Understand God (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"understand God" |"understanding God"

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Unknown -- Montreal August 23, 1968:

The ignorant people they do not understand either Christian philosophy or Hindu philosophy. If somebody makes distinction between Hindu or Christian philosophy, he is not a philosopher. He can not say the sun is the Indian sun because it shines in India, or it's the American sun because it shines in America. But actually the sun is the same sun. Similarly, God is the same either for Hindus or Christians; one who does not understand it does not understand God. The Christian philosophy says God is great, we say how God is great. Simply to know that God is great is not perfection, but to know how He is great is perfect knowledge.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Swami Bhaktivedanta -- Hawaii 14 March, 1969:

There are two kinds of natures, the spiritual nature and the material nature. Material nature is temporary and spiritual nature is permanent; Material nature is simply temporary manifestation within the jurisdiction of spiritual nature. The living entities somehow or other being entrapped by material nature are meeting all kinds of material conditions. His birth, death, old age, and diseases are due to his contact with this material nature. The living entity is evolving different kinds of material body numbering 8,400,000 different forms. The human form is a great opportunity for the living entity to understand God, the living entity, time, nature, and different activities. The material activities are temporary, therefore if the living entities are trained to transform his activities from material to spiritual he regains his original spiritual nature. And after such achievements he is promoted to the spiritual world, which is far beyond this visible material sky. All these understandings are based on authentic Vedic knowledge. The Krishna Consciousness movement is for enlightenment of all human beings without any sectarian understanding of faith. Our principle is that the human being has to awaken his dormant love of God. Any religion or faith which teaches this development of dormant love of God is considered as first class religion.

Letter to Mukunda -- New Vrindaban 10 June, 1969:

I thank you very much for your letter of June 3, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. Regarding Mataji Syamadevi's temple in Leicester, your version is all right, and I am not very interested to establish a Hindu temple. Perhaps you know from the very beginning I never described my movement as Hindu religion. Religion means the bona fide process by which we understand God and the first class religion is that which teaches people to develop love for God. To know or accept the authority of God is one thing, but to love God is another. Generally, people are interested in material comforts and they make God as the supplying agent. This kind of devotion is not purified. It is contaminated by material desires, but when one is elevated to the position of giving everything to God out of love and affection, that is the first class position. We are teaching this philosophy in the name of Krishna Consciousness, and it is applicable to all sober persons. The Bhagavat principle is that because we can be happy simply by developing our dormant love of God, this is our first business.

Letter to Vibhavati -- New Vrindaban 12 June, 1969:

I think by this time, by your sincere practice, you have come to this conclusion that a Krishna Conscious situation is the only means for peace and happiness. I am very glad to see your sarcastic remark in the article where you write, "cigarette smoke hangs heavy in the air." The leaders of the peace movement must be all men of character, and to raise such men of character there must be the four regulative principles; namely, no illicit sex-life, no meat-eating, no gambling, and no intoxication. According to Vedic civilization, these four principles must be followed by persons desiring spiritual advancement of life, persons who want to be public leaders and persons who want to be highly intellectual for understanding God and His creation. So I am very much hopeful of Mr. John Lennon because he has several times chanted the word, Krishna.

Letter to Gopala Krsna -- Hamburg 3 September, 1969:

The result is people have become Godless atheists. So to approach a bona fide Spiritual Master and to understand the science of God from him is the Vedic way of understanding. Even Lord Krishna, Lord Caitanya, and what to speak of other acaryas, all of them accepted a Spiritual Master, even if some of them were incarnations of God. The Vedic way of receiving knowledge is called avaroha, against aroha. Aroha means to try to understand God by one's own effort, and avaroha means to understand God by disciplic succession. Therefore we find in Vedic instruction that one must approach a bona fide Spiritual Master to learn that transcendental subject.

I thank you very much for your solemn assurance that you shall try to follow my teachings throughout your life. It is very encouraging. Regarding dress, I have already written to you that you can dress as smartly as possible to deal with the public, and dress is immaterial in Krishna Consciousness. Consciousness is within. I am a sannyasi, but if some important work requires I dress myself just like a smart gentleman, I would immediately accept it. So it is not a problem.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Syamasundara -- Los Angeles 24 April, 1970:

I am glad to learn that George is chanting now Hare Krishna with you, and that will make him advanced. You write to say that George is still not convinced that there is not something beyond the form or body of Krishna. He is thinking that beyond Krishna there is an unmanifest God. These are all vague questions. I think by unmanifest God he means impersonal Brahman. This is quite natural for persons who try to understand God by their own endeavor.

Letter to Syamasundara -- Los Angeles 24 April, 1970:

So if George wants to know about this Mr. John, his forefather, is it possible for him to know about Mr. John by speculation? He has to know about Mr. John by family history spoken by his father or grandfather. Similarly, God is the Supreme Father, so if anyone wants to know about God, he must try to understand Him through the history of creation. This is called Parampara system. This Bhagavad-gita is spoken by God Himself, and that is the best source of knowing about God. He cannot be known by our limited exercise of the senses. The difficulty of understanding God as person is that as soon as there is conception of person we think of God as a person like us. Therefore, in the Vedas, the personality of God is described in different ways which are distinct from our personalities.

Letter to Syamasundara -- Los Angeles 24 April, 1970:

In that sense, if every living entity is working under His direction, then all the legs and hands which are existing all over his creation are His legs and hands. We are simply instrumental. When the Veda says that He has nothing to do, it means that He has so many hands and legs that personally He has nothing to do. It is not very difficult to understand that a big business man is sitting in his room and thousands of workers are engaged in different activities under his direction. So practically the business man's brain is working, but when we see the business man alone in the room we see that he is not working. So we have to understand God from authoritative sources by spiritual education by being trained under the experienced guidance of a self-realized personality, otherwise how we can understand such vast subject matter delineating about God?

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Satsvarupa -- Los Angeles 9 July, 1971:

I have seen the newsletter and it is nicely written, but the idea itself is not so good. If you post such newsletter to big businessmen and politicians, etc., their secretaries will throw it away. It is not so easy to approach such big people by letter. An attempt to see them personally is better. Otherwise it is a waste of time. Thousands of advertisements are going in the mail. Who cares for them?

Yes, we are above all religious work. Krishna Consciousness is post-graduate to all these religions and any religion can take lesson from us. Therefore we are not on the mundane plane. Other religions are trying to understand God vaguely and we are on the platform where God is really understood and we are associating with Him directly also.

Letter to Dinesh Candra -- Los Angeles 13 July, 1971:

Indirectly you can say that God has no name but because we are accustomed to understanding everything by giving some nomenclature, so God has names which are ascertained by His activities. For example God is creating, so if I call God "the master of the world" (Jagadisa) then what is the wrong there? And who can deny that God created the world?

We are not concerned with the common man because they will think that we are criticizing. So speak on general features of how we understand God. God is called great in every religion. Our appreciations of greatness are six in number. These are stated in the Krishna Book Introduction. So you have to introduce the matter of God scientifically, and that will be appreciated by any reasonable man. If we say that your God is like this and our God is like that, then there will be great disturbance. Simply speak on general topics, that God is like this. Then let them read our literature and ask questions. In this way try to push on our missionary activities.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Yajnesvara -- Bombay 2 January, 1972:

"Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do." (BG 18.65)

Krishna asks, "Have you decided to fight?" "Yes, I have decided to follow Your order." This is free will.

You will find mentioned in many Vedic scriptures that maha-mantra is especially recommended for understanding God in this age of Kali Yuga, such as Agni Purana, Kali-Santaram Upanisad, Brhan Naradiya Puranam, and many others. Haridasa Thakura chanted 3 lakhs of names each day, that means 16 names in the mantra, 108x16 or 1,728 names in each round of mala, dividing 300,000 by 1,728 comes to roundabout 175 rounds on beads daily. And for us it is even difficult to chant 16 rounds! That is why Haridasa Thakura is "namacarya." We find in Caitanya Caritamrta information that both Lord Caitanya and Haridasa Thakura were constantly absorbed in chanting the Hare Krishna mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Letter to Jayapataka -- Honolulu 17 May, 1972:

This meeting in Navadvipa was certainly very important and I am very much pleased that Sriman Acyutananda Maharaja has established our position. Krishna will bless him. Let him preach in that spirit, that is required. Our mission is to establish God-consciousness. We can give more information about God from authentic literature. So every religion has got some relationship with God, that is preliminary understanding. But actually what is God, how we can understand Him, how He is working by His different energies, how He is creating, maintaining and annihilating—all this information we can give in details, therefore anyone who is interested in the matter of understanding God, they should give their patient hearing to our descriptions. The result will be that his faith in God will be increased. In other words, if any person who hears from us will become a greater lover of God and learn what is the highest perfection of life.

Letter to Secretary to Minister of Education and Culture -- Los Angeles 7 June, 1972:

With reference to this obvious preference by the citizens in general, we wish to publish our translation of another ancient classical Vedic literature, namely, Bhagavad-gita, in the Russian language. The English edition of this great book of knowledge, which has been called by us as Bhagavad-gita As It Is, is already published by the famous London publishing house of Mss. MacMillan Co.

This book of knowledge is perfectly educational and is an authoritative cultural presentation in the matter of understanding God-consciousness. If you, therefore, permit, I can send you the copy of Bhagavad-gita As It Is and ask my publishers, MacMillan Co., to send you one copy immediately on hearing from you.

Letter to Andrew Parco -- San Francisco Calif. 7 October, 1972:

So far books are concerned, they are differently described for different types of men and a philosopher. So we cannot decide either from the books or by philosophical speculation or by argument and logic. So the best thing is that you find out yourself who you think is the right person in the matter of science of God.

So far we are concerned we are following the Bhagavad-gita As It Is and we see the knowledge given in the Bhagavad-gita is quite perfect in the matter of understanding God. If we compare the truth mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita with other books, sometimes there may not be equal standard of understanding. So it is better to accept some recognized authority and follow his footsteps, and that is the best way for understanding God. we simply want that people should understand God, and love him also, because human life is meant for this purpose. So if a man loves God more than anything else, he is the perfect man.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Sukadeva 2 -- Calcutta 29 January, 1973:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 1/8/73, and I have noted the contents with satisfaction. Thank you very much for your kind sentiments. This attitude of serving first the spiritual master is the correct one, for only by the mercy of the spiritual master can one obtain the mercy of Krsna. Just as we sing every morning yasya prasadad bhagavad-prasado yasya prasada na gatih kuto 'pi, in this way the disciple advances more and more in understanding God. So if you simply execute with full faith the instructions that I have already given you, then you will see so many people will be sent by Krsna to become devotees because of your sincerity. So as you are my appointed leader, you must also see that the others are following very strictly the regulative principles like chanting 16 rounds, reading my books regularly, rising early for mangala aratrika, these things will keep us purified for advancing more and more in Krsna Consciousness.

Letter to Sir Alistair Hardy -- Bhaktivedanta Manor 28 July, 1973:

I beg to thank you for your coming here yesterday evening, we had very nice talks on religious experience, and I have studied your replies to my questions very carefully.

My first question was "what is the problem of the human life?" So I have already explained, the problem is that at the present moment there is no proper understanding of God. Human life is especially meant for this purpose, to understand God. That is quite natural, cats and dogs or lower animals or man almost like animal cannot understand God, neither they think such things are necessary, that one should understand God, and his relationship with him.

Letter to Sir Alistair Hardy -- Bhaktivedanta Manor 28 July, 1973:

According to Vedic understanding, a human being without understanding of God is no better than an animal, and that is a practical proposition, that is the only difference between an animal and a man. For man there is a religious system—scriptures, it may be Bible, Koran, Bhagavad-gita, Or Srimad-Bhagavatam, it doesn't matter everywhere there is a system, religious system, philosophical system to try to understand the supreme power. In your research institute you are also trying to explain that supreme power. Your research institution is the latest institution to study that supreme power. Therefore the right conclusion is, the problem of the human society at the present moment is to understand God, or as you say, the supreme power.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Sri Krishna C. Batra -- Vrindaban 8 December, 1975:

The very word yoga means connecting link with the supreme being. We accept Krishna as the supreme being, and nobody is equal to him or greater than him. How he is supreme is lucidly explained in the Bhagavad-gita, and we try to revive our eternal relationship with him. In the Bhagavad-gita itself there are different processes of yoga systems, karma yoga, jnana yoga, dhayana yoga, hatha yoga, bhakti yoga and so many patterns of yoga. Others may practice different patterns of yoga, and we can understand that everyone is trying to pass on the path of yoga, but bhakti yoga is the ultimate goal, and if anyone is actually interested to understand God as he is, he has to come to the platform of bhakti yoga.

It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita that after many many births of practicing yoga, when one is actually mature he surrenders himself at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bahunam janmanam ante, jnanavan mam prapadyate, vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah (BG 7.19).

So this bhakti yoga is practiced by varieties of rendering service to the Lord, They are divided into nine prescribed methods as it is called sravanam, kirtanam visnoh, smaranam pada sevanam, arcanam vandanam dasyam, sakhyam atma nivedanam (SB 7.5.23). The actual path to understand God is bhakti yoga as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, bhaktya mam abhijanati, yevan yas casmi tattvatah, tato mam tattvato jnatve, visate tad anantaram. (BG 18.55)

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Prthu Putra -- Vrindaban 2 November, 1976:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated 23/10/76.

I am very happy to see you are trying to spread Krsna consciousness in Egypt. You should present Krsna consciousness not as a religion, but a science of God realization. Try to convince them that it is not just a kind of faith. It is a chance to understand God. In every religion there is a glimpse of the idea of God. This Movement is explaining what God is. The educated persons should be convinced about this fact. Every sane man should be interested to know God and then love Him.

1977 Correspondence

Letter to Sri Guptaji -- Bombay 3 January, 1977:

Please accept my greetings and sincere thanks for your kindly helping our movement in so many ways. The whole world is being misled by the blind leaders; they are keeping the people in darkness. Our present position is that we have got this human form of life after a great evolutionary process and this is the opportunity to understand God Krishna, and revive our original consciousness without which we are sure to go back to the cycle of birth and death.

Krishna Consciousness movement is trying to save the people in general, religionists and philosophers, to save them from the downfall. Opening our center means to educate people in this great science. Krishna Consciousness is not a ism or simply blind following. It is based on authority; scientific and logical. I am so glad that you are trying to help us in opening this educational center in Chandigarh. Thank you very much for your help.