Rsayah means

Expressions researched:
"Rsayah means" |"rsaya means"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Ṛṣayaḥ means great saintly persons, the brāhmaṇas.

Lecture on BG 4.2 -- Bombay, March 22, 1974:

So because they do not read Bhagavad-gītā, they do not know how to maintain the whole society, therefore there is now chaos. Therefore it is needed. Imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. The rāja, the kings, the government, or the government, they must study Bhagavad-gītā. Then it will be nice. Imaṁ rāja... And ṛṣayaḥ. Ṛṣayaḥ will give you... Ṛṣayaḥ means great saintly persons, the brāhmaṇas. They should give to the government men... But who is consulting the saintly persons? Just like we are trying to preach this Bhagavad-gītā. We are trying to give the essence of knowledge. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). Mahātmā. The symptoms of mahātmā is that he is always engaged in chanting the glories of the Lord. Satataṁ kīrtayanto mām (BG 9.14). The Bhagavad-gītā says that catur-vidhā bhajante mām: "Four classes of men comes to worship Me." Bhajana means sevā. Sevā. So sevā means bhakti. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, arcanaṁ vandanam... (SB 7.5.23). These are the sevā formula. So the devotees are engaged in sevā, in service of the Lord.

Ṛṣayaḥ means great philosophers, saintly persons, sages; they also cannot understand God.

Lecture on BG 10.1 -- New York, December 30, 1966:

Similarly ṛṣayaḥ. Ṛṣayaḥ means great philosophers, saintly persons, sages; they also cannot understand God.

yo mām ajam anādiṁ ca

vetti loka-maheśvaram

asammūḍhaḥ sa martyeṣu

sarva-pāpaiḥ pramucyate

Now people can say that, "What is the use of understanding God? Let God remain in His place. And let me remain in my place. What is the use?" Suppose... We cannot understand God. Now argument may be, "Yes, you don't understand God. There is no necessity of bothering for understanding God." But Kṛṣṇa says, "No." If you don't take that botheration, then you'll never be happy. Neither you'll be liberated. So it is your interest to understand God. Not that God will be profited if you understand Him. No. You'll be profited if you understand Him.

General Lectures

Ṛṣaya, ṛṣaya means great sages. Ṛṣaya, great sages, great saintly persons or great thoughtful philosophers, even scientists, they cannot create dharma.

Lecture -- London, August 23, 1973:

Similarly, here it is stated, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam na vai vidur ṛṣayo nāpi devāḥ (SB 6.3.19). Ṛṣaya, ṛṣaya means great sages. Ṛṣaya, great sages, great saintly persons or great thoughtful philosophers, even scientists, they cannot create dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād. Sākṣād: directly. Dharma is directly made by God. Not that because one is very great saintly person, great philosopher, great scientist, he can make a kind of religious system. No. That is not possible. That will not be religion. That may be something else, but that is not religion. Religion must be given by God. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād (SB 6.3.19). Denied here in this verse: na vai vidur ṛṣayo nāpi devāḥ. Vidur, vidur means knowing; ṛṣaya, great saintly person. Na vai vidur ṛṣayo nāpi devāḥ. Devāḥ means demigods. There are very, very big powerful demigods, just like Indra, Candra, the sun. Sun is also demigod. The sun is distributing the light, that is by the order of God, not independently. Anything you find, they are abiding by the laws of, or by the order of God. The whole total cosmic manifestation which is called material energy, that is also acting by the order of God. Many śāstras, we have to take knowledge from the śāstras. And if you judge from good sense and intelligence, you'll have to admit what is said in the śāstra. Now just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). We are very much astonished to see the activities of the material nature wonderfully working. But we do not know that behind the material nature there is God. Under His direction the material nature is working. That is intelligence. Material nature, matter... Matter cannot act independently. That is not possible. Just like this microphone is a combination of material things—some iron, some other metals. But it has been adjusted, created by some living entity. Not that matter has automatically come into intermingling with this other and become a microphone. That is not possible.