View source for They don't see how they can have faith if they have no knowledge of God. And they argue, "Well, I don't know God. So how can I have faith in Him?"

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{{terms|"And they argue, Well, I don't know God"|"So how can I have faith in Him"|"They don't see how they can have faith if they have no knowledge of God"}}
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{{compiler|MadhuGopaldas|Rishab}}
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{{first|27Jun11}}
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[[Category:Questions asked to Srila Prabhupada]]
[[Category:Questions asked to SP... 1974]]
[[Category:Questions On... Faith, Belief]]
[[Category:Questions On... Knowledge]]
[[Category:Questions On... God Realization, Self Realization, Enlightenment]]
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<div id="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="section" sec_index="5" parent="compilation" text="Conversations and Morning Walks"><h2>Conversations and Morning Walks</h2>
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<div id="1974_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="7" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1974 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1974 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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<div id="MorningWalkJune111974Paris_0" class="quote" parent="1974_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="106" link="Morning Walk -- June 11, 1974, Paris" link_text="Morning Walk -- June 11, 1974, Paris">
<div class="heading">You learn from me. I am your spiritual master. You tell him. You are asking me. Why you are asking me? What is...? Why you are asking me?... No, argument, that's all right. Why you are asking me?... For knowledge. So take knowledge from me.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Morning Walk -- June 11, 1974, Paris|Morning Walk -- June 11, 1974, Paris]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Paramahaṁsa: People often argue that they don't understand how they can have faith if they don't understand God.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Eh?</p>
<p>Paramahaṁsa: They don't see how they can have faith if they have no knowledge of God. And they argue, "Well, I don't know God. So how can I have faith in Him?"</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: You learn from me. I am your spiritual master. You tell him. You are asking me. Why you are asking me? What is...? Why you are asking me?</p>
<p>Paramahaṁsa: Well, I was just giving an argument that people...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No, argument, that's all right. Why you are asking me?</p>
<p>Paramahaṁsa: For knowledge.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: For knowledge. So take knowledge from me.</p>
<p>Yogeśvara: That's what you tell them.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: "Otherwise, why you are asking, wasting your time and my time? If you are asking, you take knowledge from me." Is that all right?</p>
<p>Paramahaṁsa: Yes.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. If... The same example. Suppose I do not know which way to go. If I ask somebody, it is supposed that he knows. Is it not?</p>
<p>Paramahaṁsa: Yes.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Otherwise, why I shall ask somebody? It is supposed that he knows. Now, when you ask him, then you must take his word. He says, "You go this way." You shall go there. And again, you say, "Why shall I go this way?" And why, rascal, you come to ask me? Is it not? You asked me, "Which way I shall go to go to that place?" I say, "You go this way." And if you again say, "Why shall I go this way?" "Then why, rascal, you come to waste my time and your time?" This is the answer. If you ask me, then you take my word. Eh?</p>
<p>Devotees: Jaya.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: That's it. And if you think that I do not know, then why do you ask me, and waste your time and my time? Therefore śāstra says that "Ask from guru." If you accept somebody as guru, then ask from him. As soon as you ask, the man to whom you ask, he is your guru.</p>
<p>Satsvarūpa: Some people say they don't like to talk to Hare Kṛṣṇa people because we're like that. We always say we know everything about everything.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes, we know everything. That's a fact.</p>
<p>Satsvarūpa: They resent it, and they say, "Oh, you people, we can't talk with you."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: You may resent, but we know everything. That is a fact.</p>
<p>Satsvarūpa: So how do we deal with that attitude if they're turned away by our...?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No, no. He's a rascal. How we can...? We know everything, and he denies. Then what is the use of talking with him? And waste your time. Let him know everything. We have nothing, no business.</p>
<p>Satsvarūpa: We can't compromise and just say that we don't know.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Eh?</p>
<p>Satsvarūpa: What does he...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No, no. How you can...? You know everything. How you can say, "I don't know."</p>
<p>Satsvarūpa: Yes.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: You do not know practically that. You must be also a man of knowledge. Otherwise, you cannot say. You cannot be falsely say that "Yes, I know." You must know. Then you say. But if you think that you do not know, don't say foolishly like that. Then you'll be slapped. You must know also. So how do you know? The next question will be: "How do you know everything?"</p>
<p>Satsvarūpa: It's not that I am great, but it's the authority of my spiritual master and the śāstras.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Or Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is great. So I am talking of what Kṛṣṇa has said. Therefore I am great, I am knowing everything. It is not that I know everything. I do not know anything, but I, I am surrendered to a person who knows everything. Therefore I know everything. I take my knowledge from Him. So you should think how much knowledge you have assimilated. The knowledge is there, guru-kṛṣṇa. Guru is there. Kṛṣṇa is there. So we have to take advantage of guru and Kṛṣṇa, sad-dharma-pṛcchā, ask him, and become man of knowledge. Then you can say. If you simply think that "I have my guru, and there is Kṛṣṇa. Now I am perfect," no. You should ask and know. You must be man of knowledge. Then you can say, "Yes, I know everything." Dīkṣā. Dīkṣā, initiation, dīkṣā, this Sanskrit word, dīkṣā, means divya-jñānaṁ kṣipayati. To ask from spiritual master with service and surrender the transcendental knowledge. The more you ask, you become a man of knowledge. Then you can challenge, "Yes, I know everything." Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare... Actually, we know everything. Just like when I speak, I immediately ask reference from Bhagavad-gītā, and we stop the man's argument. So if you become well-conversed with the whole Bhagavad-gītā, then you have full knowledge. There is no need of saying that "I do not know." You'll become full knowledge, man of knowledge. But you must study.</p>
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