16--Lecture, India

Prabhupada: …food is…, of course, voluntarily offers foodstuff to the Supreme Personality of God, then eats. But those who are not offering, those who are not devotees, for them also God eats. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: aham vaisvanaro bhūtva pacamy annam catur-vidham [Bg 15.14].

Unless God eats in the stomach, you cannot eat. You cannot assimilate. Then you will be indigestion. Aham vaisvanaro bhūtva. This is a fact. Unless God eats, you cannot eat; unless God sees, you can not see; unless God walks, you can not walk. You are completely dependent. But falsely we claim that we have got eyes. We ask somebody, "Can you show me God?" Eh? But how you can see God? Unless God sees, you cannot see. That is a fact. You are subordinate. Therefore one cannot see God unless God sees God, and then we can see. This is the fact. Yam evaisa vrnute tena labhyas, nayam atma pravacanena labhyo [Katha Upanisad 2.2.23 and Munḍaka Upanisad 3.2.3].

Simply by material…, speculation, you cannot understand God. Pravacanena na medhaya. Because you are a great scientist or big brain, therefore you can understand God-no. That is not possible. Nayam atma pravacanena labhyo na medhaya na bahuna srutena [Munḍaka Upanisad 3.2.3].

Because you have studied all the Vedic literature… Although the Vedic literature is meant for understanding God, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ [Bg 15.15], what is the purpose of studying Vedas? Unless you come to the point, to the understanding of God, Krsna, it is useless, srama eva hi kevalam.

Everyone is executing his allotted occupational duties. That is very good. But if by, I mean to say, discharging your occupational duties you are doing nicely, that's good, but what is the result? Result must be that you must be interested in hearing about God. That should be the result. By studying Vedas, by becoming very religious person, by advanced, I mean to say, philosophy, philosopher-anything; it doesn't matter-so the ultimate goal should be that you must understand God. Unfortunately, at the present moment, in spite of so-called advancement of education, scientific knowledge and so many things, economic development, they do not understand what is God. Everyone, more or less, they are impersonalist. They do not under… Impersonalist means they do not understand what is God. Impersonalist. Just like if I say that the president of this country, or any country, he's impersonal, that means I do not know what is president. President, if I say, "President is impersonal," that means I have no knowledge of the president. Nowhere the president is impersonal. Either in this country or in America or Africa or anywhere, the president must be a person. That is the verdict of Srimad-Bhagavatam, brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate :

"The last understanding of the Absolute Truth is to know Him as a person, Bhagavan." That is perfect knowledge. Therefore Bhagavad-gita, Krsna says, bahūnam janmanam ante jnanavan [Bg 7.19]. The impersonalists, they are generally known as jnanis. They are very proud of their knowledge. Bhaktas, so bhaktas are not, I mean to say, without knowledge. Bhaktas are…, real bhakta, they have got full knowledge. Just like in the Bhagavat, it is: bhaktya sruta-grhitaya [SB 1.2.12].

Bhakti means which is developed after sufficiently hearing about the Vedanta philosophy. That is bhakti, bhaktya sruta-grhitaya, not sentimental. Sentimental is also good, because if he is sincere to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, never mind he has not studied very much, but for his sincerity God Himself, Krsna Himself, gives him knowledge. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita:

So it is a false impression that a devotee is not very wise or his knowledge is so perfect. That is a wrong impression. Actually, one who is a devotee, just like our gosvamis, sad-gosvamis, Jiva Gosvami-now you study his books and sandarbhas [treatise], there is no comparison of education. There is no such. Even the Mayavadi sannyasis, they studied Jiva Gosvami's annotation on the Bhagavad-gita. So it is not a fact the bhaktas are fools or noneducated. No. There are bhaktas, but their knowledge is… They may be illiterate, but still their knowledge is perfect because Krsna giving him knowledge from within. Tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye. Just like in Brahma, he was not in full knowledge; still his knowledge was perfect. How? Tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye. Adi-kavi, Brahma, he was educated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Supreme Godhead is there: isvaraḥ sarva-bhūtanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg 18.61].

So He is giving you knowledge. He is giving you knowledge. And Krsna says, tesam evanukampartham [Bg 10.11]: because devotees are so much faithful to Krsna that Krsna is also ready to give him all knowledge. Nobody can say that you are… This Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja, my Guru Maharaja's guru, he was illiterate-he could not sign even-but he became the guru of the most erudite scholar of that time, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. So it was his foolishness that he accepted a guru like that? No. When he would speak, this Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja, correct to the Vedic information. How it happened?

The process of receiving Vedic knowledge is to have unflinching faith in God and the spiritual master. Then everything will be revealed. There are many instances. I told you the other story: Caitanya Mahaprabhu met one brahmana, another illiterate brahmana, but he was studying Bhagavad-gita, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired that other friends were criticizing him that he was taking Bhagavad-gita and trying to study, but he was illiterate. But when Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired, "My dear brahmana, what you are reading?" He said, "Sir, I cannot read; I am illiterate. But my Guru Maharaja said that 'You must read eighteen chapters daily.' So what can I do? I have taken this book. I am seeing only, just trying to utter something. So my other friends, they are criticizing; but this is my position." "So you are reading Bhagavad-gita?" "No, I cannot read." "But you are feeling something. I see you are sometimes crying." "Yes, sir. That I am doing." "What is the reason? If you cannot read, how you are crying? You are understanding, then you are crying. But you cannot read, you say?" "No. One thing I can understand." "What is that?" "As soon as I take this book, Bhagavad-gita, immediately the picture comes in my mind that Krsna is driving the chariot, and Arjuna is sitting within the chariot, and Arjuna is ordering Krsna, that 'You drive my chariot in this way. Put my chariot this way.' So Krsna has become the servant of devotee. He is acting according to the order of the devotee. So Krsna is so great, Krsna is so nice, Krsna is so loving. When I think all these things, then tears come down: 'Oh, Krsna is so great.' " Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately embraced him: "Your Bhagavad-gita reading is perfect because you are realizing Krsna." So these so-called scholars, they read Bhagavad-gita, but they do not know what is Krsna. Even big, big scholars like Dr. Radhakrishnan, he does not know what is Krsna, but he is writing comments on Bhagavad-gita. This is going on.

So Bhagavad-gita is not such a book that it can be understood by the nondevotee who has no idea of what is Krsna. Because Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, bhakto 'si . Krsna selected Arjuna to hear Bhagavad-gita because Arjuna was bhakta. So without becoming a bhakta, without becoming a dear friend of Krsna, or dear servant of Krsna, nobody can understand Bhagavad-gita. Therefore it is said in the Vedas, yam evaisa vrnute tena labhya. [Katha Upanisad 2.2.23 and Munḍaka Upanisad 3.2.3] The Vedic understanding can be achieved by one person who is favored by the Supreme Personality. Otherwise, nayam atma pravacanena labhyo-otherwise you cannot realize the Supreme simply by erudite scholarship and talking very much with jugglery of words. No. That is not possible. Nayam atma pravacanena labhyo na medhaya [Katha Upanisad 2.2.23 and Munḍaka Upanisad 3.2.3]. And because you have got very sharp brain, fertile brain, therefore you can understand-that is also not possible. Only by the mercy of Krsna you can understand.

One who has received a little mercy of Krsna, he can understand the tattva of Krsna; otherwise it is not… Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvataḥ [Bg 18.55]. If you want to understand Krsna, then you must become first of all a devotee, bhaktya mam abhijanati. These are the versions.

So we must execute the process of devotional service. The beginning is sravanam kirtanam. You must submissively hear about Krsna. Don't be puffed up as knowing something or knowing everything. No. That will not help you. That is accepted by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was talking with Ramananda Raya on the subject matter, how the Absolute Truth can be understood, so Ramananda Raya suggested so many ways: varnasrama-dharma, karma-tyaja, sannyasa. Caitanya Mahaprabhu rejected-not rejected-"Yes, this is also good, but there is further nice method. You try to understand that." And when he came to this point, sthane sthitaḥ sruti-gatam tanu-vah-manobhir [SB 10.14.3]…

This is a version from Brahma's statement, that "One may remain in his own place but," san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam, "if he tries to hear about You from a saintly devotee, san-mukharitam"-san-mukharitam means uttered by the…, through the mouth of a devotee; sthane sthitaḥ, jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva, very submissive-"then that Krsna, the Lord, ajito'pi, nobody can conquer Him; He becomes jita, He becomes conquered, simply by this hearing process." This is bhakti process, sruti-gatam tanu-vah-manobhir.

So our devotional process is that we must have class daily and must hear about Krsna. Srnvatam sva-kathaḥ krsnaḥ punya-sravana-kirtanaḥ [SB 1.2.17]. If you simply hear, you may be educated, not educated-doesn't matter. Krsna does not depend on education or illiteracy. Krsna is absolute, all-powerful. He can reveal Himself to anyone. He doesn't matter. So if we simply hear about Krsna, then gradually, srnvatam sva-kathaḥ krsnaḥ punya-sravana-kirtanaḥ. Simply chanting and hearing about Krsna is punya, pious activities. By that way, hrdyantaḥstho hy abhadrani vidbunoti suhrt satam [SB 1.2.17], He will cleanse your heart. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's version also: ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam [Cc Antya 20.12], by param vijayate sri-krsna-sahkirtanam. The sahkirtan movement is so important that simply by hearing, simply by chanting, one becomes cleansed of the dirty heart, and he can understand the Absolute Truth very easily.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Srila Prabhupada. [devotees offer obeisances]

Prabhupada: Hmm. Chant Hare Krsna. Any question?

Indian Man: [Transl. How to find a guru?]

Tamala Krsna: This is our life member Mr. D. Kataria from Calcutta…

Prabhupada: Oh. Namaskar.

Tamala Krsna: …and he has helped us to make so many life members in Calcutta. He is always taking a very active interest. He came to Mayapur with myself and Gargamuni one day.

Prabhupada: Ah.

Tamala Krsna: And he knows something of construction, and he was saying that he wanted to come to Vrndavana to help us to save money on the construction site.

Prabhupada: Oh, please do it. Ha. Ha. [laughs]

[Transl. Why don't you stay here for a few days?]

Life Member: [Transl. I will stay one or two months.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. Please stay.] You take his consultation. God-sent. Krsna-sent. We want to finish within six months.

Life Member: [Transl. Now I will be here till Holi.]

Prabhupada: [Transl. That's good.]

Life Member: [Transl. Up to the full moon in the month of Caitra. [March-April.]

Prabhupada: So take his help.

Tamala Krsna: He was even willing to help us to get marbles in Jaipur. He was talking…

Prabhupada: Oh… [Transl. Just see!] You are so much anxious, Krsna…

[end]