So the brāhmaṇas' duty is to give education, intelligence, up to the understanding of the Supreme Absolute Truth, Brahman. The Absolute Truth is called Brahman. So one who knows Brahman or the Absolute Truth... Knowledge means the end of knowledge should be up to the understanding of the Absolute Truth, the original source of everything. Absolute. Not relative. Relative truth, everyone knows, but when one comes to the point of understanding the Absolute Truth, the original source of everything... There must be original source of everything. That is Brahman. Those who have read the Vedānta philosophy... The Vedānta philosophy describes Brahman. The first aphorism in the Vedānta philosophy is called athāto brahma jijñāsā. The Vedānta philosophy says that this human form of life is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth. One must be... Human being must be interested to know the Absolute Truth. That is perfection of human life.
Relative truth (Lectures)
Expressions researched:
"Truth is not relative"
|"relative truth"
|"relative truths"
|"truth, that is also relative"
|"truths, relative"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
From śāstra-yoni, if you want to see through the śāstra... Just like moon planet. We have got information from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that there, the people, they live for ten thousands of years. And what is that measurement of year? Our six months equal to their one day. Now such ten thousands of years, just imagine. It is called daiva-varṣa. Daiva-varṣa means year according to the demigods' calculation. Just like Brahmā's day, that is demigods' calculation. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). We have got information from Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says that they calculate the years of the demigods. Everyone's year is calculated. This is called... This is accepted by the modern science, relative truth or the law of relativity. A small ant, he has got also hundred years' age, but the ant's hundred years and our hundred years different. This is called relative. According to your size of body, everything in relationship. Our hundred years and Brahmā's hundred years, that is different. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said calculate like this: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Now you try to understand what is the age of Brahmā by calculating one day
The human, Vedānta-sūtra, this philosophy is meant for the human being, not for cats and dogs. They cannot understand. Therefore it is said, atha, now. It is the opportunity of our inquiring about the Absolute Truth, this human form of life. What is that Absolute Truth? Everyone is under the concept of this body, but that is not Absolute Truth. It is relative truth, but if you inquire about the Absolute Truth, then it is possible, because you are human being, you can understand what is that Absolute Truth. It is possible. Because this body is so advanced, our consciousness is so advanced, that there is possibility. But if we misuse this possibility, if we don't inquire about the Absolute Truth, simply we fight with one another for eating, sleeping, sex-life and defending, then we are no better than animals.
Suppose if you want to learn engineering, so you cannot go to a butcher. You must find out an engineer. You must admit yourself into the engineering college, learn how to practice engineering. Suppose if you want to become a medical practitioner, so you have to admit yourself in some medical college. Similarly, if you want to know about spiritual matter, then you must approach a spiritual master who knows the things. How you can learn it from anywhere and everywhere? One must be expert in spiritual knowledge. From him you have to learn. Therefore it is said here, "Just try to learn the truth by..."
Here truth means the Absolute Truth, not relative truth. Or even if you want to know relative truth, you have to approach a particular expert. But here, it is indicated, truth means the Absolute Truth. So Kṛṣṇa indicates that "Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master." Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). That is the Vedic injunction. In the Kaṭhopaniṣad the Vedas says that "If you want to learn transcendental science, so you have to approach a bona fide spiritual master."
Somebody is taking that God is without any form because here it is said, sarvendriya-varjitam, vivarjitam. Vivarjitam, specifically He has no indriyas. So if God has no indriya, then He's nirākāra. But in the previous verse Kṛṣṇa has said that, "Yes, I have got my indriyas. I can see everything, I can hear everything." So unless He has got ears and eyes to see, we cannot conceive anything that a man without any eyes can see. Is there any such idea? Or a man without having ears can hear also? We cannot conceive any such thing.
But these things have to be adjusted. The adjustment is that He has eyes, He has ears, He has legs, He has hands—everything He has got. Because sarvendriya-guṇābhāsam. He's the origin. In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said that the Absolute Truth is the origin of everything. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So without a thing being existing in the Absolute Truth, how that can be manifested in this relative truth? This world is relative truth. So there is everything, but only one has to understand what is that everything. That everything is spiritual and this is material. When it is said that He's Sarvendriya-vivarjitam, that means He has no material senses. He has got senses. He has got eyes, He has got hands, legs, everything, but they are not material.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So Vyāsadeva is offering his obeisances to satyaṁ param, the Absolute Supreme Truth, not to the relative truth. Everyone has to offer obeisances to somebody. Somebody... In our practical life, at least, we have to offer obeisances to the police constable. When you go on the street, as soon as they, "Stop!" So we have to obey. So how you can avoid obeying? They are saying that "We don't believe in God. God is dead. I am God." But why you are offering obeisances even to the small constable? That means you have to offer your obeisances to somebody. That is your position.
But we are offering obeisances to the relative truth. Relative truth means... That has been explained here that tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mṛṣā. We are offering obeisances to a temporary manifestation of tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayaḥ. Tejaḥ means fire, vāri means water, and mṛt means earth. So you take earth, mix with water, and put it into fire. Then grind it, so it becomes mortar and the brick, and you prepare a very big skyscraper and offer obeisances there. Yes. "Oh, such a big house, mine." Tri-sargo 'mṛṣā. But there is another place: dhāmnā svena nirasta-kuhakam. We are offering here obeisances to the bricks, stone, iron. Just like in your country especially—in all Western countries—there are so many statues. The same thing, tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayaḥ. But when we install Deity, actually the form, eternal form of Kṛṣṇa, nobody offers obeisances.
Pradyumna: In the presence of the sun, the darkness cannot stand, and the relative truths that were hidden within the dense darkness of ignorance become clearly manifested by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, who is residing in everyone's heart as the Supersoul. In the Bhagavad-gītā (10.11), the Lord says that in order to show special favor to His pure devotees, He personally eradicates the dense darkness of all misgivings by switching on the light of pure knowledge within the heart of a devotee."
Prabhupāda: This is another advantage of the devotee. Because Kṛṣṇa shows a special favor to the devotee. Although He's equal to everyone, He's specially, I mean, inclined favorable to the devotees. Teṣām eva anukampārtham aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ. There... He takes special care. He says, samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu (BG 9.29). Although He's equal to everyone, still He's specially inclined to the devotees. For the devotees, he gives special instruction from within. Yena mām upayānti te. This is the special advantage of a devotee.
Pradyumna: "He comes to know everything of the absolute and the relative truths. The devotee cannot remain in darkness, and because a devotee is enlightened by the Personality of Godhead, his knowledge is certainly perfect. This is not the case for those who speculate on the Absolute Truth by dint of their own limited power of approach."
Prabhupāda: Yes. One can speculate about the Absolute Truth to certain extent. Therefore, generally, these speculators become impersonalists. Because they cannot go beyond that. But that impersonal knowledge is not complete. As we have several times stressed on this point, one has to go further, onward: realization of Paramātmā, realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But they stop only in impersonal view. That's all.
So simply thinking, concocting, is one thing. And fact is another. Fact is that we are teeny, part and parcel of the Absolute Truth. But we are not actually absolute. We are relative. Relative truth. On the existence of the Absolute Truth, we are existing, but we have no independent existence, neither we have got independent knowledge. We are all dependent. The independent knowledge, Absolute Truth, is Kṛṣṇa. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. That is the beginning of Vedānta-sūtra. Therefore, bhejire munayo 'thāgre bhagavantam adhokṣajam. Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, beyond the sense perception. This impersonal concept of the Absolute Truth is in negation of the material duality. But that is not absolute knowledge. Absolute knowledge is that when we reach bhagavantam adhokṣajam. Sattvaṁ viśuddham. His existence is viśuddha, not contaminated. Our existence in this material existence, this is not viśuddha. This is contaminated by the modes of material nature.
So here it is said jijñāsitam adhītaṁ ca brahma. Brahma means the Supreme Absolute Truth. "You have inquired sufficiently..." Because he was spiritual master, Nārada, he knows how he was inquisitive. So, "You have inquired about the Supreme Absolute Truth." Jijñāsitam adhītaṁ ca yat tat sanātanam. Absolute Truth, sanātana means eternal. Absolute Truth is not relative. Here in this world everything we see relative. This world, material world, is called relative world. And therefore it is not sanātanam. Sanātanam means eternal. As soon as we are in the relative world, there is no eternal life. Relative world means that one thing has to be understood by another thing. Just like what is the meaning of "son"? The son is the son of a father. So unless there is father, there is no question of son. Unless there is husband, there is no question of wife. Unless there is black, there is no question of white. Similarly, whatever you try to understand, there must be the opposite number. That is called duality, or dvaita-jagat, or the duality. But in the absolute world there is no such distinction. One. The same father and the same son. Therefore, if I do not mistake, sometimes Jesus Christ is accepted as the father and sometimes as son. Because in the material world there is such distinction, master and servant, father and son, lower or higher. But in the spiritual world, although there are varieties, but there is no distinction. There is no distinction.
So Nārada Muni knows what is the status of Vyāsadeva. He knows that he has got clear vision. Amogha-dṛk. Śrīdhara Svāmī says, amogha. Amogha means... Mogha means sinful, and amogha means without any sin. Amogha. So long one lives sinful life, he cannot have clear vision. Diseased condition. How? "Physician, heal thyself." He cannot have clear vision. Therefore amogha-dṛk means he is liberated person. He can see. Amogha-dṛk. Dṛk means vision. Amogha-dṛk. And Śuci-śravāḥ. Śuci-śravāḥ. Śuci-śravāḥ means whose śravāḥ, means aural reception... śuci. Śuci means pure. Who has received knowledge by aural reception in pure heart, or from the pure source. Śuci-śravāḥ. Śuci means pure. Śravāḥ. Śravāḥ means hearing. Śuci... These are the qualification of the person who can actually do benefit to the human society. Not that everyone can do. That is the mistake of the... Everyone is giving some idea and some theory that "This way there will be peace, there will be nice thing in the world." But he does not know that he has to receive from the pure source by aural reception. One has to hear from the pure source what is actually benefit to the human society. These are the qualifications. Śuci-śravāḥ. Then next word is satya-rataḥ. Satya means truth, and rataḥ means engaged. "One who is engaged in the matter of the Absolute Truth," not relative truth. Absolute, satya-rataḥ. And dhṛta-vrataḥ.
Prabhupāda: Just like when the first sputnik traveled round the world. In one hour, twenty-five minutes, this whole world was circum(am)bulated. So actually it takes so many hours if you circumambulate the whole world, 25,000 miles. Even by plane it will take day and night. What is the speed of aeroplane?
devotee: Five hundred miles an hour.
Prabhupāda: So one thousand miles, two hours. So 25,000 miles it will take fifty hours. But by other arrangement, it was circum(am)bulated one hour, twenty-five minutes. So, similarly, by other arrangement it can be done in one minute, in one second. It is a question of arranging. It is, therefore, all relative. Everything is relative. You cannot walk... The ant cannot walk. Therefore it should be like this, it should be like that, according to my convenience. No, relative. You have got greater power, greater speed than... My speed, your speed, may (be) different. Therefore what is one hundred years for me, it may be one second for you. It is relative, all relative truth. In your calculation it is one hundred years. In my calculation it is one second. Therefore Brahmā's duration of life is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Brahmaṇe, Here also divyam. Sahasrābdam. Now divyaṁ sahasrābdam. Brahmā's one day, one twelve hours, daytime, we cannot calculate. Our, according to our calculation it is... Sahasra-yuga. Sahasra-yuga. Yuga. Yugas means these Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, Kali. That means forty three hundred thousands of years. And thousand times, forty three hundred thousands of years, that makes Brahmā's one day of twelve hours.
So rascals will say these are all imagination. Not imagination. Because relative truth. Your speed, your power... Just like an ant. An ant lives, say, for few hours. That is also his hundred years. A germ lives for few seconds. That is also his hundred years. So this hundred years, they are relative.
Similarly this tyāgena means to practice, to give everything to Kṛṣṇa. Everything. Tyāgena. Śamena damena tyāgena. This is the different steps of elevating yourself to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena ca damena ca, tyāgena satya-śaucābhyām (SB 6.1.13). Satya means truthfulness. One should know what is truth, ultimate truth, Absolute Truth. We are concerned with relative truths, but we have to know the Absolute Truth. Just like in the Bhāgavata Vyāsadeva is offering his respect, obeisances: satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi (SB 1.1.1). "I offer my respect to the Supreme Truth, not to the relative truth." We are concerned with relative truth, categorical truth, not the summum bonum
Relative truth is the effect of the Absolute Truth. But He's Absolute Truth. He's the supreme cause, and everything is effect. Cause of all causes. Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1).
So that Absolute Truth, who is Absolute Truth? Kṛṣṇa. We are searching after truth, what is the truth, what is the relative truth. But when you come to Kṛṣṇa, that is Absolute Truth. Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1).
Now, in our idea, because we are very teeny, we can see this Pacific Ocean before us—"the greatest." But even in comparison to the universe, it is not even a drop of water. In comparison to the universe there are millions and trillions of Pacific Oceans floating in the sky. So what is this Pacific Ocean in comparison to the universe? Therefore it is not greatest. But to our idea, we are thinking it is the greatest. This is called relative truth. This is scientifically truth, Professor Einstein's theory, relativity. We think something very great or greatest according to our capacity of understanding. We are very teeny, so we think that this Pacific Ocean, the greatest. The frog philosophy. Everyone is thinking that his understanding is the greatest. He has no idea that how greatest God is. We say "God is great," but we do not know how great He is. This Pacific Ocean is an insignificant drop of water within this universe, this material universe.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
So Vedānta-sūtra says, answer, the first aphorism is: athāto brahma jijñāsā. Brahman, the Absolute, that is the main business of the human life, to inquire about the Absolute Truth. Here everything is relative truth. I am the son of my father. My father is the son of his father. His father is the son of his father. You go on. Everything is relative. But who is the Absolute? Who is the Absolute? That inquiry is called Brahma-jijñāsā. Who is the original father? Then if you go on searching like that, within this universe you'll find Lord Brahmā is the origin. He's called, therefore, pitāmaha, Lord Brahmā. But if you still inquire further, who is the father of Brahmā, then you come to Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. From the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, from His abdomen, there sprouted a lotus flower, and (on) the lotus flower, Brahmā was born. Therefore Brahmā's another name is Svayambhūr. He did not come out through the womb of his mother, although the mother was present. Kar..., Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, we have seen the picture. Lakṣmījī is massaging the lotus feet of Viṣṇu, and Brahmā is sprouted from the abdomen. So this is called omnipotency. Generally we have got this idea that a child is born from the yoni, but here Kṛṣṇa gives birth to a child without the help of His wife and from His abdomen. This is called omnipotency.
Prabhupāda: Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Bhakti, it is very simple thing. Our relationship with Kṛṣṇa is natural. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mamaivāṁśa jīva-bhūtaḥ. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa; therefore our only duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is natural. There is no question about it. Part and parcel means helping the whole. As we have several times explained that this finger is the part and parcel of my body, so it is the duty of the finger always serve the body, whole body. It has no other occupation. As soon as I desire, "Finger, you come to this place," immediately it comes. "Finger, you come to this place," it immediately comes. So we can study. What is the meaning of part and parcel? Part and parcel means to serve the whole. Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Truth. We are relative truth. Therefore it is our duty to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is our natural position.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Without surrender, you cannot understand the truth as it is. That is the instruction of Vedas everywhere. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam: (SB 11.3.21) "One has to surrender to guru." Why? Jijñāsu: "If you are inquisitive to know the Absolute Truth." And if you want to know something which is flickering, relative truth, that is another thing. But if you want to know the Absolute Truth, śreyaḥ uttamam... Absolute Truth means ultimate benefit, śreya. Ultimate... Yes, exactly the word, benefit. If you want ultimate benefit, then guruṁ prapadyeta. Who is guru? Śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam: one who is expert in understanding the Vedic literature, śābde pare ca, especially transcendental.
Absolute is not relative. "Because something has being taken away, therefore it is something less"—it is relative. It is not absolute. This idea is relative. I have got in my pocket ten dollars. So I have taken two dollars. Now it is eight dollars. This is relative truth. This is not absolute idea. Absolute idea is that pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). Avaśiṣyate means the balance is still full. Whatever you may take, the balance is still.
Initiation Lectures
Prabhupāda: So sannyāsa, sannyāsa, the derivative meaning is sat-nyās. Sat means the Supreme Truth. Oṁ tat sat. Here in this material world everything is relative truth. Nothing is Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Absolute Truth is a person like us, but He is the Supreme Person. That is the Vedic information. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Nitya means eternal. We living entities, we are all eternal.
Wedding Ceremonies
"The Absolute Truth is that from whom everything emanates." Very simple definition. That means the fountainhead of everything, the source of everything. Therefore here in this material world we see that the attraction for man and woman, woman's attraction for man, man's attraction for woman, is so prominent. Not only in human society, but in other than: animal society, cat society, dog society, bird society, there is always the attraction, man and woman, or male and female. Why? The answer is in the Vedānta-sūtra: janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Because it is there in the Absolute Truth. Without being present in the Absolute Truth, how it can be manifested in the relative truth?
The Vaiṣṇava, they accept that the Absolute Truth is person, and the Māyāvādī philosophers, they say that Absolute Truth is impersonal. That is the difference. Otherwise their process of other paraphernalia, execution of understanding, is almost the same. Now our Vaiṣṇava philosopher's argument is that how the Absolute Truth can be impersonal? Because here, in this world, in our experience, we see everything personal. So unless the personality, the individuality, or the individual attraction is there in the Absolute Truth, how they can be represented here in the relative truth?
General Lectures
This creation takes place exactly like your body, my body. The creation of this body takes place at a certain date. That is the beginning of history. But time is immemorial, I mean to say, eternal. It is all relative truth. The history is relative. Just like my life begins, this body begins somewhere in 1896—something like that—and it ends somewhere. That time limit is relative to my body. Similarly, there is Brahmā's body. That relative time is long, long duration. As you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā, Brahmā's life is described by Kṛṣṇa, sahasra-yuga-paryantam arhad yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). This Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, Kali, four yugas, it comes to about forty-three lakhs of years. So combine together, if you multiply it by one thousand, that is the duration of one day's life of Brahmā. Similarly, he has got night. This is only daytime, twelve hours. The similar period, night, that makes twenty-four hours. Then again one month, thirty days and nights. Similarly, one year, twelve months. Similarly, one hundred years. So his duration of life is also one hundred years, but because it is a different person, that truth is relative according to that person. That is scientifically admitted: everything is relative truth, nothing absolute truth.
Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: Supposing you saw some ice, and you said, "Due to there being cold, this water has turned hard and become ice."
Prabhupāda: That is another proposition. Water is liquid, but when water becomes hard, that is artificial. But that hardness... Snow is white, that is truth. Otherwise nothing is truth except Kṛṣṇa. Relative truth. Kṛṣṇa is absolute truth. There are relative truths. So this is relative truth. Kṛṣṇa is substance. Now, from Kṛṣṇa everything is emanating by His energy. Water is also one of the energies, but that energy is not absolute truth, that water. But in that relativeness, the water's liquidity is truth. But it is relative truth.
Śyāmasundara: This is what he is saying, that there's absolute truth and relative truth.
Prabhupāda: Absolute truth is one. Then he can say that absolute truth and relative truth, not that two types of truth.
Śyāmasundara: That's what he says: there are relative truths and absolute truths.
Prabhupāda: That we accept. There are truths, relative and absolute.
Śyāmasundara: And he says that the test for both types—of absolute truth and relative truth—is that for absolute truth, it is impossible to conceive of the opposite.
Prabhupāda: Opposite is māyā. Māyā is not truth. Māyā is illusion.
Śyāmasundara: Relative truths are governed by the law of sufficient reason. In other words, they can be most reasonably explained by reference to all of the conditions in which they are found.
Prabhupāda: Just like you can explain how the snow is formed-the molecular structure of the water, and how they become compact by temperature...
Śyāmasundara: He says that everything goes by steps in nature, and not by leaps. In other words, there is a law of continuity, like there are no gaps in nature. Everything is gradual. There is a gradual differentiation.
Prabhupāda: No. There are two ways-gradual and immediate also.
Śyāmasundara: He says that God is an absolute necessity because we cannot conceive not-God. But man, individual men, are relative truths because they are not absolutely necessary. Because I can conceive that I am not here, that I may die. So he says that we are conditioned, that men are conditioned. They are governed by the principle of sufficient (indistinct).
Prabhupāda: That we can see. There are so many politicians, they are very busy. They think that "If I do not remain in the state, everything will collapse." But when he dies, everything goes on nicely without him. That is māyā. So many politicians work so hard, up to the last point of his death he is thinking that "Without me, everything will be topsy turvy." But he dies in spite of his not willing to die. He dies, but things go on without depending on him. Therefore God's will is working, the Supreme Will. You may think so many ways—that is a different thing. Actually God's will is working.
Śyāmasundara: Yes. He believes there is only relativity. He doesn't think there's anything absolute.
Prabhupāda: Relativity... He does not believe that there are other things. But as soon as one says relative, the opposite word is absolute; otherwise wherefrom we take this word relative?
Śyāmasundara: Well, his idea is that things only exist in relation with each other.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Then what is the supreme relative?
Śyāmasundara: He doesn't admit any supreme.
Prabhupāda: His knowledge is imperfect.
Śyāmasundara: He says just like a cherry, say a fruit...
Prabhupāda: In logic there is relative study, and at the end of all relative truth there is absolute truth, the summum bonum. So he has no idea of the summum bonum, or the substance.
Śyāmasundara: One thing that puzzles me is if what is practical for one person is not practical for another person, then what is the criterion of truth? Is truth relative? This is true for me but it is not true for you. This isn't true for him but it is...
Prabhupāda: Yes. There are relative truths. But for the Absolute Truth... There is Absolute Truth and relative truth. So first of all we have to see in which you are interested—Absolute Truth or relative truth. That is to be understood. There are two kinds of truth.
Śyāmasundara: So if the result of the businessman is to make some money for his use, and our purpose of doing business is also to make some money for another use, so then it is a question of what the use, what is the practical...
Prabhupāda: As far as pushing on your Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, just like constructing this big building, you require some money. So if you go somewhere to take that money, you must please him; otherwise you cannot get money. But his pleasing that man is not the ultimate goal. Ultimate goal is to please Kṛṣṇa. But for pleasing Kṛṣṇa, this is a temporary method I have accepted, just to please Him.
Śyāmasundara: What about the businessman who goes to please that man for his...
Prabhupāda: When a businessman goes to please somebody, he wants the money for himself. That is the difference. But when we go to please somebody, to get some money, our ultimate aim is to please Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Truth. Therefore the means adopted, even if it is relative truth, that becomes Absolute Truth. The end justifies the means. Because the means is adopted, just like Kṛṣṇa advises Arjuna, "Just go and tell Droṇācārya that his son is dead," although his son was not dead. So this is not truth. But because by that action Kṛṣṇa will be pleased—Kṛṣṇa is Absolute Truth-therefore even that lying is also absolute.
Śyāmasundara: So practicality has to be judged on the result, what is the result of that action?
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is that the end justifies the means. Means is not very important. What is the end, we have to see.
Śyāmasundara: For instance, James uses the example of God. Whether God exists depends on the extent to which a belief in God affects my life. In other words if it is practical, if it makes me feel happy, if I get some courage and strength by believing in God, then God is true, then God does exist.
Prabhupāda: So one may not feel like that, that means that God does not exist? Suppose one man does not feel very good talking about God. That means God is null and void?
Śyāmasundara: According to James's philosophy...
Prabhupāda: That means he is an atheist. He's a godless.
Śyāmasundara: He considers himself to be a religious man.
Prabhupāda: Considers... He has no idea of God. What kind of a religious man he is? We say he is a nonsense.
Śyāmasundara: In other words, truth is relative, according to him.
Prabhupāda: No. Truth is not relative. Your position is relative. So long you are under the clutches of māyā, your understanding of God is relative. God is not relative. God is absolute. You cannot understand God. Your position is relative. Just like, I will give you a practical example: a man is deaf and he is calling wife, "Mrs. such and such, such and such." She is replying, "Yes. I am coming." But he himself is deaf. He cannot hear the wife is replying. So he is accusing his wife, "Mrs. such and such is very deaf; she cannot hear." She is hearing; she is replying. This rascal cannot hear; therefore she becomes deaf. This is an example. So I cannot understand what is God—therefore there is no God. This is the most rascal position. I cannot see at night the sun-therefore there is no sun. He does not understand that "I am in darkness at night, so there is no possibility of my seeing." He has no such knowledge. But he concludes there is not sun. That is rascaldom.
Śyāmasundara: Kierkegaard, he considers that truth, it's true (indistinct) subjectivity-personal, individual reflections...
Prabhupāda: That is another nonsense. That is another nonsense. Truth is true. Not that... I cannot fashion truth. This statement is nonsense. Truth is true. Fire is hot. That is true. If I imagine that fire is cold, is that philosophy? He does not prove. He does not know what is truth. One who does not know what is truth, therefore they imagine or manufacture truth. Just like Vivekananda, yata mata, Ramakrishna, yata mata tata patha, "You can manufacture your truth." That is going on. That is going on. The hippies, they are manufacturing their truth. So truth cannot be manufactured. Truth is truth. That is called absolute truth. Not relative truth, absolute truth. You can manufacture relative truth, but absolute truth is one: tattvaṁ phalaṁ yena (?), just like Bhāgavata says. Who is meditated upon? Who is worshiped? The Absolute Truth. So they have no knowledge of the absolute.
Śyāmasundara: Their idea is that...
Prabhupāda: All they know is the relative truth.
Śyāmasundara: In fact, when he says that what is practical is the criterion for truth, that is also relative, what is practical. Just like for the child the practical thing is the laddu.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That's all right. For a child the lugdoo is reality, but that does not mean that is equal to that one thousand dollar note.
Śyāmasundara: So we have to find out what is really practical.
Prabhupāda: Yes. No, practical, both things practical. But according to the person, the value is different.
Śyāmasundara: Oh. But isn't there an absolute value?
Prabhupāda: The absolute value is God. That is division (?). Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi. That is our objective. We take in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) "The original source of everything." Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi: "I meditate upon the Supreme Truth, Absolute Truth."
Śyāmasundara: And that is also practical?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. Why not practical? Do you mean to say that you are, all Kṛṣṇa conscious people, you are after something impractical?
Śyāmasundara: Well, they will say...
Prabhupāda: They may say. What is your position? They may say.
Śyāmasundara: The practical thing is that it makes us happy.
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Śyāmasundara: The practical result is that we are happy.
Prabhupāda: So anyway, unless you feel practical, why you are after it? That is my proposal. They may say whatever nonsense they can say.
Śyāmasundara: So the practical result should be satisfaction, happiness.
Prabhupāda: Yes. You are eating, but somebody says, "What you are doing?" But by eating, if you feel satisfaction of your hunger, that is practical. You haven't got to take certificate from others. You are eating; if you feel satisfaction, if you feel strong, that is the...
Śyāmasundara: So these men, both of them, they have a great faith that philosophy can change the world.
Prabhupāda: And this is the real philosophy. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). This is philosophy. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is real... What is the original source? This is real philosophy. What is that Absolute Truth? Everything is relative truth. What is the Absolute Truth? That is philosophy, Vedānta philosophy.
| Page Title: | Relative truth (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika, MadhuGopaldas |
| Created: | 20 of Aug, 2009 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=35, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 35 |