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Very selected disciple

Conversations and Morning Walks

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

If I would have said, "No, you can do whatever you like, and give me some money. I shall give you mantra," then you would have seen millions. But I accept very selected disciple, not that anyone, everyone comes, and I accept disciple. No. He is first of all trained up six months. Then, when he is able to promise to follow the regulative..., then I accept. This is stricture.
Room Conversation with Dr. Copeland, Professor of Modern Indian History -- May 20, 1975, Melbourne:

Madhudviṣa:

evaṁ paramparā-prāptam
imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ
sa kāleneha mahatā
yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa
(BG 4.2)

Prabhupāda: Fourth Chapter. Give me water.

Madhudviṣa: Fourth Chapter, 34th verse.

Amogha: "This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost."

Prabhupāda: Yes. As soon as you give up the ācārya-paramparā system, then it is lost. Kṛṣṇa says that man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. All the ācāryas will say like that, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya. And Dr. Radhakrishnan, "No, no, it is not to Kṛṣṇa." Just see the fun. He has become more than the ācāryas. So we reject immediately. He thinks himself too proud that he defies the ācāryas. You see? This is the defect. The whole Bhagavad-gītā is spoken on the battlefield. Gandhi says it is nonviolence. Just see. (Dr. Copeland laughs) So we have to follow these people, do you mean to say?

Dr. Copeland: If you're measuring your success by the numbers of people, he had a lot of people too.

Prabhupāda: No, we don't take that, by number of people. We take how many people are taking actually. But neither... Ekaś candras tamo hanti: "If one man accepts, then he can become the bright moon." Na ca tārāḥ sahasraśaḥ: "The so-called stars has no value." One moon is sufficient. So our preaching is: Let one man understand Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. We don't want disciples. I never collected disciples. I never compromised that "You can do whatever you like, and you become my disciple. "No. You have to follow this. Now also, this morning, I accepted so many... "First promise whether you are going to do this. Then I initiate." This is my policy. If I would have said, "No, you can do whatever you like, and give me some money. I shall give you mantra," then you would have seen millions. But I accept very selected disciple, not that anyone, everyone comes, and I accept disciple. No. He is first of all trained up six months. Then, when he is able to promise to follow the regulative..., then I accept. This is stricture. It is not that everyone comes, "Give me thirty-five dollars. I give you mantra, and within six months you become God." I do not do that.

Dr. Copeland: You should add humor to honesty.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Amogha: He said as one of the qualifications, we should add good humor, to honesty. He says you have good humor.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. One who has got knowledge, he is humorous also.

Dr. Copeland: Ah. (laughs) Oh. Well, what do we do now?

Prabhupāda: Take prasāda. Prasāde sarva-duḥkhānāṁ hānir asyopajāyate. Take the whole plate.

Dr. Copeland: Take the whole plate?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Amogha: Don't miss out on tulasī leaf. You can take it home with you. Have it for breakfast. (break)

Dr. Copeland: Now we'll try and tell him I didn't really disagree with him or with you.

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Dr. Copeland: I don't disagree that when you say the texts that you follow is the text that you believe in. All I'm saying is that there are other texts, and surely there would be some value in studying the other texts. But he's disagreeing with that, so...

Madhudviṣa: I was reiterating the point that we only follow the ācāryas, and there is maybe a slight different approach within the ācāryas, but the conclusion is the same. The conclusion is that we must surrender to Kṛṣṇa. And we don't place too much value in people who are commentating on the scriptures who don't follow the ācāryas. We don't place that much...

Prabhupāda: No, that is the statement in the Bhagavad-gītā. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). We have to receive the knowledge through paramparā, disciplic succession. "And because the paramparā is broken, therefore it is lost," Kṛṣṇa says. So we cannot accept Bhagavad-gītā or any Vedic literature, which is called śruti... Śruti means one hears from the ācārya. That is the system.

Amogha: Usually in modern education they have the idea called "well-rounded point of view." They want to take some from here, from there, from that one and that one, that one, and then think about them all, and come up with a conclusion. So he is thinking it doesn't fit with their pattern of reasoning, how we take from one source and get the proper conclusion. They think they have to get from many sources and compare.

Prabhupāda: How... I can reply that if you want to know who is your father, then you will have to take the knowledge from many sources, by votes, that who is your father?

Dr. Copeland: (laughing) It's not the same thing.

Prabhupāda: Now he says, "not the same." You cannot offer reason. You have to take from one source, from the mother. That's all. You cannot take votes, "Can you say who is my father?" He will say this... He'll say, "He is your father." No, it is not the way. The way is to take the information from the right source, not take the votes of rascals and fools. That is not the way. One source. Even from scientific point of view, mathematics, "two plus two equal to four," you have to take from one source. Any mathematician will say like that. Nobody will say, "No, two plus two equal to five." "No, two plus two equal to three." Nobody will say. "Two plus two equal to four," everyone will say. This is not the way of securing knowledge, from here, there... Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not approve. And our Kṛṣṇa, He said, imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). That is the recommendation. And because that source is now missing, therefore it is lost. This process of knowledge, that we take knowledge from anyone and everyone, his opinion, what is that?

Not that everyone is in knowledge, but everyone can give his opinion. That is a different thing.

Dr. Copeland: That was my point, only that. Everybody should have an opinion.

Prabhupāda: Everyone has got his opinion, that is different thing. But not that everyone has got the knowledge.

Dr. Copeland: Well, that's why we come to you, for knowledge.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.

Dr. Copeland: But I come to you for knowledge, and then I go to other people for knowledge too.

Prabhupāda: That you go, but if you want real, right knowledge, then you must approach the man who knows right, not that you find out anyone and everyone and find out

Dr. Copeland: I'm done.

Amogha: I'll give you a show around if you like.

Dr. Copeland: Okay, fine. I thank you very much for your time. And when do you come back again?

Prabhupāda: When?

Dr. Copeland: When do you come back to Australia again?

Madhudviṣa: January. Hopefully in January. Will session be in then?

Dr. Copeland: Oh, no, that won't work.

Madhudviṣa: When is session?

Dr. Copeland: Session will end in October and start again in March. But if when you come back in January, they tell me that you're here, I'll come talk to you again if you want to talk to me again.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. You are always welcome. Educated man like you is welcome.

Page Title:Very selected disciple
Compiler:Visnu Murti
Created:14 of Feb, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1