Karaṇa means

Expressions researched:
"karana means"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Karaṇa means the senses through which we act. Just like we catch up through the hand. This is called karaṇa.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- London, March 9, 1975:

So bhrama-pramāda-karaṇāpaṭava. Karaṇāpaṭava means... Karaṇa means the senses through which we act. Just like we catch up through the hand. This is called karaṇa. So karaṇa, these are imperfect. I am catching with my hand, but if the hand is paralyzed... So long we are not paralyzed, our machine is going nicely, we can catch. Otherwise, we cannot catch. This is condition. We can catch under certain condition. So therefore our senses are imperfect. Karaṇa apaṭu. Apaṭu means imperfect. Bhrama-pramāda-karaṇāpaṭava, and another defect is vañcana, or cheating. I am so much defective; still, I want to impress others that I have got full knowledge. How you can have full knowledge if you are so defective? Just like a diseased man. He cannot say, "I am perfect in health." That is not possible. Similarly, if we are defective in so many ways, and if I want to become teacher or preacher to give you the truth, then how can I give? This is not possible. So we cannot hear from anyone who is defective. That is not pure knowledge, that is not perfect knowledge. If we hear from some defective, who theorize, "I think," "In my opinion," "Maybe," "Perhaps..." These are nonsense speaking. So almost everyone, the so-called scientists, philosophers, they simply theorize, "I think." Who are you, you are thinking like that? You are imperfect.

Karaṇa means senses, the instrument through which we gather knowledge. They are imperfect.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Hyderabad, April 20, 1974:

Then we are illusioned. Illusioned means we accept something for something. Just like we are accepting this body as myself. This is illusion. The whole world is illusioned. Everyone is thinking in terms of the body. And according to Vedic knowledge, anyone who is under the concept of this body as self, he is no better than the cow and the asses. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13).

So these are our defects: bhrama, pramāda, vipralipsa, karaṇa-pāṭava. Karaṇa. Karaṇa means senses, the instrument through which we gather knowledge. They are imperfect. So with so many imperfectness, how we can give right knowledge? That is not possible. So any knowledge received from these defective persons is imperfect. Therefore we should receive knowledge from the Supreme.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

These different parts of the body, limbs, they are called karaṇa. Karaṇa means, karaṇa means acting, by which we act, karaṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:

So those who do not know that the ultimate goal of happiness is Viṣṇu, they think that by adjustment of this external world... Because we have got external and internal. Externally we are this body. Internally we are soul. Everyone can understand that I am not this body, I am soul. I am covered by this body and as soon as I go away from this body, the body has no meaning. It may be a very important soul's body, a great scientist's body, but the body is not the scientist, the soul is the scientist. The body is instrumental. Just like I want to catch something, so the hand is my instrument. Therefore in Sanskrit word, these different parts of the body, limbs, they are called karaṇa. Karaṇa means, karaṇa means acting, by which we act, karaṇa. So na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31), we are now illusioned under the concept of this body. That is also described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13), ātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape, kuṇape means bag. This is a bag of bones, and muscles, and skin, and blood. Actually when we dissect this body, what do we find? A lump of bone, skin, and blood, intestines, and pus, nothing else.