Young woman: (indistinct) proofs (indistinct) of the name of God?
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Young woman: How do you know that a name is approved?
Prabhupāda: How do you know even your name? How do you know?
Young woman: It's given by a human being.
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Young woman: It was told to me by a person.
Prabhupāda: So who? Who told you?
Young woman: I suppose my mother.
Prabhupāda: Why do you believe her? That is your name?
Young woman: Why do I believe her?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Why do you believe her? I say that it is not your name. Why do you believe that this is your name?
Young woman: I can choose my name if I don't like the name I have.
Prabhupāda: That is all right. But why do you believe? When I say, "What is your name?" you put your name which is given by your parents? And why not by your friend?
Young woman: It's arbitrary.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Young woman: It's arbitrary.
Prabhupāda: But you accept it.
Young woman: Yes.
Prabhupāda: So you have to accept because your mother is authority.
Young woman: Yes. But who is the authority for telling me...
Prabhupāda: That's all right. This is the principle. So you have to accept the name of God from God. You cannot manufacture.
Young woman: How do you know that "Kṛṣṇa" is a name of God?
Prabhupāda: That, it will take some time. How do you know he's your father? Some gentleman comes. Your mother says, "He's your father." How do you know it?
Young woman: I have no proof?
Prabhupāda: Can you have any proof, that he's your father?
Young woman: I suppose there will be biological...
Prabhupāda: No. You are not born at that time. How can you know that he is your father? You have to take, accept, your mother's version. That's all. That is your authority. Your mother says, "This gentleman is your father." You have to accept it. There is no other way to understand.
Young woman: ...convenient to accept it.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So you accept the authority. Then you know Kṛṣṇa, who is God, who is Kṛṣṇa.
Young woman: Then who is the authority?
Prabhupāda: Just like your mother is authority, similarly, there are authorities. This is the process. This is the process. If you want to know who is your father, you have to know it from your mother. There is no other alternative. Is it not a fact?
Young woman: I might know...
Prabhupāda: First of all, you answer this. If you want to know who is your father, who can be better authority than your mother?
Young woman: No one. But she may also make...
Prabhupāda: That's all right.
Young woman: ...mistakes.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Young woman: No one, but she may also make mistakes.
Prabhupāda: That is your misfortune. If your mother misleads you, gives you misinformation, then that is your misfortune, but there is no other way to know who is your father except your mother.
Young woman: But also there is no way for me to know who my mother is.
Prabhupāda: That may be, but I am speaking of the process to understand. This is the process. I may be the, the man who is presenting or the woman who is presenting somebody as your father, she might be misleading you. That is a different thing. But you have no other process to understand your father except your mother.
Young woman: Yes.
Prabhupāda: That's it. Similarly, there is a process how to know God. So you have to accept that process. Then you'll know God. There is no other alternative.
Young woman: Yet you say that there are several processes for knowing God. Is that right? That are written? And that only one can be used now?
Prabhupāda: That several processes may be, but you have to take any process from the authority. Any process you accept, that means you accept the authority.
Young woman: How does the authority know to tell you?
Prabhupāda: That he knows. You have to accept that he knows that... Your mother knows. You have to accept it. Otherwise, there is no question of believing your mother. Unless you believe that your mother knows who is your father, then there is no question of asking her who is your father. If you don't believe your mother, then you have no necessity of questioning who is your father. First of all, you have to believe that your mother is the only authority to let you know who is your father. If you are not convinced in that point, then don't ask. Then always remain in oblivion who is your father.
Young woman: I understand the first example, but not the analogy.
Prabhupāda: Why? If you want to know your father, you have to know it from your mother.
Young woman: I understand.
Prabhupāda: That's all right.
Young woman: But...
Prabhupāda: But, if you don't believe your mother, then there is no other way to know your father.
Young woman: I understand that.
Prabhupāda: That's all. Similarly, here are scriptures who are telling, speaking about God. If you have no faith in scripture, there is no other process to know God.
Young woman: I see. But I understand why I should have faith in my mother for biological reasons, and I don't see why I should have faith in...
Prabhupāda: But that is the rule. You may, biologically, may be different, crazy, but that is the rule.