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Speculating (Lectures, SB)

Expressions researched:
"speculate" |"speculate" |"speculated" |"speculates" |"speculating"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 6, 1971:

So if you actually want knowledge, then you have to take knowledge by this disciplic succession, because you cannot speculate. By speculation, you can never arrive to the Absolute Truth. That is not possible.

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 6, 1971:

Ciraṁ vicinvan. Ciram means perpetually you can speculate, but you cannot understand what is God. That is not possible. You have to know God from a person who knows God or God personally. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's name is mentioned in the Bhāgavata..., Brahma-saṁhitā. That means Brahmā knew Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 16, 1971:

Vedic injunction is: jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. "Give up this nonsense habit, speculation." Namanta eva: "Be submissive. Admit that you do not know anything. You have to learn from the person who knows." Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām: "Then what shall I...? All right. I shall not speculate. I have become humble now. Now what to do?" San-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya...: "Just try to learn about God from the devotee, pure devotee." San-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām. So in this way we can understand God.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 26, 1971:

Just like the mental speculators, they are making research, "What is God?" Speculating. You have got experience, they are writing volumes of books simply by speculation. So to them, this word is the answer. What is that? Adhah-kṛtaṁ akṣajaṁ jñānam: "You may go on speculating for many thousands of years; still you will be cut down, you will never be able to understand what is God." Therefore this particular word is used, adhokṣaja. Adhah-kṛtaṁ akṣajaṁ jñānaṁ yatra tatram. This is the Sanskrit definition of this word.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:

Just like arts, poetry, philosophy, speculating on. But both of these kinds of happiness will not give us real happiness. Because real happiness belongs to the soul. Basic principle of happiness missing. Therefore simply by bodily comforts, sense gratification, we cannot be happy. And actually it is so happening.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:
God is not understood by speculating our senses.
athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-
prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi
jānāti tattvaṁ (bhagavan mahimno)
na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan
(SB 10.14.29)

We cannot understand God by mental speculation, that is not possible. Realization God means when God reveals unto you. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). By our these blunt senses, speculating, we cannot understand what is God. Therefore His name is Adhokṣaja, beyond material speculation. And still you have to apply your bhakti, devotion. Just try to understand.

Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- New Vrindaban, September 6, 1972:

Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam. Because they do not know, they have no information of the soul, they are talking about this body. Or sometimes about this mind. Philosophical speculation, concoction. One philosophy is theorizing something, another philosopher is theorizing something. Lots of literature. All nonsense, because it is mental speculation. I speculate in one way, you speculate in another way. You refute me, I refute you. So therefore, these talks of the body and talks of the mind, there are varieties. Nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). Why they are engaged in so many talks? Because they do not know, apaśyatām. They have no vision of the soul, ātma-tattva. Gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Gṛhamedhī, those interested simply to maintain this body, they are called gṛhamedhī.

Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Vrndavana, October 19, 1972:

You may be Indian, you may be American, you may be European, you may be a brāhmaṇa, you may be śūdra, you may be engineer, you may be doctor, you may be fool, you may be rascal. Whatever it may be, it doesn't matter. Sthāne sthitāḥ. Don't be disturbed. Don't try to change your position. But jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. Don't try to speculate, "God is like this, God is like that." Speculator, mental speculator. Give up this habit.

Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Vrndavana, October 19, 1972:

One who has actually realized, from him, if you hear, meek and humble, without speculating mentally, then by this process only, one can realize the Supreme Lord very easily. Supreme Lord is called Ajita; nobody can conquer Him. But if one adopts this process, hearing from the realized soul in an attitude of humbleness, then he can conquer the ajita. He can understand.

Lecture on SB 1.2.10 -- Bombay, December 28, 1972:

If we don't be independent, unnecessarily mental exercise to understand what is God, what is Absolute Truth. Don't bother about these things. Then, what to do? Namanta eva: just become submissive, then san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya, just try to hear from a realized soul. This process. Don't try to speculate yourselves as great philosophers and waste your time and become puffed-up, that "I am now realized, I am God." These puffed-up positions must be given up. You must be submissive.

Lecture on SB 1.2.15 -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1972:

Just like if you want to know who is your father, it is to be this śrotavya. From where? From the authority, my mother. You cannot manufacture your knowledge who is your father. No. You cannot speculate. That is not pos ... Because it beyond your reach. The father was existing before your birth. So how you can understand father by experimental knowledge? That is not possible. You have to accept the statement of your mother. That's all.

Lecture on SB 1.2.18 -- Vrndavana, October 29, 1972:

Veda means knowledge, and anta means ultimate. So what is the ultimate knowledge? Ultimate knowledge is described: bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). That is ultimate knowledge. After speculating knowledge life after life, when one comes to the point to surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, that is real knowledge. That is real knowledge. Unless you come to the point of surrendering unto Kṛṣṇa, your knowledge is defective. You may advertise yourself as very learned scholar, but we have got simple formula.

Lecture on SB 1.2.21 -- Vrndavana, November 1, 1972:

Bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ. Bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ. Saṁśayāḥ. We are now in hazy conclusion, what is our position. We do not know. We do not know what is God, what I am, what is our relationship. Everyone is speculating. There are, therefore, there are so many parties. The jñānī party, the yogi party, the karmī party. Generally... and within each and every party there are hundreds and thousands of parties. So when one actually becomes free from the knot, or the knot is cut off, the attachment for material desires is cut off, at that time, he can understand what is his position, what is his position.

Lecture on SB 1.2.21 -- Vrndavana, November 1, 1972:

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.

Lecture on SB 1.2.22 -- Los Angeles, August 25, 1972:

If you think that "I shall speculate. Through knowledge, I shall understand God," that is not possible. Because God is unlimited; your knowledge is limited. How you can know God? How the bhaktas—they are not scientists, not educated very much—how they can know? Yes, they can know. How? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam...
(BG 10.10)

Dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam. Tam means "unto Him." Whom? Bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam. Those who are engaged in devotional service with love and faith. Because God is within you. You haven't got to search out where is God. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām, hṛdy antaḥ-sthaḥ (BG 18.61).

Lecture on SB 1.2.25 -- Los Angeles, August 28, 1972:

Kṛṣṇa is adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means beyond our sense perception. Therefore we have to know Kṛṣṇa from Kṛṣṇa, not by our speculation. Kṛṣṇa may... That is frog philosophy. Frog philosophy. He's simply calculating with reference to his teeny well, three feet. So if we want to speculate, what experience we have got, what knowledge we have got that we can speculate to understand the supreme, all-pervasive, Supreme Personality of Godhead? That is not possible. Therefore His name is Adhokṣaja. If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, then you have to take to this process of devotional service, rendering service unto Him.

Lecture on SB 1.2.26 -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1972:

Just like when we present Kṛṣṇa, especially in India... This botheration is not there in other countries, outside India, because they had no information. I have placed before them that "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You are searching after God. Here is God. Here is God's name, here is God's address, here is God's activities. You try to understand God. Why you are speculating?" So they have accepted it. They are not asūyava. They are not envious. Here, if I present Kṛṣṇa, one may say, "Why not Kālī?" Ghora-rūpān. "Oh, Kālī is very active. It has got so long tongue. And it has got a sword in her hand, cutting the heads. It is very nice. And we are, we shall be able to eat goats." You see. Actually the Kālī-pūjā means for the meat-eaters.

Lecture on SB 1.3.1-3 -- San Francisco, March 28, 1968:

Anything you take, you have to find out some creator. And such a vast, gigantic thing, going on so nicely and punctually... The sun is rising punctually, the moon is rising punctually, the fortnight is going on, the season is coming punctually—everything. Why there should be no creator or no superintendent? That answer is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). "Under My superintendence." So if you accept this, then the whole problem is solved. But if we don't accept it, then we have to speculate. But we never to come to the right conclusion, how this creation began. That is not possible to understand by such way.

Lecture on SB 1.3.29 -- Los Angeles, October 4, 1972:

If you are a jñānī, a philosopher, speculating what is the truth, so the truth is, ultimate truth is Kṛṣṇa. So if from the very beginning you try to search out by your philosophical knowledge or if you try to prove the supremacy of Kṛṣṇa by your philosophical speculation, that is perfection. That is your perfection. Otherwise it is simply laboring, waste of time. Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). If you cannot go forward up to Kṛṣṇa by your philosophical and scientific research, then all the labor you have taken, that is almost simply waste of time. The limit of knowledge, the limit of scientific research, will be confirmed when you have surrendered to God.

Lecture on SB 1.5.2 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1968:

One who has no knowledge of spiritual life, they cannot go further than sex life. One who goes still further than the platform of sense enjoyment, he comes to the mental speculation, as there are many philosophers, speculating. The meditation is also another type of mental speculation. So indriyāṇi parāṇy āhuḥ.

Lecture on SB 1.5.9-11 -- New Vrindaban, June 6, 1969:

If I say that "I am from India. My birthplace is in Calcutta. I have got five children. I was formerly a businessman," then why do you understand to speculate about me? What is the use of this speculation? If you actually want to know what Swamiji is, Swamiji says that "I was householder, and I was doing medical business. I have got five children. And this and that." So that is sufficient. Why do you want to know Swamiji by speculation? Similarly, these rascals will try to understand Kṛṣṇa by speculation. No. There is no need. Paramahaṁsa. That is paramahaṁsa stage.

Lecture on SB 1.5.12-13 -- New Vrindaban, June 11, 1969:

Muni-puṅgava means "the greatest of all thoughtful men." Muni means mental speculator, and puṅgava means first class, the highest, topmost. Puṅgava. So if such thoughtful speculators go on speculating about understanding God... How? Vāyor athāpi manasaḥ. In the speed of, in the velocity of air and mind. Not sputnik. A sputnik can run... Your mechanical can run, say, eighteen thousand miles per hour, but the air, that can run still more quicker. And the mind can run still more quicker.

Lecture on SB 1.7.13-14 -- Vrndavana, September 12, 1976:

So that tattvataḥ one can understand simply by pure devotional service. If you become a pure devotee, without any contamination-unalloyed devotee—then Kṛṣṇa reveals: "This is I am. I am like this." You cannot speculate upon Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na bahunā śrutena na medhayā. You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa simply because you are a learned Sanskrit scholar. You are a rascal. Kṛṣṇa is not so easy to be understood by scholarship or Sanskrit language. Don't commit this mistake. Kṛṣṇa is understood by a person to whom Kṛṣṇa reveals. That is understanding. Nāyam ātmā.

Lecture on SB 1.7.15 -- Vrndavana, September 13, 1976:

You have to understand from the Vedic literature about the planets, where which planet is existing, where is spiritual world, where is material world. All informations are there. Don't speculate and simply think that this planet is full of living entities, all other planets are vacant. This is most unusual argument. There is no meaning. But we are not concerned with that. We have got our own information from the Vedas.

Lecture on SB 1.8.19 -- Chicago, July 5, 1974 :

So anyone who is speculating about God, he is the blind man studying the elephant, like that. Or the frog in the well studying Atlantic Ocean. What he will understand? Suppose a frog is informed "Mr. Frog, Dr. Frog, (laughter) I have seen a big, vast mass of water." "What is that?" "Atlantic Ocean." "How big is it?" "Very, very big." Maybe, he is in the three-feet well. "Four feet?" "No, no, very, very big." "Five feet?" "No, very big." "Six feet?" (laughter) How he will understand the Atlantic Ocean? He can simply imagine, maybe three-feet, four-feet, five-feet well. But beyond all feet, that he cannot understand. Because of mūḍha-dṛśa, the direct perception, and he is a rascal.

Lecture on SB 1.8.44 -- Mayapura, October 24, 1974:

Rāmānanda Rāya suggested that... It is the words of Lord Brahmā that jñāne prayāsam udapāsya: "One should not very much endeavor to speculate, speculating process." Just like these theosophists, the philosophers, the scientists. They, instead of having direct knowledge from the superior, they, more or less, speculate. So one has to give up this speculating habit. If one thinks that "I know. I am very educated. I am very advanced. I can discover what is God," that is not possible. That is not possible. Athāpi te deva-padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi jānāti tattvam (SB 10.14.29). You cannot understand God by your speculative method. Big, big scholars, they have speculated about Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. Misled, they could not understand.

Lecture on SB 1.8.44 -- Mayapura, October 24, 1974:

So this is the way, that "Don't speculate nonsensically." That is the injunction of Lord Brahmā, jñāne prayāsam, that "You are very much learned scholar. You are a great politician-'So I can speculate some religious system by misinterpreting this Bhagavad-gītā'—no, you should stop this." That is the recommendation. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva: "Just become submissive, submissive." That is the only way, to become submissive first of all. Then you can understand what is God.

Lecture on SB 1.8.45 -- Los Angeles, May 7, 1973:

Prabhupāda: The paper comes automatically...

Devotees: Telex.

Prabhupāda: Telex. So they are getting... In Zurich, we saw that every bank is by television giving the quotation, of price quotation. That city is very speculative. They are speculating on the price of gold and they purchase and sell, so they must know the price of the gold, every moment, how the market is changing. Their brain is always in that way.

Lecture on SB 1.15.27 -- New York, March 6, 1975:

So just like this brāhmaṇa took instruction from his spiritual master and began to read Bhagavad-gītā, and he realized what is Kṛṣṇa, what is Govinda, similarly, if we take seriously the instruction of our spiritual master and try to read Bhagavad-gītā according to his instruction, then gradually we shall realize Kṛṣṇa. And if you simply realize Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa... That is not difficult. Kṛṣṇa is personally speaking about Himself. You haven't got to speculate like nonsense. Just like Gandhi speculated, "I do not believe that ever any person like Kṛṣṇa lived." Do you know that? This is Gandhi's statement, and he is mahātmā.

Lecture on SB 1.15.30 -- Los Angeles, December 8, 1973:

One who has received a little fraction of mercy of the Supreme, he can understand. Others, na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan. Others, they may go on speculating for millions of years. It is not possible to understand. So Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Therefore we are presenting because we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it was understood by Arjuna. We do not go to Dr. Radhakrishnan, this scholar, that scholar, this rascal, that ra... No. We do not go. That is not our business. That is paramparā.

Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:

Anything which is beyond your conception, you don't try to speculate. That is simply waste of time. "Then how shall I know?" You know from the authority. The same example: you cannot speculate who is your father. Know from your mother who is your father. Very simple thing. But if you speculate, "Who is my father? Who is my father? Who is my father?" that is not possible. Ciraṁ vicinvan. If you go on speculating, without taking care of the mother, without asking from your mother, if you simply want to know by your research scholarship, "Who is my father?" you will never know it. Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet.

Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:

Religion means the science of God. So how religion, you can understand that this is proper religion? Because you do not know God, neither it is possible to speculate on God, then how I shall accept religion? Just try to understand. Religion means the science of God. It is not a sentiment; it is science. So if you want to know that science... Therefore Vedic injunction is, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) "In order to know that science knowledge, you must approach guru." That is practical.

Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:

You cannot speculate. Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi jānāti tattvam (SB 10.14.29). Tattvam, that truth, one can understand, how has received the mercy of God. Therefore we sing "Guru, guru is the mercy of God." God is so merciful that He is within yourself. He is trying to teach you, and, internally, and externally he appears as guru, to teach you. Mercy. So therefore guru is considered as good as Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.16.13-15 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1974:

There are four kinds of men. So jñānī and yogi... Jñānī simply speculates, and yogi tries to practice. That is the difference. Their aim is the same. But yogi means he practically endeavors, and jñānī means he is simply theoretical. Just like everything, in science also, there is theoretical and practical. So karmī is in the darkness.

Lecture on SB 1.16.13-15 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1974:

Because the perfection of knowledge means to know the ultimate source, athāto brahma jijñāsā, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), from where everything is emanating. But they do not know. The scientists, philosophers, they do not know. They are simply speculating. That's all. Actually, they do not know. But when one knows, then he is perfect. And what is that knowledge? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). That is mahātmā. Again, it is further explained.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Paris, June 9, 1974:

Ciraṁ vicinvan. For forever, millions of years, if you speculate, to understand what is God, it is not possible. It is not a subject matter of speculative knowledge. No. It is to be received through the right source, deductive process, not inductive process. Because our senses are limited. We cannot have any perfect idea on account of our senses being limited. We cannot see.

Lecture on SB 2.3.10 -- Los Angeles, May 28, 1972:

This is Śaṅkarācārya philosophy. Jagan mithyā. Mithyā means false. Brahma satyam. "Now let me search out where is Brahma and become one with him." That is also another labor. Speculating. They have to interpret all these Vedic literature to make God dead, void, impersonal, nullified. So they have to gather their arguments. That is another labor, hard labor. So they are also working hard. Yogis, they want to show some magic: "I can walk on the water. I can fly in the air without any airship. I can go this planet, that planet." Yogis can do that. They have got this magical power.

Lecture on SB 2.8.7 -- Los Angeles, February 10, 1975:

The Darwin's theory... He cannot give any reasonable cause. Some theory: "It may be, perhaps, for millions of years there was no..." Speculate. And he admits that "Whatever I am presenting, it is all my speculation." We have seen his letter, some, from 150 years ago. He wrote a letter to a friend. He admitted that "Whatever I am presenting, that is speculation." But science is not speculation. Science cannot be speculation. That is not science. "Two plus two equal to four"—this is science. And if you speculate—"Two plus two equal to five" or "Two plus two equal to three"—that is not science.

Lecture on SB 3.12.19 -- Dallas, March 3, 1975:

By experimental knowledge, by mental speculation, "He may be my father, he may be my father, he may be my father..." That you go on speculating for many millions of years. Still, you will not be able to understand who is your father. But if you take the authority of your mother, immediately you understand. That is, means, adhokṣaja. You cannot speculate what is God, but if you take the authority, then you can understand God. Otherwise it is not possible.

Lecture on SB 3.12.19 -- Dallas, March 3, 1975:

This is a verse. It is said, "My dear Lord, Your lotus feet," padāmbuja-dvaya, "can be understood by a person who has received a little favor of You." Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi: (SB 10.14.29) "One who has received little favor, he can understand." And what for others? "For others," na ca anya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan, "if they speculate for millions of years, still, they will not be able to understand." Just like in your country Bhagavad-gītā was being read for the last two hundred, three hundred years. So many scholars, so many Indian scholar or American, they have written Bhagavad-gītā. But not a single person understood Kṛṣṇa, not a single person. But now, when they are reading Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, they are understanding by the mercy of God. The mercy is shown if you follow the process, authoritative process. Prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi. One who has received a little, minute quantity of the favor of Kṛṣṇa, he can understand Kṛṣṇa. And others, if they go on speculating for millions of years, they will not be able to. This is a fact. Therefore He is called Adhokṣaja.

Lecture on SB 3.25.7 -- Bombay, November 7, 1974:

There is something to be learned from Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So if this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is spread all over the world regularly, then the face of the world will change. That's a fact. Sarve sukhino bhavantu. This is the Vedic mission: "Let everyone become happy." And how he'll be happy? He cannot become happy by mental concoction. That is not possible. Manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ (SB 5.18.12). If one is situated on the mental platform, speculating, he will simply go to the asat. Asat means this material world. Asato mā sad gama. Vedic says, "Don't remain in this asat. Come to the sat. Oṁ tat sat."

Lecture on SB 3.25.22 -- Bombay, November 22, 1974:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "My dear father..." He used to address his father as asura-varya, "the best of the asuras." Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya. Asura-varya. Asura means demon, and varya means "the best," varīyān. So he... Because he asked that "How you have advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Prahlāda? What is the process?" After all, he was a learned scholar. He inquired out of joking or something like that. So Prahlāda Mahārāja plainly said, matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā: "My dear asura-varya father, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness..." Na matiḥ. Matir na kṛṣṇe. "One cannot get Kṛṣṇa consciousness," matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ, "by the instruction of others, or guru." Parataḥ. Svataḥ, "by speculating oneself," mitho 'bhipadyeta, "or by assembly, conference.

Lecture on SB 3.25.28 -- Bombay, November 28, 1974:

So the Vedic injunction is that if you are inquisitive about self-realization, Brahman realization, then you should approach a guru. Therefore here Devahūti is accepting his (her) son, exalted son, incarnation of God, Kapiladeva, inquiring from Him. That is the Vaiṣṇava process. Vaiṣṇava process is not to speculate oneself. If one is actually inquisitive to know about the absolute truth, he must approach a bona fide spiritual master. (indistinct) First business is to find out guru, guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151), Caitanya Mahāprabhu says. At the present moment this is a mentality, of course they have got some bad experience, but the process is that you must go to a guru. That is Vedic injunction.

Lecture on SB 3.25.28 -- Bombay, November 28, 1974:

Prapannam means submissive, that is the way. You cannot speculate. Your speculation has no value, athāpi te deva ciraṁ vicinvan (SB 10.14.29). Ciraṁ vicinvan, you can go on speculating for many births, many years, still you will not be able to understand the ultimate goal of your life. It is not possible, therefore all the śāstras, they advise that you go to a guru. Guru means weighty, one who has got more weight, one who can teach you, because everyone thinks that "I am learned. I am all learned." Who can teach you? No. Nobody is like that. Everyone requires instruction, therefore the Vedic system is (indistinct), to make one's life fruitful, one must approach guru.

Lecture on SB 3.25.30 -- Bombay, November 30, 1974:

So how this prema can be awakened easily, that has been recommended by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, quoting from Lord Brahmā's prayer to Kṛṣṇa, jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. Don't try to understand Kṛṣṇa by your tiny knowledge. We are imperfect. How we can speculate on Kṛṣṇa? That is not... Because there are certain persons, jñānīs, they want to know. Just like theosophists. They want to know the Absolute Truth by speculation. But that is not possible.

Lecture on SB 3.25.30 -- Bombay, November 30, 1974:

Ciram, for many, many years, if you speculate, you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. You have to receive the mercy of Kṛṣṇa through the spiritual master. Then it is possible. That is recommended by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir ye prāyaśo 'jita. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Ajita; you cannot conquer Him.

Lecture on SB 3.25.30 -- Bombay, November 30, 1974:

Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "Don't speculate." Sthāne sthitāḥ... Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. Be submissive: "Kṛṣṇa, I am very poor. Kṛṣṇa, I have no means to understand You. So if You kindly be merciful upon me, then I can understand something about You." Surrender. That is wanted. Kṛṣṇa is very merciful as soon as He sees that somebody is surrendered.

Lecture on SB 3.25.31 -- Bombay, December 1, 1974:

You cannot make any new thing beyond the scope of the āmnāya Sāṅkhya philosophy system. That is called āmnāya. Because we are imperfect. We must first of all know that we are all imperfect. However great scholar I may be, because my senses are imperfect, therefore, whatever conclusion I make by my so-called scholarship, that is imperfect. Therefore all these scientists, philosophers, they use this word "perhaps," "it may be," because there is no right conclusion. There is no right conclusion. He is simply speculating.

Lecture on SB 3.25.31 -- Bombay, December 1, 1974:

Just like we are sitting here. If there is some sound on the roof... Now we are, say, one hundred persons sitting here. We can speculate that "This sound may be for this reason." That, all of them, may be imperfect, and if somebody says from the roof that "This sound was caused for this reason," that is perfect. That is perfect because he has got direct experience.

Lecture on SB 3.25.37 -- Bombay, December 6, 1974:

This is the mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that don't try foolishly to speculate about God. Stop this foolishness. The same example: the frog in the well is thinking of the Atlantic Ocean. He has never seen Atlantic Ocean. He's speculating. Some friend told him, "My dear friend, frog in the well, I have seen a vast mass of water." "What is that?" "Now, Atlantic Ocean." "What is that Atlantic Ocean?" "Very great mass of water." "Oh? Bigger than this well? Maybe four feet or ten feet or...?" In this way, if you speculate, you will never understand what is God.

Lecture on SB 3.25.37 -- Bombay, December 6, 1974:

If you want to understand God, then try to understand from God Himself. He knows. Just like if you speculate of a big man, a neighbor, a friend, that "What is his wealth? Oh, he appears to be very rich man and very strong man, very influential man." And these are the opulences: very beautiful, very wise. So you can calculate. But if you make friendship with that gentleman and if he speaks about himself, then you can understand what he is. Then how you can understand God, Kṛṣṇa, by speculation? This is foolishness.

Lecture on SB 3.25.37 -- Bombay, December 6, 1974:

The Māyāvādīs say that "We can imagine God. God, it is so great that it is not possible to understand the Brahman, but we can imagine some form." This is Māyāvādī philosophy. This imagination will not... You cannot imagine God. God is fact. God is not subjected to your imagination. And your senses are imperfect. How long you will simply speculate? Give up this practice, foolishness. Don't... Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya nam... Just become submissive. Jñāne prayāsam udapā..., namanta eva: "Be submissive." That is bhakti-mārga. Bhakti-mārga is submissive.

Lecture on SB 3.26.15 -- Bombay, December 24, 1974:

Frog is in the well, three-feet well, and how he can imagine about the Atlantic Ocean? It is not possible. Avan manasa-gocaraḥ. So don't try to speculate upon God. You will never find God. If you want to go by the speculative knowledge, trying to find out what is God just like the theosophist and many other societies—they do that, speculating—you cannot reach God by speculation. That is not. Because your senses are limited. How you can reach God, the unlimited, by speculative knowledge? That is not possible.

Lecture on SB 3.26.15 -- Bombay, December 24, 1974:

Ciraṁ vicinvan: "For millions and millions of years, if you simply speculate, you cannot reach what is God." It is not possible. But athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva: "One who has received a little mercy, causeless mercy, my Lord, he can understand." Little mercy.

Lecture on SB 3.26.29 -- Bombay, January 6, 1975:

Acintya means mentally speculating. Beyond that, acintya, you cannot think of how this pealike form develops into such a big brain or small brain. The hands, legs, and the mechanical process of different body... This is a machine. In the material world we manufacture machine, manufacturing different parts and assembling them.

Lecture on SB 3.26.29 -- Bombay, January 6, 1975:

And prakṛti is working under the direction of Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ (BG 9.10). Therefore, ultimately, by the superintendence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead everything is going on. But how it is going on, that we cannot explain. We have got limited knowledge. Therefore śāstra says, "Don't try to speculate, because you are imperfect, but things are going on like this." Try to understand. Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yo... Simply by your so-called argument and logic you cannot understand. You have to hear from the authorities that "Things are going on like this."

Lecture on SB 3.26.30 -- Bombay, January 7, 1975:

Vyāsadeva is incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, so he has given us the Vedic literature. Therefore his name is Vedavyāsa, incarnation of God, Vedavyāsa. Mahā-muni-kṛte kiṁ vā paraiḥ. There is no need of speculating. Just follow Vyāsadeva in the disciplic succession. Vyāsadeva's disciple is Nārada Muni. Nārada Muni's disciple is Vyāsadeva. So in this paramparā system: if we receive knowledge, then that is perfect knowledge. So we have to accept it. Niścayātmikā.

Lecture on SB 3.26.32 -- Bombay, January 9, 1975:

Brahmā gave lessons to Nārada. Nārada gave lessons to Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva gave lessons to us. This is Vyāsadeva's contribution. And if you follow this disciplic succession, then you get perfect knowledge. Otherwise, if you speculate, then you are in darkness, tamasi. What power you have got? All your senses are imperfect. How you can get perfect knowledge? That is not possible. Therefore the injunction is, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) "You must go to guru." And who is guru? This paramparā system. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2).

Lecture on SB 3.26.40 -- Bombay, January 15, 1975:

The other day I was reading Gandhi's discourses on Bhagavad-gītā. He said that "I can imagine any way Kṛṣṇa. I do not accept the historical Kṛṣṇa." In this way, so many things. He was a big man. He can say like that. But we cannot imagine or manufacture Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. That is not Kṛṣṇa. God is never imagined or speculated or manufactured by my limited knowledge and limited senses. That is not Kṛṣṇa. Of course, Kṛṣṇa is everything. But if we want to know tattvataḥ Kṛṣṇa, in truth, how Kṛṣṇa has created the pañca-bhūta and how each bhūta or each material element is working, that is being discussed. This is perfect knowledge, tattvataḥ.

Lecture on SB 3.28.1 -- Honolulu, June 1, 1975:

Just like they are speculating Darwin's theory of evolution. We have got perfect knowledge from the śāstras: jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Now, we say there are 900,000 forms of life within the water. We have not gone within the water; neither as biologist we have studied. We have taken the perfect information from the perfect source. We say 900,000. This is called Vedic knowledge. This is perfect. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. This evolution theory is already mentioned.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:

You must be completely free. Therefore, bhakti-yoga is enunciated by Rūpa Goswami: anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Śūnyam means zero. All kinds of material desires should be made into zero. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). Jñāna, speculative method for understanding the Absolute Truth, as the Māyāvādīs, they are speculating, "This is not, this is not, this is not." Neti neti. This is jñāna.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 13, 1975:

Prahlāda began to smile and said to his father, matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā. He did not address his father "My dear father." He used to address him as "the best of the asuras," asura-varya. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya. So he said, "My dear father," matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā, "to become Kṛṣṇa conscious is not so easy." Parataḥ svato vā, "Even if you hear instruction from others or if you speculate yourself, it is not possible." Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho 'bhi,"or making by assembly, conference." Why? Na gṛha-vratānām. "If you have this intention, that 'I shall live in this material world. I shall become happy in this material world,' then there is no question of becoming advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness."

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:
Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended that "You remain in your position—it doesn't matter—but become a mahātmā, great soul." That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's recommendation. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ manobhir prāyaśo jito ajita. The process is how to become mahātmā. That process is recommended by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Not it is His manufactured process, but it is recommended in the Vedic śāstra. What is that? Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. The process is: don't try to speculate on God. Give up this process, this bad habit. You cannot speculate. No. Jñāne prayāsa. This is called jñāna. Jñāna means knowledge, acquired knowledge.
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: We live in sin, so is it not speculation to consider a sinless state?

Prabhupāda: Yes. If you speculate, then also you will not be in position to understand what is sin and what is pious. Therefore you have to hear from the authority. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, yajña-dāna-tapaḥ kriya na tyājyam: "These four things should not be given up: performing sacrifices, giving in charity, and practicing tapasya." So you cannot speculate. You take the instruction from authority and try to do it. It is not speculation. It is receiving the instruction from the authority.

Lecture on SB 5.5.19 -- Vrndavana, November 7, 1976:
The Supreme Personality says, mama: "Mine. My body. I have got My body," but durvibhāvyam. So we have to understand God as He says. Don't imagine. Don't speculate. That is useless.
panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo
vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṇgavānāṁ
so 'py asti yat-prapada-sīmny avicintya tattve
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
(Bs. 5.34)

Avicintya or durvibhāvyam, the same thing. Even if you try to understand God or want to go to God, vāyor athāpi, by your airplane at the speed of the mind, not ordinary speed... Mind's speed you can imagine.

Lecture on SB 5.5.19 -- Vrndavana, November 7, 1976:

So we should take advantage of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, from the Absolute Truth. Don't speculate. Speculation has no meaning. So we have got this instruction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the Bhagavad-gītā. So if we are serious about understanding about God, then we can hear from Him. And whatever He says, whatever He instructs, you take it. Then our life will be successful. And if we speculate, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampra...

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi
na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ
(CC Madhya 17.136)

So this is the process. We must be ready to surrender to Him. We must be ready to render service unto Him. Then our spiritual life will be revived.

Lecture on SB 5.5.30 -- Vrndavana, November 17, 1976:

Working like hogs and dogs day and night for sense gratification, certainly he is mūḍha, karmī. Similarly, jñānī, they are simply speculating. That logic, kākā-taliya nyāya: "Whether the crow first of all sat down on the palm fruit; then the palm fruit fell down? Or the palm fruit fell down; therefore the crow could not sit on the palm fruit?" Logic. One paṇḍita said, "No, no. First of all, the palm fruit fell down, and the crow wanted to sit down on it, so he could not." Now another paṇḍita says, "No, no. The palm fruit was there, and because the crow sat down on it, it fell down." Now this is logic. They are wasting time speculating. Kākā-taliya nyāya. Kupa-manduka-nyāya. There are.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1 -- Melbourne, May 21, 1975:

It is not so easy to understand God. But if you take the process as is recommended in the śāstras by saintly person, then it is easy. Otherwise it is not easy. If you speculate to understand God, that is not possible. Then you go on and many, many years speculating. You will never understand God. Either you take the shelter of Lord Jesus Christ or Kṛṣṇa, if you follow his instruction—this is the way of understanding—then you will understand. But if you don't care for his instruction, then you will never understand. This is the process.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Denver, June 28, 1975:

Kṛṣṇa is only understandable by His pure devotee, not anyone else. Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvayaṁ prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi, jānāti tattvaṁ na cānya eko 'pi ciram vicinvan (SB 10.14.29). Those who are favored by the causeless mercy of Kṛṣṇa, they can understand Kṛṣṇa. Others, na cānya eko 'pi ciram vicinvan. Ciram means for long time, for many years, if they speculate only what is God or what is Kṛṣṇa That process will not help us.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Nellore, January 8, 1976:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, of course, He quoted from Bhāgavatam. Any devotee or bona fide preacher, he does not manufacture anything. He simply follows the previous mahājana. He said, jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. One should not try to speculate to understand the Supreme Truth. So we should give up this habit of speculating to understand God. One should become submissive, jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva, that very submissive to hear from the right person. So hearing is so important. Therefore our all Vedic literature is called śruti.

Lecture on SB 6.1.21 -- Honolulu, May 21, 1976:

You will not have nice brain to understand things, simply speculate. We are discussing the philosophy of so many speculators, simply talking nonsense. Simply... Why? This speculator to another, he says, "I think, I..." What you are? You can think? First of all you become brāhmaṇa; then you can think properly. Where is your education as brāhmaṇa? Where is that brain? Eating all nasty things and you become a brāhmaṇa? Therefore Kṛṣṇa's is go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca.

Lecture on SB 6.1.24 -- Chicago, July 8, 1975:

People are trying to understand the Absolute Truth by speculation, according to one's knowledge. The so-called philosopher, theosophists, theologists, these are useless. You cannot speculate to understand the Absolute Truth. That is not possible. Therefore Brahmā recommends that one should give up this nonsense practice. It is not nonsense, but at the present moment it has no use. The so-called theolosophists and theologists or philosophers, they do not know, speculators. So this sort of practice, jñāne prayāsam, endeavoring after knowledge, udapāsya, give up this. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya.

Lecture on SB 6.1.24 -- Chicago, July 8, 1975:

If you go on speculating, you will never be able to understand. Therefore give up this practice. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. "Be submissive." If you think, "Oh, I am so much advanced. I can speculate. Why shall I go to a devotee and hear from him?" No. You have to adopt this. Why? If you want to conquer the ajita. Ajita, ajita means Kṛṣṇa, or God. Nobody can conquer Him. But you can conquer Him. How? By this process.

Lecture on SB 6.1.26-27 -- Philadelphia, July 12, 1975:

I am permanent. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Therefore we have to learn, we have to be educated, we have to receive knowledge from the perfect. And Kṛṣṇa personally, the Supreme Perfect Person, is giving you knowledge. And if we are so unfortunate that we do not take the perfect knowledge—we concoct, we speculate, we create our own idea—then it is to be understood that durāśayā. We are thinking, "I shall be happy in this way. I shall be happy in this..." Nothing. You shall never be happy—this is perfect instruction—unless you go back to home, back to Godhead.

Lecture on SB 6.1.31 -- San Francisco, July 16, 1975:

In Bhagavad-gītā also, it is said, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa as He is, then you have to know Him through bhakti-yoga, not any other. Others, they may go on speculating for many, many millions of years. Still, they will not be able to understand.

Lecture on SB 6.1.31 -- San Francisco, July 16, 1975:

Mind is so speedy. Vāyu, air, is speedy undoubtedly, but mind is still speedier. So even if you try to understand with the..., panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi (Bs. 5.34), in aeroplane or via manasa, aeroplane with the... Aeroplane has got different speed, but even if you go with the mind's speed and time, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara, hundreds and millions of years, still, you will not be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God, if you speculate. But if you are a devotee then you can see twenty-four hours Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyaḥ.

Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- San Francisco, July 19, 1975:

If you simply study Kṛṣṇa, so what is the difficulty? Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself. Suppose if you want to study somebody, you may guess that this body, this man, may be like this, like that. That is going on all over the world, what is God. Some theosophist, some theosophist and theologist, all are speculating, "Maybe," "Perhaps," "This, that." And the God is explaining Himself, "I am this, like this," that they will not take. Just see. God is canvassing that "Here I am. I have come." Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). "I have appeared before you just to give you relief." Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām.

Lecture on SB 6.1.46 -- San Diego, July 27, 1975:

If you unnecessarily becomes too much intelligent and theorize, then he is never successful, he is never sukhi. Na sukhaṁ na... Na siddhiṁ sa avāpnoti na sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim. Such a rascal, who does not consult the śāstras and thinks whimsically according to his mad conception, such person, na siddhim avāpnoti. That is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. He will never get success. He will simply speculate. There is no, definite knowledge. Na sukham, and he is not happy. And what to speak of going back to home, back to Godhead. He is a rascal. There is no hope. So do not conclude in your foolish way anything. Just refer to the śāstra, authority, śruti.

Lecture on SB 6.2.1-5 -- Calcutta, January 6, 1971:

So you have to push good money after bad money. So money which is due from others—he is not paying—that has become a bad money. Good money means which is in your hand. That is good money. And if you are simply speculating that "I shall get this money from that person. I shall get this money from...," that is bad money. So there is an English proverb, perhaps you know all, "To push good money after bad money."

Lecture on SB 6.3.12-15 -- Gorakhpur, February 9, 1971:

There are many mental speculator, just like Aurobindo Ghosh. So he speculated. He understood that there are activities even after liberation, but he could not understand Kṛṣṇa, so hard it is. Others, the so-called sannyāsīs, just like Ramatirtha or Vivekananda, they could not approach even, in the modern age. And the Aurobindo, he approached up to the Brahman liberation, but he could not approach to the understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lecture on SB 6.3.12-15 -- Gorakhpur, February 9, 1971:

One cannot, a gobhiḥ, by exercise of the senses. Gobhiḥ and indriyair hṛdā, heart also, meditation. The jñānīs, the speculators, they are speculating by sensual activities, and the yogis, they are trying to find out the Supreme within the heart, cittena. So na paśyanti: "But they cannot see." They cannot see. So jñānīs, the yogis, they cannot understand. Although they are trying for it, they cannot understand. It is clearly said, hṛdā girā vāsu-bhṛto vicakṣate. Yad vāca nābhūd dhṛtaṁ yan manaḥ manute ityādi śruteḥ.(?) And he is giving recitation from the Vedas: yad vāca nābhūd dhṛtaṁ yan manaḥ manute ityādi śruteḥ. Avann mānasa-gocaraḥ.(?) He is beyond the reception of mental speculation or philosophical topics.

Lecture on SB 6.3.20-23 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971:

We cannot understand God or religion by our mental speculation even by the speed of mind, manasa. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara. And the speculation continues by, continues to hundreds and hundreds of years. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara. Śata means hundred, and koṭi means ten million. So ten million into hundred—unlimited time. If you go on speculating, by speculation, panthās tu koṭi, still, your conception of God or religion will remain incomplete. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi (Bs. 5.34). By airplane, with the speed of the mind... There are different airplanes, and they have got different speeds.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

Just like every one of us illusioned. I am not this body but I'm thinking I'm this body. And the whole activity of my life is based on this body. So therefore whole thing is mistake, illusion. Similarly, a conditioned soul, anyone, he has got a propensity to cheat. Everyone wants to be very intelligent. How? By cheating others. He thinks, "Oh, I have cheated that man. I am very intelligent." This propensity, every one of us we have got. Therefore he has got a cheating propensity. And over all, the senses by which he's acquiring knowledge by speculating, that is imperfect.

Lecture on SB 7.6.20-23 -- Washington D.C., July 3, 1976:

So here, our position in this material world: darkness. We are simply speculating in so many ways what is the ultimate cause. There are so many philosophers, but they are speculating only without any definite knowledge. So śāstra says that speculative knowledge will not be successful at any time. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām (Bs. 5.34). Manaso, by mental speculation, muni-puṅgavānām, one who speculates, he is called muni. So muni-puṅgava. Puṅgava means the most exalted muni, if he simply speculates about the Absolute Truth, how many years? Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara.

Lecture on SB 7.6.20-23 -- Washington D.C., July 3, 1976:

If we actually accept that Veda means knowledge... Vetthi veda vida jñāne. Veda means knowledge, jñāna. So Veda-anta, the last, last phase of knowledge. The last phase of knowledge is the Absolute Truth. You have to go up to that. So that Absolute Truth, if you go on speculating, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo (Bs. 5.34), that will not be possible. Śata-vatsara-sampragamyo, by hundreds and hundreds of years, if you go on with speed... What is that speed? Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi.

Lecture on SB 7.7.19-20 -- Bombay, March 18, 1971:

Dr. Frog thinks that this three feet dimension of the well is all in all, there cannot be anything. These rascal philosopher and rascal scientist, they think in that way, Dr. Frog. There cannot be Atlantic Ocean. That three feet dimension, well water is sufficient. Therefore we have to receive knowledge from authorities. We cannot speculate. Speculation will not help us in approaching the real destination.

Lecture on SB 7.9.3 -- Mayapur, February 17, 1977:

So tad-vijñānam, you cannot imagine, speculate. That is not possible. You have to learn it from a person who is tattva-darśinaḥ, who has seen God. Even by seeing, you cannot... Just like Lakṣmīdevi, she is seeing every moment, constant... Even she does not know. Asruta-purva. Adrstāsruta-purva. So whatever we see or we do not see, everything is there. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8).

Lecture on SB 7.9.6 -- Mayapur, February 26, 1977:

Śrīla Jīva Goswami has explained, "Unless you accept inconceivable power of the Supreme Lord, there is no understanding." Acintya. Acintya-śakti. Acintya means inconceivable. You cannot speculate how it is happening, how in the lotus flower there is so hard nail that immediately, within a second, it could kill a great demon like Hiranyakasipu. Therefore it is acintya. We cannot conceive. Acintya. And therefore Vedic instruction is acintyā khalu ye bhāvā na taṁś tarkeṇa yo jayet: "Do not apply your poor logic in the matters which is inconceivable by you."

Lecture on SB 7.9.11-13 -- Hawaii, March 24, 1969:

We do not know how great is God. We simply say that "God is great" and speculate like the frog philosopher, "He may be one inch greater than me. All right, ten inches greater than me. Or ten feet greater than. Ten miles greater than," like that. Similarly, if God is so great, then what service we can offer Him? So this statement is very nice. Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "My Lord Kṛṣṇa is nija-lābha-pūrṇaḥ." If He's so great... Suppose if you go to see a friend who is multimillionaire. Now, if you offer him, suppose, three apples or four bananas, or such like, so what is that in comparison to his wealth? That is nothing.

Lecture on SB 7.9.23 -- Mayapur, March 1, 1976:

Then bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). You haven't got to... The jñānīs, yogis, they try to detach from this material things by speculation, by knowledge. Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. By speculating, jagan mithyā, "This world is false. Brahman, ātmā, spirit soul is satya, the truth," they do. But it is not possible. Simply by speculating, it is not possible. You have to engage yourself in bhakti.

Lecture on SB 7.9.31 -- Mayapur, March 9, 1976:

A devotee sees a tree, but he does not see the tree. He sees: "It is Kṛṣṇa's energy." Immediately he remembers Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When every step you'll simple see Kṛṣṇa, that is Kṛṣṇa... That is possible, provided you follow the footstep of Prahlāda Mahārāja. That will be possible. Or devotees. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). That is the way. If you speculate nonsensically, it will be not possible. If you follow the devotees, mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ, then you'll be successful.

Lecture on SB 7.9.51 -- Vrndavana, April 6, 1976:

Rajo-guṇa, at least there is some material interest (indistinct). So... But above that, there is sattva-guṇa, to understand things as they are. In this way, when you get full scope for understanding of things as they are, not falsely studying and speculating but proper (indistinct), that is called sattva-guṇa, (Sanskrit). Just like darkness at night, you cannot see anything. That is tamo-guṇa. Then in between the darkness and sunlight, there is a period early in the morning, it is not completely illuminated, but the darkness is not (indistinct). That is the mode of passion.

Lecture on SB 7.9.51 -- Vrndavana, April 6, 1976:

Nobody knows that he is not this body. This is tamo-guṇa. And you maybe trying to speculate that he is not this body, he is something else. That's a fact. But because out of the influence of the tamo-guṇa, he cannot understand (indistinct). And we have to come to the stage of nirguṇa, even there will be no sattva-guṇa. Here sattva-guṇa, the mode of goodness, is sometimes not (indistinct), they are attracted by the lower qualities, by the rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. Mixed. It becomes mixed.

Page Title:Speculating (Lectures, SB)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Serene
Created:22 of Dec, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=93, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:93