Vedic statements

Expressions researched:
"vedic statements" |"vedic statement" |"statements of the vedas" |"statement of the vedas"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 2.25, Purport: The soul is inconceivable by human experimental knowledge. The soul is consciousness and conscious—that also is the statement of the Vedas, and we have to accept that.

SB Canto 1

SB 2.2.27, Purport: Simply by becoming an academic scholar one cannot understand the Vedic statements; one has to approach the real authority who has received the Vedic knowledge by disciplic succession, as clearly explained in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.2).

SB 2.2.27, Purport: It is said that one should become a brāhmaṇa before one can understand the Vedic statements, and this stricture is as important as the stricture that no one shall become a lawyer who has not qualified himself as a graduate.

SB Canto 3

SB 3.24.35, Purport: Pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet: one must leave his family life and enter the forest after the age of fifty. This is an authoritative statement of the Vedas, based on the division of social life into four departments of activity—brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa.

SB 3.25.42, Purport: "By fear of the Supreme Lord the wind-god and the sun-god are acting." Bhīṣāsmād agniś candraś ca/ mṛtyur dhāvati pañcamaḥ: "Agni, Indra and Mṛtyu are also acting under His direction." These are the statements of the Vedas.

SB 3.33.7, Purport: There are many Vedic statements in different places saying that anyone who chants the holy name of the Lord becomes immediately freed from conditional life and that anyone who hears the holy name of the Lord, even though born of a family of dog-eaters, also becomes liberated from the clutches of material entanglement.

SB Canto 4

SB 4.20.30, Purport: The statements of the Vedas which offer elevation to heavenly planets in exchange for great sacrifices are simply bewildering.

SB 4.21.46, Purport: Now all the great saintly persons, sages and brāhmaṇas present in the meeting, after hearing from Mahārāja Pṛthu about his great mission in life, became convinced that the statement of the Vedas had been fully proved.

SB Canto 5

SB 5.5.26, Purport: According to the Vedic statement: īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1]. The Supreme Lord is situated everywhere, and wherever He is situated is His temple.

SB Canto 7

SB 7.2.48, Purport: There is a Vedic statement apāma-somam amṛtā abhūma apsarobhir viharāma. With reference to such a conception, one wants to go to the heavenly planets to enjoy with the young girls there and drink soma-rasa.

SB 7.7.24, Purport: Thus we must study the ātmā and Paramātmā—the individual soul and the Supersoul—upon whom the entire material cosmic manifestation rests. This is explained by the Vedic statement yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāya nte. yena jātāni jīvanti.

SB 7.13.23, Purport: The Vedas are known as śruti because this knowledge is received from authorities. The statements of the Vedas are known as śruti-pramāṇa.

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

SB 10.3.24, Translation: Thus the Vedas say that You are the substance. Therefore, my Lord, You are directly the origin of all Vedic statements, and by understanding You, one gradually understands everything.

SB 10.10.29, Translation: Learned brāhmaṇas know [on the basis of the Vedic statement sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma] that You are everything and that this cosmic manifestation, in its gross and subtle aspects, is Your form.

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

SB 10.74.31, Translation: [Śiśupāla said:] The statement of the Vedas that time is the unavoidable controller of all has indeed been proven true, since the intelligence of wise elders has now become diverted by the words of a mere boy.

SB 11.21.26, Translation: Persons with perverted intelligence do not understand this actual purpose of Vedic knowledge and instead propagate as the highest Vedic truth the flowery statements of the Vedas that promise material rewards. Those in actual knowledge of the Vedas never speak in that way.

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 5.41, Purport: “Considering all these points, one should understand that Śaṅkarācārya’s statement that Saṅkarṣaṇa is born as a jīva is completely against the Vedic statements. His assertions are completely refuted by the above arguments. In this connection the commentary of Śrīdhara Svāmī on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.1.34) is very helpful.”

CC Adi 7.5, Purport: “The varieties of energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are differently known.” From this statement of the Vedas one can understand that there are eternal varieties of humors, or tastes, in the spiritual world.

CC Adi 7.112, Purport: If one accepts the real or direct meaning of these Vedic statements, one can understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead has a spiritual body (sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]).

CC Adi 16.52, Purport: All Vedic knowledge is based on the principle that one must approach a bona fide spiritual master and hear from him the authoritative statements of the Vedas.

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 6.87, Purport: One should not try to understand the Lord simply from the statements of the Vedas, nor should one uselessly attempt to decry these statements through reasoning and logic.

CC Madhya 6.137, Translation: “The Vedic statements are self-evident. Whatever is stated there must be accepted. If we interpret according to our own imagination, the authority of the Vedas is immediately lost.”

CC Madhya 9.194, Purport: These are some Vedic statements about spiritual substance. Spiritual substance cannot be seen by the unintelligent, because they do not have the eyes or the mentality to see the spirit soul. Consequently they think that there is no such thing as spirit. But the followers of the Vedic injunctions take their information from Vedic statements, such as the verses from the Kaṭha Upaniṣad and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam quoted above..

CC Madhya 20.135, Purport: According to the Bhagavad-gītā (18.55), only the bhakti process is said to be definitive. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. This is the conclusive statement of the Vedas, and one has to accept this process if one is serious in searching for Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this connection, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura gives the following statement. The eastern side represents devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 24: If we want to understand the statements by indirect interpretation, then we have to challenge the Vedic statements. In other words, Vedic statements cannot be accepted by our imperfect interpretations; they must be accepted as they are. If they are not accepted in this way, there is no authority in the Vedic statements.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 24: According to Lord Caitanya, those who try to give personal interpretations to the Vedic statements are not at all intelligent.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 24: Lord Caitanya said that the Vedic statements of the Upaniṣads are like sunlight. Everything is clear and very distinct when it is seen in the sunlight; the statements of the Vedas are similarly clear and distinct. The Māyāvādī philosophers simply cover the sunlight with the cloud of misinterpretation.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 24: Lord Caitanya then said that all the Vedic statements of the Upaniñads aim at the ultimate truth known as Brahman.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna Book, Chapter 74: “Ladies and gentlemen, I can appreciate now the statement of the Vedas that, after all, time is the predominating factor. In spite of all endeavors to the contrary, the time element executes its own plan without opposition.

Krsna Book, Chapter 87: Employing this analogy of Brahman with earth, the impersonalists especially stress the Vedic statement sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma: “Everything is Brahman.”

Krsna Book, Chapter 87: Thus the Vedic statements describe that the Absolute has no legs, no hands, no eyes, no ears and no mind, and yet He can act through His potencies and fulfill the needs of all living entities.

Renunciation Through Wisdom

Renunciation Through Wisdom, 3.5: If Ramana Mahārṣi advises us to negate desire, then we must conclude that he misunderstands the Vedic statement sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma.

Renunciation Through Wisdom, 4.4: If the Lord were to lose His own identity by expanding Himself into many, that would mean destruction of Himself. Has the Supreme Lord committed such a foolish blunder? Or has the blunder been committed by those who misinterpret the Vedic statements and say that God expanded Himself into many entities and lost His identity?

Renunciation Through Wisdom, 5.1: Realizing the truth of the Vedic statement ahaṁ brahmāsmi ("I am Brahman") is one meaning of humility.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 13.1-3 -- Durban, October 13, 1975: These are the Vedic statement. And our process of knowledge, Veda... Veda means knowledge. Vetti veda vido jñāne. Supreme knowledge, perfect knowledge, that is Veda.

Lecture on BG 1.23 -- London, July 19, 1973: Try to understand Kṛṣṇa in truth, not vaguely. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We think of God. So why don't you accept Kṛṣṇa? He says and śāstra says, the ācārya says, Vyāsadeva says, Nārada says, your Guru Mahārāja says. Why not accept? Why rascaldom? Why you are searching after any other God? Here is God. Name, address, activities, everything is there, authorized statement of the Vedas.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Hyderabad, November 17, 1972: So Kṛṣṇa here says, because that Māyāvādī philosophy's also nullified here. Because here it is said, na jāyate, na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ. Māyāvāda philosophy says that the living entity has become separated on account of illusion. Not becomes separated. He is... There is no separation. But it is illusion; he's thinking, "I am different from God." But Kṛṣṇa says, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ [Bg. 15.7]. That aṁśa, part and parcel of God, he's sanātana. Not that, being covered by illusion, he's thinking "I am separated." He's separated always, sanātana. That is the statement of the Vedas.

Lecture on BG 2.20-25 -- Seattle, October 14, 1968: There are three kinds of evidences. Pratyakṣa, direct sense perception, and śabda-pramāṇa, evidence from the Vedic statement, and anumāna, aitihya, historical or hypothesis. So out of all evidences, the evidence which is called, derived from Vedic statement, that is accepted as most authoritative.

Lecture on BG 2.20-25 -- Seattle, October 14, 1968: Viṣṇujana: "Similarly there is no other source of understanding the soul except by studying the Vedas. In other words the soul is inconceivable to human experimental knowledge. The soul is conscious and consciousness. That also is the statement of the Vedas and we have to accept that. Unlike the bodily changes there is no change for the soul. As eternally unchangeable, he remains atomic always in comparison to the infinite Supreme Soul."

Lecture on BG 2.26 -- Hyderabad, November 30, 1972: Our process is descending process. We are not trying to understand by the ascending process. Inductive or deductive. We accept the statements of the Vedas. Therefore we haven't got to make much effort to understand a thing.

Lecture on BG 2.32 -- London, September 2, 1973: Or full faith in the statement of the Vedas. Whatever Veda says, that's right. Yes. No argument. That is called āstikyam. No argument.

Lecture on BG 4.4 -- Bombay, March 24, 1974: Svābhāvikī. He doesn't require to tax His brain how to do things. Immediately He desires, everything is done. That is Kṛṣṇa. Immediately what He wants, as soon as. Sa aikṣata. As soon as He glanced over the material nature, there was creation. These are the Vedic statements.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, March 12, 1970: Prabhupāda: Now, here somebody may say that "This is too much sectarian, that knowing simply Kṛṣṇa, everything is known." Somebody may say like that. But actually this is the fact. The Vedic statement says like that. Kasmin tu bhagavo vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Upsala University Stockholm, September 8, 1973: We are living entities, and God is also living entity, but the supreme living entity. That is the difference. It is Vedic statement.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Hrderabad, April 28, 1974:We are always accompanied by the Supreme Personality of Godhead as paramātmā, antaryāmī, within the heart. That is the Vedic statement, that there are two birds sitting on the same tree. One bird is enjoying the fruit of the tree, and the other bird is simply witnessing.

Lecture on BG 13.1-3 -- Durban, October 13, 1975: They are living just like two birds sitting on the branch of one tree. These are the Vedic statement. So there are two birds sitting on the branch of the same tree. One bird is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other bird, simply witnessing. This is the Vedic statement.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 7, 1971: The śāstra says veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam: [Bs. 5.30] "Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always engaged in playing on His flute." This is Vedic statement. Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam: [Bs. 5.30]

Lecture on SB 1.2.22 -- Vrndavana, November 2, 1972: Tyaktvā deham. "Just after giving up this body, he immediately comes to Me in the spiritual world." These are the Vedic statement.

Lecture on SB 1.2.31 -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1972: One is enjoying the fruit of the tree; other is only witnessing. So the witnessing bird is Paramātmā, and the fruit-eating bird is ātmā. These are the Vedic statements.

Lecture on SB 1.3.1 -- Vrndavana, November 14, 1972: Prabhupāda: But here we find it quite reasonable. Because everything is, is from the person. Jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpam. Rūpam, form. It is not from imperson. Jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpam. So we don't theorize. We accept the statement of the Vedas. That is our process of knowledge. Eh? Descending process. We take knowledge from the authority.

Lecture on SB 1.3.27 -- Los Angeles, October 2, 1972: So if we take the Vedic statement, Vedic literature statement, as fact, then our knowledge is perfect.

Lecture on SB 1.7.30-31 -- Vrndavana, September 26, 1976: Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said that veda nā māniyā bauddha haya ta' nāstika. Nāstika means one who does not believe in the statement of the Vedas.

Lecture on SB 1.8.31 -- Mayapura, October 11, 1974: Just like Kṛṣṇa can create, Kṛṣṇa also creates through her agent. As it is stated, na tasya kāryam karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. He does not do anything directly, but as soon as He desires, "Let there..." Sa aikṣata sa asṛjata. These are the statements of the Vedas. In the Bible also it is said, "God desired: Let there be creation." Is it not like that? "And there was creation."

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Mayapura, October 12, 1974: Paśyaty acakṣuḥ. Apāṇi-pādo javano grahītā: "He has no leg, but He goes so fast, nobody can compete Him." These are Vedic statements.

Lecture on SB 2.3.24 -- Los Angeles, June 22, 1972: Pañcarātra-vidhi, this arcanā, temple worship, under the direction of Nārada. So if one gives up all these regulative principles and wants to become a devotee, a writer, then Rūpa Gosvāmī says, without the conclusive statement of the Vedas, smṛtis and pañcarātra-vidhi... Śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-pañcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā [Brs. 1.2.101], without following, aikāntikī harer bhaktiḥ, the show of a devotee, the aikāntikī harer bhaktir utpātāyaiva kalpate, it is simply disturbance. Simply disturbance.

Lecture on SB 3.26.32 -- Bombay, January 9, 1975: it is said, aham evāsam agre. Agre, "Before the creation, there was only Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa. There was no Brahmā, no Śiva." These are Vedic statement.

Lecture on SB 5.5.26 -- Vrndavana, November 13, 1976: According to the Vedic statement, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1]. The Supreme Lord is situated everywhere, and wherever He is situated is His temple.

Lecture on SB 6.1.8-13 -- New York, July 24, 1971: I am being locked up with my action so that I shall become again a cow or goat, and this man, this cow and goat will become man, and he will kill me and eat. You believe or not believe—that's a different thing. But these are the Vedic statement.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- San Francisco, July 21, 1975: That is called abhijña: He knows everything perfectly, without going to anyone else. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. This is the Vedic statement, that "The Absolute Truth is so perfect, He has got so many potencies, that everything is being done so perfectly." Just like one artist.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Vanisource:Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.7, Mayapur, March 9, 1974: We are always accompanied by the Supreme Personality of Godhead as paramatma, antaryami, within the heart. That is the Vedic statement, that there are two birds sitting on the same tree. One bird is enjoying the fruit of the tree, and the other bird is simply witnessing.|Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.7, Mayapur, March 9, 1974]]: We are always accompanied by the Supreme Personality of Godhead as paramatma, antaryami, within the heart. That is the Vedic statement, that there are two birds sitting on the same tree. One bird is enjoying the fruit of the tree, and the other bird is simply witnessing.]]: So that is the Vedic statement, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). There must be one leader, the leader of the same quality, nitya. I am nitya, Kṛṣṇa is nitya. Kṛṣṇa is also living entity; I am also living entity. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. So what is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and me?

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.109-114 -- San Francisco, February 20, 1967: There are Vedic statements that "The Supreme has no hands, but He can accept whatever you offer." Now, this is contradictory. If He has no hands, how He can accept?

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.151-154 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971: There are many Vedic statements. Janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]. That means the creation of this material world is from the Supreme Lord.

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lectures on Brahma Samhita, Los Angeles, August 14, 1972: Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti [Bs. 5.32]. Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam [Bs. 5.30]. He is engaged in playing on flute. It is not artists' painting that Kṛṣṇa is painted as a very nice, beautiful young boy and He has got a flute. No. These are Vedic statement.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Bombay, November 2, 1970:: The Supreme Being is also conscious, as we are eternal, nitya, and conscious. That is the statement of the Vedas: nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13).

Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, March 31, 1971:: in the Vedas it is written clearly, kurukṣetre dharmam ācaret. That is the statement of the Vedas.

Town Hall Lecture -- Auckland, April 14, 1972:: One lawyer who quotes from the lawbook various bona fide quotations, the judgment is given in his favor because that is authorized. Similarly, a Vedic statement is accepted in Indian spiritual society.

Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, January 14, 1973:: The Supreme Being is also conscious. As we are eternal, nitya, and conscious... That is the statement of the Vedas. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He is the supreme conscious. He is the supreme living being. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is person. Kṛṣṇa is not imperson. Impersonal feature is one of the partial manifestation of Kṛṣṇa. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: brahmaṇo ahaṁ pratiṣṭhā. Kṛṣṇa is the basis of Brahmā.

Lecture at World Health Organization -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:: Just as the America, two hundred years ago, this land did not belong to the Americans. It was there already. So to whom it belonged? Similarly, everything... This is the statement of the Vedas: īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1]. If we accept this, if the United Nations makes this resolution, that "From this date, let us dissolve this so-called nationality, accept this whole planet belonging to us, all the human beings, all the animals, all the birds, beasts, trees, as they are on this planet," if we accept this philosophy, there is no question of chaotic condition of the society.

Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974:: All the activities are there. If He cannot hear, then our prayer to Him, "O God, give us our daily bread," is useless. So from this statement of the scripture, either you take it Bible or Bhagavad-gītā, it is understood that God is a person like you. That is the statement of the Vedas, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13), namely that God means He is the supreme being.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:: Yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3). That is the Vedic statement. If you simply understand God, then you understand everything.

Philosophy Discussion on Plato:: Hayagrīva: Plato states that the material world is restricted to limitations of time and space, whereas the spiritual world transcends time and space.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hayagrīva: He also states that time began with the creation of the material world. And how does this comply with the Vedic statement that time is eternal?

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation with Prof. Kotovsky -- June 22, 1971, Moscow:

Prabhupāda: That is allowed. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena [Bg. 4.34], paripraśnena sevayā.Paripraṣna, argument, is allowed, but not with a challenging spirit. With a spirit to rightly understand. Praṇipātena paripraśnena. That... Argument is not denied. But so far Vedic statements are there, they are infallible, infallible, and the followers of the Vedas, they accept in that way. For example, just like cow dung.

Prof. Kotovsky: Yes.

Prabhupāda: It is the stool of an animal. Now, the Vedic statement there is: "As soon as you touch the stool of any animal, you are impure. You have to purify yourself by taking bath." Even in your own stool... According to Hindu system, if you go to evacuate, after coming you have to take bath.

Conversation with Prof. Kotovsky -- June 22, 1971, Moscow: Prabhupāda: Yes, that... That... One Dr. Ghosh, professor of medical college, Lal Mohan Ghosh, he... I was medically connected in my previous life. So that Lal Mohan Ghosh analyzed it, and, it is his statement, it is full of, I mean to say, antiseptic properties. So Vedic statements, even sometimes you find it is contradictory, but if you analyze scrutinizingly, you find it is correct.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura: Prabhupāda: Every living entity's. That is the only business. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That is the statement of the Vedas.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversations and Morning Walks, July 11, 1973, London: Prabhupāda: The sunshine, coming of the sunshine within your room, is sufficient knowledge to know that here is sun. Sun is there. That is the Vedic statement, that you can understand there is fire when there is heat.

Conversations and Morning Walks, August 9, 1973, Paris: Prabhupāda: Being. That is the Vedic statement, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām, eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). God is also a living entity.

Conversations and Morning Walks, October 31, 1973, Vrndavana: Prabhupāda: Now, the Kṛṣṇa says that bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano, bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā [Bg. 7.4]. So it has emanated from Kṛṣṇa. Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. This is the statement of the Vedas and...

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Biochemist, Dr. Sallaz -- June 4, 1974, Geneva: He is powerful. He can act some way or other, according to circumstances. That is his business. Actually, that is the Vedic statement, that just like the sun, the sun can absorb the urine.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 2, 1975, Mayapur: That is spiritual; that is not material. Ānanda-rasa. Ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ [Bs. 5.37]. That is the Vedic statement.

Morning Walk -- October 17, 1975, Johannesburg: Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: ...Vedic statement or is it just preference?

Morning Walk -- November 26, 1975, New Delhi: Prabhupāda: We know everything. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam idam vijñātaṁ bhavanti. This is the Vedic statement. If you know God, then you know everything. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam idam vijñātam.

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Sri Padampat Singhania -- Kanpur 7 May, 1957: The Vedas say that bone is untouchable but the conchshell which is also a bone is perfectly pure. For the common man the statements of the Vedas appear to be contradictory. But in spite of such contradiction, because we Hindus accept the Vedas as authority we accept cow dung as pure and allow it to be used even in the kitchen. So also we accept the conchshell. The conchshell is after all a bone of an animal but because it is accepted by the Vedas we allow conchshell to be used in the sanctified room of our family deity.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Tosana Krsna -- Los Angeles 23 June, 1970: Regarding New Testament, we can simply agree that the New Testament accepts God is great and the creation came into existence by His Word. I do not know the details of New Testament, but I know so far that it is stated there that all creation is made by God. So this statement is Vedic statement. In the Vedanta philosophy also the same thing is stated that the Supreme Brahman is the cause of all creation, maintenance and destruction.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Dhrstaketu -- New York 17 July, 1976: Concerning the Vedic statements, if you do not know, what can I do? You have to know it otherwise why do you speak something about what you do not know. If you have heard from the Bhagavatam or other Vedic literatures, what do you want to know more? Have you seen the different inhabitants on the different planets? We have to hear from the authoritative scriptures and accept it. That's all.