So that is not the way. Tarko apratisthah. If you want to understand the Absolute Truth by your arguments, it is not possible. Tarko apratisthah srutayo vibhinnam. Srutayo means scriptures. If you want to understand the Absolute Truth by studying different scriptures... Just like the Hindus have got their different scriptures. They have got four Vedas, eighteen Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Vedanta-sutra, 108 Upanisads, so many, similarly, in other countries also, they have got Bible or Buddhist literature or Muhammadan. They are all scripture. But you cannot conclude about the Absolute Truth simply by studying scriptures. It is not possible. Srutayor vibhinnah. Vibhinnah means there are different... Every scripture is made according to the time, atmosphere, personsso many things there are conditional. Therefore we sometimes find differences in one scripture from another. That is due to circumstances. So Srutayor vibhinna nasau munir yasya matam na bhinnam. So far philosophers, great thinkers, muni... Muni means great thinker. They have got their different theses. One muni, thinker, or philosopher, is trying to defeat another philosopher. This is going on. So that is also not the way to understand the Absolute Truth; neither by argument nor by study of scriptures, nor by following different kinds of thinkers and philosophers. Why? Dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam. The essence of spiritual realization is very secret and confidential. Therefore Lord Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita that "I am... Just now I am speaking to you the most confidential part of knowledge." Sarva-guhyatamam. "Why You are speaking to me the most confidential...?" "Because you are My very dear friend." And what is that? Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] "Give up everything. Simply surrender unto Me."

So the Vedas indicate therefore that mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. If you want to understand the Absolute Truth, then you have to follow great personalities, great devotees. Just like in the Western world, Lord Jesus Christ, you have to follow his principles. This is all right, his Ten Commandments. But we do not follow. We simply fight. "Oh, I am Christian, you are Hindu," "I am Muhammadan," "I am this." Nobody tries to follow. You see? That is not the way. You have to follow. If you believe in certain personality... Of course, not believe, not blind believing. He must be authority. Therefore in the Srimad-Bhagavatam they have indicated twelve authorities. According to Vedic version, there are twelve authorities, and one of them is Prahlada Maharaja. The twelve authorities are,

So Prahlada Maharaja, he says, "I think." So whatever he thinks, we have to accept. That is very nice. And what he thinks? He thinks, manye viprad dvi-sad-guna-yutad aravinda-nabha padaravinda-vimukhat, svapacam varistham. He says that "If a brahmana..." Brahmana is considered to be the highest qualified man in the human society. Why? Because he has got twelve qualification. We don't speak brahmana by birth. Brahmana does not become by birth. Brahmana is a qualification. That is the injunction of Vedic literatures. The most intelligent man is called brahmana. And how his intelligence is exhibited? There are twelve qualities. If you find those twelve qualities in any person... It doesn't matter whether it is in India or in Czechoslovakia or anywhere. Simply you have to find out whether that man is qualified. These qualifications are stated in Bhagavad-gita also: satyam saucam sam dama titiksa arjavam, jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.42]. If a person is a brahmana, then his natural qualification will be like this. What is that? Satyam: he is truthful. In any circumstances he will be truthful. Even to an enemy he will disclose the secret, "This is the fact." That is truthfulness, not that I am very truthful, but when my interest is jeopardized, I tell lie. That is not truthfulness. Truthfulness means at any circumstances one will speak the plain truth. That is truthfulness. Satya sama. Satya saucam. Saucam, cleanliness. There are two kinds of cleanliness: external and internal. External cleanliness by taking bath with soap and other cleansing material... Of course, in India, the brahmanas, they take... They cleanse themselves externally at least three times a day: in the morning, early in the morning; at noon before taking lunch; and in the evening before going to the temple. Tri-sandhya. There are so many rules and regulations for becoming cleansed. This is external cleanliness. And there is internal cleanliness. The internal cleanliness is this chanting Hare Krsna, ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12], cleansing the heart.

So satya saucam and sama, equilibrium of the mind, not to become disturbed in any circumstances. That is called sama. Dama. Dama means controlling the senses. Every one of us, we are all controlled by the senses. But one has to become the controller of the senses. That is brahmana. That is svami. Svami or gosvami means who is controller of the senses. My tongue wants to eat something, and if I say, "No, you cannot eat this," then... My eyes see something. I say, "No, you cannot see this." My hand wants to touch something. I say, "No, you cannot do this." My legs want to go somewhere. I say, "No, you cannot do this." When one is in full control of the senses, he is called svami. Svami is not a title; it is a qualification. It is a qualification, and it is attained by a brahmana, one who is already advanced in brahminical qualification by cleansing. Then... And truthfulness. Then this qualification also is there, controller. And when one is completely controller of the senses, or when one is actually svami or gosvami... There is no difference between these two words. Svami means controller, and gosvami is still clearer. Go means senses, controller of the senses. So Rupa Gosvami says who can be a spiritual master. So he has given specifically this definition, that one who has got controls over the tongue, over the speech, over the mind, over the belly, and over the genitals, and over the anger. If anyone has control over these six things, then he can become spiritual master. Prthivim sa sisyat: "He is allowed to make disciples all over the world." Otherwise not. These are the qualification of brahmana. Satyam saucam sama dama titiksa [Bg. 18.42]. Titiksa means tolerance. Just like in your Western countries, Lord Jesus Christ, he was being crucified. He tolerated. He never cursed even. He, rather, begged from God, "My God, these people do not know what they are doing. Please excuse them." This is toleration. So satyam saucam sama dama titiksa. Toleration. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has instructed, trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna. Tolerance. What kind of tolerance? Tolerance like the straw in the street, like the tree. Amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih [Cc. Adi 17.31]. There are so many instances. Let us finish it briefly.

So saucam, satyam saucam samam damam titiksa arjavam. Simplicity. A brahmana should be very simple, not gorgeous. He wants to live, so he wants to eat something, not for the taste of the tongue but just to keep the body and soul together. He must eat nice things. There are nice things, grains, fruits, milk. Why should he take meat? If there are, by nature's products, so many nice things, why one should kill another animal? Desire(?), of course, serves (?). Titiksa, arjavam, and jnanam. Not that simply become qualified, but these qualification are stepping stone to jnanam. Jnanam means knowledge. And vijnanam. Vijnanam means practical application. Just like in the science class there is theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge. Theoretical knowledgeif you mix hydrogen and oxygen gas, there is water. But we have to experiment it in the laboratory, mix so many parts of hydrogen and so many parts of oxygen, and actually, when we see there is water, then your knowledge is perfect. So not theoretical knowledge but practical application. Jnanam, vijnanam, and astikyam. Astikyam means faith in God, faith in scripture. That is called astikyam. According to Vedic version, astikyam means faith in the Vedas. Nobody can refute the Vedas. That is called faith, no argument.

A practical example, this practical example is given by Lord Caitanya. It is very nice. In India the cow dung is accepted as pure, although the Vedic injunction is that if you touch stool of an animal, you have to take bath to purify yourself, cleanse yourself. Of course, we see in New York City that the stool of dog is thrown all over the street, and we are touching, but we have no opportunity to take bath. But it is according to Vedic injunction, if you touch stool of an animal, then you have to take bath immediately. Therefore this is a system. When you go to the Deity room, you should change your cloth, because I do not know what things I have touched in the street, so better to change the cloth. And better still to cleanse, to take bath. That is the system. Anyway, to touch the stool of an animal makes one unclean; therefore one has to take bath or purify himself. That is the system. But the Veda says the stool of cow is purified. The stool of cow is purified. Now, practically, in India they accept it, and it has been found by chemical examination that the cow dung contains all antiseptic properties. That is a fact. One Dr. Goshal, he analyzed in his laboratory, "Why this Vedic injunction is the stool of cow or cow dung is pure?" So he analyzed, and he found it that the stool of cow, cow dung, is full of antiseptic properties. So this is called faith or theistic, to take the injunction of the scripture as it is, without any information. That is called astikyam. There is another example. Just like the Buddhism. Buddhism was originated in India. Lord Buddha was a Hindu, and he was a prince, and still, Buddhism was not accepted by the Indians. Why? Because the Buddhism decried the Vedas. Nindasi yajna-vidher ahaha sruti-jatam. Sruti means Veda. So astikyam means to have full faith in the orders of the scripture. This is also one of the qualification of a brahmana. Jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.42]. These are the natural qualification of a brahmana.

So Prahlada Maharaja says that viprad dvi-sad-guna-yutadaravinda-nabha. Even a brahmana, qualified brahmana who has all these brahminical qualifications, but he is not a devotee of the Lord... There are many good, qualified persons, but they do not on of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Materially, one may be very much highly qualified. Academically, one may be very highly qualified. But if one is not a believer, faithful, or is not accepting the existence of God, or God the Supreme, he is called atheist, and Prahlada Maharaja does not say atheist, but he says that "Even one has got all these good qualifications, but if he is not qualified with the faith in God, or not becoming a devotee of God, then he is nonqualified. He is rejected." You may take his qualification in consideration, but Prahlada Maharaja says he is rejected from Krsna consciousness for that one disqualification, that he is not a devotee of God. Similarly, in other places it is also confirmed that yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah: "If one is simply unflinching faithful devotee of the Lord, then he develops all the good qualification of demigods." Harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-guna: [SB 5.18.12] "If one is not devotee of the Lord, then he has no good qualification." Why? Because manorathenasato dhavato bahih: "Because he is hovering on the mental plane." And because he is hovering on the mental planethe mind's business is to changeso he will change from one platform to another, another platform to another. He has no fixed idea; therefore his qualification has no value. In several places In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna says, api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak: "If a person is found even unclean or not very well behaved but he has got unflinching faith in Me, Krsna," sadhur eva sa mantavyah [Bg. 9.30], "oh, he is sadhu. He is saintly person." He is saintly because that one qualification, that he has full faith in God, Krsna, that one qualification makes him a saintly person. Others may have all the good qualification, but simply for one minor godlessness, he is nonqualified.

So Prahlada Maharaja confirms the same statement. Prahlada Maharaja is also a sadhu because he is a devotee. Narottama dasa Thakura has said that if you want to make concrete progress in spiritual life, then you have to corroborate the statement of the scriptures, the statements of saintly person, and statements of the spiritual master-three things. Why three things? Because a spiritual master means he does not place anything which is not in the scriptures. He does not say that "My theory is like this." That is not a spiritual master. Similarly sadhu, saintly person, also does not say anything which is not mentioned in the scriptures. He does not manufacture anything by mental concoction. And what is sastra, scriptures? They are statement of different saintly persons and spiritual masters. Therefore one has to corroborate these three things: scriptures, and statement of saintly persons, and statement of spiritual master. The spiritual master is via media. The disciple, if he cannot understand the statement of the scriptures or any saintly person, he submits his doubts before the spiritual master and he clears it. In this way we have to make progress. So Prahlada Maharaja says that a person, even if he is a brahmana with good qualification, if he is not a devotee of the Lord, then he is good for nothing. He says, "He is good for nothing." Viprad dvi-sad-guna-yutat. And when who is good? Now, svapacam varistham. Better than him, even a person is born of a very low family... In India it is considered according to Vedic, that low family is considered one who eats the dog, dog-eaters. Of course, there are many kinds of flesh-eaters, but when a man becomes the eater of dog flesh, he is considered to be very low. So svapacam varistham. So there is a class in India, they are called candala. Everywhere there is. They eat dog flesh. So Prahlada Maharaja says, "It doesn't matter. But if he is a devotee of Lord, he is better than that brahmana, that brahmana with good qualifications. And he, although he is born of a low family..." Svapacam varistham. Why he is varistham? Now, manye tad-arpita-mano: "Because his mind and attention is always engaged in the service of the Lord." That is his qualification. That is making him purified in every moment. Srnvatam sva-kathah-krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah [SB 1.2.17].

Now, this Srimad-Bhagavatam which is full of the narration and topics of the Lord and His devotees... So devotees means one who talks about God, and God means His pastime with His devotee. Anyway, Srimad-Bhagavatam means the topics of the Lord, God. So Krsna is within you. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam, srnvatam sva-kathah krsna. Those who are hearing about God, or Krsna, and what sort of those topics? Now, punya-sravana-kirtanah... One who is narrating and one who is hearing, both of them are being purified. Punya. Punya means pious, piety. Who, at least those who are hearing this Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is so nice that he is being purified. It is not that all of you are my students, or we are not We don't claim that we have become fully purified, but we have accepted the purificatory process, Krsna consciousness. So anyone who hears this chanting of Hare Krsna and kindly attends this class, he is also purified. Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-tanah [SB 1.2.17]. Kirtana. This chanting is so nice that it makes people, one who is hearing, purified. So a person who is always thinking of Krsna, always talking of Krsna, then just imagine how much purified he is becoming. So punya-sravana-kirtanah, hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani vidhunoti suhrt satyam. The Lord is friend of the devotee, and as soon as He seesHe is within youthat you are engaged in hearing about Him, He helps you. How He helps you? He cleanses your heart. Therefore a person, although he is born of low family, because he is thinking of Krsna, or God, always, oh, he is being purified. Prahlada Maharaja gives us evidence that manye tad-arpita-manah. Because he has placed his life, he has placed his endeavor, everything for Krsna, by mind, by his body, by activities, therefore pranam punati sa kulam: he is purifying not only himself but his whole family. This is a prerogative. If a boy becomes a devotee, the whole family becomes purified. Sva-kulam. The whole family becomes purified. What best service he can give otherwise than by becoming the devotee of Lord? That is the best service to his father, mother, forefathers, grandfather, everyone. That we will find in this Prahlada Maharaja said, sva-kulam. And na tu bhurimanah.

But a person who is simply proud of his material qualification, bhurimanah... Bhurimanah means puffed up, Mr., Dr. Frog, puffed up: "Oh, I am such and such. I am such and such." So he cannot purify himself, what to speak of his family. No. Krsna consciousness is so nice that if one becomes Krsna conscious, he purifies himself. Never mind wherever he is born. It doesn't matter. He is more than a brahmana, viprad dvi-sad-guna, with all the qualifications. This is certified by Prahlada Maharaja. We have to accept it. Nobody can say that this Krsna consciousness... There are many so-called, I mean to say, brahmanas. They may say like that, that "How Krsna conscious can be spread up in the Western countries?" No. That is not the fact. That fact, as it is said by Prahlada Maharaja: even the lowest of the lowest can be purified. There are many other statements. Kirata-hunandhra-pulinda-pulkasa abhira-sumbha [SB 2.4.18]. The list has been given. So this Krsna consciousness is so nice that anyone who takes to this principle, he becomes greater than the highly qualified brahmana. That is the statement of Prahlada Maharaja.

Thank you very much. [break] ... questions [break]

In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that this, this process of devotional service to the Lord, is pratyaksa avagamam dharmyam. There are many types of religious principles or religiousness, but here is the religion which you can directly perceive. Which you can directly perceive. Pratyaksa avagamam dharmyam. And su-sukham. Su-sukham means very easy to perform, very easy. Anyone, even a child, can perform. Su-sukham kartum avyayam. Avyayam means imperishable. If you chant for a minute, it will never go in vain. Avyayam. It will never go in vain. A great opportunity. So we should take this opportunity. Pratya Raja-vidya raja-guhyam. This is called raja-vidya, the knowledge, the king of all knowledge. Raja-guhyam, the king of all confidential things. Raja-vidya raja-guhyam pavitram paramam idam, and very pure, and sublime. Pratyaksa avagamam dharmyam, and it is directly perceived, su-sukham, and very easy to perform, avyayam, never to be destroyed. Whatever you do, that is your asset. If you do one percent, that is your asset. So actually it is so. So our request is that you take up this chanting and be happy. (end)