View source for This is the injunction of the Vedas, that "If you want real knowledge, you must go to guru." "Now, there are so many gurus. So whom shall I . . .? Where shall I go?" No. You shall go to a guru - samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"this is the injunction of the Vedas, that"|"If you want real knowledge, you must go to guru"|"Now, there are so many gurus. So whom shall I . . .? Where shall I go"|"No. You shall go to a guru—samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Nabakumar}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2022-09-12T10:19:27Z}}
{{last|2022-09-12T10:19:27Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=1|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:This Is]]
[[Category:Vedic Injunctions]]
[[Category:Vedas]]
[[Category:If You Want]]
[[Category:Real Knowledge]]
[[Category:You Must]]
[[Category:Must Go]]
[[Category:Going to a Spiritual Master]]
[[Category:There Are Many]]
[[Category:So Many]]
[[Category:Many Spiritual Masters]]
[[Category:Whom]]
[[Category:Shall]]
[[Category:Where]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - NABAKUMAR]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Lectures</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
This is the injunction of the Vedas, that "If you want real knowledge, you must go to guru." "Now, there are so many gurus. So whom shall I . . .? Where shall I go?" No. You shall go to a guru—samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). You shall go to a guru who is brahma-niṣṭham, a great devotee. He is guru, not a so-called guru, gold-making guru. (laughter) Then another cheater. You see? So the Vedic injunction is brahma-niṣṭham. That is guru: one who has full knowledge in Brahman. Athāto brahma jijñāsā.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:751028 - Lecture BG 07.02 - Nairobi|751028 - Lecture BG 07.02 - Nairobi]]
</div>
<div class="text">
Anyone who is acting on the bodily concept of life, sa eva go-kharaḥ, they are no better than the cats and dogs. So that is going on all over the world. "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am African," "I am this"—bodily, all bodily. "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am black," "I am white," "I am fat," "I am thin." That's all.

So that jñānam, theoretical, and vijñānam, sa-vijñānaṁ vakṣyāmi, Kṛṣṇa will teach, "Take this jñānam." The most perfect personality. So this is our business. But do we . . .? We don't care for Kṛṣṇa. We do not know Kṛṣṇa, and what to speak of taking knowledge from Him. The knowledge is there, but we are so fool that we do not take knowledge from Bhagavad-gītā. We manufacture our own knowledge. This is called māyā. Māyā is so strong that she'll not allow to take real knowledge from the real person, but we shall read volumes of books who are defective with their four kinds of imperfectness, namely they commit mistake, they are illusioned, they are cheater and their senses are imperfect.

So this is the first business, that "Where we shall take knowledge?" Tad-vijñānārtham. Vedic lesson is that tad-vijñānārthaṁ gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12): "You should go to guru." Just like Arjuna has accepted Kṛṣṇa as guru. When Arjuna was puzzled, he surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam ([[Vanisource:BG 2.7 (1972)|BG 2.7]]): "I am kṣatriya. It is my duty to fight, but I am declining. Although You are requesting me to fight, still I am declining. So I am puzzled. Anyway, I can understand You can drive away my . . . this puzzling position. Therefore I am becoming Your śiṣya." Śiṣyas te 'ham. "I become Your disciple. I am not going to argue with You on equal footing." Śiṣya means he is always subordinate. Whatever the guru will say, he will accept. That is the guru and śiṣya. So Kṛṣṇa became guru and Arjuna became a śiṣya, disciple, not friend. Of course, he knew what is Kṛṣṇa, that śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam. So similarly, we have to find out guru for perfect instruction. That is the only way. Otherwise we shall keep ourself in ignorance, in mistake, in illusion, in imperfectness and so many other things.

So this is the injunction of the Vedas, that "If you want real knowledge, you must go to guru." "Now, there are so many gurus. So whom shall I . . .? Where shall I go?" No. You shall go to a guru—samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). You shall go to a guru who is brahma-niṣṭham, a great devotee. He is guru, not a so-called guru, gold-making guru. (laughter) Then another cheater. You see? So the Vedic injunction is brahma-niṣṭham. That is guru: one who has full knowledge in Brahman. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. So here also in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find who is guru. Tattva-darśinaḥ. Tad-vijñāna . . . Tattva-darśinaḥ, one who has seen the truth. Never says this magic player. No. Tattva-darśinaḥ. This is the greatest magic, brahma-niṣṭham. That is the greatest magic, how to become fixed up in Brahman. That is called brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. As soon as you become brahma-niṣṭham, fixed up in Brahman, then all your miserable condition finished. Prasannātmā. That is the sign. Everyone is trying to be very happy. So that you can be by brahma-niṣṭham, by understanding that you are Brahman.
</div>
</div>
</div>