Bhakti Vriksha User Guide – Shraddhavan

Lesson 2: Source of knowledge

Flow of the Program

Link

In the previous week we spoke about relevant enquiries. We know we need to ask higher questions and in this
week we see where we can seek the answers for these questions.

Aim

The aim of this week is to make the participants understand that the real answers can be found only in the
shastras. The goal of this week is to get commitment from every member that they will read atleast one page of
Srila Prabhupada’s books everyday.

Icebreaker

Question: If you have a doubt whom would you ask? Why?

Summary: Members’ answer should be linked to the point that we should ask relevant questions to relevant
source of knowledge. For example to understand a mathematical problem we should approach one who knows
math. Similarly to understand the spiritual questions we need to ask a relevant spiritual source, and not anyone
and everyone.

Points and flow

• Veda means knowledge. Any real and absolute knowledge is Veda

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• So we should strive for absolute knowledge

• Ways of attaining knowledge - Pratyaksha, Anumana and Shruti.
• Pratyaksha - knowledge acquired through our senses. But this has four defects

1. Senses are imperfect, for example, our eyes cannot see without light
2. Propensity to commit mistakes, for example, we see the Sun as a small disk
3. Propensity to be illusioned, for example, seeing a mirage
4. Propensity to cheat

• Anumana - knowledge through speculation. For example when there is smoke there may or may not be a fire.
• Shruti – knowledge through sound or hearing. This is perfect when it comes from an authority, for example
only a mother can say who the father is. Similarly only Vedas can explain what spirit is? Krsna Says in Bhagavad
Gita that “By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedanta and I’m the knower of the
Vedas.” (Refer BG 15.15)

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Srila Prabhupada Lectures

Excerpt From: Caitanya Caritamrita, Aadilila, Chapter 5 Text 14 – purport

The disease of the modern civilized man is his disbelief of everything in the revealed scriptures. Faithless
nonbelievers cannot make progress in spiritual realization, for they cannot understand the spiritual potency. The
small fruit of a banyan contains hundreds of seeds, and in each seed is the potency to produce another banyan tree
with the potency to produce millions more of such fruits. This law of nature is visible before us, although how it
works is beyond our understanding. This is but an insignificant example of the potency of Godhead; there are
many similar phenomena that no scientist can explain.

Everything, in fact, is inconceivable, for the truth is revealed only to the proper persons. Although there are
varieties of personalities, from Brahmä down to the insignificant ant, all of whom are living beings, their
development of knowledge is different. Therefore we have to gather knowledge from the right source. Indeed, in
reality we can get knowledge only from the Vedic sources. The four Vedas, with their supplementary Puräëas, the
Mahäbhärata, the Rämäyaëa and their corollaries, which are known as småtis, are all authorized sources of
knowledge. If we are at all to gather knowledge, we must gather it from these sources without hesitation.

Revealed knowledge may in the beginning be unbelievable because of our paradoxical desire to verify everything
with our tiny brains, but the speculative means of attaining knowledge is always imperfect. The perfect knowledge
propounded in the revealed scriptures is confirmed by the great äcäryas, who have left ample commentations upon
them; none of these äcäryas has disbelieved in the çästras. One who disbelieves in the çästras is an atheist, and we
should not consult an atheist, however great he may be. A staunch believer in the çästras, with all their diversities,
is the right person from whom to gather real knowledge. Such knowledge may seem inconceivable in the
beginning, but when put forward by the proper authority its meaning is revealed, and then one no longer has any
doubts about it.
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Excerpt From: Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.26 – Nov 6, 1972, Vrindavan

But actual life, this human form of life, is meant for to get out of this darkness of material world. Tamasi mä jyotir
gama. This is the information, Vedic information: "Don't remain in this darkness." Darkness, this, this material
world is dark. Just like night. It was dark. actually it was dark. And because the sunshine is there, now we are
seeing each other. Actually it is dark. And dark also—ignorance. We do not know what is the aim of life.
Therefore, the whole world is darkness. And the Vedic information is: "Do not remain in the darkness. Come to
the light." But that education is wanting. That is called mukti, to get out of the darkness of ignorance and darkness
of this material world. So mumukñava, if one is serious to go out of this darkness to the light, then his duty is to...

Excerpt from Lecture on Bhagavad Gita Introduction – February 19 – 20, 1966, New York

The whole Vedic knowledge is infallible. There are different examples how we take Vedic knowledge as infallible.
Take for example, so far the Hindus are concerned, and how they accept the Vedic knowledge as complete, here is
an insignificant example. Just like the cow dung. The cow dung is the stool of an animal. According to småti or
Vedic wisdom, if one touches the stool of an animal he has to take his bath to purify himself. But in the Vedic
scriptures the cow dung is stated as pure. Rather, impure place or impure things are purified by touch of the cow
dung. Now if one argues how it is that in one place it is said that the stool of the animal is impure and another
place it is said that the cow dung which is also the stool of an animal, it is pure, so it is contradictory. But actually,
it may appear to be contradictory, but because it is Vedic injunction, therefore for our practical purposes we accept
it. And by that acceptance we are not committing mistake. It has been found by modern chemists, modern science,
one Dr. Lal Mohan Gosal, he has very minutely analyzed the cow dung and he has found that cow dung is a
composition of all antiseptic properties. So similarly, he has also analyzed the water of the Ganges out of curiosity.
So my idea is that Vedic knowledge is complete because it is above all doubts and all mistakes. So, and Bhagavad-

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gétä is the essence of all Vedic knowledge. The Vedic knowledge is therefore infallible. It comes down through the
perfect disciplic succession.

Therefore Vedic knowledge is not a thing of research. Our research work is imperfect because we are searching
everything with imperfect senses. Therefore the result of our research work is also imperfect. It cannot be perfect.
We have to accept the perfect knowledge. The perfect knowledge is coming down, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-
gétä, just we have begun, evaà paramparä-präptam imaà räjarñayo viduù [Bg. 4.2]. We have to receive the
knowledge from the right source in disciplic succession of spiritual master beginning from the Lord Himself. So
Bhagavad-gétä is spoken by the Lord Himself. And Arjuna, the, I mean to say, the student who took lessons of the
Bhagavad-gétä, he accepted the whole story as it is, without any cutting. That is also not allowed, that we accept a
certain portion of Bhagavad-gétä and reject another portion. That is also not accepted. We must accept the
Bhagavad-gétä without interpretation, without any cutting, and without our own whimsical participation in the
matter because it should be taken as the most perfect Vedic knowledge. The Vedic knowledge is received from the
transcendental sources because the first word was spoken by the Lord Himself. The words spoken by the Lord is
called apauruñeya, or not delivered by any person of the mundane world, who is infected with four principles of
imperfectness. A living being of the mundane world has four defective principles of his life, and they are 1) that he
must commit mistake, 2) he must be sometimes illusioned, and 3) he must try to cheat others, and 4) he's
endowed with imperfect senses. With all these four principles of imperfectness, one cannot deliver the perfect form
of information in the matter of all-pervading knowledge. The Vedas are not like that. The Vedic knowledge was
imparted in the heart of Brahmä, the first created living being. And Brahmä in his turn disseminated the knowledge
to his sons and disciples as they were originally received from the Lord. The Lord, being pürëam or all-perfect,
there is no chance of His becoming subjected to the laws of material nature.

Excerpt from Lecture on Bhagavad Gita 1.13 – 14 – July 14, 1973, London

So less intelligent class of men, they cannot understand Kåñëa. Therefore çästra says, ataù çré-kåñëa-nämädi na
bhaved grähyam indriyaiù [Cc. Madhya 17.136]. These indriya, these material senses, cannot speculate to
understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is not possible. Çrama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8]. That is
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simply laboring, wasting time. Kåñëa should be understood as Kåñëa says. He can explain Himself. Nobody can
explain. Because our senses are imperfect. We are deficient by four kinds of faults. We commit mistake; we are
illusioned; with imperfect senses, we try to speak transcendental knowledge; therefore cheating. With imper...
They will say, "Probably," "Maybe." This is the so-called scientists' language. That means imperfect knowledge.
Still, they want to teach. This is cheating. Knowledge must be perfect. Then you can teach others.

So our process is to receive the perfect knowledge from the perfect source and distribute it. We don't manufacture
knowledge. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gétä as it is, as it is. The Bhagavad-gétä is already perfect. Why
shall I interpret with my imperfect senses? This is cheating. But people want to be cheated. Vaïcita-vaïcaka-
sampradäya. The whole world is full of cheaters and cheated. Because we want to be cheated, there are so many
cheaters. They don't want real thing. Here is the real thing, Bhagavad-gétä, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
speaking personally about Himself. Why should we interpret? Does it mean that the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, the supreme authority, left something unexplained to be interpreted later on by some rascals? No. But
the rascals dare; they interpret. That is cheating. That is another fault. There are 640-45 editions of Bhagavad-gétä.
Simply cheating. Amongst them, there are big, big scholars. Not scholars. All rascals, but they cheat. They pose
themselves as scholars and people want to be cheated, so they take their words. So they cannot understand Kåñëa.
Cheated. They take the shelter of the cheaters. Therefore they are cheated.

So the mäyä is very strong. Mäyä always dictates so that we may be cheated: "Why you are taking Kåñëa as the
Supreme Personality of Godhead? Don't take. He is ordinary man. You can be also equal with Kåñëa. You also
become God. You become also incarnation." This is going on. And people flock there because they want to be
cheated. What Kåñëa says, they will not accept it. Kåñëa says, sarva-dharmän parityajya mäm ekaà çaraëam: [Bg.
18.66] "Only take to Kåñëa consciousness." Sarva-dharmän. Because any dharma which is not approved by the
Supreme Lord Kåñëa, that is not dharma. Dharmaà tu säkñäd bhagavat-praëétam [SB 6.3.19]. A human being or a
demigod or very exalted person cannot manufacture dharma. That is not possible. Real dharma is given by the
Supreme Personality of Godhead Kåñëa, and that real dharma is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä: sarva-dharmän
parityajya mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja [Bg. 18.66]. "Just surrender unto me." This is real dharma. Surrender to Kåñëa
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and follow His instruction; your life will be perfect. Because you follow the perfect instruction, therefore you are
also perfect. Simple process. To become perfect, we have to follow the perfect instruction.

So in the Bhagavad-gétä there is perfect instruction. And if we take it as it is and follow it, then we become perfect.
To become perfect is not very difficult job. But because we don't want to become perfect, because we want to be
cheated, we do not become perfect. This is the difficulty. So we should know from the very beginning that Kåñëa is
transcendental. And all His activities, they are all transcendental. Although Kåñëa appears just like ordinary human
being... He does not appear like ordinary human being because Kåñëa, when He was three months old only, He
killed the Pütanä räkñasé. A three month's old child cannot kill such giant demon. It is not possible. Kåñëa, when
He was six or seven years old, He lifted the Govardhana Hill. So what is the difficulty for Kåñëa? If Kåñëa can float
big, big gigantic planets in the air just like cotton swab floating, so is it very difficult for Kåñëa to lift a mountain
with His hand, with His finger? That is not difficult for Kåñëa. But those who want to be cheated, when Kåñëa
shows His transcendental strength, they don't believe it, another cheating. They, they'll admit, "Oh, these are...
What is called?

Devotee: Mythology.

Prabhupäda: Mythology. As if Vyäsadeva wrote this Çrémad-Bhägavatam to put before these rascals some
mythology, some imaginary things. Just see how they want to be cheated. Such an exalted personality like
Vyäsadeva, who has given us the Vedic literature, he presented something which is imaginary. What business He
has got? Therefore sometimes these cheated people, they deny to accept that Bhägavata is written by Çré Vyäsadeva.
But those who are actually äcäryas, those who can guide us, like Çaìkaräcärya, Rämänujäcärya, Madhväcärya, big,
big..., Caitanya Mahäprabhu, they do not say like this, that "It is mythology. It is imaginary." They accept as it is.
So we have to follow these mahäjana. Mahäjano yena gataù sa panthäù dharmasya tattvaà nihito guhäyäm [Cc.
Madhya 17.186]. We have to follow great personalities, äcäryas. äcäryavän puruño Veda. One who has got, one who
has taken shelter of äcärya, bona fide spiritual master, he knows. Äcäryavän puruño Veda. Because he is receiving
the right knowledge from the right source, äcärya... Evaà paramparä-präptam imaà räjarñayo viduù [Bg. 4.2].
Äcärya means by disciplic succession. As Kåñëa says, disciplic succession, all the äcäryas will say the same thing.
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They will not change, they will not interpret. They can explain. But the original fact is not distorted. That is äcärya.
Äcärya will never say that "Kåñëa is material. Kåñëa... There was no such thing as Kåñëa. There was no such battle,
Battle of Kurukñetra. These are all imaginary." So if we don't want to be cheated, then we should take Kåñëa as He
is presenting Himself and as it is confirmed by the äcäryas. Then our knowledge is perfect. So here it is said,

tataù çvetair hayair yukte

mahati syandane sthitau
mädhavaù päëòavaç caiva
divyau çaìkhau pradadhmatuù [Bg. 1.14]

Kåñëa and His devotee Arjuna, they are on the same platform. Therefore Mädhava and Päëòava. They blew Their
transcendental conchshells. This is not ordinary. (reads from purport:) "The sounding of the transcendental
conchshells indicated that there was no hope of victory for the other side." This is the sounding. Divyau. They are
also sounding their conchshell, even Bhéñma, but that cannot be compared with the conchshells of Mädhava and
Päëòava. Arjuna, associates, they are also equally powerful. Nobody can be associates of Kåñëa without being very,
very much advanced. Just like fire can mix with fire, similarly water can mix with water; similarly, unless one is
transcendentally advanced, he cannot be associate of Kåñëa. Çréla Narottama däsa Öhäkura sings,

gauräìgera saìgi-gaëe, nitya-siddha kori mäne,

se jäy brajendra-suta-päç
Gauräìgera saìgi-gaëe.

Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, Kåñëa, and His associates,

çré-kåñëa-caitanya prabhu-nityänanda
çré-advaita gadädhara çréväsädi-gaura-bhakta-vånda

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[I offer my obeisances to Çré Kåñëa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityänanda, Çré Advaita, Gadädhara, Çréväsa and all others in
the line of devotion.]

All the devotees. So Narottama däsa Öhäkura says, "So all these associates of Caitanya Mahäprabhu should be
known—they are also of the same category." Gauräìgera saìgi-gaëe, nitya-siddha kori mäne. This word nitya-
siddha is significant. Nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha. There are two kinds of living entities. Nitya-baddha means
ever-conditioned. Ever-conditioned means those who are in this material world, they do not know when they came
in touch with this material world. Neither they do know when they will be liberated. They are called nitya-baddha,
ever-conditioned. And similarly, there are nitya-siddhas. Nitya-siddhas means they never come in contact with this
material world, and even they come here for some business, they do not forget their position. That is nitya-siddha.
Try to understand. There are two kinds of living entities: nitya-siddha, nitya-baddha. Nitya-baddhas are within this
material world. Beginning from Brahmä down to a small ant, insignificant ant, they are all nitya-baddhas. Anyone
who is in this material world—nitya-baddha. And nitya-siddhas, they belong to the spiritual world. They never
come in contact with this material world, and even they come for some business under the order of the Supreme
Lord, they do not touch these material qualities They remain always transcendental. As Kåñëa remains always
transcendental, even though He is in this material world, similarly, Kåñëa's nitya-siddha associates, they are also
transcendental. They never touch this material world.

Excerpt from Lecture on Bhagavad Gita 2.8 – 12 – November 27, 1968, Los Angeles

Devotee: "Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings. Nor in the future shall any of
us cease to be [Bg. 2.12]." Purport: "In the Vedas, in the Kaöha Upaniñad, as well as in the Çvetäçvatara Upaniñad, it
is said that..."

Prabhupäda: (correcting pronunciation) Çvetäçvatara. There are many Upaniñads, they are called Vedas. Upaniñads
are the headlines of the Vedas. Just like in a chapter there is a headline, similarly these Upaniñads are the headlines
of the Vedas. There are 108 Upaniñads, principal. Out of that, nine Upaniñads are very important. So out of those
nine Upaniñads, Çvetäçvatara Upaniñad, Taittireya Upaniñad, Aitareya Upaniñad, Éçopaniñad, Éça Upaniñad,
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Muëòaka Upaniñad, Mäëòükya Upaniñad, Kaöhopaniñad, these Upaniñads are very important. And whenever there
is argument on some point, one has to give reference from these Upaniñads. If one can give reference from the
Upaniñads, then his argument is very strong. Çabda-pramäëa. Pramäëa means evidence. Evidence... If you want to
gain in your case... Just like you have to give very nice evidence in a court, similarly, according to Vedic culture,
the evidence is pramäëa. Pramäëa means evidence. Çabda-pramäëa. There are three kinds of evidences accepted by
the learned scholars in Vedic culture. One evidence is pratyakña. Pratyakña means direct perception. Just like I am
seeing you, you are seeing me. I am present, you are present. This is direct perception. And there is another
evidence which is called anumäna. Suppose in that room, and I am coming just now, I do not know whether any
person there is or not. But there is some sound, I can imagine, "Oh, there is somebody." This is called anumäna. In
logic it is called hypothesis. That is also evidence. If by my bona fide suggestions I can give evidence, that is also
accepted. So direct evidence, and, what is called, hypothesis or suggestion evidence. But the strong evidence is
çabda-pramäëa. Çabda, çabda-brahman. That means Vedas. If one can give evidence from the quotation of the
Vedas, then it has to be accepted. Nobody can deny the Vedic evidence. That is the system. How it is so? Caitanya
Mahäprabhu has given very nice example. That is in the Vedas. Just like we keep conchshell in the Deities' room.
Conchshell is considered very pure, transcendental; otherwise, how we can keep before Deity and you blow
conchshell? You offer water with conchshell. How you can offer? But what is this conchshell? The conchshell is
the bone of an animal. It is nothing but bone of an animal. But the Vedic injunction is that if you touch the bone of
an animal, you'll have to take bath immediately. You become impure. Now one may say, "Oh, this is contradiction.
In one place it is said that if you touch the bone of an animal, then you have to purify yourself by taking bath
immediately, and here, the bone of an animal is in the Deities' room. So it is contradiction, is it not? If bone of an
animal is impure, how you can place it in the Deities' room? And if bone of an animal is pure, then what is the
meaning of becoming impure and take bath?" You'll find similar contradiction in the Vedic injunctions. But
because it is said by the Vedas that bone of an animal is impure, you have to accept. But this bone of an animal,
conchshell, is pure. Just like sometimes our students are perplexed when we say that onion is not to be taken, but
onion is a vegetable. So çabda-pramäëa means the Vedic evidence should be taken in such a way that no argument.
There is meaning; there is no contradiction. There is meaning. Just like several times I have told you that cow
dung. Cow dung is, according to Vedic injunction, is pure. In India it is actually used as antiseptic. In villages
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especially, there is large quantity of cow dung, and they're, all over the house they have smeared to make the house
antiseptic. And actually after smearing cow dung in your room, when it is dried, you'll find refreshed, everything
antiseptic. It is practical experience. And one Dr. Ghosh, a great chemist, he examined cow dung, that why cow
dung is so much important in the Vedic literature? He found that cow dung contains all the antiseptic properties.
In Äyur-Veda, cow dung dried and burned into ashes is used as toothpowder. It is very antiseptic toothpowder.
Similarly, there are many things, many injunctions in the Vedas, which may apparently appear as contradiction, but
they are not contradiction. They are on experience, on transcendental experience. Just like a father says to his child
that "My dear child, you take this food. It is very nice." And the child takes it, believing the father, authority. The
child knows that "My father..." He is confident that "My father will never give me anything which is poison."
Therefore he accepts it blindly, without any reason, without any analysis of the food, whether it is pure or impure.
You have to believe in such a way. You go to a hotel because it is licensed by the government. You have to believe
when you take foodstuff there it is nice, it is pure, or it is antiseptic, or it is... But how do you know it? The
authority. Because this hotel is authorized by the government, it has got license, therefore you believe. Similarly
çabda-pramäëa means as soon as there is evidence in the Vedic literature, "This is this," you have to accept. That's
all. Then your knowledge is perfect because you are accepting things from the perfect source. Similarly Kåñëa,
Kåñëa is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Whatever He says, it is all right. Accept. Arjuna said at
last, sarvam etad åtaà manye [Bg. 10.14]. "My dear Kåñëa, whatever You say I accept it." That should be our
principle. Why should we bother about researching when the evidence is there from the authority?

So to save time, to save trouble one has to accept the authority, actual authority. This is the Vedic process.

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