To understand superficially Krsna that, "He appeared in Mathura in His uncle's prison house," that is also nice. But one should try to understand Krsna in fact and that can be revealed by devotional service. You cannot challenge Krsna. Krsna will reveal

Expressions researched:
"To understand superficially Krsna that" |"He appeared in Mathura in His uncle's prison house" |"that is also nice" |"But one should try to understand Kṛṣṇa in fact" |"That fact can be revealed by devotional service" |"You cannot challenge Krsna. Krsna will reveal"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

To understand superficially Kṛṣṇa that, "He . . . He appeared in Mathurā in His uncle's prison house," that is also nice. But one should try to understand Kṛṣṇa in fact. That fact can be revealed by devotional service. You cannot challenge Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will reveal. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). If we become sevonmukha, if we try to serve Kṛṣṇa as eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will reveal Himself what He is. You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by speculation, by mental speculation. That is not possible. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). By sense perception, you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible.

721109 - Lecture SB 01.02.30 - Vrndavana

Advancement of knowledge means to understand his real position and act accordingly. That is knowledge. That is perfection of knowledge. Simply to understand that, "I am Brahman" is not perfection. You have to still go further. Simply to understand that, "I am Brahman. I have now realized myself as Brahman," that is not perfection of knowledge. Brahmā-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). One who becomes realized soul, self-realized, he becomes immediately perfectly joyful. Because our all lamentation is due to our material identification. Śocati kāṅkṣati. We are simply lamenting for our loss, and we are simply hankering for some gain. This is material activities. Everyone is struggling to gain something which he does not possess, and he's lamenting for something which he has lost. But when he realizes himself that, "I have nothing to gain and nothing to lose; I have nothing to do with this material world," that is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. That is Brahman realization. Brahmā-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). At that time, he realizes that all living entities, they are spirit soul, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). That is equal vision—not the bodily vision. So long we have got bodily vision, there cannot be any equality. That is not possible. When one sees only to the spiritual existence of a living entity, then there is question of seeing equally, equal vision, universal brotherhood. That is possible. Not on the bodily platform. That is not possible. So after acquiring this knowledge, the life of devotional service begins. brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.54) That is required. And in that stage of devotional life, one can understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). That is tattvataḥ understanding. In another place it is said, in the Bhagavad-gītā, uh, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ (SB 1.2.20). Unless one becomes jubilant, joyful, by executing devotional service, he cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa. It is not possible. To understand superficially Kṛṣṇa that, "He . . . He appeared in Mathurā in His uncle's prison house," that is also nice. But one should try to understand Kṛṣṇa in fact. That fact can be revealed by devotional service. You cannot challenge Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will reveal. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). If we become sevonmukha, if we try to serve Kṛṣṇa as eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will reveal Himself what He is. You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by speculation, by mental speculation. That is not possible. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). By sense perception, you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. There are many version of the saintly person. Just like Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, rūpa-raghunātha-pade haibe ākuti, kabe hāma bhujabo se jugala-pīriti (Lālasāmayī). A saintly person, ācārya, like Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, he says that, "When I shall be very much eager to understand the path of the six Gosvāmīs?" Ei chay gosāi jāṅr mui tāṅr dās. We cannot understand Kṛṣṇa unless we have submitted ourself under the lotus feet of the six Gosvāmīs, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We have to understand Kṛṣṇa in this way. It is very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa, but by the grace of the Gosvāmīs, by the grace of Lord Caitanya, we can understand Kṛṣṇa. athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya- prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi jānāti tattvaṁ . . . na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan (SB 10.14.29) Panthās tu . . . there are many śāstric evidences. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām (Bs. 5.34). So by speculation, we cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. By mental speculation, we cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. We have to understand Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa says, or Kṛṣṇa's devotee says, the Gosvāmīs says, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says. Then we can understand how this cosmic manifestation is created, who created, how it is created. Everything will be clear. This is the beginning of such understanding. sa evedaṁ sasarjāgre bhagavān ātma-māyayā sad-asad-rūpayā cāsau guṇamayāguṇo vibhuḥ (SB 1.2.30) So Kṛṣṇa is transcendental. His position is always transcendental. Even though He appears before us, still, He's transcendental. This is understanding of Kṛṣṇa.