Able to understand (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"able to understand"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.40 -- London, July 28, 1973:

Therefore there is Garbhādhāna saṁskāra, to find out when the husband and wife should mix and give birth to a child. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll see that sex life which is according to the principle of religious ideas, that is "I am." So sex life is not bad, provided it is executed according to the religious principles. So Garbhādhāna saṁskāra... Just, what is the idea? The idea is the child born must be first class. He'll be able to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. He'll be able to understand the śāstras, the Vedas. He must have the good brain. These were the ideas. But if they are not born in that way, like cats and dog, that is called varṇa-saṅkara. Varṇa-saṅkara. You cannot specify whether he's a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya and vaiśya and śūdra. That is called varṇa-saṅkara. So varṇa-saṅkara population is not good. Varṇa-saṅkara. No caste. No designation, no definition to which class this man belongs.

Lecture on BG 2.6 -- London, August 6, 1973:

Those who are demons, those who are sinful, nature's law is to place him in such condition that he will become more and more a demon so that he will never be able to understand what is God. This is nature's law. If you want to forget God, then God will put you in such a condition that you can never understand what is God. That is demonic life. That time is also coming. At the present moment, still a few men are interested, what is God. Arto arthārtī jijñāsu jñānī (CC Madhya 24.95). But time is coming ahead when there will be no sense to understand God.

Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Hyderabad, November 21, 1972:

So śāstra recommends that you give up this aṅganāśrayam to go to the paramahaṁsa-āśrayam. Then your life will be saved. Otherwise, as Prahlāda Mahārāja says, gṛham andha-kūpam, "If you keep yourself always in this dark well of so-called family life, then you'll never be happy." Ātma-pātam. Ātma-pātam means you'll never be able to understand spiritual life. Of course, not always, but generally. Generally, who are too much attached to family life or extended family life... Extended... Family life, then society life, then community life, then national life, then international life. They're all gṛham andha-kūpam. All gṛham andha-kūpam.

Lecture on BG 2.51-55 -- New York, April 12, 1966:

Because Bhagavad-gītā was explained directly to Arjuna, and if you don't accept the appreciation of the direct person who heard Bhagavad-gītā, then whom do we believe? Suppose I have heard something directly from one person. So what I am saying, another person who has no direct relation, he's also saying. Whom do you believe? You have to believe the person who has directly heard. So here there is no doubt about it, that Arjuna directly heard Kṛṣṇa, and his appreciations are recorded here. So therefore, if we want to study Bhagavad-gītā, then we have to accept the appreciation of the direct hearer, Arjuna. If we do that, then we can get the right thing. But if we change it for our ulterior motive, as some, so many annotators are doing in the case of Bhagavad-gītā, then we shall not be able to understand what is Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on BG 3.17-20 -- New York, May 27, 1966:

The same Bhagavad-gītā, now scholars like Dr. Radhakrishnan, and others, so many big big scholars, they are scrutinizingly studying; still they cannot understand. But this Bhagavad-gītā was meant for the less intelligent class of men of that time. Just you can imagine what class of less intelligent class and women were there. It is specially written, you will see, strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā (SB 1.4.25). Because woman class and less intelligent class, and these unworthy sons of the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas, they will not be able to understand the original Vedic literature, therefore it has been presented in a story form with historical facts so that they can understand. That was the origin of Mahābhārata.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:

So Lord Jesus Christ said, "My Lord, hallowed be Thy name." He wants to glorify the name of the Lord. And some people says that there is no name of God. How? If Lord Jesus Christ says "Hallowed by Thy name," there must be name. The name is there, but he did not pronounce it because the people at that time will not be able to understand or maybe some reason, but he says there is name. So we are making this propaganda, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the "Hallowed by Thy name. My Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, let Your holy name be glorified." This is our movement.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Montreal, August 24, 1968:

"You are My dear friend." This is... Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). "Whatever I've spoken, they are all nonsense. There is sense, but the truth which I am speaking to you just now, 'You just become My devotee, just think of Me, just offer your obeisances unto Me, just work for Me,' this is the most confidential." But those who are not able to understand, they are not to be spoken. They are to be instructed that "You become a yogi, you practice your breathing, you sit like this, you sit like that." Because he's unable to understand. Therefore He says, idaṁ te na atapaskāya. One who has not undergone severe austerities, don't speak this final knowledge. He'll not understand. He'll misunderstand.