Ciram means

Expressions researched:
"Ciram means"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Ciram means perpetually you can speculate, but you cannot understand what is God. That is not possible. You have to know God from a person who knows God or God personally.

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 6, 1971:

So if you actually want knowledge, then you have to take knowledge by this disciplic succession, because you cannot speculate. By speculation, you can never arrive to the Absolute Truth. That is not possible.

athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvayaṁ

prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi

jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno

na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan

(SB 10.14.29)

Ciraṁ vicinvan. Ciram means perpetually you can speculate, but you cannot understand what is God. That is not possible. You have to know God from a person who knows God or God personally. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's name is mentioned in the Bhāgavata..., Brahma-saṁhitā. That means Brahmā knew Kṛṣṇa. That means Kṛṣṇa was before Brahmā's birth, original. Aham evāsam agre. Before creation, Kṛṣṇa was. Not that Kṛṣṇa is a product of this material creation. Just like we are product of this material creation. This body, everyone knows it is a product of material creation. My father and mother created this body. My father and mother's body also created by somebody, somebody, somebody. Kṛṣṇa's body is not like that. Kṛṣṇa's body is beyond creation-aham evāsam agre—because there was no creation and Kṛṣṇa was existing before creation, then how you can say Kṛṣṇa's body is material? That is not possible.

Ciram means for long time, for many years, if they speculate only what is God or what is Kṛṣṇa That process will not help us.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Denver, June 28, 1975:

So there are many yoga-siddhis. People become very much puzzled by seeing these yoga-siddhi. But Kṛṣṇa says, yatatām api siddhānām: (BG 7.3) "Amongst many such siddhas, who have got yoga-siddhi," yatatām api siddhānām kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ (BG 7.3), "somebody may understand Me." So one may achieve some yoga-siddhis; still it is not possible to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. Kṛṣṇa can be understood only such persons who has dedicated everything to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa wants that, demands, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66). Kṛṣṇa is only understandable by His pure devotee, not anyone else. Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvayaṁ prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi, jānāti tattvaṁ na cānya eko 'pi ciram vicinvan (SB 10.14.29). Those who are favored by the causeless mercy of Kṛṣṇa, they can understand Kṛṣṇa. Others, na cānya eko 'pi ciram vicinvan. Ciram means for long time, for many years, if they speculate only what is God or what is Kṛṣṇa That process will not help us. There are many Vedic version like that:

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi

na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ

sevonmukhe hi jihvādau

svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ

(CC Madhya 17.136)

Kṛṣṇa, His name, His fame, His attributes, His activities... Śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved... Nāmādi means "beginning from the holy name." So not possible... So if we keep ourself on the material platform, then for thousand years we may chant, it will be difficult. That is called nāmāparadha. Of course, holy name is so powerful that even by chanting with offense, gradually he becomes pure. Therefore we should not give up chanting. Any circumstances, we should go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. But the warning is that if we keep us on the material platform, then it will be not possible to understand Kṛṣṇa, His holy name, His attribute, His form, His activities. It will not be possible.

Festival Lectures

Ciram means for thousands of years you can speculate; you cannot understand what is God. That is not possible.

His Divine Grace Srila Sac-cid-ananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Appearance Day, Lecture -- London, September 3, 1971:

There is no question of becoming astonished, how transmigration of the self, soul, takes place. The vivid example is there. Simply you require little intelligence. That intelligence is developed through the instruction of ācārya. Therefore, Vedic injunction is not to acquire knowledge by speculation. That is useless. Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvayaṁ jānāti tattvaṁ prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi, na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan (SB 10.14.29). Ciraṁ vicinvan. Ciram means for thousands of years you can speculate; you cannot understand what is God. That is not possible. But if you receive knowledge from the devotee, he can deliver you. Therefore Vedic injunction is that tad-vijñāna... (break) ...in order to understand tad-vijñāna... Vijñāna means science. If you want to know the transcendental science, then you must approach a guru. Tad-vijñānārtham, in order to... If you are at all interested to understand the spiritual science. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ (sa) gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). You must approach guru. Guru means this disciplic succession, as I have explained.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

You can go on speculating for millions and millions of years. It will never be successful. Ciram. Ciram means perpetual. That will not help.

Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran:

Prabhupāda: If you simply speculate, it will never help you. You have to receive the favor of the Supreme Lord by your enthusiasm. Then it will be successful. Simply theorizing, speculation will not... Therefore it is said ciraṁ vicinvan. You can go on speculating for millions and millions of years. It will never be successful. Ciram. Ciram means perpetual. That will not help. This is the process, ādau śraddhā. By śraddhā, "Oh, here is God consciousness, very nice. Let us come and see what they are doing." This is called śraddhā, faith, little faith. Then in order to increase that faith you have to associate with the persons who are executing devotional service. That is called sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). The devotees are called sādhu. Therefore we are opening centers, why? To give chance people to make association with the devotees. Sādhu-saṅga. And then sādhu-saṅga, after sādhu-saṅga one who has properly made sādhu-saṅga, the next stage is bhajana-kriyā: how they are executing devotional service. Then anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Then this anartha. Anartha means unwanted things. Just like illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication, these are unwanted things. It is not necessary. People have learned them by bad association. When one has got his wife, why he should indulge in illicit sex? This is sinful. When we have got so many things to eat, why shall I go to kill an animal, eat it? So these are anartha. Anartha means "without any meaning." So these things become vanquished. If one is actually engaged in devotional service, the first symptom will be that he is not interested in things which are unwanted, artificial. These are the stages. Then niṣṭhā. Niṣṭhā means firm conviction. Then ruciḥ, taste. Then āsaktiḥ, attachment. Then bhāva, and then prema. So as a student is serious, he gets promotion to next higher class, higher class, higher class, higher class, gradually to the M.A. class. That is natural. But if in the beginning he is not serious, no enthusiasm, then what is the reason that he will be promoted to the higher section? That is not possible.