My authority
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 8
My dear Lord Brahmā, because of material opulence a foolish person becomes dull-witted and mad. Thus he has no respect for anyone within the three worlds and defies even My authority.
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Indian man (2): I want to know one thing, Prabhupāda. You have just said that in the moon there is a cold atmosphere and there is still a living entity there? You see? But what the Americans have said... Of course, they have sent man there, different rockets there, satellites...
Prabhupāda: So I understand. Your authority is America, and my authority is śāstra. That is the difference.
Indian man (2): But they...
Prabhupāda: That is the difference. That means your authority is America. You say through the words of the American. You have not experienced. Your position: you have no experience. My position: I have no experience. But you accept the Americans, authority, and I accept the śāstra as authority. That is the difference.Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: You tell me that Rāma and some other higher creatures lived on this planet so many millions of years ago, so I can expect some day to find evidence of that?
Prabhupāda: The evidence is the authority, Vedic literature.
Karandhara: What other authority will you accept? If you dig up a bone and make a test with your own senses and accept that as an authority...
Prabhupāda: Bone authority. So you will be satisfied with your own authority. We have got our different... If you don't accept my authority, then I don't accept your authority.Conversations and Morning Walks
1968 Conversations and Morning Walks
Journalist: At least, five thousand years ago the last time that any, that we would... Are they in human form?
Prabhupāda: Yes. So far we get information, sometimes great sacrifices were performed, and demigods from other planets, they were invited, and they used to come.
Journalist: Where...? Where...? And this is... Your authority for this statement is based in the Vedic literature?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Journalist: I see. I see.
Prabhupāda: It is not manufactured by me.
Journalist: Oh, I know! No! I'm not implying that. But I just want to know where the...
Prabhupāda: My authority is Vedic literature, yes. You'll find Bhagavad-gītā... You have seen our book Bhagavad-gītā?
Journalist: Yes. We have it at the office. I've seen it.
Prabhupāda: There are descriptions. There are descriptions of these things. There is description of another nature which is called spiritual nature. This is material nature. The sky, as far as you can see, this is one universe. Similarly, there are millions of universes. And all these together, that is material sky. And beyond that, there is spiritual sky, which is far, far greater than this. And there are spiritual planets. So this information we have got from Bhagavad-gītā, what to speak of other Vedic literatures. Bhagavad-gītā, it is daily read by practically all over the world, but they do not understand it. Simply they become student of Bhagavad-gītā, or simply just to think falsely that "I am God." That's all. But they don't take any particular information. There is a verse in the Eighth Chapter, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ [Bg. 8.20]. There is another nature beyond this material nature which is eternal. This nature is coming into existence, again dissolution. But that nature is eternal. These things are there. Similarly, there, planets are also eternal. There, living entities, they are also eternal. That is called sanātana. Sanātana means eternal, without any end, without any beginning. But this nature, as we have, this body has got a beginning and it has end, similarly anything, this cosmic nature has a beginning and it has an end. So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is how to transfer our self to that nature, eternal nature.1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Satsvarūpa: Ultimately, they don't follow anyone, although they may like people, they...
Prabhupāda: No, they follow.
Devotee: They say our only...
Prabhupāda: But they are manufacture their own philosophy. Philosophy there must be. They've become their own authority. That is a chaotic condition. Authority he has made himself. Yes. I am my authority. Authority has to accept. But he does not know that I am fool No. 1, what is the value of my authority? Authority he must accept. But he makes himself his authority. That is the tendency now. "In my opinion." All rascals say like that. "In my opinion." He does not... He's rascal No. 1, what is the value of his opinion? But he'll say, "In my opinion." That is the difficulty. And this is called creative philosophy. Is it not?
Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: This is going on. All rascals have creative philosophy.1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Rāmeśvara: Within, the atoms, there is movement.
Prabhupāda: Then here, today, this morning, you'll see it is lying there. Tomorrow you'll come. You'll see it is lying there. Where it is moving? What does it mean by moving?
Rāmeśvara: Well, they say that when atoms...
Prabhupāda: They say! You say what it is. Don't say "They say." You use your intelligence. If the foolish man says something, shall I have to accept it? You use your own intelligence. "They say." If they are authority, then we have got authority. If you do not accept my authority, why shall I accept your authority? Come to argument. "They say." Why we will accept "They say"? They... Why? Are they authority?
Rāmeśvara: No.
Prabhupāda: Then? What is the use of "They say"? You say. When you'll say "They say," I'll say "They say," (laughter) my authorities. My authorities. If you defy my authority, why shall I accept your authority? Then come to plain logic.
Madhudviṣa: Well, you look at the earth, and you see it. It is stationary.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Madhudviṣa: Just like we look at the building over there. From a distance, it is stationary. But if we go inside, we can see there is so much movement.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Madhudviṣa: So similarly, you may walk by this earth every day and see it is stationary, but if you analyze it underneath a microscope, you will see that there is so much movement going on within.
Prabhupāda: But that is due to air. That is due to air. Just like we can see so many atoms are moving in the hole from the wall, but that is due to air. So this is also moving. The whole thing is moving by air.
Viṣṇujana: But not of itself.
Prabhupāda: Not automatically.1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: He says clearly, "Thou shall not kill." And when I cut grass, it is not called killing. You should know dictionary. Because you are uneducated, you do not know the meaning of the dictionary.
Śrutakīrti: But I'm just a common Christian. I'm following my authority. They say it's all right. The Pope.
Paramahaṁsa: He's the supreme authority. The Pope is eating meat.Harikeśa: My body is ninety per cent water. The scientists say that this material body is ninety percent water.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Harikeśa: Human body. So I've got a watery body...
Prabhupāda: Ninety percent water?
Harikeśa: That's what they say.
Prabhupāda: They say. They are rascals. (laughter) So much bones and flesh and so many things, others. And ninety percent water.
Harikeśa: Well, they take a cell and they say in the cell...
Prabhupāda: "They take," they... Don't quote them, they are all rascals. You come to your own reason. They say, then you accept them as authority. Then why don't you accept authority of Bhagavad-gītā, rascal? You are quoting some rascals and fools, and I am quoting from Bhagavad-gītā. Then whose quotation is favorable? "They say." And when we say, "Kṛṣṇa says," that is nothing! Just see, how foolish. "They say." These rascals, meat eaters, huh? Bachelor daddies, (laughter) they say something, that is authority. And (if) Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says, (then) "Oh, that we cannot accept." Just see nonsense. That I... This argument I put forward with Professor Kotovsky that, "After all, we have to follow leader. So your leader is Lenin. And my leader is Kṛṣṇa. So where is the difference between the process? You have to accept some authority. Now it is to be seen whether Lenin is perfect or Kṛṣṇa is perfect. That is another thing, but you have to follow some authority. So you are stopped."
Harikeśa: But in science...
Prabhupāda: Again science.
Harikeśa: No, as far as the process goes, they are very proud of the fact that there's no authority.
Prabhupāda: But why you are following? Why you are quoting Newton? You are quoting this scientist, that scientist, why you are quoting?
Harikeśa: Well, Newton sat there, and saw the apple falling...
Prabhupāda: If you don't follow authority, then why you quote so many previous scientists? What is the use of quoting if there is no authority?
Harikeśa: But the trend is, because Newton speculated the law of gravity...
Prabhupāda: No, no, first of all you settle up. Don't go away from the point. (laughter) The point is that there is no need of authority. Then why you quote this scientist, that scientist? You stop this nonsense. There is no authority. Hm?
Harikeśa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Haṁsadūta?
Haṁsadūta: Hm.
Prabhupāda: If there is no authority, why do you quote so many rascals? Then come to reason, argument, that's all. If you quote authority, I have got my authority.1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Yadubara: Śrīla Prabhupāda, we're taking this from the Bhāgavatam. Won't they just think that this is myth?
Prabhupāda: (indistinct) is myth? Who believes you? If you don't believe me, I don't believe you. Finished.
Yadubara: So we should present our side.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is our business. If you don't believe me I don't believe you. Finished business. You have got your authority, I've got my authority. Why shall I...?
Hari-śauri: Actually we have authority and they have no authority.
Prabhupāda: What is your age? You are all scientists within 200 years. And our Bhāgavata is written 5,000 years ago. Why shall I accept yours?Prabhupāda: We have got our authority, I have got my authority, Bhāgavatam, Vedic literatures. Why shall I give you better preference, your authority? I have got my authority.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: So we'll explain there are two types of acquiring knowledge. Two different techniques. Now the scientists are believing their own...
Prabhupāda: That is imperfect. Inductive knowledge is always imperfect. Deductive knowledge is perfect if it is taken from the authority. Suppose man is mortal. So inductive process is that you examine every man whether he's mortal or immortal. So suppose you have seen millions of men, and they are all mortal, they die. Then your conclusion is man is mortal. But I can say you have not seen a man who does not die. I can say that. So this inductive knowledge will remain always imperfect. It will never be perfect, because your examination is limited. So I can that say you have not seen the person, man... Suppose if I say you have not seen Vyāsadeva, he's immortal. You have not seen Aśvatthāmā, he's immortal. So how this scientific research can be perfect, inductive? It is never perfect. Because you may be missing somebody who is immortal. Then your conclusion is wrong. There is no scope of studying all the living beings. There is no such scope. You have limited scope. So your seeing power is limited. How you can decide from the limited seeing power?1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Satsvarūpa: That's even... That's their philosophy. There's a saying, "Nobody's perfect."
Prabhupāda: No. That you do not know, who is perfect. That is your ignorance. We know. If I know who is perfect, why shall I take your advice, "Nobody is perfect"? Kṛṣṇa is perfect. I know from authorities, from perfect persons.
Hari-śauri: Then they might argue that "I have my authority, and I'm happy to live by it."
Prabhupāda: But you do not believe in authority. You say, "Nobody is perfect." How you get, have, authority? Your statement is "Nobody is perfect," so how you can get?
Hari-śauri: But as far as my own happiness goes...
Prabhupāda: You are unhappy.Prabhupāda: They will take advantage of Bhagavad-gītā and do their business.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What are some of the important shastric references in regard to developing an article on cheating?
Prabhupāda: Hm? Where is authority, that you are speaking rightly? Just like in the law court, when they plead, they give the reference to the lawbook that... A good lawyer means he will give reference "Under section... This is my authority." That is authority.Correspondence
1969 Correspondence
1972 Correspondence
1975 Correspondence
Page Title: | My authority |
Compiler: | Siddha Rupa, Visnu Murti, Archana |
Created: | 20March08, |
No. of Quotes: | 19 |
Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=1, CC=0, OB=2, Lec=3, Con=10, Let=3 |