- śrutir mātā pṛṣṭā diśati bhavad-ārādhana-vidhiṁ
- yathā mātur vāṇī smṛtir api tathā vakti bhaginī
- purāṇādyā ye vā sahaja nivahās te tad anugā
- ataḥ satyaṁ jñātaṁ murahara bhavān eva śaraṇam
- (CC Madhya 22.6)
So this learned sage, by his experience he is saying that after studying all Vedic literature and all Upaniṣads, Vedānta, Purāṇam, four Vedas, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, volumes of literature, so the conclusion is that, "O my dear Lord," bhavān eva śaraṇam, "You are the only ultimate shelter." This is the last stage of knowledge, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, bahūnāṁ janmanām (BG 7.19): "After struggling for many, many births to acquire knowledge . . . " So when one comes to this point—bhavān eva śaraṇam, "You are the ultimate shelter"—that is the perfection of knowledge.
Our editor has written very nice article, "Kṛṣṇa, the End of Knowledge." Yes. When you come to Kṛṣṇa point, then everything is knowledge, knowable. Of course, so far our knowledge is concerned. But so far Kṛṣṇa is concerned, He is unlimited. Nobody can know Him. But at least to that point, if we can reach . . . that is also very difficult. Simply to reach to that point, there are the struggle. So many scholars, so many, still, coming to the nearest point, still, they say: "Oh, not Kṛṣṇa, not Kṛṣṇa. It is impersonal. It is impersonal."
So this knowledge is acquired by the grace of the Supreme Lord, by the association of pure devotees. Satāṁ prasaṅgāt mama vīrya-saṁvidaḥ (SB 3.25.25), one can attain this qualification. And if some way or other, either by faith or by knowledge or by association or by accident, if one comes to this point that, "Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme, is the ultimate goal," then his life is perfect.
- advaya-jñāna-tattva kṛṣṇa-svayaṁ bhagavān
- 'svarūpa-śakti' rūpe tāṅra haya avasthāna
- (CC Madhya 22.7)
Now, Lord Caitanya says that Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Truth, advaya-jñāna-tattva, who is Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa, svayaṁ bhagavān, the Supreme Personality . . . the Absolute Truth in the ultimate is a person. In the Bhagavad-gītā you will see in the Eleventh Chapter that Kṛṣṇa was requested by Arjuna to show His universal form, because for ordinary persons, that universal form is . . . the gigantic universal form is supposed to be that is God. But they do not know. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto (BG 9.11). They do not know that this universal form is only an offshoot of Kṛṣṇa. They do not know. Less intelligent class of men, they think impersonal form or the universal form or even the four-handed Viṣṇu form . . . they consider that they are greater. But in the Eleventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā you will find that Kṛṣṇa, by the request of Arjuna, assumed His universal form, viśvarūpa.