Real instruction

Expressions researched:
"real instruction" |"real instructions"

SB Canto 6

If one does not know the purpose of the father's orders, the śāstras, he is ignorant. The words of a material father who endeavors to engage his son in material activities are not the real instructions of the father.

SB 6.5.20, Translation: [Nārada Muni had asked how one could ignorantly defy one's own father. The Haryaśvas understood the meaning of this question.] One must accept the original instructions of the śāstra. According to Vedic civilization, one is offered a sacred thread as a sign of second birth. One takes his second birth by dint of having received instructions in the śāstra from a bona fide spiritual master. Therefore, śāstra, scripture, is the real father. All the śāstras instruct that one should end his material way of life. If one does not know the purpose of the father's orders, the śāstras, he is ignorant. The words of a material father who endeavors to engage his son in material activities are not the real instructions of the father.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

A big philosopher cut down other philosophers and put up his own theory, "This is true." This is going on. Then how to conclude what is the right path? I cannot consult even the scriptures. Neither I can take real instruction from different philosophers. Then what, what is the way of having the real thing?

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 7, 1966: If you consult different scriptures, you'll find different contradictory statements. Your scripture may be different from my scripture. And nāsau munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam. If you consult philosophers, you'll find one philosopher is differing from another philosopher. A big philosopher means who has cut down other philosophers and put up his own theory, "This is true." This is going on. So tarko 'pratiṣṭhaḥ smṛtayo vibhinnā nāsau munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam. Then how to conclude what is the right path? I cannot establish it by my imperfect arguments. I cannot consult even the scriptures. Neither I can take real instruction from different philosophers. Then what, what is the way of having the real thing? So it says that dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyām: "The truth of religiosity is very confidential, very secret." So how to know it? Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ: [Cc. Madhya 17.186] "We have simply to see that great personalities, as they have taken up, we have to follow. That's all."

You must have the qualification to, at least to find out a person who is actually qualified to give you real instruction. That you have to do. That remains on you.

Lecture on BG 4.34 -- New York, August 14, 1966: Sevā means service. Not that "Oh, I have inquired so many things from such and such person. Oh, I have not rendered any payment or any service, so I have gained." No. Without service, your inquiry will be futile. So three things here. Praṇipāta, paripraśna and sevā. Praṇipāta. Praṇipāta means you must have the qualification to, at least to find out a person who is actually qualified to give you real instruction. That you have to do. That remains on you. Suppose you have to purchase some gold or jewelries, and if you do not know where to purchase, if you go to a grocer shop to purchase a jewel, oh, then you'll be cheated. If he says, go to a grocer shop and ask, "Oh, can you give me diamond?" he will understand that "Here is a fool. So let him [me] give him something. This is diamond." "Oh. What is the price?" He can charge anything and when you come home, your relatives say, "What you have brought?" "This is diamond. I went to the grocer shop." So that kind of finding spiritual master will not do. You have to become a little intelligent. Because without being intelligent nobody can make any spiritual progress.

We do not want to follow the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, but simply falsely I am proud that "I am reading Bhagavad-gītā." There are so many Bhagavad-gītā readers even in your country. I know. But the real instruction they will not follow. They will interpret in some way.

Lecture on BG 4.39-42 -- Los Angeles, January 14, 1969: Just like in this Bhagavad-gītā the Supreme Personality of Godhead says that He is the Supreme, and He is advising, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ: "Just try to think of Me only, always." Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ: "And become My devotee." Mad-yājī: "Just worship Me." Māṁ namaskuru: "Just bow down unto Me." So simply these four processes, if one can do, He says, mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ: [Bg. 18.65] "Surely, without any doubt, you shall come to Me."

So is there any difficulty? These boys, these girls, what they are doing? Man-manā bhava. They are chanting Kṛṣṇa. That means thinking of Kṛṣṇa. They are devotees of Kṛṣṇa. They are bowing down before the Deity of Kṛṣṇa. They are eating Kṛṣṇa prasādam.

So the process is very easy, but we do not want to follow the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, but simply falsely I am proud that "I am reading Bhagavad-gītā." There are so many Bhagavad-gītā readers even in your country, so many. I know. But the real instruction they will not follow. They will interpret in some way, this way, that way. Or some rascal commentator will also induce the reader, "Oh, here Kṛṣṇa says that you become devotee of Kṛṣṇa. It is not up to this Kṛṣṇa. There is another Kṛṣṇa." Just see.

General Lectures

Arjuna submitted to Kṛṣṇa that "I am Your now disciple. There is no need of friendly talks. You can give me instruction seriously because I am surrendered to You, and You give me the real instruction," so the first instruction was submitted. Therefore to accept an authority is submission.

Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976: So under the circumstances, it is out of Kṛṣṇa's kindness that making Arjuna as a target of His instruction, Bhagavad-gītā, He has given us this valuable instruction. We should accept it as it is. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, without any malinterpretation. Take Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. You'll be benefited. And so far as brahma-jijñāsā, the Kṛṣṇa begins with this aphorism of brahma-jijñāsā. When Arjuna submitted to Kṛṣṇa that "I am Your now disciple. There is no need of friendly talks. You can give me instruction seriously because I am surrendered to You, and You give me the real instruction," so the first instruction was, as soon as Arjuna submitted... Because unless you submit, it is useless to talk because you'll not hear. Therefore to accept an authority is submission. First thing is, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā [Bg. 4.34]. Unless you submit, if you think yourself that you are a very big scholar, very learned scholar and very good philosopher—you don't require any instruction from guru—then there is no possibility. The first thing is Kṛṣṇa instructs in the Bhagavad-gītā, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā. If you want to know the substance, then the first thing is that you must be submissive, praṇipāta. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa nipāta. You fall down. Therefore the system is: the disciple falls flat before the spiritual master. That is the etiquette, praṇipātena.

Philosophy Discussions

You just instruct what Kṛṣṇa has instructed. So real instruction is there, Bhagavad-gītā, and any who explains Bhagavad-gītā as it is, he is guru.

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Hayagrīva: He says, "There must be a deep-seated change in the inner man." He also sees that modern man needs a guru, or someone, he says, "to explain religion to man. Whereas the man of today can easily think and understand all the 'so-called truths' dished out to him by the State, his understanding of religion is made considerably more difficult owing to the lack of explanations. Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?"

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the Vedic injunction. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. It is essential that one must go to guru and with guru Guru is representative of God. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair **. He, guru, being representative of God, he is worshiped as God, but he never says that "I am God." He is servant God. He is worshiped as God, but he is servant of God, and God is the master God. This is the conception of Vaiṣṇava philosophy. 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.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

It has already come, disaster. Unless you take the real instruction, how you can stop disaster? You must agree to take the real instruction. If you don't agree, then you suffer.

Room Conversation with Reporter -- March 9, 1975, London:

Prabhupāda: The book is there. You learn, and you be learned. It is already there.

Reporter: Do you foresee a time coming when people will realize...

Prabhupāda: It has already come, disaster.

Reporter: No, I mean a time coming when disaster is averted and people realize...

Prabhupāda: No, unless you take the real instruction, how you can stop disaster? You must agree to take the real instruction. If you don't agree, then you suffer. That is your business. But the remedy is there. The instruction is there. Just like Bhagavad-gītā says, "Produce food grain." The remedy is there. But you will not produce food grain; you will produce motorcar. Then you must suffer.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

The standard instruction is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. They do not care to know it. They give up the real instruction, Bhagavad-gītā, which is accepted by the great ācāryas all over the world, they are not interested to know Bhagavad-gītā; they are interested to know about Sai Baba. Just see misfortune.

Conversation with News Reporters -- March 25, 1976, Delhi:

Prabhupāda: No, no, why you are interested.... Twice, thrice you have said Sai Baba.

Reporter (2): No, anybody. Because he is among the better-known people. I, I am, I have nothing to do with.

Prabhupāda: So, but better known...

Reporter (2): It could be someone like, say, the Bala Yogeshwara, who also got some kind of following there.

Prabhupāda: That is.... That has spoiled our India's Vedic culture. Everyone has invented some ways, and they have misled the general people, people, followers. That is the misfortune of modern India. Yes. The standard instruction is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. They do not care to know it. They want to know about the greatness of Bala Yogi, Sai Baba, this bābā, that bābā. That is their misfortune. They give up the real instruction, Bhagavad-gītā, which is accepted by the great ācāryas—Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Śaṅkarācārya, Caitanya Mahāprabhu—and all over the world, they are not interested to know Bhagavad-gītā; they are interested to know about Sai Baba. Just see misfortune.