TO WHOM IS THE VEDIC KNOWLEDGE REVEALED?

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Just like in our Vedic system, first of all brahmacārī. That brahmacārī system is very nice. Even Kṛṣṇa, God Himself, He has nothing to learn. He is abhijñā. In the Vedas He is described as abhijñā: He knows everything. But just to teach us, He also became a brahmacārī in the Gurukula. Lord Rāmacandra, He also accepted a guru, Vasiṣṭha.

So that is our Vedic system. Anybody may be anything, but the process is tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12): in order to learn the value of life, spiritual value of life, one must go to a guru. Tad vijñānārtham. In order to understand the spiritual value of life one must go to a guru. Gurum evābhigacchet. What is that guru? Śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham: “He is well learned in Vedic literature,” and brahma-niṣṭham, “and firm faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

These are the two qualification of guru. He must know all the Vedic conclusion, śrotriyam; not that he has to read, but he must hear from the authoritative sources. Just like Arjuna is hearing from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the most authoritative personality. So similarly, everyone has to hear either from Kṛṣṇa or from His bona fide representative. That is śrotriyam. And the result will be that after becoming student of such bona fide guru, one will be firmly fixed up in God consciousness. That is the result, firmly fixed up.

Now, these boys from foreign countries . . . according to our geographical arrangement, they are foreigners. But we don’t see anything foreign. We see every land belongs to Kṛṣṇa and everyone is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. So we have no such distinction. But still, from materialistic point of view, these boys and girls, they, three or four years ago they did not know what is this word Kṛṣṇa.

WHY GOOD RESULTS ARE NOT OBTAINED DESPITE PUTTING IN BEST EFFORTS?

In Conversation with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Devotee (1): Prabhupāda, is this philosophy like karma–mīmāṁsā, which is described in the Kṛṣṇa Book? Is this the same principle, where they feel that simply by their endeavor things will come, without the sanction of God? Is this karma–mīmāṁsā?

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, karma–mīmāṁsā. Now, if you do good, good result will come. So sometimes it so happens that a person doing very good, still, good result will not come. Is it not?

Devotee (1): That’s true.

Hari-śauri: Their argument is that if God is there and He is actually the ultimate controller, and He is motivating everything to happen, then I can just sit back and do nothing and things will happen.

Prabhupāda: No, you should work for the result. Karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana (BG 2.47). But do not think that because you working very nicely, the result will come. That is the. . . Because it is not in your hand. Therefore, karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana. Your duty is to go on working, but don’t expect the result as you desire. That will never happen unless it is sanctioned. Just like a man is suffering. Your duty is to appoint nice physician, nice medicine. But is there any guarantee that he will live? Why does he die? You can say that “I have given the best medicine and best medical treatment,” still, he dies. What is the cause? What do they say? What is the cause?

THE FIRST STEP IS TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LIVING BODY AND A DEAD BODY

In conversation with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Mike Robinson: Can you tell me what you believe—what the philosophy of the Hare Krishna movement is?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Krishna consciousness is not a question of belief; it is a science. The first step is to know the difference between a living body and a dead body. What is the difference? The difference is that when someone dies, the spirit soul, or the living force, leaves the body. And therefore the body is called “dead.” So, there are two things: one, this body; and the other, the living force within the body. We speak of the living force within the body. That is the difference between the science of Krishna consciousness, which is spiritual, and ordinary material science. As such, in the beginning it is very, very difficult for an ordinary man to appreciate our movement. One must first understand that he is a soul, or something other than his body.

Mike Robinson: And when will we understand that?

Jesus, Mohammed and Buddha were Saktyavesa Avataras – Empowered Incarnations

In Conversation With His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Revatīnandana: I have a question. One of my prabhus told me that you once said that your Guru Mahārāja said that Jesus Christ was a śaktyāveśa avatāra. Is that correct?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Because he said it, it must be correct. Muhammad also, śaktyāveśa avatāra. Śaktyāveśa avatāra means a living entity is especially empowered to preach the glories of the Lord. Lord Buddha is also śaktyāveśa avatāra. They are not ordinary human being. They are especially empowered personalities.

Devotee (1): Lord Buddha is not an incarnation?

Prabhupāda: Incarnation. Avatāra means incarnation.

Devotee (1): So that means incarnation also?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Śaktyāveśa avatāra means incarnation with special power.

Revatīnandana: It’s stated in the Bhāgavatam that there are two kinds of incarnations. One is a plenary portion, and the other is an empowered living entity. They’re both incarnations.

THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE GURU MUST BE ACCEPTED AS ONE’S LIFE AND SOUL

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

We have to receive mercy both from the spiritual master and Krishna. We cannot jump over to Krishna. That is another nonsense. We must approach Krishna through guru. That is paramparā system. Krishna is not so cheap thing that you can jump over. Somebody says, “Oh, why shall I accept guru? I can approach Krishna directly.” No. Krishna does not accept such…

Mad-bhaktah pūjābhyadhikah: Krishna says that “First of all you become devotee of My devotee.” Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, gopī-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsah: “I am the servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna [Cc. Madhya 13.80].” This is called paramparā system. You have to learn how to become servant of the servant of Krishna. The more you become in the lower position—servant, servant, servant, servant, servant, hundreds times servant, servant—then more you are advanced. Here in this material world everyone is trying to be master of the master. Just opposite. And the spiritual world, the endeavor is to become servant’s servant. This is the secret.

ATHEISM MEANS EAT VERY NICELY, ENJOY YOUR SENSES AND FINISH YOUR LIFE

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Generally, the atheist class, they have no interest in God. The atheist class … long, long ago, thousands of years ago, there was atheist also. Because there are two classes of men always within this world, atheist and theist, asura and deva, devatā. So not that atheist class men have developed at the present moment. It may be the number has increased, but atheist class of men were long, long ago also.

Sri Sri Radha Gopinath, the presiding deities of ISKCON Temple in Chowpatty, Mumbai, India

There was Carvaka Muni, he was also called muni. Muni means mental speculator, or thoughtful. So this Carvaka Muni, he also presented his philosophy, atheism, that rnam krtvā ghrtam pibet yāvaj jīvet sukham jīvet: So long you live, you live very joyfully by enjoying your senses. This is atheistic principle. And in India, the sense enjoyment principle is

REAL YOGA MEANS LOVING VĀSUDEVA BHAGAVĀN

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

If you place your loving tendency to Vāsudeva, then vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ. This can be done perfectly by bhakti-yoga, not by any other system. There are different yoga systems. Everything is mixed up with a little bhakti like karma-yoga, jnāna-yoga, dhyāna-yoga.. But the real yoga means loving Vāsudeva, Bhagavān. Therefore Bhagavān says in the Bhagavad-gita, yogināṁ api sarveṣāṁ [Bg. 6.47]. In all other yoga systems there is little tinge of vāsudeva-bhakti, but not cent percent pure. It is mixed, miśrā-bhakti. Miśrā-bhakti will not be immediately fruitful. It will take a long, long time. Bahūnām janmanām ante jnānavān mām prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. Everything, there is some bhakti-yoga, but if it is not pure, then it will take very, very, very, very long time.

Bhagavan Vāsudeva Krishna – the son of Vasudeva

Bahūnām janmanām: One janma (birth) means hundreds of years. We are not talking of any other janma. Even human form of life. Because those who are advanced in spiritual life, there is every possibility for getting next life a human being. Otherwise nobody knows. Those who are ignorant, they do not know that there will be change of body: tathā dehāntara prāptir. That is a fact. But those who are in the sattva-guṇa, they are sure to get next life in the human society. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo sanjāyate [Bg. 6.41]. śucīnāṁ means pure brāhmaṇa, and śrīmatāṁ means very rich vaiśya or kṣatriya. Kings and mercantile communities are rich, or śrīmat. Śrī means opulence, and mat means “one who has”. Śrīmatām.

SANKHYA YOGA IS USELESS LABOUR IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO FIND OUT NARAYANA

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Big, big sannyāsīs, they are discussing sāṅkhya-yoga, metaphysics. Or analyzing what is spirit, what is matter. Neti neti: “Not this.” This is called sāṅkhya-yoga. And sāṅkhya-yoga, original sāṅkhya-yoga means bhakti-yoga. Because the sāṅkhya-yoga system philosophy was spoken by Kapiladeva, the son of Devahūti. That is purely bhakti-yoga.

Later on, one atheist, he also assumed the name of Kapila and discussed sāṅkhya-yoga. That is materialistic analysis. The sāṅkhya-yoga system of philosophy is very much liked in Europe and Western countries because it is a system of metaphysics, analyzing the whole cosmic manifestation. There are twenty-four tattvas (elements). Just like these five tattvas, material elements: earth, water, air, fire, ether. Then ten senses: five senses for acquiring knowledge and five senses for enjoying. Then five principles of enjoyment. Anyway, there are twenty-four elements, and mind, intelligence, ego, and the principal, soul. In this way there are twenty-four elements. The sāṅkhya yogis, they very much analyze this study. They are of the opinion that besides these twenty-four elements, there is nothing more. No. There is. The twenty-four elements, one who is combining and annihilating, that is the Supreme Lord, pradhāna, Vishnu.

So sāṅkhya-yoga, either you take this Kapiladeva’s philosophical principle or that Kapiladeva, that’s all right. But after analyzing, if you do not find out Nārāyaṇa, the creator of this material atmosphere, material elements, then it is useless laboring – so much hard (labour), for analyzing. Just like the chemist or physicist, they are also analyzing the material elements within the laboratory. But that does not mean they are going to be liberated at the end of life. No. Or if you want to be liberated… Because after all, you are spirit soul. You are entangled with these twenty-four elements. So your real business is how to get out of it. That is wanted. Suppose if you are a diseased fellow, or you analyze the disease. Just like in pathology – The doctor examines your blood and he finds out, “This is infection, that is infection, this is this, this is this.” That’s all right. But simply by understanding the blood analysis, pathology, does not mean it is cured. The cure is different.

Would you accept Arjuna as God just because Krishna says “I am Arjuna”???

By Niraj Bidawatka

One argument that people very often put forward is that Krishna Himself says in the tenth and eleventh chapter that “I am Shiva”, “I am the sun among all planets”, “I am this demigod”, “I am that demigod “, Therefore, they conclude that by worshiping these demigods (devatā), we are worshiping Krishna.

Krishna says, “I am the taste of water.” So why don’t you worship the taste of water as God? Krishna says so many things. But without understanding the purport they misinterpret as they like. This is called the half-hen logic.

Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

The uniqueness of water is its taste. The uniqueness of the sun is its ability to illuminate. Thus, the ability in any thing or person, is coming from Krishna. Similarly, the demigods also have unique qualities, which are actually bestowed by Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna also says that “among the Pandavas, I am Arjuna. (Bg. 10.37)” So, does it mean that Arjuna is God? No. Arjuna was the most able warrior among the Pandavas. Therefore, Krishna says that “whatever unique qualities that you observe in anybody, know that they are emanating from Me.” This is stated at the end of the tenth chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita (10.41). The verse is as follows:

OFFERING NICE FOOD STUFFS TO KRISHNA IS FOR YOUR BENEFIT

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

You must have sense gratification, eating, sleeping, mating—but as far as you can maintain your body very nicely. Not that voluntarily you shall starve. No.

Just like these boys and girls, we are not starving. But our eating krsna-prasādam means just to live nicely for executing Krishna consciousness. We are not meant for going to the cinema or for other sense gratification purposes, but because we have got this body, there is no question that we shall stop eating.

Hare Krishna devotees honouring prasadam, food which is first offered to Krishna

We eat prasādam, krsna -prasādam, and that is very palatable. Krishna should be offered first class preparations because Krishna is the Supreme Lord. But if we don’t have money to supply Him nice things, then Krishna will be satisfied, as Krishna says, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. Krishna wants that you offer Him something with devotional love, that’s all.

Krishna is not hungry. Krishna is ātmārāma. He is self-sufficient. He does not require (anything from us). He is producing food for us. That’s a fact. We get so many fruits and flowers. We don’t manufacture it in the factory; neither it is possible. It is manufactured by Krishna. Raso ‘ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoh [Bg. 7.8]. By the action of His different energies these things are produced. For whom are these things are produced? “For Krishna?” No. “For us.”