Factual knowledge

Expressions researched:
"factual knowledge"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

One cannot reach the real point of factual knowledge without being helped by the right person who is already established in that knowledge.

BG 1.43, Purport: Arjuna bases his argument not on his own personal experience, but on what he has heard from the authorities. That is the way of receiving real knowledge. One cannot reach the real point of factual knowledge without being helped by the right person who is already established in that knowledge. There is a system in the varṇāśrama institution by which before death one has to undergo the process of atonement for his sinful activities. One who is always engaged in sinful activities must utilize the process of atonement called the prāyaścitta. Without doing so, one surely will be transferred to hellish planets to undergo miserable lives as the result of sinful activities.

BG Chapters 7 - 12

When one factually knows the opulences of the Supreme, there is no alternative but to surrender to Him. This factual knowledge can be known from the descriptions in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā and similar literatures.

BG 10.7, Purport: The highest summit of spiritual perfection is knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unless one is firmly convinced of the different opulences of the Supreme Lord, he cannot engage in devotional service. Generally people know that God is great, but they do not know in detail how God is great. Here are the details. If one knows factually how God is great, then naturally he becomes a surrendered soul and engages himself in the devotional service of the Lord. When one factually knows the opulences of the Supreme, there is no alternative but to surrender to Him. This factual knowledge can be known from the descriptions in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā and similar literatures.

SB Canto 1

By the grace of the Lord all factual knowledge becomes revealed in the heart of a devotee due to dictation by the Lord from within. Therefore controlling the senses by devotional service is the only and easiest means.

SB 1.10.23, Purport: The artificial means of the yogic processes to make the senses inactive has proved to be abject failure, even in the case of great yogīs like Viśvāmitra Muni. Viśvāmitra Muni controlled the senses by yogic trance, but when he happened to meet Menakā (a heavenly society woman), he became a victim of sex, and the artificial way of controlling the senses failed. But in the case of a pure devotee, the senses are not at all artificially stopped from doing anything, but they are given different good engagements. When the senses are engaged in more attractive activities, there is no chance of their being attracted by any inferior engagements. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that the senses can be controlled only by better engagements. Devotional service necessitates purifying the senses or engaging them in the activities of devotional service. Devotional service is not inaction. Anything done in the service of the Lord becomes at once purified of its material nature. The material conception is due to ignorance only. There is nothing beyond Vāsudeva. The Vāsudeva conception gradually develops in the heart of the learned after a prolonged acceleration of the receptive organs. But the process ends in the knowledge of accepting Vāsudeva as all in all. In the case of devotional service, this very same method is accepted from the very beginning, and by the grace of the Lord all factual knowledge becomes revealed in the heart of a devotee due to dictation by the Lord from within. Therefore controlling the senses by devotional service is the only and easiest means.

Those who are not conversant with factual knowledge put forward many speculative propositions about the real position of the living entity.

SB 1.13.44, Purport: The actual fact is that every living being is an individual part and parcel of the Supreme Being, and his constitutional position is subordinate cooperative service. Either in his conditional material existence or in his liberated position of full knowledge and eternity, the living entity is eternally under the control of the Supreme Lord. But those who are not conversant with factual knowledge put forward many speculative propositions about the real position of the living entity. It is admitted, however, by all schools of philosophy, that the living being is eternal and that the covering body of the five material elements is perishable and temporary. The eternal living entity transmigrates from one material body to another by the law of karma, and material bodies are perishable by their fundamental structures. Therefore there is nothing to be lamented in the case of the soul's being transferred into another body, or the material body's perishing at a certain stage. There are others also who believe in the merging of the spirit soul in the Supreme Spirit when it is uncovered by the material encagement, and there are others also who do not believe in the existence of spirit or soul, but believe in tangible matter. In our daily experience we find so many transformations of matter from one form to another, but we do not lament such changing features. In either of the above cases, the force of divine energy is uncheckable; no one has any hand in it, and thus there is no cause of grief.

SB Canto 2

SB 2.6.21, Translation: By His energies, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead is thus comprehensively the master in the activities of controlling and in devotional service. He is the ultimate master of both nescience and factual knowledge of all situations.

SB Canto 3

Sāṅkhya means that factual knowledge by which one can get out of the material entanglement.

SB 3.24.38, Purport: Actually, human life is meant for conquering the insurmountable process of birth and death. That can be done as stated here. Māṁ bhaja: one must engage in the devotional service of the Lord. In Bhagavad-gītā also the Lord says, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ: "Just become My devotee. Just worship Me." [Bg. 9.34] But foolish so-called scholars say that it is not Kṛṣṇa whom we must worship and to whom we must surrender; it is something else. Without Kṛṣṇa's mercy, therefore, no one can understand the Sāṅkhya philosophy or any philosophy which is especially meant for liberation. Vedic knowledge confirms that one becomes entangled in this material life because of ignorance and that one can become free from material embarrassment by becoming situated in factual knowledge. Sāṅkhya means that factual knowledge by which one can get out of the material entanglement.

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

SB 11.22.10, Translation: Because a person who has been covered by ignorance since time immemorial is not capable of effecting his own self-realization, there must be some other personality who is in factual knowledge of the Absolute Truth and can impart this knowledge to him.

Nectar of Devotion

The ignorance of factual knowledge can be dissipated by Kṛṣṇa consciousness,

Nectar of Devotion 1: This tight knot of false ego is due to ignorance. As long as one is ignorant about his identity, he is sure to act wrongly and thereby become entangled in material contamination. This ignorance of factual knowledge can also be dissipated by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as is confirmed in the Padma Purāṇa as follows: "Pure devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the highest enlightenment, and when such enlightenment is there, it is just like a blazing forest fire, killing all the inauspicious snakes of desire." The example is being given in this connection that when there is a forest fire the extensive blazing automatically kills all the snakes in the forest. There are many, many snakes on the ground of the forest, and when a fire takes place, it burns the dried foliage, and the snakes are immediately attacked. Animals who have four legs can flee from the fire or can at least try to flee, but the snakes are immediately killed. Similarly, the blazing fire of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so strong that the snakes of ignorance are immediately killed.

Nectar of Instruction

According to Bhagavad-gītā, because blind leaders are bereft of all factual knowledge due to their atheistic way of life, they are actually sinful rascals and are the lowest among men.

Nectar of Instruction 7: This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is being spread all over the world just to remedy this gross ignorance. People in general are misled by blind leaders. The leaders of human society—the politicians, philosophers and scientists—are blind because they are not Kṛṣṇa conscious. According to Bhagavad-gītā, because they are bereft of all factual knowledge due to their atheistic way of life, they are actually sinful rascals and are the lowest among men.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

They will try to make a research and waste time and waste money, public money, and pass on as great scientist, philosopher, leaders, politician, and mislead people, without any factual knowledge.

Lecture on SB 1.3.10 -- Los Angeles, September 16, 1972: Bhagavad-gītā was spoken long, long ago, before speaking to Arjuna. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]. Therefore, all Vedic knowledge, they are not research knowledge. They are existing always, since the time of creation. These so-called scientists, they are simply wasting their time by so-called research work. There is nothing to be researched. Everything is there. Every knowledge is there. How to make your life perfect, that is also there, but they will not consult this knowledge. They will try to make a research and waste time and waste money, public money, and pass on as great scientist, philosopher, leaders, politician, and mislead people, without any factual knowledge. Now they are thinking, at the present moment, the scientists, that things are diminishing. Actually, they'll diminish. It is already stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It will so diminish that there will be no more wheat, no more rice, no more food grains, no more fruits, and no more milk, no more sugar. It will be finished. Simply you have to eat stones and seeds and flesh. You'll have to. And the politicians will go on exploiting.

If we require knowledge, factual knowledge, we must receive it directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is perfect knowledge.

Lecture on SB 3.26.10 -- Bombay, December 22, 1974: If we require knowledge, factual knowledge, we must receive it directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is perfect knowledge. Therefore Devahūti is receiving knowledge. Although Kapiladeva is his (her) son, but because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he (she) is taking knowledge from Him. And if we take knowledge from Him also—everything is there in the book—then that is perfect knowledge. Therefore it is said, bhagavān uvāca. As Bhagavān is complete, pūrṇa, pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate—He is pūrṇa, sampūrṇa, complete—so that knowledge is perfect.

So in order to know that factual knowledge, one has to approach the bona fide spiritual master.

Lecture on SB 5.5.14 -- Vrndavana, November 2, 1976: There cannot be something new. Everything established. Science means, scientific knowledge means, it is not something new. Just like the sun rises from the eastern horizon. So millions of years ago, the sun used to rise from the eastern horizon, and still it is going on. Not that because time has changed, the sun is rising from the western side or northern side, no. Knowledge means... That is Vedic knowledge. Established knowledge. It cannot be changed in any circumstance. That is Vedic knowledge. What was millions of years ago fact, it is fact now. So, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. So in order to know that factual knowledge, one has to approach the bona fide spiritual master.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Dr. Svarūpa Dāmodara has quoted from his letter to a friend that Darwin admits that he simply speculated. He has no factual knowledge.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.10 -- Mayapur, April 3, 1975: So this is the process of creation, that the Garbhodakaśāyī, here, Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, from His breathing, He created from the breathing, from the pores of the body, He created innumerable universes, and in each and every universe He entered again. And entering there, He produced a lotus flower. Within the stem of that lotus flower there are so many planets. Just see the gigantic lotus stem. These are to be known from the śāstra. You cannot imagine how the creation takes place, huge creation. That sort of explanation—"There was a chunk, and it exploded"—no, these are not explanation. Here is the explanation, in the śāstra. Śāstra cakṣuṣāt. You have to see by your śāstric eyes, not your limited, speculative eyes. That will not help us. Such gigantic business... You are a tiny soul. Your brain is very small. You cannot imagine the process of creation by your sporadic thoughts. That is not possible. So the creation means that first of all the universes are created through the breathing period of Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Then in each and every universe He enters as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and He creates... Half of the universe is filled up with water. The water came from His perspiration, and then He lies down there. Then He creates the lotus flower. And upon the lotus flower, a Brahmā is first-born. This is creation. That Brahmā means not an uncivilized human being; the most intelligent person, first creation. We cannot accept the rubbish theory of Darwin that there was no human being. That is his theory. That is not fact. He admits also that "I have made this by speculation." He has admitted. Our Dr. Svarūpa Dāmodara has quoted from his letter to a friend that he admits that he simply speculated. He has no factual knowledge. So you cannot understand the method of creation by your tiny brain's speculation. You give up this idea. This is not possible at all. You take knowledge from the śāstra, from the person who is perfect in knowledge. We have got knowledge. We have got knowledge. Somebody has got more knowledge than me, than you. But Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya [Bg. 7.7]. You cannot find out a person who has got more knowledge than Kṛṣṇa. And God means one who has got full knowledge.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness proposition is that human life is meant for factual knowledge or ultimate knowledge.

Morning Walk -- December 13, 1973, Los Angeles: One who knows that these material things, it has got a beginning and it has got an end... In every day we see that. Even with our body we see that it has a beginning and it has an end. I have seen my father was born and he died. So I am also born; I'll also die. My son is also born; my son will die. This is real experience. But if somebody says that "I shall not die. We are trying to become immortal," so that is foolishness. That is foolishness. By experience from time immemorial, historical reference, there is no such thing as immortality. But if somebody says, "By chemical evolution we shall become immortal..." Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness proposition is that human life is meant for factual knowledge or ultimate knowledge. But these rascals are checking that progress. That means the prerogative of human life is being denied to the human society. So this kind of hindrances should be stopped, either by soliciting or even by force, because the human society is being ruined. These things have to be stopped.