guided by some persons who can make them understand what is God.

Lecture on Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, April 29, 1970: The knowledge is received from the superior ācāryas. Brahma-saṁhitā: veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam [Bs. 5.30]. The description is there. So God realization, if you follow that... Immediately, by your blunt senses, either God, His form, His name, His quality, His paraphernalia cannot be perceived. The present senses are blunt. Therefore in the present situation or the civilization they have become godless, because naturally they have no power to understand God, neither they are guided by some persons who can make them understand what is God. Therefore people are becoming godless, atheist. But if you read all these Vedic literatures under superior guidance, if you follow the rules and regulation, then svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. God will be revealed unto you.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

If I say to the dog that "You are not this body, you are spirit soul, you are eternal," he has no power to understand.

Arrival Address -- Paris, August 11, 1975: And that is the perfection of human form of life. A dog cannot understand. If I say to the dog that "You are not this body, you are spirit soul, you are eternal," he has no power to understand. And a human being can understand. He has got the capacity. So we are trying to educate all people, all nations of the world to understand this one verse, that's all. Na jāyate vā mriyate vā kadācit. If he simply understands this one verse, he immediately becomes liberated.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

This is animal conception. You cannot teach these pigeons that "You are spirit soul. Your body's different from you." They will, they have no power to understand.

Morning Walk -- December 9, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: An animal does not know that there is soul and the soul is transmigrating from one body to another. This is animal conception. You cannot teach these pigeons that "You are spirit soul. Your body's different from you." They will, they have no power to understand. So if a human being cannot understand, what is the difference between these pigeons and cats and dogs and him? Then basic principle is wrong. Just like in mathematical calculation, if at one point you have mistaken, then will that be correct ever?

Śrī means beauty, and la means līlā. So "one who is invested with both beauty and the power to understand the līlā of Kṛṣṇa." [break] Aśoka's mother came to see me in Bombay.

Morning Walk -- December 21, 1973, Los Angeles:

Guest (1): Prabhupāda, what is the meaning of the word Śrīla?

Prabhupāda: Śrīla is... just like we say "Śrī" to the ordinary person. And Śrīla to very respectable person.

Guest (1): La.

Prabhupāda: La, yes. Śrī means beauty, and la means līlā. So "one who is invested with both beauty and the power to understand the līlā of Kṛṣṇa." [break] Aśoka's mother came to see me in Bombay.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

So if the child wants how it is made, so he has no power to understand.

Morning Walk -- July 21, 1975, San Francisco:

Prabhupāda: Religious..., not dogma. Just like in Christian religion it is said that "God created this." So this is a fact, but it is not properly explained. And neither the followers understood how to explain, third-class men. So therefore they should accept, that's all. They should accept. Just like one thing, sweetmeat. A child is tasting. So if the child wants how it is made, so he has no power to understand. Therefore he should be simply ordered, "You simply eat. That's all." So in the Bible it is like that. And therefore it is strictly ordered that "You should follow."