God consciousness means cleansed heart. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). "I am servant of God." That is wanted. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). This is the definition given in Vedic literature, that "If anyone develops God consciousness, then all the good qualities will develop automatically. And you give him all kinds of education, but if he is godless, it is all useless." That is compared with decorating the dead body. Just like dead body. A dead body is decorated. So it may be a satisfaction for the relatives, but what is the use of it, decorating a dead body?
Bhagavad-bhakti-hīnasya jātiḥ japas tapaḥ kriyaḥ (Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya 3.11): "Great nationality, great work, great achievement minus bhagavad-bhakti, God consciousness, is just like decorating the dead body." That's all. What is the use of decorating the dead body? Because actually this body is dead. As soon as the soul is away from this body, it is a lump of matter. So when the soul is off from the body, if somebody decorates that dead body, what is use? It is simply concoction. That's all.
Therefore according to Vedic system, as soon as a body is dead, there is no question of decorating. Immediately burn it and finish, make it into ashes. That's all. The body has no importance. Real, the soul is important, the living force. So we have no education about that living force, and the original living force is Kṛṣṇa, or God. So we have no information. So therefore this education is very, very essential, at least at the present moment. You may educate in any way—Christian way, Hindu way, Muslim—but educate all the people about God consciousness. Otherwise the civilization is doomed.
Śyāmasundara: Śrīla Prabhupāda? At the beginning you mentioned a question. Śukadeva Gosvāmī was asked, "If, after the disappearance of Kṛṣṇa . . ."
Prabhupāda: Yes. That I . . . munayo sādhu pṛṣṭo 'haṁ bhavadbhir loka-maṅgalam (SB 1.2.5). When a question about Kṛṣṇa, or God, he congratulate them, "My dear sages, your question is very welcome because it is the question of God." So there may be questions, but every sincere man must question what is God and try to learn it. That will bring auspicity all over the world. Simply in school, colleges, in business, in assembly, in society there must be some discussion about God. Then it will be very much auspicious for all the world. There must be some question. The question may be offered in the beginning, but if the question is sincere, and if he takes the answer sincerely, then he will understand about God. So therefore he welcomed:
- munayaḥ sādhu pṛṣṭo 'haṁ
- bhavadbhir loka-maṅgalam
- yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśno
- yenātmā suprasīdati
- (SB 1.2.5)
"My dear sages, you have inquired about Kṛṣṇa. It is very welcome because it is auspicious," kṛṣṇa-sampraśno. "And by question and answer in this subject matter, you'll feel satisfaction," yenātmā samprasīdati. Simply by question-answer, you feel satisfaction. And when you understand, oh, you feel the supreme satisfaction, the bliss. But simply in the period of question and answer you feel satisfaction. Yenātmā suprasīdati.
Therefore in schools, colleges, assemblies, societies—everywhere—there must be questions of "What is God? What I am? What is my relation?" These should be answered scientifically and understood scientifically. Then there will be peace. Otherwise there is no possibility.
Guest (3): Your Divine Grace, we can know something about God, either through our sense knowledge or true concept, etc., but how do we know God, if I can make that distinction? You know? God isn't something that can be sensed, and He isn't something that can be grasped by the finite mind. The infinite, as you said . . . but how do we know God?
Prabhupāda: Yes. God is unapproachable by your mental concoction. But there is another process: if you understand God by this the paramparā system. Just like on this roof there is some sound, and every one of us making some suggestions what is the sound, "This may be like this. This may be like that. This may be like that." This is one process of knowledge—to understand the unseen by speculation. This is one.
It may be successful or may not be successful. There is no certainty. But if somebody from the roof says: "The sound is due to this," then our knowledge is perfect. Similarly, if we speculate about God, who is Adhokṣaja, who is beyond the range of our mind and speculation, then it is very . . . then we can come to the conclusion of Brahman realization, impersonal God, no more than. But if we hear from God or His representative, then we get perfect knowledge of God.