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Foolish scholars

Bhagavad-gita As It Is

BG Chapters 1 - 6

Foolish mundane scholars explain that one need not submit to Kṛṣṇa as a person, but to "the unborn within Kṛṣṇa."
BG 2.7, Purport:

He is therefore asking Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme spiritual master, to make a definite solution. He offers himself to Kṛṣṇa as a disciple. He wants to stop friendly talks. Talks between the master and the disciple are serious, and now Arjuna wants to talk very seriously before the recognized spiritual master. Kṛṣṇa is therefore the original spiritual master of the science of Bhagavad-gītā, and Arjuna is the first disciple for understanding the Gītā. How Arjuna understands the Bhagavad-gītā is stated in the Gītā itself. And yet foolish mundane scholars explain that one need not submit to Kṛṣṇa as a person, but to "the unborn within Kṛṣṇa." There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa's within and without. And one who has no sense of this understanding is the greatest fool in trying to understand Bhagavad-gītā.

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 1

The foolish scholars of Vedic literature who do not care to receive the transcendental message through the transcendental realized sources of disciplic succession are sure to be bewildered.
SB 1.3.24, Purport:

Killing of animals before the advent of Lord Buddha was the most prominent feature of the society. People claimed that these were Vedic sacrifices. When the Vedas are not accepted through the authoritative disciplic succession, the casual readers of the Vedas are misled by the flowery language of that system of knowledge. In the Bhagavad-gītā a comment has been made on such foolish scholars (avipaścitaḥ). The foolish scholars of Vedic literature who do not care to receive the transcendental message through the transcendental realized sources of disciplic succession are sure to be bewildered. To them, the ritualistic ceremonies are considered to be all in all. They have no depth of knowledge.

SB Canto 3

Foolish so-called scholars say that it is not Kṛṣṇa whom we must worship and to whom we must surrender; it is something else.
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 Canto 7

"Abandon all varieties of religious activities and just surrender unto Me." Some foolish scholars even say that this is too much to demand.
SB 7.9.11, Purport:

A foolish person is amazed that Kṛṣṇa orders, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "Abandon all varieties of religious activities and just surrender unto Me." Some foolish scholars even say that this is too much to demand. But this demand is not for the benefit of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; rather, it is for the benefit of human society. If human beings individually and collectively surrender everything to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all of human society will benefit. One who does not dedicate everything to the Supreme Lord is described in this verse as aviduṣa, a rascal.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 2.60, Translation:

Not knowing that Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān are all features of Kṛṣṇa, foolish scholars speculate in various ways.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Renunciation Through Wisdom

In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī writes, "Not knowing that Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān are all features of Kṛṣṇa, foolish scholars speculate in various ways."
Renunciation Through Wisdom 4.3:

On page 275, Dr. Radhakrishnan admits that Arjuna says Lord Kṛṣṇa is Parabrahman, Bhagavān, the Absolute Truth. In the same book and on the same page he writes something quite incoherent and fictitious and attributes it to Arjuna: "Arjuna states that the Supreme (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) is both Brahman and Īśvara, Absolute and God." If Dr. Radhakrishnan possesses such a sketchy and incorrect perception of the Gītā that he thinks Bhagavān is different from Brahman then how can he claim to have read the Gītā? He argues that Bhagavān and Supersoul Kṛṣṇa are products of māyā, while Brahman is not! Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī has severely criticized such speculative philosophy. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta he writes, "Not knowing that Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān are all features of Kṛṣṇa, foolish scholars speculate in various ways."

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Don't become a learned scholar and interpret foolishly or differently from Bhagavad-gītā. Everything is there.
Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

So what is the aim of life? The aim of life... Na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum. Samupeta-mṛtyum. We have got this disease, mṛtyu, we have to die. We are making so many plans for our happiness, but where is the plan for stopping your death? That is the ultimate goal of life, but they do not know it. Na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum. Kṛṣṇa says... Everything is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Therefore we are repeatedly asking everyone to study Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Don't become a learned scholar and interpret foolishly or differently from Bhagavad-gītā. Everything is there.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Some of the foolish scholars say that Kṛṣṇa was a powerful, what is called? Aborigine. And the Kṛṣṇa worshipers have taken Him because He was very powerful. Kṛṣṇa is always powerful.
Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 6, 1971:

Some of the foolish scholars, they say that Kṛṣṇa was a, I mean to say, powerful, what is called? Aborigine. And the Kṛṣṇa worshipers have taken Him because He was very powerful. Kṛṣṇa is always powerful. But they have misinterpreted in this way. Kṛṣṇa is mentioned in the Vedas. Just like these books, Brahma-saṁhitā. Brahma-saṁhitā is only description of Kṛṣṇa, and this book was composed by Lord Brahmā. Nobody knows how many millions of years ago this book was composed, but we understand that it was composed by Brahmā on the authority of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Our process is to take knowledge from the authority. We don't bother whether Brahma-saṁhitā was actually written by Brahmā or not.

Big big so-called professors, learned scholars, they talk foolishly: "Swamiji, after this body is finished, everything is finished." That is their conclusion.
Lecture on SB 5.5.6 -- Vrndavana, October 28, 1976:

So those who have taken, take it very seriously. Increase your love for Kṛṣṇa. Prītir na yāvan mayi vāsudeve na mucyate deha yogena... They do not know what is the actual problem of life. The actual problem of life is deha-yoga, this foreign body. We are accepting one time Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), accepting one type of body. Therefore they have, these rascals, leaders in Europe and America, they have concluded there is no birth. That's all. Because if they accept there is life after death, then it is horrible for them. So they have dismissed: "No, there is no birth." Big big so-called professors, learned scholars, they talk foolishly: "Swamiji, after this body is finished, everything is finished." That is their conclusion. And the body comes by accident, kim anyat kāma-haitukam. Asatyam apratiṣṭhaṁ te jagad āhur anīśvaram (BG 16.8).

The rascal, foolish scholars also accepted. Yes. "Haro kusuma, haro kusuma, kusuma kusuma, haro," like that. The rascal's name was Haro.
Lecture on SB 6.2.9-10 -- Allahabad, January 15, 1971:

You should always remember this, because sometimes rascals mislead that "Any name." In Bengal it is very popular. There is a party, they chant kālī-kīrtana. "Kālī, Kālī, Kālī," imitation. Or there are so many so-called avatāras. There was another rascal, he added his wife's name. Yes. And the rascal, foolish scholars also accepted. Yes. "Haro kusuma, haro kusuma, kusuma kusuma, haro," like that. The rascal's name was Haro, and his wife's name was Kusuma, so he made a mantra, "haro kusuma, haro kusuma, kusuma kusuma, haro haro." (laughter) And the rascal followers also accepted that this is... So this is going on. A Māyāvādī philosophers, they are so dangerous that they mislead their followers to the hell.

General Lectures

If one tries to understand Kṛṣṇa, as He is, not by fiction, not by speculation, not by so-called scholarly, foolish commentation, but Kṛṣṇa should be understood as He is.
Lecture at Caitanya Matha -- Visakhapatnam, February 19, 1972:

If one tries to understand Kṛṣṇa, as He is, not by fiction, not by speculation, not by so-called scholarly, foolish commentation, but Kṛṣṇa should be understood as He is. Then, that is right Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and then one will be able to understand how Kṛṣṇa is working, how the whole world, material atmosphere, and material, cosmic manifestation is working. Then you will understand. Kṛṣṇa says, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10), under my supervision. To understand Kṛṣṇa, and anyone who understands Kṛṣṇa, scientifically, then he, Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Not the foolish man, the intelligent man, who knows Kṛṣṇa actually, then the result is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Immediately he becomes liberated.

If you do not introduce your so-called foolish scholarship, then you get actually back to home, back to Godhead, by simply studying Bhagavad-gītā.
Lecture -- Jakarta, February 26, 1973:

Everyone can transfer himself in that spiritual world—simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa. That's all. And the Kṛṣṇa understanding is there. Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā. He, if you do not introduce your so-called foolish scholarship, then you get actually back to home, back to Godhead, by simply studying Bhagavad-gītā. But if you add your foolish rascal scholarship, that "Kṛṣṇa means this and that means this, this means that," then you are lost. Study Bhagavad-gītā as it is. You get all information how to realize Brahman, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. So 'ham. Don't misinterpret. Don't... There is no... Just like Kṛṣṇa... This verse is very plain. This verse says, na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsam. Where is the difficulty? "My dear Arjuna, both I, you... It is not that I did not exist, you did not exist. Neither this soldier." Where is the difficulty to understand? Why should we misinterpret?

Philosophy Discussions

Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that you do not require to be a learned scholar. There are many so-called learned foolish scholars. It has no meaning.
Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Prabhupāda: And who is guru, that is described by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He asked everyone to become guru. Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa: (CC Madhya 7.128) "Wherever you are staying, it doesn't matter. You become a guru and deliver all these foolish persons who are in ignorance." So one may say that "I am not so learned. How can I become guru?" So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that you do not require to be a learned scholar. There are many so-called learned foolish scholars. It has no meaning. You just instruct what Kṛṣṇa has instructed. Yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). So real instruction is there, Bhagavad-gītā, and any who explains Bhagavad-gītā as it is, he is guru. This is the definition of guru. So if one is fortunate enough to approach such guru, then his life becomes successful. Guru is essential.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

This movement was already there since five thousand years. But these foolish scholars, they suppressed. Caitanya Mahāprabhu revived.
Room Conversation -- July 18, 1971, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: So it is the book to understand Kṛṣṇa, but these people, unscrupulous people, even great scholars, they tried to explain something, taking advantage of the popularity of Bhagavad-gītā. Instead of understanding Kṛṣṇa, they wanted to present something of their concoction through the Bhagavad-gītā. So this movement was already there since five thousand years. But these, I may say, the foolish scholars, they suppressed. Caitanya Mahāprabhu revived. Five hundred years ago he revived. So from Caitanya Mahāprabhu time we are trying to revive this movement in different way, different way. About two hundred years ago, hundred and fifty years ago, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura revived it, and then about fifty years ago, my Guru Maharaja, he revived it, and he also ordered me that "You go and preach this philosophy to the Western world."

Correspondence

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

In order to preach the Bhagavad-gita we have to create the Mahatmas and not the Foolish Scholars who have unauthorizedly taken up the Bhagavad-gita without following the parampara line.
Letter to Jugalkishore Birla -- Bombay 26 August, 1958:

Arta, Artharthi, Jnani and Jijnasu are the beginners in the line of understanding the Geeta. The Mahatmas are above all these four classes of men and they are the post graduate men in the line. We know also the Ashuras who are divided into four classes namely the Duskrtinas, the Mudhas, the Naradhamas and the Foolish scholars. In order to preach the Bhagavad-gita we have to create the Mahatmas and not the Foolish Scholars who have unauthorizedly taken up the Bhagavad-gita without following the parampara line. That is an important point.

Page Title:Foolish scholars
Compiler:Matea
Created:03 of May, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=1, SB=3, CC=1, OB=1, Lec=7, Con=1, Let=1
No. of Quotes:15