God is not such a subject matter that you can see with this pratyaksa, direct perception. God's another name is Anubhava. Anubhava. Just like in this room we do not see the sun directly. But we know that there is sun

Expressions researched:
"God is not such a subject matter that you can see with this pratyakṣa, direct perception. God's another name is Anubhāva. Anubhāva. Just like in this room we do not see the sun directly, but we know that there is sun"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

God is not such a subject matter that you can see with this pratyakṣa, direct perception. God's another name is Anubhāva. Anubhāva. Just like in this room we do not see the sun directly. But we know that there is sun. It is daytime. How do you know it? You do not see.

Lecture on BG 2.8 -- London, August 8, 1973:

To accept guru means whatever guru says, you have to accept. Otherwise, don't make guru. Don't make a fashion. You must be ready. That is called prapannam. Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). You can understand simply by surrendering, not to test guru, "I shall test him how . . . how much he knows." Then what is the use of making guru? No. Therefore Arjuna says that "Besides You, there is nobody else who can actually satisfy me in this perplexed condition." Yac chokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām (BG 2.8). "My senses are being dried up." Because the superficial senses . . . that are not actually senses.

Real sense is within. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam (CC Madhya 19.170). We have to serve Kṛṣṇa, Hṛṣīkeśa. Kṛṣṇa is real, and we have to come to that position of reality. Then we can serve Kṛṣṇa, Hṛṣīkeṇa—tat paratvena nirmalam—when our senses are purified. Indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ, manasas tu paro buddhir (BG 3.42). These are different stages. This bodily concept of life means senses. But when you transcend these senses, you come to the mental platform. When you transcend the mental platform, you come to the intellectual platform. When you come to the intellectual platform, when you transcend, then you come to the spiritual platform. That is spiritual form.

There are different grades and steps. In the gross bodily platform we demand pratyakṣa-jñānam. Pratyakṣa means direct perception. There are different stages of knowledge: pratyakṣa, aparakṣya . . . pratyakṣa, parokṣa, aparokṣa, adhokṣaja, aprakṛta. These are different stages of knowledge. So knowledge acquired in the bodily platform, direct perception, is not real knowledge.

Therefore we can challenge these scientists, so-called scientists. Their basic principle of knowledge is on the bodily concept of life, pratyakṣa, experimental knowledge. Experimental knowledge means this gross sense perception. That is experimental. Pratyakṣa. Everyone says: "We do not see God." God is not such a subject matter that you can see with this pratyakṣa, direct perception. God's another name is Anubhāva. Anubhāva. Just like in this room we do not see the sun directly, but we know that there is sun. It is daytime. How do you know it? You do not see. But there are other processes by which you can experience. That is called aparokṣa. Pratyakṣa, parokṣa, aparokṣa.

In this way, Kṛṣṇa consciousness means adhokṣaja and aprakṛta: beyond the senses. Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said adhokṣaja: where direct perception cannot reach. So where direct perception cannot reach, then how you can perceive anubhāva? That is śrota-panthā. That is śruti. You have to take knowledge from the Vedas. And the Vedic knowledge is explained by guru. Therefore one has to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme guru or His representative. Then all these troubles, means ignorance, can be dissipated. Yac chokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām (BG 2.8).

So now Kṛṣṇa may say: "There are . . . that's all right. You are, for temporarily, you go on fighting. And when you will get the kingdom, you'll be happy. There is no need of making Me guru. Neither it is . . ." Just like ordinary men, they think so that, "We are earning so much money. What is the use of making a guru? I can understand everything in my own way." And another rascal is, "Yes, yata mata tata patha. Whatever their opinion, that's all right. You can make your own opinion." That is going on. You can make your own opinion to understand God. So all foolish rascals, they're making their own opinion. No. That is not possible.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa . . . Arjuna says, avāpya bhūmāu asaptnam ṛddham (BG 2.8). This is very significant word, sapatni. Sapatni means rival wife, co-wife. If a man has got two, three wives . . . why two, three? Our Lord had 16,100. So this is God. So sapatnya, but there is no competition. You'll find in the statements of all the queens in Kṛṣṇa Book, when they were talking with Kuntī, er, Draupadī, every wife was giving description that how much she was anxious to become maidservant of Kṛṣṇa. Nobody is rival. In the material world, if a man has got more than one wife, there is rivalry. Rivalry.

This example is given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that just like we have got our senses, similarly, if somebody has got different wife, so one wife is snatching him that, "You come to my room," another wife is snatching, "You come to my room." So he's perplexed. Similarly, we have got these wives, the senses. The eyes are dragging, "Please come to the cinema." The tongue is dragging, "Please come to the restaurant." The hand is driving somewhere else. The leg is driving somewhere. So our position is like that: the same man, who has got different wives and dragging him different rooms. This is our position.