Religious understanding

Expressions researched:
"religious understanding"

SB Canto 6

Dadhyañca is very experienced in religious understanding.

SB 6.9.54, Translation:

When the Aśvinī-kumāras beg for Dadhyañca's body on your behalf, he will surely give it because of affection. Do not doubt this, for Dadhyañca is very experienced in religious understanding. When Dadhyañca awards you his body, Viśvakarmā will prepare a thunderbolt from his bones. This thunderbolt will certainly kill Vṛtrāsura because it will be invested with My power.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

What is the difference between animal and human being? The difference is that a human being, civilized being, has some sort of religious understanding.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975, University Lecture:

So here it is, says, dharmasya hy āpavargyasya na artha arthāyopakalpate. There are four principles in the material world: dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). Human life begins from religious life, because in the animal life there is no religion. Animal life—cats' life, dogs' life, tigers' life, or any other less than human being... Especially civilized human being all over the world, there is some type of religion, either it may be Hindu religion or Christian religion or Muhammadan religion or Buddhist religion. That is the sign of civilized human society. Dharmeṇa hīnaḥ paśubhiḥ samānaḥ. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhiḥ narāṇām. Eating, sleeping, sex life and defense, they are common either to the human being or to the animals. So what is the difference between animal and human being? The difference is that a human being, civilized being, has some sort of religious understanding. The cats and dogs, they have no such thing. That is the difference. Therefore, when human being becomes irreligious, without any religion, then it is no better than the cats and dogs. Dharmeṇa hīnaḥ paśubhiḥ samāṇaḥ.

Philosophy without religious understanding is mental speculation.

Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Los Angeles, August 23, 1972:

Utpāta, utpāta means disturbance. So many rascals, without reference to the Vedic literature, revealed scriptures, Śruti-smṛti. These are Vedic literatures, śruti-smṛti-purāṇa, pañcarātra-vidhi. Without reference to all these books, if anyone poses himself that he has understood God and devotional service, it is simply a disturbance, creating disturbance. That's all. Śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi... (Brs. 1.2.101). Because it is a science. How you can manufacture it? It is not that thing.

Therefore any religion without scientific understanding through philosophy, it is simply sentiment. It is not religion. And philosophy without religious understanding is mental speculation. That is also useless. Philosophy which does not search ultimately what is truth, what is God, that philosophy is mental speculation. And the knowledge of God without philosophy is simply sentiment. They should be combined. To understand God, our relationship with God, our duty, everything should be understood, scientifically. Bhagavat-tattva-vijñānam. Therefore this word has been used, vijñānam. Viśeṣa-jñānam. Jñānam, ordinary knowledge, and vi, when the this word is added, vi, meaning viśeṣatā, particularly, for practical application... This vijñānam.

So this vijñānam, this science, can be understood by mukta-saṅga, who is freed from the lower modes of material nature, especially tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa. So do not be befooled by so many rascals that bhagavat-tattva-vijñānam, the science of God, understanding is so cheap that anyone can give you by simply one day's association with some rascal. You see. This is not so possible. Yes, it has to be studied, it has to be practiced. It has to be realized. So this vijñānam is being stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore in the beginning, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra (SB 1.1.2). All rascaldom going on under the name of religion, cheating religion, they're completely kicked out from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Simply on scientific understanding we are presenting what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not for sentimentalists. Read the purport.

When the human society becomes without any religious understanding, dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ, immediately they're animals. They're not human beings.

Lecture on SB 1.7.27 -- Vrndavana, September 24, 1976:

This Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, mahā-muni-kṛte. It is not written by ordinary person. In the beginning it is said, śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte. Not only muni, but mahā-muni. Kim anyaiḥ śāstraiḥ: under the instruction of his spiritual master, Vyāsadeva, revealed the scripture by spiritual experience. Bhakti-yogena, praṇihite amale. Bhakti-yoga, he could realize. Nārada Muni asked him to write simply on the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He had written so many books—all the Vedas, Upaniṣads, Purāṇas. But he was not feeling satisfied even after writing the Vedānta-sūtra. So at that time Nārada Muni happened to come to him, and he chastised him that "You have written so many books, but they're not very useful." Because people are generally attracted to dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). They're attracted. Those who are civilized men, they are attracted with some sort of religion, system. It doesn't matter whether he's Hindu or Muslim or Christian. They have some sort of religious practice. That is the beginning of human civilization. When there is no religious practice, that is not civilized man. Just like in the jungle, aborigines, or the animals, they have no religious system. In the human society there is some religious system. Therefore when the human society becomes without any religious understanding, dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ, immediately they're animals. They're not human beings. In civilized world...

Now, at the present moment, especially the famous movement, Communist movement, they are after completely driving out religious system. This is the misfortune of this age. So they are not in fault in one sense, because the guardians of the religious system, they are fallen. Just like immediately our Śubhavilāsa Prabhu was asking me that "We have seen so many temples. Why they are so neglected?" Is it not your question? And why they should not neglect it? The, mostly, the temples, they have become the means of livelihood. That is the defect. Temple is not meant for means of livelihood. Then it will deteriorate. How long you can falsely worship Deity and make show of ārati? You cannot go on very long time. That is not possible. You'll be disgusted. Unless there is feeling, bhāva, that "Here is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has very kindly come here to receive, to take, accept my humble service. He's so great that He cannot be approached by a person like me." Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān.

Philosophy Discussions

Without philosophy, religious understanding is sentiment. That sentiment does not help anyone very much. It continues for some time, then people become disinterested in the matter of religion.

Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Knowledge of God is activity. Just like bhakti, we are twenty-four hours active, not that we are meditating on. So it is service. God says that anyone who preaches this message of Bhagavad-gītā, that is activity. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's order, that you, all of you, become guru. To become guru means activity, to train the disciples. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is full of activity for giving, rendering service to God, Kṛṣṇa. It is activity.

Hayagrīva: The word..., the word "mystic" is not a very clear word. It can mean so many different things. When he says God's reality can only be intuited by mystical experience, one doesn't really know what this means.

Prabhupāda: No, mystical... One who does not know God, for him it is mystical, but one who knows God, he takes orders from God. This is defined, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167), means favorably working for satisfaction of God. But if one's idea of God is not clear, he thinks it is mystical, but one who has got clear idea of God, clear order from God, then it is not mystical but it is practical.

Hayagrīva: He believed that mystics—he uses the words "mystics," not-mystics participate in God's love for mankind and aid the divine purpose.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is the...

Hayagrīva: This is the real meaning of creative evolution.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Everyone is in ignorance due to long separation from God. In the material world the living entity has forgotten his relationship with God; therefore his activities are only sense gratification, like the animals. And when he is given lesson, instruction how to become God conscious, how to love God, that is activity, and that is real life. Otherwise it is animal life. The religion is a kind of faith, sentiment, but when the religious system is understood on the basis of good logic and philosophy, that becomes perfect understanding of God. Without philosophy, religious understanding is sentiment. That sentiment does not help anyone very much. It continues for some time, then people become disinterested in the matter of religion. So religion means, as it is stated in the Bhāgavata, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how one has learned to love God. Then it is religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Adhokṣaja means we do not see God eye to eye at the present moment in our physical condition, but still, hearing about Him, we can develop our dormant love for God. That is real religion.