Variation

Expressions researched:
"variation" |"variations"

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Coming to the prābhava-vilāsa of Kṛṣṇa (including Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha), there are a total of twenty further variations.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 7:

These twenty-four forms are known as the vilāsa manifestation of the prābhava (four-handed) form, and they are named differently according to the position of the symbolic representations (mace, disc, lotus flower and conch shell). Out of these twenty-four forms there are vilāsa and vaibhava forms. Names mentioned herein, such as Pradyumna, Trivikrama, Vāmana, Hari and Kṛṣṇa, are also different in features. Then, coming to the prābhava-vilāsa of Kṛṣṇa (including Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha), there are a total of twenty further variations. All of these have Vaikuṇṭha planets in the spiritual sky and are situated in eight different directions. Although each of them is eternally in the spiritual sky, some of them are nonetheless manifest in the material world also.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Of course, according to circumstances, there is variation. That concession is always there. But the main principle is there. Just like we are getting our boys and girls married. So according to Vedic rites, marriage is a very big program. But we are finishing, according to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, simply by acceptance.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Boston, April 28, 1969:

Student: What is the role of (indistinct) austerity. Is it (indistinct) or is it (indistinct) to religion?

Prabhupāda: Of course, according to circumstances, there is variation. That concession is always there. But the main principle is there. Just like we are getting our boys and girls married. So according to Vedic rites, marriage is a very big program. But we are finishing, according to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, simply by acceptance. Svīkāra eva ca udvāhe. In this age it is recommended that if a girl accepts somebody as husband or if a man accepts somebody as wife, that is final. That's all. They may not change it. There is no need of making a very gorgeous ceremony of marriage. There is no need of making... That is, of course, social function. Actually, thing is that one boy should accept one girl as his permanent friend in life. And one girl should accept one boy as her permanent friend in her life. The girl should be agreed to serve the boy for her comforts, and the boy should agree to accept the girl to maintain her throughout life. That's all. Finished. Simply we must have that good will. Then this process of opening the path of liberation will be very, I mean to say, favorable. You can open your path of liberation even without marriage, remaining brahmacārī, but for girls brahmacārī system is not recommended. Therefore girls are advised to get a husband.

General Lectures

I don't say any variation. I say that is the best technique by which you develop love of God. Now you find out what is that best technique. If you find that in your technique you are developing love of God, it is best. We don't say that you accept this technique or that technique.

Lecture to Technology Students (M.I.T.) -- Boston, May 5, 1968:

Student (9): There are different techniques for reaching Christ consciousness or God consciousness or self-realization. What test do you recommend for finding out which technique is the best?

Prabhupāda: Yes. That I have already explained. That technique is best by which you develop your love of God. That is the test. If by following Christian religion or Muhammadan religion or Hindu religion you actually develop your transcendental love for God, that is the best technique. If you have no love for God, simply you follow the technique, then it is simply laboring. That's all.

Student (9): I mean especially the variations of Indian technique.

Prabhupāda: I don't say any variation. I say that is the best technique by which you develop love of God. Now you find out what is that best technique. If you find that in your technique you are developing love of God, it is best. We don't say that you accept this technique or that technique. Any technique by which... Just like a man is diseased. Any medicine by which he is cured, that is best medicine for him. Similarly, the criterion is whether you have developed love for God or you are still in love for the matter. That is the test.

Vedic knowledge means to understand God, the whole Vedic knowledge. Veda means knowledge. So we want to know so many things. That is knowledge. So you get all information from the Vedas.

Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:

Guest: ...variation(?) between the Bhagavad-gītā and the Vedas books?

Prabhupāda: Vedic knowledge means to understand God, the whole Vedic knowledge. Knowledge means we are getting... Veda means knowledge. Vetti veda vido jñāne. Veda means knowledge. So we want to know so many things. That is knowledge. So you get all information from the Vedas. There is called Āyur-veda, Dhanur-veda, Yajur-veda. Veda means knowledge, but actually the Veda means, ultimately, to know God. That is called Vedānta. Anta means ultimate, and veda means knowledge. So ultimate knowledge is your, when..., if... You know so many things. We have got so many subject matters for understanding. But ultimately, when you understand what is God, that is the end of knowledge. That is end of knowledge. So that is Vedānta. So Vedānta means to know the Absolute Truth, God.

Philosophy Discussions

That is nonsense. There is no such chance. If he says chance, that means he is a nonsense.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: The question is that this development of body, is there any plan that this body should exist in certain condition of nature, and therefore he must have these equipments, either you say, tissues or veins or hair? Who has made these arrangements? That is the question.

Śyāmasundara: His answer to that is chance variation.

Prabhupāda: That is nonsense. There is no such chance. If he says chance, that means he is a nonsense.

Śyāmasundara: He examines that...

Prabhupāda: He examines what is already existing. But our question is, who has made these circumstances, different circumstances for the existence of different animals? That is our question.

Śyāmasundara: Well, just like the frog may lay millions of eggs. Out of all those millions of eggs, a few—three, four—may survive. That means those who were the fittest, by chance they happened to be best fitted to survive. Otherwise too many frogs...

Prabhupāda: If I say that frogs or many others animals lay eggs, millions... Just like the snake. They give birth to so many hundreds and thousands of snakes at a time. So, if so many snakes are allowed to exist, then there will be disturbance. Therefore the nature's law is that the big snake eats up the small, small snakes. That is nature's law. But behind this nature's law there is brain. That is our proposition: that nature's law is not blind. There is brain, and that brain is God.

First of all you give account for eight million species—you have no account. We say these are the fixed-up species. But your calculation of species, first of all give us account for eight millions, then you say, "The list is not complete."

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Karandhara: Darwin doesn't accept that there is a fixed number of species. Rather, the number of species may vary at any time, simply according to the natural selection. But he doesn't give any axiom that there are a certain number of species from which all other variations come. We are saying that there are 8,400,000 species to begin with.

Prabhupāda: But if first of all you give account for eight million species—you have no account. We say these are the fixed-up species. But your calculation of species, first of all give us account for eight millions, then you say, "The list is not complete."

That means that he has not seen all the species, because he has not traveled all over the universe.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: But we say that different kind of animal is not beyond these 8,400,000 species.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Actually this is not completely different animal. Some of these properties...

Śyāmasundara: A variation.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Just a little change. But another point in that connection is that nature makes its own equilibrium, balance of all the species, and it could have been all a balance. That is why, when nature is balancing all the species, there is no question of making another species fresh or something. This has been already made. It has already been done by nature. What is that nature, you have to ask by going to the real nature, not this false nature.

Śyāmasundara: Just like Darwin first investigated some islands off of Peru, Galapagos Islands, and he found different species of life that exist there that don't exist anywhere else, so that they must have evolved...

Prabhupāda: That means that he has not seen all the species, because he has not traveled all over the universe.

Just like the scientists, their species is different. Just like we are making division that 400,000 different types of men. They will say this is one species.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Karandhara: And within any species there can an infinite variety of variations of that one species. Just like...

Prabhupāda: Just like the scientists, their species is different. Just like we are making division that 400,000 different types of men. They will say this is one species.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

That is already there. You are living more than the ants.

Morning Walk -- July 25, 1975, Los Angeles:

Rādhā-vallabha: So their observation is that even though this geometric progression of species is going on, still, the same amount of living beings in each species is remaining. So the theory to support this is that within each species there must be variations. And within these variations, certain ones are more favorable than others for survival. So in due course of time the unfavorable variations die out.

Prabhupāda: That is already there. You are living more than the ants. That is already there.

Rādhā-vallabha: Their claim is that within a particular species the variations from birth to birth...

Prabhupāda: Can they increase the life period of an ant?

1977 Correspondence

Whatever paintings we have, that is enough. There is no need of constantly making new variations on the same themes.

Letter to Ramesvara -- Bombay 2 April, 1977:

You can save this money by minimizing the expenditures in the luxury departments of Sanskrit and artists. We do not want these departments for the time being. One or two men must suffice for Sanskrit work. There is no need of new paintings. Whatever paintings we have, that is enough. There is no need of constantly making new variations on the same themes. So for the art department no more expenditure. If they want to continue painting let them come and live here in Bombay or in any of our other temples in India. We have got sufficient facilities now for accommodation and in this way we can save so much money.