We have to accept the perfect knowledge. The perfect knowledge is coming down, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, just we have begun, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). We have to receive the knowledge from the right source in disciplic succession of spiritual master beginning from the Lord Himself. So Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by the Lord Himself. And Arjuna, the, I mean to say, the student who took lessons of the Bhagavad-gītā, he accepted the whole story as it is, without any cutting. That is also not allowed, that we accept a certain portion of Bhagavad-gītā and reject another portion. That is also not accepted. We must accept the Bhagavad-gītā without interpretation, without any cutting, and without our own whimsical participation in the matter because it should be taken as the most perfect Vedic knowledge. The Vedic knowledge is received from the transcendental sources because the first word was spoken by the Lord Himself. The words spoken by the Lord is called apauruṣeya, or not delivered by any person of the mundane world, who is infected with four principles of imperfectness.
Receive knowledge (Lecture, BG)
Expressions researched:
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Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
They will say, "Probably," "Maybe." This is the so-called scientists' language. That means imperfect knowledge. Still, they want to teach. This is cheating. Knowledge must be perfect. Then you can teach others.
So our process is to receive the perfect knowledge from the perfect source and distribute it. We don't manufacture knowledge. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, as it is. The Bhagavad-gītā is already perfect. Why shall I interpret with my imperfect senses? This is cheating. But people want to be cheated. Vañcita-vañcaka-sampradāya. The whole world is full of cheaters and cheated. Because we want to be cheated, there are so many cheaters. They don't want real thing. Here is the real thing, Bhagavad-gītā, the Supreme Personality of Godhead speaking personally about Himself. Why should we interpret?
We have to follow great personalities, ācāryas. ācāryavān puruṣo veda. One who has got, one who has taken shelter of ācārya, bona fide spiritual master, he knows. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. Because he is receiving the right knowledge from the right source, ācārya... Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Ācārya means by disciplic succession. As Kṛṣṇa says, disciplic succession, all the ācāryas will say the same thing. They will not change, they will not interpret. They can explain. But the original fact is not distorted. That is ācārya. Ācārya will never say that "Kṛṣṇa is material. Kṛṣṇa... There was no such thing as Kṛṣṇa. There was no such battle, Battle of Kurukṣetra. These are all imaginary." So if we don't want to be cheated, then we should take Kṛṣṇa as He is presenting Himself and as it is confirmed by the ācāryas. Then our knowledge is perfect.
So did he take permission from Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's representative? But he does not know the technique. He has unnecessarily accused, committed a great offense to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. So therefore inexperienced persons, they should not try to teach Bhagavad-gītā to others because he has no knowledge. This knowledge has to be received by paramparā system. Evam paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). So simply by academic career, by knowledge of ABCD, you cannot understand Bhagavad-gītā. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me (BG 4.3), without becoming bhakta... Therefore Sanātana Gosvāmī has forbidden that "Don't hear anything about Kṛṣṇa from a person who is not a Vaiṣṇava." Avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇa-pūta-hari-kathāmṛtaṁ śravanaṁ na karta... This is prohibited. You cannot hear. But this audience or the students, they also do not know that "Here is a rascal, he is not a devotee, he is not a Vaiṣṇava. Why shall we hear from him Bhagavad-gītā?"
The most powerful authority is speaking. Therefore, whatever He says, it is to be taken as truth. In our this conditional life, just like we are living under material condition, we have got four defects: we commit mistake, we are illusioned, and we want to cheat also, and our senses are imperfect. So knowledge received from a person who is infected with four kinds of deficiencies is not perfect. So when you receive knowledge from a person who is transcendental to all these four kinds of defects, that is perfect knowledge. Modern scientists, they theorize that "It may be like this. It may be like that," but that is not perfect knowledge. So if you speculate with your imperfect senses, what is the value of that knowledge? It may be, I mean to say, partial knowledge, but that is not perfect knowledge. Therefore our process of receiving knowledge is to receive it from the perfect person. And therefore we are receiving knowledge from Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān, the most perfect, and therefore our knowledge is perfect.
The author is sure to commit mistake. He is illusioned. Because his senses are not perfect, therefore imperfection.
So with all these defects, we cannot accept anyone's knowledge. This is Vedic process. This is called paramparā system, disciplic succession. We receive knowledge perfectly from the Supreme Bhagavān. And if I receive the knowledge from Bhagavān, and if I distribute the same knowledge as Bhagavān has said, without any interpretation of my cheating policy, then the knowledge which I distribute, that is also perfect. I may not be perfect, but the knowledge which I have taken from Kṛṣṇa, if I present it as it is, without any interpretation, then what I give you, that is perfect. It is very easy to understand. I have given several times... Just like a peon has brought a money order for you, thousand dollars. So he's giving you. So you cannot say, "Oh, here is a peon. He's a poor man. How he can give me one thousand dollars?"
So who is guru? Samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham. A guru is full Kṛṣṇa conscious. Brahma-niṣṭham. And śrotriyam. Śrotriyam means who has heard, who has received knowledge by the śrotriyaṁ paṭha. By hearing from superior authority. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayoḥ viduḥ (BG 4.2). So here we have to learn from Arjuna that when we are perplexed, when we forget our real duty, and therefore we are puzzled, then our duty is to approach Kṛṣṇa as Arjuna is doing. So if you say: "Where is Kṛṣṇa?" Kṛṣṇa is not there, but Kṛṣṇa's representative is there. You should approach him. That is the Vedic injunction. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). One must approach guru. And guru means Kṛṣṇa originally. Tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ (SB 1.1.1). Janmādyasya yataḥ anvayāt itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ svarāt. You have to approach. That is guru. So we consider, we take Brahmā... Because he's the first creature within this universe, he's accepted as the guru. He imparted... Just like we belong to the Brahma-sampradāya.
This is the process of acquiring knowledge, so far we are concerned. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). The knowledge, perfect knowledge, is coming from Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and if we receive that knowledge in cool head and assimilate, then our knowledge is perfect. Just like we are preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This is perfect knowledge. If you inquire whether I am perfect or my disciples who are preaching this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, they are perfect, we may be imperfect. We are imperfect. We accept we are imperfect. But we are distributing the perfect knowledge. Kindly try to understand. We may be imperfect, but perfection means one who assimilates the perfect knowledge, he is perfect. I shall give you one example. Just like a post peon delivers you one hundred dollars. The post peon is not rich man. He cannot deliver you the hundred dollars.
Just like a post peon delivers you one hundred dollars. The post peon is not rich man. He cannot deliver you the hundred dollars. But he... The money is sent by some, your friend. He is honestly carrying that money and delivering you. That is the post peon's business. Similarly, our duty to receive perfect knowledge from Kṛṣṇa and distribute it. Then it is perfect. This knowledge, what we are distributing, it is not that we have created this knowledge by research work or by so many other ways, by inductive process. No. Our knowledge is from the deductive process. Kṛṣṇa said, "This is this." We accept. That is our movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We may be imperfect, but Kṛṣṇa is perfect. Therefore, whatever Kṛṣṇa says, if we accept it and if we.... Not accept blindly, but you can employ your logic and argument and try to understand, then your knowledge is perfect.
Therefore, when it is said, bhagavān uvāca, that means the version which is presented herewith was spoken by the supreme controller.
So our process of receiving knowledge is from the supreme controller because, according to the definition already given—wise, the most wise—Kṛṣṇa, or Bhagavān, is the most wise. Therefore, if we receive knowledge from the most wise, then there is no flaw. That is our principle, that we are receiving from Kṛṣṇa, the supreme controller, directly. Just like when there is some misunderstanding, we take help from the law books because in the law book or in the law court, the decision is obligatory to both the parties. So to give knowledge there are many, many parties, but when we receive knowledge from the Supreme, that is all-inclusive.
We have explained several times. Kūpa-maṇḍūka-nyāya. The frog within the well, he is calculating the dimension of Pacific Ocean. So by this dog, frog philosophical way, we can, we cannot understand what is God. We must receive the knowledge from God Himself, or from a person who knows God. Otherwise, there is no possibility. Now, according to māyā..., Māyāvāda philosophy, they say that there is no duality. It is a kind of illusion that we see difference between God and ourself. That is māyā. Then Kṛṣṇa is not advocating herewith about the impersonal feature of the Lord. He says, ah, He represents... He is God himself. He says "I, I was existing as I am existing now, and in future also, I shall exist like this." So He was speaking as individual person. So in the past He says that "I was individual person." And in the present He's individual person.
Practically, Indian Vedic civilization, it is still existing on the authority of these ācāryas. And it is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā: ācāryopāsanam. If you want to learn factually things, then you should approach ācārya. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda, "One who has accepted ācārya, he knows things as they are." Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. So we are receiving knowledge through the ācāryas. Kṛṣṇa spoke to Arjuna, Arjuna spoke to Vyāsadeva. Arjuna actually did not speak to Vyāsadeva, but Vyāsadeva heard it, Kṛṣṇa speaking, and he noted down in his book Mahābhārata. This Bhagavad-gītā is found in Mahābhārata. So we accept the authorities of Vyāsa. And from Vyāsa, Madhvācārya; from Madhvācārya, so many disciplic succession, up to Mādhavendra Purī. Then Mādhavendra Purī to Īśvara Purī; from Īśvara Purī to Lord Caitanyadeva; from Lord Caitanyadeva to six Gosvāmīs; from six Gosvāmīs to Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja; from him, Śrīnivāsa Ācārya; from him, Viśvanātha Cakravartī; from him, Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī; then Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī; Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura; my spiritual master. The same thing, we are preaching.
God is perfect, and whatever He speaks, that is perfect. Therefore God is called "God is good." All-good. Whatever He does, whatever He speaks, everything is good, perfect.
So we are receiving knowledge of this transmigration of the soul from God, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, it is perfect. He says, dhīras tatra na muhyati. After the death of a person, one should not be bewildered. He should be dhīra, he should be sober to know how things are happening. That is called knowledge. How, after the passing of the soul from this body, how the soul accepts another body? That also you learn from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. We can see with our material eyes this gross body, the gross covering made of earth, water, fire, air, ether. But there is another covering. What is that? Mind, intelligence, and ego. So you cannot see mind, you cannot see intelligence, neither you can see ego, and what to speak about the soul?
Just like we accept our philosophy, Vaiṣṇava philosophy, or any Indian philosophy, they accept this paramparā, guru-paramparā. They accept it. Sampradāya. Just like we have got sampradā..., Rāmānuja-sampradāya, Madhva-sampradāya. So we have to accept the sampradāya, disciplic succession, to receive real knowledge. So that sampradāya begins from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the original spiritual master of Lord Brahmā, of Lord Śiva, Nārada, so many other authorities. There are twelve authorities, svayambhur nāradaḥ śambhuḥ (SB 6.3.20). Svayambhu means Lord Brahmā; Nārada; and Śambhu, Lord Śiva; Kumāra; Kapila; Manu. They are all authorities. So that is the indication of the śāstra, that if you want to understand the transcendental science, the science of God, then tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). That is the injunction of the Vedas, that if you really interested to learn the transcendental science, you must approach. Abhigacchet. This is vidhilin. Vidhilin.
Vedic knowledge, from Brahmā, beginning from Brahmā. But actually it is not the, from Brahmā. Brahmā got the knowledge from Kṛṣṇa. Tene brahma. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayāt itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ svarāṭ tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ (SB 1.1.1). So actually knowledge is coming from Kṛṣṇa. So our proposal is, we are receiving knowledge, this Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa is directly giving you the knowledge. So we have to accept it as it is. We cannot interpret Bhagavad-gītā in my own way. That is not Bhagavad-gītā. That is something else. They take advantage of the Bhagavad-gītā and put their own conclusion. That is not Bhagavad-gītā. If you want to study Bhagavad-gītā, then you have to study as it is. Then it is nice.
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Aham ādir hi devānām (BG 10.2). Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8), mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te, nānyat parataram (BG 7.14).
Where is that body? You have left that. You are in different body. Similarly, this body you'll change. You will get another body." And who says? Kṛṣṇa says. The most superior authority, he says. I may not understand, but when He says... This is the process of our knowledge. We accept knowledge from the perfect person. I may be fool, but the knowledge received from the perfect person is perfect. This is our process. We don't try to speculate. That may or may not be successful, but if you accept knowledge from the perfect authority, that knowledge is perfect. Just like we are speculating, "Who is my father?" You can speculate who is your father, but that speculation will not help you. You will never understand who is your father. But you go to your mother, the supreme authority. She'll immediately, "Here is your father." That's all. And you cannot know father in any other way.
What is the value of it? It has no value. Because the man who is putting forward the thesis, he is blind. He's imperfect. So how you can get perfect knowledge from him?
So our proposition is that to receive knowledge from Kṛṣṇa, the perfect person, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We accept śāstra, means which is infallible. There is no mistake. Just like when I was walking near the cowshed, heaps of, piles of cow dung was there. So I was explaining to my followers that if such heaps of animal, I mean to say, man stool was heaped up here, nobody would come here. Nobody would come here. But the cow dung, there are so much heaps of cow dung, still, we find it pleasure to go through it. And in the Vedas it is said, "Cow dung is pure." This is called śāstra. If you argue, "How it can, it has become pure? It is an animal stool."
This body, made of three, I mean to say, biles, mucus, and air... So the, a bag of bones and flesh and blood, if one is thinking that "I am this, I am this body," then he is go-khara, cow or ass. So anyone who is on the bodily concept of life, he is animal, go-khara. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). So how you can receive knowledge from a person who is animal? You cannot get any knowledge from the cows or the asses. So anyone who is under the bodily concept of life, he's no better than animal. So actually, if we say frankly, everyone is in the bodily concept of life. Therefore the modern civilization is animal civilization. It is not human civilization. Human civilization will begin when one will understand that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is the beginning of human civilization. And so long one is under the bodily concept of life, it is the civilization of cats and dogs. That's all.
Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). So that is the system. We should receive knowledge by the bona fide, paramparā system. Otherwise it may be bogus. Because without paramparā system, we cannot understand actual fact. And we have to become in the disciplic succession. We must accept a guru. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). If you are actually eager, anxious to understand the spiritual science, then you must approach a guru. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Uttama means transcendental subject matter. You cannot learn it. Just like if you purchase one pharmacology book from the bookseller's shop, and if you read, at home, do you mean that you become a medical practitioner, pharmacist? No. You must go to the university, you must go to the college. You must hear the experienced professor and learn it and practically experiment it. Then you can learn. Not that by purchasing a book you become a medical practitioner or lawyer. That is not possible. Therefore the direction is that tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) "Must."
Satāṁ prasaṅgāt. From the lips of devotees, when it is heard, then it becomes hṛt-karṇa-rasāyana. It becomes very pleasing to the ear and to the heart. Taj-joṣaṇāt, if one cultivates in that way, āśu apavarga-vartmani śraddhā bhaktir ratir anukramiṣyati. These are the formulas.
So the process should be to receive the knowledge by disciplic succession, not sporadically hearing sometimes this scholar, hearing sometimes this scholar. "I interpret in my scholarship." No. This thing will not. Our process is, as directed by Sanātana Gosvāmī, avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇa-pūta-hari-kathāmṛtam. Hari-kathā is amṛta. Amṛta. But still, it should not be received when it is uttered by some avaiṣṇava. There is another direction: avaiṣṇavo gurur na sa syāt. Sat-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. A person, a brāhmaṇa, sat-karma-nipuṇaḥ. Brāhmaṇa's business is become to become scholar and to make others scholar. Paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana. He must be a worshiper and he must teach others how to worship.
Madhudviṣa: Prabhupāda, I have heard from different sources that there is a vibration that is going on in the universe at all times. When they refer to this vibration, are they referring to the om, the sacred om vibration?
Prabhupāda: First of all, you should stop to receive any knowledge from any other source.
Madhudviṣa: Well, I'm not taking it as knowledge, I'm just...
Prabhupāda: No, you said that "I have heard from different sources."
Madhudviṣa: From people on the street that I've talked to.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So what is the question?
Madhudviṣa: They talk about the vibration that's going on in the universe at, uh, at all times, and they talk about vibrating with this vibration, and uttering this vibration, and that this is what they're after.
Prabhupāda: Yes, any vibration, there is sound. So there is... The sound is heard oṁkāra. That is also accepted in the Bhagavad-gītā. So there is no objection accepting this...
That is the formula given in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Vāsudeve bhagavati. Vāsudeve bhagavati, "in the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa." Vāsudeva is Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ (SB 1.2.7). Bhakti-yoga means devotional service. If it is applied, if we apply our devotional service unto the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, then the result will be that janayaty āśu vairāgyam, very soon you'll be detached from this material attraction. Very soon. And jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam. And you'll gain also knowledge. You do not know how you have received knowledge. That is the magic. That is the magic. Because how you'll get knowledge? That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Now the age is going of Vaivasvata Manu. Manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt. So Manu also spoke to his son. So in this way, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2), He's giving some examples, but the knowledge has to be received by the paramparā. But some way or other, the paramparā being lost... Just like I have spoken something to my disciple. He says the same thing to his disciple. He says the same thing to his disciple. But some way or other, if it is distorted at a certain point, then the knowledge is lost. As soon as any of the disciples in the succession distort the knowledge, then it is lost. That is being explained.
Sa kālena mahatā. The time is very powerful. It changes. That is the... Time means it changes, kills the original position. You have got experience. You purchase one anything. It is very fresh, new. But time will kill it. It will become shabby.
Last day we were discussing about the process of understanding Bhagavad-gītā. This is to receive the knowledge in disciplic succession, bona fide disciplic succession. It is not a thing... Any knowledge, even material knowledge, if it is not received in bona fide disciplic succession, that knowledge is not perfect. Suppose if you want to be a lawyer, or if you want to be an engineer, or a medical practitioner. You have to receive the knowledge from the authoritative lawyer, authoritative engineer. Of course, I do not know what is the custom here. In India the custom is that a new lawyer, he has to become an apprentice of an experienced lawyer before he is given the license to practice. That is the Indian system. So any knowledge, unless we receive it through the authoritative sources, it is not perfect. It is not perfect.
There may be. Because you are going on with your personal experience, but your personal experience is always imperfect. That I have already discussed. Because we have got our senses with limited power. And there are so many defects in our conditioned stage. Therefore inductive process is not always perfect. The deductive process, from the authority, the knowledge received, is always perfect. So Vedic process is deductive process. Vedic process is deductive process.
You'll find so many verses in the Bhagavad-gītā which may appear to be dogmatic. The Lord says that mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "My dear Arjuna, there is nobody else greater than Me. There is no greater authority than Me." Kṛṣṇa says. Now, apparently, it appears very dogmatic. Suppose if I say before you that, "There is nobody greater than me," oh, you'll think, "Oh, Swamiji is very proud." Yes. If a man like me, who is conditioned by so many, I mean to say, restrictions, if I say that I am the greatest of all, that is a blasphemy.
If a man like me, who is conditioned by so many, I mean to say, restrictions, if I say that I am the greatest of all, that is a blasphemy. I cannot say that. But Kṛṣṇa can say. Because the history of life from Kṛṣṇa, we can understand that actually He was the greatest personality. At least, during His time, He was the greatest personality in every field of activities. Now knowledge received from the greatest personality, greatest authority, is, according to Vedic system, that is accepted as perfect.
There are three kinds of proofs. According to Vedic system, they accept three kinds. For establishing truth, they, they take three kinds of proofs: pratyakṣa, anumāna, aitihya. In logic also, these three kinds of proofs are accepted. What is that? Now, direct perception. You are seeing. I am sitting here. That is direct knowledge. I am seeing that you are sitting here. That is direct knowledge, pratyakṣa.
By tradition, we know man is mortal. Now if we, if somebody says, "Who found this truth first? Who discovered that man is mortal?" That is very difficult to say. But it is coming down. The knowledge is coming down, "Man is mortal," and we accept everything. There are so many examples. So out of these three, the Vedic knowledge, they say that this aitihya, or the knowledge received from the authority, is the most perfect.
Neither, I mean to say, imagination or hypothesis nor direct. Direct perception is always imperfect, especially in the conditioned stage of life. Just like direct perception—with our eyes we see the sun just like a disc, not more than your plate on which you take your meals. But from authority, aitihya, we understand the sun is so many millions times greater than this earth. So which of them is right? By seeing your direct perception, sun just like a disc—is it right? Or you take it from authority that sun is such and such times bigger than the earth?
Which one of them you'll accept? But you are not going to prove it that the sun is so great. You do not know. You accept from some scientist, from some astronomer, from some authority, that sun is so great. But you have no capacity to see yourself whether the sun is so great or not. Therefore the knowledge received from authority actually we are accustomed and we are accepting this type of knowledge in every field of our activities.
Now, what is this newspaper? Oh, you, from newspaper you understand that "In China such and such things have taken place. And in India such and such things have taken place." Or from radio message you understand that "Such and such things have taken place." But you are not experiencing them directly, whether such and such things have actually taken place. But you accept the authority of the newspaper. You accept the authority of newspaper and you believe it, that in China such and such things have taken place and in India such and such things have taken place, which is far beyond the range of your direct perception. Similarly, there are many instances. We have to believe the authority to take knowledge.
Because He is perfect. We are not perfect. We have got so many deficiencies. We commit mistake, we are illusioned, we cheat and our senses are imperfect. We cannot acquire knowledge by sense perception perfectly. So with so many imperfectness, if we try to become a teacher, then I am a cheater. I am not a teacher. We must know first of all. So we are receiving knowledge from Kṛṣṇa because Kṛṣṇa is accepted the Supreme Personality of Godhead and with perfection of knowledge.
So here the matter is being clarified, and Kṛṣṇa is answering also that bahūni me janmāni vyatītāni. Kṛṣṇa appears.... Kṛṣṇa says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). He comes on this planet or in this universe. When He comes in this universe, He comes on this planet. There are innumerable universes. Not one, but innumerable. So there is a rotation of Kṛṣṇa's coming here.
Because the living entity is the minute particle of God, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7), therefore his intelligence, his power, is also very minute. But God's power is unlimited. By unlimited power Kṛṣṇa knows the past, future, and present, everything perfectly. But our limited knowledge, we cannot know that. Therefore we have to receive knowledge from Kṛṣṇa. This is our position. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet, samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12).
So we have to approach either Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's representative. Then we can understand Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, simply by mental speculation, by so-called erudite scholarship, nobody can know.
Therefore your knowledge will always be imperfect because this process of acquiring knowledge is always imperfect. But this knowledge, as we hear from Bhagavad-gītā that there is heart in every living entity, this is perfect.
Therefore there are two kinds of processes to receive knowledge. The Vedic process says, avaroha-panthā, descending process. And the material process is āroha-panthā, ascending process, research. This is āroha-panthā, find out whether this, what is this, what is this, neti, neti, neti, neti, analysis, dissection, and so many. This is called āroha-panthā. Trying to ascend by dint of one's material knowledge. Then spiritual knowledge, you cannot have perfect knowledge... Why spiritual knowledge? Even material knowledge. Now there are so many attempts to go to the moon planet. They are trying to go there by so many ascending processes, sputnik, airplanes, and so many things. Still, we do not know what is this planet.
Similarly, thirty days, one month. Similarly, twelve months equal to one year. Such hundred years they live. So we cannot imagine even, even in the material world, how long a living entity can live even in this material world. So these are acintya. Acintya means beyond our conception.
And what to speak of the spiritual world? We cannot calculate even anything of the material world perfectly.
Therefore the best thing is our process, Vedic process, is to receive knowledge by the descending process. Kṛṣṇa has come from His kingdom, kingdom of God, the Kṛṣṇaloka.
He comes and He sends His own, I mean to say, confidential sons or servants to give us information of the spiritual world of God, or everything, both material and spiritual. This knowledge is perfect knowledge. We have to receive from the authority.
In the material world also. Now some students, they come here to learn scientific knowledge because it is understood Western countries, they're advanced in scientific knowledge. So why they come? Because they think that Western scientists are authorities. The process is there, to receive knowledge from authority. Similarly, some serious students, they go to India, they try to search out some saintly persons to receive knowledge about the spiritual world.
According to bhakti-yoga system, the first control is recommended to the tongue. That is said, that ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136).
Now, we receive knowledge through the indriyas, but if the indriyas are impure—senses, they are impure—they cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi, na... Beginning. Because beginning is śravaṇam. Bhakti-mārga begins by hearing.
Now, what is śravaṇam? Chanting. If there is chanting or there is some speaking, then we can hear. That is recommended by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that simply hear. There are many places, recommended, that "Hear." So but it is said, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). These present blunt senses, material senses, cannot receive even this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. They say, "This is nuisance." Bhagavān says in the Bhagavad-gītā, catur-vidhā bhajante mām: "Four classes of men who begins bhagavad bhajana," sukṛtina, "those who are pious..." But the modern leaders, they say, "This bhajana nuisance." This is our misfortune. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). These are the explanation in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Madhudviṣa: "The path of religion is directly enunciated by the Lord. Therefore mental speculation or dry argument cannot help one progress in spiritual life. One has to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge. Such a teacher should be accepted in full surrender, and one should serve the spiritual master like a menial servant, without false prestige."
Prabhupāda: Yes. The brahmacārī means... These are indication. When a person... When a boy becomes brahmacārī, even if he is the son of very rich man, he should live with the spiritual master as a menial servant. These are the injunction. That, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Apart from his Godheadship, He was a very rich man's son. Really He was a very great king's son, Vasudeva, but He was given under the protection of King Nanda, Nanda Mahārāja, His foster father. He was also very rich man, very... He was king... (break)
...brahmacārī. So how he can see? When... Even if he is grown up, he cannot see any other woman in other way. He thinks of "Every woman is mother." This is the training. Of course, that training is not possible at the present moment.
There is no question of experimental knowledge. Simply hearing. So hearing means, just like you have to believe some gentleman as your father, hearing from the authority of your mother. Simply from the Vedic literature which is accepted as the mother, authority of mother, knowledge. Mother authority. Veda-mātā. It is called Veda-mātā. It is called Veda-mātā. Veda means knowledge and it is received from the mother. So Veda-mātā, the knowledge mother, you have to know what is Kṛṣṇa. And here Kṛṣṇa is personally explaining. So we have to believe it. Then you get the knowledge. Otherwise there is no possibility. You cannot make experiment. Then you fail.
There was no need of Kṛṣṇa for going to any spiritual... Arjuna has come to Kṛṣṇa for knowledge because He is complete always.
So the complete knowledge, the person who is in complete knowledge, we have to believe Him. That's all. And that is the system. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). The system of Vedic knowledge is to receive in complete. How it is received in complete? Just like Kṛṣṇa is complete, and the knowledge received from Kṛṣṇa, that is complete. I may not be experienced. Just like Arjuna, he is receiving the knowledge from the complete. So if we receive knowledge from Arjuna, then our, my knowledge is also complete. This is the... There is no question of research. I cannot research. I have to receive. That's all. So many things spoken in the Bhagavad-gītā, and we are receiving in that way. Suppose a sputnik is flying on the outer space and we are getting knowledge of the sputnik flying from the newspaper. You are not going there, but you are receiving the knowledge from some authority whom you believe.
So don't you think Kṛṣṇa is the highest authority? So whatever knowledge you receive from Kṛṣṇa is far better than the newspaper knowledge. We are always in the lowest stage. Either I read Bhagavad-gītā or newspaper, I am not with the sputnik, but newspaper says that sputnik has gone 25,000 up, so I believe it.
Just like we are sitting in this room. Within this room there is sky, but we cannot understand the sky. But if we try to understand this table we can at once understand, because in the table, if I touch, I feel the hardness; the perception is there. My knowledge can receive that this is a hard table. But if I speak about sky, I cannot get any direct perception. Therefore simply understanding of greatness of God is not all. That, that is the beginning of attachment, "God is great." But you have to develop your attachment to the fullest extent. And that is love of God.
You cannot love sky. That is not possible. If I say, "You love sky," you'll say, "How to love sky? I want a tangible thing. I want a boy, I want a girl, then I can love. How I can love sky?" So simply understanding of greatness is not all. Then from the development of the, from the idea of sky, there is, next development is air. In the air you can perceive something. When the air is blowing you can at least have some touch sensation.
We are always thinking how I shall cheat somebody. And naturally, he's also thinking to cheat me. So the whole conditional life is the association of cheaters and cheated, that's all. So this is another defect. And the fourth defect is that our senses are imperfect. Therefore all knowledge that we receive, that is imperfect knowledge. A man may speculate, but he may speculate with his mind. That's all. But his mind is imperfect. However he may speculate, he'll produce something nonsense, that's all. Because his mind is imperfect. It doesn't matter that if you add thousands of zeros, it makes one. No. It is still zero. So this speculation process, to understand the Supreme, is nothing but zero. Therefore with all these defects of our conditional life, it is not possible to come to the real life. Therefore we have to take it from personalities like Kṛṣṇa and His bona fide representative. That is real knowledge. Then you'll get perfection.
If you want to advance in knowledge, then you must worship the ācāryas. Otherwise what knowledge you will get? You cannot get, manufacturing knowledge or getting knowledge from somebody who has manufactured knowledge. The knowledge must be received by paramparā, by paramparā, as Kṛṣṇa says. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2), sa kāleneha yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa. He again spoke the science of Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna because the paramparā was broken. Sa kāleneha naṣṭaḥ. Otherwise there was no need of speaking Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna. And why He selected Arjuna to understand Bhagavad-gītā? That is also explained. One may say that Arjuna was a gṛhastha, householder, and a politician and a soldier. Why Bhagavad-gītā was instructed to him? That is natural. He was not a vedāntī. He was not a brāhmaṇa. He was not a sannyāsī. Why he was selected to understand Bhagavad-gītā? This should be... There should be inquiry.
That is stated in the śāstra: yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakro govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. This sun planet is also a planet like this planet. As in this planet there may be many presidents, but formerly there was one president only, so similarly, in each planet there is a president. In the sun planet we receive this knowledge from Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam: (BG 4.1) "I first of all spoke this science of Bhagavad-gītā to Vivasvān." Vivasvān means the president of the sun globe, and his son is Manu. This is the time. This time is going on. It is called Vaivasvata Manu period. Vaivasvata means from Vivasvān, the son of Vivasvān. He is called Vaivasvata Manu.
So everything is there in the śāstra. So it is our duty the human life to get knowledge from śāstra. That is, means Veda. Veda means knowledge. Get knowledge from the standard Veda. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12)
This is the definition of Kṛṣṇa given by Lord Brahmā in his book known as Brahma-saṁhitā, very authorized book. This book was collected by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu from southern India, and He presented it to His devotees when He came back from southern India tour. Therefore we accept this book, Brahma-saṁhitā, as very authoritative. This is our process of knowledge. We receive knowledge from the authority. Everyone receives knowledge from the authority, but general authority, and our process of accepting authority is little different. Our process of accepting one authority means he is also accepting his previous authority. One cannot be authority self-made. That is not possible. Then it is imperfect. I have given this example many times, that a child learns from his father. The child asks the father, "Father, what is this machine?" and the father says, "My dear child, it is called microphone." So the child receives the knowledge from the father, "This is microphone." So when the child says to somebody else, "This is microphone," it is correct. Although he is child, still, because he has received the knowledge from the authority, his expression is correct. Similarly, if we receive knowledge from the authority, then I may be child, but my expression is correct.
We are accustomed to say, "I think." But "I think"? What I am? All my senses are imperfect. I commit mistake, I am illusioned, and when I say, "I think," what is the use of my thinking? This is cheating. This is cheating.
So any conditioned soul... There are two kinds of living entities: the liberated and the conditioned soul. So we should not receive any knowledge from conditioned person. We must receive knowledge from the liberated. So Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān, the Personality of Godhead—who can be more liberated than Himself? Therefore He says—we should accept it. If you are fortunate enough, then whatever He says, you should accept it. He says that mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. Everyone, at least human being, advanced human... The advanced human being is called Aryan, means advanced. Anyone who is advanced in spiritual knowledge, he is to be called Aryan. So the Aryan civilization, Vedic civilization... When Arjuna, I mean to say, denied to fight, Kṛṣṇa accused him that "You are talking like non-Aryans. You are not Aryan." Anārya-juṣṭam, akīrti-karam arjuna: (BG 2.2) "You are talking like a non-Aryan, and which will defame your reputation.
This knowledge becomes revealed. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). Revealed. Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi (SB 10.14.29).
So we have to receive this knowledge submissively. The, Lord Brahmā recommends that jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. Namanta eva. We must be submissive. The whole thing depends, spiritual knowledge...
- tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet
- samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham
- (MU 1.2.12)
Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). So this knowledge, this process of knowledge, is received by submissive mood. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. One has to give up the false prestigious position that "I can understand God and everything by my speculative, experimental knowledge." This is called jñāne prayāsam. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva.
Therefore all the speculators, they, so-called scientists, philosophers, they put forward theories: "Perhaps," "It may be," like that. That means it is not perfect knowledge. But if we receive knowledge from the supreme perfect God, that it is actually perfect. Our process is like that.
In the Fourth Chapter of the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā you will find, Kṛṣṇa says, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). Kṛṣṇa said this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā first to the sun-god, and he spoke to his son Manu, he spoke to his son Ikṣvāku. In this way, disciplic succession, this Bhagavad-gītā has come down to this earthly planet, and if we accept that disciplic succession, do not unnecessarily interpret, then we understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. That is the process. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to understand the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa, as He is, without any interpretation. That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness yoga. That can be achieved, as Kṛṣṇa says, always keeping center Kṛṣṇa.
Everywhere, wherever you want to receive something, you have to be controlled or you have to be surrendered to the rules and regulation. Just like in our class we are imparting some lessons from the Bhagavad-gītā, and if you do not follow the rules and regulations of this class, it is not possible to receive the knowledge. Similarly, the full knowledge of the controller and the process of controlling can be understood when one is surrendered like Arjuna to Kṛṣṇa. Unless one is surrendered soul, it is not possible. You always remember that Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna surrendered himself to Kṛṣṇa. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). So therefore Kṛṣṇa is also speaking to him.
Actually, these discussions of scripture is not to be acted unless there is relationship between the speaker and the audience. So audience means the disciples. Disciple means who accepts the discipline. Śiṣya. Śiṣya.
Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna that "I am giving you perfect knowledge." This is our process. We receive knowledge from the perfect person. There is no use getting knowledge from imperfect person. That is useless waste of time. And who is perfect person? Who does not commit any mistake, who is never illusioned, whose senses are not imperfect, and who is not a cheater. These are the qualification. (aside:) The children... These are the symptoms of perfect person. First thing is he does not commit mistake. Throughout the whole world you study big, big men. They committed mistake. Hitler committed mistake. Gandhi committed mistake. Churchill committed mistake. Because "To err is human," however big you may be, you cannot avoid mistakes because you are not liberated.
So to accept knowledge from these rascals who commit mistake, who are illusioned, who are cheater, whose senses are imperfect, is useless waste of time. This is the shastric injunction. We should receive knowledge from the perfect. So in all respect, who can become the perfect than Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is accepted by Vedavyāsa, by Nārada, by Arjuna, big, big stalwart scholars and personalities, that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just like this Bhagavad-gītā. This Bhagavad-gītā is recorded by Vyāsadeva. The talks were between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, and it was recorded by Vyāsadeva's disciple, Sañjaya. And Vyāsadeva, while writing Mahābhārata, he put this dialogue within the Mahābhārata. So why Vyāsadeva put this conversation between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna in his authoritative book Mahābhārata? Mahābhārata means "greater India." Bhārata means Bhāratavarṣa. This planet was being called Bhāratavarṣa. So Mahābhārata, the history of the whole planet. So Vyāsadeva giving the history. Mahābhārata is also Vedic literature. Mahābhārata, Rāmāyaṇa, the eighteen Purāṇas, Vedānta-sūtra, four Vedas, and then Upaniṣad, they're all Vedic literature. So Mahābhārata is authorized Vedic literature. And within the Mahābhārata this Bhagavad-gītā is there.
Just like if you want to study whether man is mortal or immortal, there are two processes. Deductive process, you take the idea from superior person that man is mortal. If you accept, then your knowledge is perfect. But if you want to approach the knowledge by inductive process, by studying each man, whether he is mortal or immortal, you may study thousand, two thousand, five thousand, but you cannot study all the men. Therefore your conclusion remains always defective. You cannot do that. Therefore the best process is knowledge is to receive from the person who is authorized. Actually, you do that. We go to a school, we go to college, to receive knowledge from the superior person. That is our process. That is perfect knowledge. You cannot manufacture knowledge.
So how we can see the greatness of God with these material eyes? It is not possible. As you are understanding about the sun by authoritative statement of the geometry, that this sun globe is so great, so many hundred thousands greater than the... But you are seeing just like a disk. So how to get the knowledge of the sun? By receiving through the ear. That's all. Simply you have to receive the knowledge from the authority. It is not that practically you are experimenting by going to the sun, that it is so great and so long, so broad. That is not possible. You have to receive such knowledge through authority. That's all.
So even for material understanding which is beyond our sense perception we have to receive knowledge from authority. Similarly, we cannot understand what is God. But from the authoritative sources we can understand that God is so great.
Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Therefore Bhagavad-gītā is being spoken by Kṛṣṇa. But in order to distinguish Him, Vyāsadeva is writing śrī bhagavān uvāca. He does not say, śrī kṛṣṇa uvāca just to make it distinguished that kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān. So we are pledged to receive knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is our mission, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Here is knowledge given by Kṛṣṇa. Idaṁ tu te guhyatamaṁ pravakṣyāmy anasūyave. "Now I am giving you this knowledge, very confidential knowledge." Guhyatamam. Guhya means confidential and guhyatama, more confidential. Comparative, superlative. Positive, comparative and superlative. Guhya is positive. Guhyatara is comparative. And guhyatamam. So this brahma-jñāna, Brahman, is guhya, is very confidential because if you achieve brahma-jñāna, immediately you become the most important person within this material world. Brahma-bhūtaḥ. Brāhmaṇa.
So Vyāsadeva recorded it, writing. Otherwise it was being received through hearing. Before this Kali-yuga Vyāsadeva, he kept all Vedic literature in writing. Before that, there was no book. The knowledge was received through the ear, aural reception, śruti. Therefore it is called śruti. Śruti means the knowledge which is received by hearing. And the memory was very sharp. In those days, five thousand years ago, any man... Not any man, but the intelligent class of men... They were called brāhmaṇas. They used to receive knowledge from guru by hearing. They could memorize everything, once heard. In the Kali-yuga the memory is being reduced. The duration of life is being reduced. Peoples' mercifulness is being reduced. This is the symptom of Kali-yuga. Bodily strength—reduced. Therefore Vyāsadeva preferred it that the Vedic knowledge should be kept recorded in writing. So he first of all then wrote all this Vedic knowledge into writing, and the writings...
There are the four original Vedas, Sāma, Yajur, Ṛk, Atharva, and then the Upaniṣad, then the essence of Vedic knowledge, Vedānta-sūtra, then Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata... Mahābhārata is the greater history of this planet, Bhārata. In this way immense literature are available. If we like, we can read them.
The modern scientists, they say that "Life is generated from matter." We are protesting. We are protesting because... We are not scientists, of course, but we are scientists so far our knowledge is concerned. Because here it is said... Kṛṣṇa says, jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam (BG 7.2), so Kṛṣṇa is the authority. He is the opulent, most opulent, the wisest. So if we receive from Him knowledge, then that is perfect. I may not be perfect, but the knowledge I receive from Kṛṣṇa, that is perfect. That is perfect. Therefore we should receive from Kṛṣṇa knowledge. That is perfect knowledge. A small child, he does not know what is this watch, and the father explains to him, "My dear child, this is called watch. It is moving by this machine," and as far as the child can understand, it is explained. So when the child says, "This is watch, and it is working like this. I have heard it from my father," that is perfect knowledge. That is perfect. He may be imperfect, but his knowledge is perfect because he has received the knowledge from the perfect person. This is a crude example. Similarly, any knowledge you receive from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is perfect.
That will continue. But the quality of eating may be different. Not the quality, but the form may be different.
So in this way things are going on. They are described in this Bhagavad-gītā very widely and expressively. So every human being is expected to receive this knowledge directly from Kṛṣṇa. Don't interpret wrong way according to your whims. Take it as it is and be benefited. If you don't take it, aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣāḥ (BG 9.3). Those who have no interest to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, the result is mām aprāpya. Aprāpya mām. He never approaches God. He remains in this material world of repetition of birth and death. That is not a very good job.
So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to enlighten people so that they can accept these principles of Bhagavad-gītā. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is para-upakāra. And He advises everyone, especially Indians, to become guru. He said, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Every one of you, you become a guru, and try to deliver the persons where you are living.
So tattva-darśī, one who has seen the truth, you have to accept him as guru. Tattva-darśī. Darśī means who has practical experience. Take, for example, just like Arjuna. Arjuna is directly receiving the knowledge from Kṛṣṇa. He's guru. What he said, we accept that. But if you accept somebody who wants to kill Kṛṣṇa and become himself Kṛṣṇa, he's a rascal. He's not guru. Because his policy is to accept the place of Kṛṣṇa, not to serve Him. That is māyā. And Kṛṣṇa has said very freely that
- na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
- prapadyante narādhamāḥ
- māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
- āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
- (BG 7.15)
A person who is imbibed with asuric tendency... Asuric tendency means to refute the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All the asuras... Just like Rāvaṇa. Rāvaṇa is described as rākṣasa, asura. What was his fault? His fault was that he did not care for Rāma. "What is this Rāma? Kidnap his wife, bring him(her), I shall enjoy." This is rākṣasa.
And formerly, the Vedas were heard by the students from the spiritual master. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that Arjuna is hearing from Kṛṣṇa. He's not studying any Vedānta philosophy in the battlefield. He was simply hearing. So that is the process, hearing. You can hear at any place. Even in the warfield, you can hear from the authoritative source. So that was the process of acquiring knowledge, hearing. Hearing means receiving the knowledge, not manufacturing. There are two process of knowledge. There are some persons who think, "Oh, why shall I hear from him? Oh, I can think. I can speculate. I can manufacture something new of my own group." These are nonsense. This is not Vedic process. Vedic process is hearing, ascending process, er, not..., descending process. There are two processes of knowledge: ascending and descending. Ascending means trying to go high by your strength, and descending means the pure knowledge which comes from up, you receive it. Inductive and deductive process.
There are two processes of knowledge: ascending and descending. Ascending means trying to go high by your strength, and descending means the pure knowledge which comes from up, you receive it. Inductive and deductive process.
So ascending process is not recommended in the Vedic process of knowledge. Vedic way of receiving knowledge—by aural reception, by submissive aural reception from the spiritual master to the student. This is the way. It is coming. As we have read in the Fourth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2): "In this way, traditionally, from the spiritual master to the student, this knowledge was imparted." The Lord said that "I imparted this knowledge first of all to the sun-god, and the sun-god imparted this knowledge to his son, Manu, and Manu imparted this knowledge to his son, Ikṣvāku."
God is God. If you hear Bhagavad-gītā submissively, with your arguments and... The first thing is you must be submissive. You should not think yourself that you are a... Do not be puffed up with false knowledge. Everyone, we should think that we are ignorant. We should have to receive knowledge. That should be the first step by me(?). And receive knowledge, and try to assimilate it, and try to apply it, apply it with your body, with your mind, with your intelligence. Then the, you'll understand God so nicely that although God is unconquerable, you'll conquer Him. You'll conquer Him, by this simple process. So therefore śravaṇam, hearing, is so important. So in the devotional service the first step is hearing, hearing submissively from the authoritative source and just to assimilate it and grasp it with our body, mind and intelligence. In this way you shall be able to conquer the unconquerable. And when you are able to do such, then you can make kīrtana, kīrtana.
He knows everything. He is Kṛṣṇa's friend, personal friend. He is always living with Kṛṣṇa. There cannot be any ignorance on the part of Arjuna. But he's asking this question just for our benefit. Kṛṣṇa will answer this question.
Why Kṛṣṇa's answers will be taken so seriously? Because He is the supreme authority, Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we receive knowledge from the Supreme, then it is perfect knowledge. Just like if you get some knowledge from the superior, one who is more educated than you, one who is more experienced, that knowledge is perfect. So in this material world there may be somebody supreme, but he is not ultimate supreme. But ultimate supreme is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1). So if we receive knowledge from the ultimate supreme, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ, then our knowledge is perfect. If we receive knowledge secondary, second-hand knowledge, that is also good. Second-hand knowledge means one who has received knowledge from Kṛṣṇa. That knowledge is perfect. But one who speculates, "It may be like that, it may be like this," that knowledge is not perfect.
There is no perfect knowledge. So if you want to be perfectly in knowledge, then you have to take knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is here delivered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa in the form of Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore Arjuna is asking this question so that people may receive the perfect knowledge from Kṛṣṇa and their life may be perfect in that way.
- idaṁ śarīraṁ kaunteya
- kṣetram ity abhidhīyate
- etad yo vetti taṁ prāhuḥ
- kṣetrajña iti tad-vidaḥ
- (BG 13.2)
- kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi
- sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata
- kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaṁ
- yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama
This is jñānam. What is that jñānam? Jñānam means to know the kṣetrajña, the owner of the body.
Then your life is successful. If you live like cats and dogs and try to adjust things like cats and dogs, that is a waste of life, waste of time.
Therefore kindly try to understand Bhagavad-gītā. There is full of knowledge. The knowledge is given by the most perfect, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no deficiency. In the knowledge received from imperfect person there are four deficiencies: illusion, mistake, cheating and imperfectness. So from so many deficiencies... You cannot get full knowledge, perfect knowledge from an imperfect person. You have to receive knowledge from the perfect. Then your life will be successful.
Therefore Arjuna is putting so many questions to Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa will answer these things in the thirteenth chapter. In all the chapters Kṛṣṇa's answers are there. Especially in the Thirteenth Chapter, Kṛṣṇa is giving the knowledge, the knowable objective, the subject matter, and what is this body, who is the owner of the body. So Kṛṣṇa, here it is said that kṣetrajñaṁ cāpy māṁ viddhi, He is also there.
And knowledge is different. You cannot speculate about the absolute knowledge because our senses are imperfect. How we can speculate or come to the right conclusion? That is not possible. We must receive direct knowledge. This is this. Therefore it is said, bhagavān uvāca. So whatever Bhagavān will speak, that is absolute knowledge. And if we take it, then we shall be perfect. I may be imperfect, you may be imperfect, but when we take knowledge from the perfect, that knowledge is absolute.
Just like a child does not know something, what it is, but if he asks his father, "Father, what it is?" and the father will not cheat, he will give him the right knowledge, "This is this," so he may be a small child, imperfect, but because he receives the knowledge from his father, who knows, that knowledge is perfect.
Similarly, we receive knowledge from Bhagavān, and we distribute that. We don't make any addition or alteration. Therefore we present Bhagavad-gītā as it is. We don't make any addition or alteration.
Therefore right knowledge should be taken from Kṛṣṇa. Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca jñānam (BG 15.15). "From Me." Therefore Arjuna is rightly intelligent. Therefore asking Kṛṣṇa, "What is this prakṛti? What is this puruṣa? What is jñāna? What is kṣetra-jña? What is kṣetra?" And Kṛṣṇa is answering. So if we want to receive real knowledge, then we should consult this Bhagavad-gītā.
That is our propagation. We are propagating this message, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that "You take knowledge from Kṛṣṇa." That's all. Don't take knowledge from the rascals and fools. Then you will be misled. That is our propaganda. So why not take this opportunity?
Our business is not very difficult. Our business is very easy because we are not manufacturing knowledge like the rascals. "I think." What you are, you are thinking like this? You are rascal number one, and you are thinking? What is the meaning of your thinking? We reject immediately.
"I think." What you are, you are thinking like this? You are rascal number one, and you are thinking? What is the meaning of your thinking? We reject immediately. "I think." "It is my opinion." This is going on. Big, big scientists, big, big philosophers. We don't accept. We must see whether he has received knowledge from Kṛṣṇa. And one who receives knowledge from Kṛṣṇa...
Just like Arjuna. Arjuna said to Kṛṣṇa, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "My dear Kṛṣṇa, the perplexity which has arisen in my mind, it cannot be solved by anyone except Yourself." Because Arjuna knew that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore he surrendered to Him. He surrendered. He was talking like friend. Friendly talking cannot give any good result, simply waste of time. But when there is talking between disciple and the spiritual master, that has got meaning.
Nārada distributed it to Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva distributed it to other ācāryas. In this way, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). So there is paramparā. The knowledge is the same. There is no alteration. But it is coming through disciplic succession, one after an... So one who receives the knowledge from the disciplic succession...
Just like at the present moment we see that Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, they are talking. Arjuna is direct disciple of Kṛṣṇa. So if you take Bhagavad-gītā as it was understood by Arjuna, then you get the right knowledge. And if you take the knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā explained by some so-called scholar and politician, then it is rascaldom only. It has no meaning. It has no meaning.
That is the process. You try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as Arjuna understood. Arjuna is asking Kṛṣṇa. So what Kṛṣṇa is answering, you take it. Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12).
So to some extent we have discussed from where we have to receive knowledge, perfect knowledge, without any mistake, without any illusion. Our knowledge... We are possessing four defects: we commit mistakes, we are illusioned, our senses are imperfect, and we have got a cheating propensity. We are possessing these four defects. However great a man may be, he makes mistake in calculation. "To err is human."
Then we are illusioned. Illusioned means we accept something for something. Just like we are accepting this body as myself. This is illusion. The whole world is illusioned. Everyone is thinking in terms of the body. And according to Vedic knowledge, anyone who is under the concept of this body as self, he is no better than the cow and the asses. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13).
So these are our defects: bhrama, pramāda, vipralipsa, karaṇa-pāṭava. Karaṇa. Karaṇa means senses, the instrument through which we gather knowledge. They are imperfect. So with so many imperfectness, how we can give right knowledge? That is not possible. So any knowledge received from these defective persons is imperfect. Therefore we should receive knowledge from the Supreme.
And Nārāyaṇa has got personal expansions. So we are to get knowledge from Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa. That is perfect. That is perfect knowledge. The Vedas means the knowledge from Nārāyaṇa. Therefore it is perfect. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). He imparted the Vedic knowledge. Lord Brahmā is not independent. He received knowledge from Nārāyaṇa. So if you receive knowledge, that is perfect knowledge. That Nārāyaṇa, sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ nārāyaṇaḥ. If you receive knowledge from Kṛṣṇa, that is perfect.
Therefore Arjuna is putting question, these questions, that "What is this material nature?" Prakṛtiṁ puruṣam. "What are these living entities who are trying to enjoy this material nature?" Puruṣa wants to enjoy prakṛti. So that I have explained yesterday, that although we are also prakṛti, we are now in the mentality of puruṣa. Just like in this material world, man and woman. The man is trying to enjoy the woman, and the woman is trying to enjoy the man.
"From Me because I am the supreme authority, Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa says that mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior authority than Me." So we get knowledge from superior authority. That is the process of acquiring knowledge.
We go to school, colleges, teachers. So why? To receive knowledge. So teacher or school, college, they are in higher authority. Similarly, you go on, higher authorities, higher authorities, higher authorities. You reach to Brahmā because he is the original creature and he described the Vedic knowledge. So he is also not higher authority. He also received knowledge from God. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. Ādi-kavaye, the original person.
We have got this body, expanding, expanding. The original person is Brahmā. From Brahmā there was Lord Śiva, and from Śiva there were so many, then these Dakṣas and Pracetasas and many sages gradually. So we are descendant, Manu.
'I am God. I am God.' " This is false knowledge. So when this was recommended by Rāmānanda Rāya to Caitanya, that "One should give up this false knowledge..." Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. "One should be very meek and humble," namanta eva jīvanti, "and in that way if he lives," san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām, "and tries to receive knowledge from really self-realized persons..." The motto of life. He is describing the motto of life, that "One should not be falsely proud, one should be very much meek and humble, and try to receive knowledge from self-realized persons. If one continues, follows these principles, then one day he will find that God, who is ajita, who cannot be conquered by anyone, who cannot be known by anyone, God realization..."
Because God realization is not an ordinary job. It is very difficult. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3). In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that "Out of many, many thousands of men, one may be interested how to make perfect this human form of life. And out of many, many thousands of perfect persons, one may know actually what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa." So God is unconquerable, cannot be conquered, or He cannot be understood by your puffed-up mentality that "I can know Him."
That is not expected. But maybe somebody may come and take to such transaction maybe seriously. But we cannot expect that everyone will understand the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not for ordinary man, not for the proud man, especially, who is thinking that "I am God." It is for the humble and meek who can actually submit to a God-realized person and receive knowledge from him. But he has the, I mean to say, liberty to inquire from him. One should not blindly accept the thesis or the theory which is put forward from Bhagavad-gītā. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). One should be asking questions by two principles. He should ask questions from a person whom he believes to be a man of knowledge. Otherwise it is simply waste of time. And at the same time, sevā, by service. Then question is allowed. Otherwise, blind acceptance is no acceptance. One should understand, but with service and surrender.
So before engaging yourself in devotional service to the Lord, you must first of all worship ācārya, ācāryopāsanam. One cannot become a devotee personally. Just like some rascals say, "What is the use of accepting guru?" Of course, they have got very bad experience.
But who is ācārya? Ācārya means one who has received the Vedic knowledge through the paramparā system. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). He is ācārya. Ācārya cannot be manufactured, self-made. No. He must come down from the disciplic succession. He is ācārya. You have to approach such ācārya who is coming in disciplic succession. ācāryavan puruṣo veda. One who is under the shelter of ācārya, he knows things. So Kṛṣṇa recommends also here that if you actually want to become in knowledge, if you want to have real knowledge, then you must worship ācārya. Ācāryopāsanam. This is Vedic system. Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12).
Tac chraddadhānā munayo jñāna-vairāgya... (SB 1.2.12), paśyanty ātmani cātmānaṁ bhaktyā śruta-gṛhītayā. Bhaktyā. There must be bhakti. And what kind of bhakti? Not sentiment but śruta-gṛhītayā, taking, accepting bhakti, the devotional path, after being completely aware of the spiritual science. Bhaktyā śruta-gṛhītayā.
Śruta. The specific meaning of śruta means this knowledge has to be received through the ear, through the tongue. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). Śruta-gṛhītayā. It is never explained in the Vedic literature that the science of God can be understood by the eyes. No. It has been mentioned, the tongue and the ear. These are the sources. Śruta-gṛhītayā. One must hear the Vedic literature. The Vedic literature is called, therefore, śruti. Śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). Śrotriyam. Formerly there was no book. The students used to hear from the spiritual master. Śruta, śrotriyam. That was perfect. There was no need of literacy. That ear is sufficient. Śruta-gṛhītayā. Tac chraddadhānā munayo jñāna-vairāgya...(SB 1.2.12). And hearing, hearing, hearing, one becomes enlightened with knowledge, and the effect of knowledge is vairāgya. Vairāgya, detachment. Otherwise, we, hearing or studying... But there is no vairāgya.
That is ma... Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. Sudurlabhaḥ means very, very rare to find out. The rascals posing themselves as mahātmā, that is another thing. That is not authorized.
You have to accept anything from the authorized source. So according to Vedic civilization, all knowledge is received from the Vedas, perfect authorized source. Śruti-pramāṇa, evidence from the śruti, from the Vedas, that is perfect. Therefore, according to Vedic civilization, if you want to establish something you have to quote the section or the injunction from the Vedas, Then it is perfect. In learned circle you cannot say anything hodge-podge. That will not be accepted. If you support your statement from the evidence of the Vedas, then you are accepted as authority. Therefore our principle is... Not only our, this is the Vedic principle. You'll find Caitanya Mahāprabhu giving instruction to Sanātana Gosvāmī, to Rūpa Gosvāmī, or He was talking with Rāmānanda Rāya—in Caitanya-caritāmṛta you'll find—and quoting support from the Vedas. Although Caitanya Mahāprabhu is God Himself, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa-Caitanya, but He is not, what is called, autocratic or, what is called, dictator. No. You'll never find Him. Whatever He'll say, immediately He supported by Vedic evidence. He can say anything. He can manufacture anything.
So Bhagavad-gītā also... It is Vedic literature, spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Veda apauruṣeya. Veda means the knowledge given by God, Kṛṣṇa, First the knowledge was given to Brahmā. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). Brahmā received the knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vedic knowledge. Therefore it is called apauruṣeya. Veda does not mean it is written by some ordinary man, as we write some books. No. It is not like that. Apauruṣeya. Coming directly. So similarly, the Bhagavad-gītā is also coming directly from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is Vedas. Vedānta-vid vedānta-kṛd ca aham. Kṛṣṇa says, in the Fifteenth Chapter, that:
- sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi-sanniviṣṭo
- mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
- vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
- vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham
- (BG 15.15)
He is actually the Vedānta, compiler of Vedānta, Vedānta-sūtra. The most important philosophical theses—not theses, but actually... So Kṛṣṇa knows what is Vedānta. And what He says, that is Vedānta. Veda, Veda means knowledge.
If we want to understand the real fact, then we must receive from the paramparā system. Just like we have got our genealogical table. I understand my great-great-grandfather by the paramparā system. Not that I manufacture some name. No. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that imam, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). The Bhagavad-gītā, knowledge must be received by the paramparā system, as it was spoken by Kṛṣṇa and as it has been received by the later ācāryas. Although there are different parties... Just like the Śrī-sampradāya, Brahma-sampradāya, Rudra-sampradāya. They are all in agreement that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All these ācāryas. They'll not say anything that "Because I belong to Brahma-sampradāya, I speak something else." No. We are all in agreement that kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). That is accepted.
| Page Title: | Receive knowledge (Lecture, BG) |
| Compiler: | Mayapur, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 05 of Oct, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=75, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 75 |