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Acquire knowledge about Krsna

Expressions researched:
"acquire complete knowledge of the Lord" |"acquire knowledge about Him" |"acquire knowledge about Krsna" |"acquire knowledge of God" |"acquire knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead" |"acquire the knowledge of Krsna" |"acquiring knowledge of God"

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 3

Pure devotees of the Lord are not very much concerned with philosophical speculation in regard to transcendental knowledge of the Lord. Nor is it possible to acquire complete knowledge of the Lord.
SB 3.4.16, Purport:

Pure devotees of the Lord are not very much concerned with philosophical speculation in regard to transcendental knowledge of the Lord. Nor is it possible to acquire complete knowledge of the Lord. Whatever little knowledge they have about the Lord is sufficient for them because devotees are simply satisfied in hearing and chanting about the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. This gives them all transcendental bliss. But some of the pastimes of the Lord appear contradictory, even to such pure devotees, and thus Uddhava asked the Lord about some of the contradictory incidents in His pastimes. The Lord is described as having nothing to do personally, and it is actually so because even in the creation and sustenance of the material world, the Lord has nothing to do. It seems contradictory, then, to hear that the Lord personally lifts the Govardhana Hill for the protection of His unalloyed devotees. The Lord is the Supreme Brahman, the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead appearing like a man, but Uddhava had doubts whether He could have so many transcendental activities.

By our imperfect sense perception we cannot understand the form of the Lord. We have to acquire knowledge about Him.
SB 3.32.28, Purport:

The philosophy that the Absolute is true and this creation is false (brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā) is not accepted by Vaiṣṇava philosophers. The example is given that although all that glitters is not gold, this does not mean that a glittering object is false. For example, an oyster shell appears to be golden. This appearance of golden hue is due only to the perception of the eyes, but that does not mean that the oyster shell is false. Similarly, by seeing the form of Lord Kṛṣṇa one cannot understand what He actually is, but this does not mean that He is false. The form of Kṛṣṇa has to be understood as it is described in the books of knowledge such as Brahma-saṁhitā. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1): Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has an eternal, blissful spiritual body. By our imperfect sense perception we cannot understand the form of the Lord. We have to acquire knowledge about Him. Therefore it is said here, jñānam ekam. Bhagavad-gītā confirms that they are fools who, simply upon seeing Kṛṣṇa, consider Him a common man. They do not know the unlimited knowledge, power and opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Material sense speculation leads to the conclusion that the Supreme is formless. It is because of such mental speculation that the conditioned soul remains in ignorance under the spell of illusory energy. The Supreme Person has to be understood by the transcendental sound vibrated by Him in Bhagavad-gītā, wherein He says that there is nothing superior to Himself; the impersonal Brahman effulgence is resting on His personality.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Madhya-lila

To acquire knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one must take shelter of the samvit potency of the Supreme Lord.
CC Madhya 6.159, Translation and Purport:

“The three portions of the spiritual potency are called hlādinī (the bliss portion), sandhinī (the eternity portion) and samvit (the knowledge portion). We accept knowledge of these as full knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

To acquire knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one must take shelter of the samvit potency of the Supreme Lord.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

So in this way, we have to acquire the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on BG 7.1-2 -- Bombay, March 28, 1971:

So in this way, we have to acquire the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. That is brahma-jñāna, paramātma-jñāna, and bhagavat-tattva-jñāna. And when we realize... Not only hear theoretically, jñānam... That is... Theoretical knowledge is jñānam. But sa-vijñānam, when we actually perceive, when we actually understand what is the position of the Personality of Godhead, that is called vijñānam. Jñānaṁ sa-vijñānam. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam idaṁ vakṣyāmy aśeṣataḥ (BG 7.2). Aśeṣataḥ, descriptive, not summarized.

So yaj jñātvā, "If you can understand this knowledge, then," yad jñātvā na iha bhūyaḥ anyaj jñātavyam avaśiṣyate, "then you will finish your all knowledge." Kasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. The Vedic injunction is that if you understand Kṛṣṇa, then all knowledge becomes revealed to you. Kasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. That is stated here. Yaj jñātvā neha bhūyaḥ anyaj jñātavyam avaśiṣyate. Then it is very nice to understand Kṛṣṇa. If by understanding Kṛṣṇa... One may say, "Oh, I have understood Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa was born at Mathurā as the son of Vasudeva and Devakī, and then He went to Vṛndāvana. And He became a friend of the cowherd girls or the boys, and He was playing there. So I have understood Kṛṣṇa." Anyone can say like that. But Kṛṣṇa says that "I am not so easily understood." Kṛṣṇa says that it is not so easy. Therefore those who try to understand Kṛṣṇa very easily, they are sahajiyās. And if one understands Kṛṣṇa very easily, then he derides at Him. Just like generally, people remark against Kṛṣṇa, "Oh, He was so," I mean to say, "characterless that He, I mean to say, mixing with the cowherd girls. So many. He married 16,000 wives." In this way, there are so many remarks. As if they have understood Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa says that "I am not so easily understood." Of course, if anyone understands Kṛṣṇa, then his life becomes successful. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Anyone who understands Kṛṣṇa, then he becomes immediately a liberated person. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. But one must understand in truth what is Kṛṣṇa. Tattvataḥ.

So anyone who understands Kṛṣṇa in truth... What becomes? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Then such person, after quitting this material body, he never comes back again in this material world.

Anyone who says that "I am God" he should not preach. He can think himself for acquiring knowledge of God. That is another thing.
Lecture on BG 9.15 -- New York, December 1, 1966:

Suppose you are a businessman. You send your representative for securing business. And if he represents himself to the customer, "I am the proprietor. I am the proprietor," how long he can prolong? As soon as the master will know that "This foolish man is representing himself as the proprietor of this firm," at once cancel. Because there is cheating. He's not proprietor. Similarly, anyone who says that "I am God" he should not preach. He can think himself for acquiring knowledge of God. That is another thing. "I am God." "I am God" means to understand the quality of God, because I am qualitatively God. Because I am part and parcel of God, therefore my qualities are the same. Just like I have several times repeated that a part of gold, even a molecular part, a particle of gold, so it is gold. It is nothing but gold. Similarly, although we are very minute fragments of the Supreme, still, the quality is the same.

So if I study myself, then I can study God also because I can, I can understand the quality of God. I may not understand the quantity.

We have to acquire knowledge of God through these senses. But, in our conditional life, the senses are all impure. Therefore these senses cannot understand God simply by speculating.
Lecture on BG 10.1 -- New York, December 30, 1966:

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also it is said, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). Indriya means these material senses. We gather knowledge by sense. But these material senses are very limited. So it is not possible to understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, by speculating our mind. Mind is the center of all senses. So senses help mind gathers knowledge. So it is not possible. Because our senses are all imperfect. By imperfect senses we cannot reach to the perfect or to the unlimited. Therefore we cannot know. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). It is not possible by manipulating your different senses and knowledge and mind you can understand God.

Then how it is possible? The possibility is sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. The, if you engage your senses in the service of the Lord, then He'll reveal to your senses. The same thing. We have to acquire knowledge of God through these senses. But, in our conditional life, the senses are all impure. Therefore these senses cannot understand God simply by speculating. It is not possible.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Devotional service to Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, will gradually help him how to become vairāgya, how to become detached with material attraction, and how to acquire knowledge about Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.2.22 -- Los Angeles, August 25, 1972:

So here it is said: ato vai kavayo nityaṁ bhaktiṁ paramayā mudā vāsudeve bhagavati. Therefore those who are actually in the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, science of God, they're firmly fixed up in the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva. Vāsudeve bhagavati. Then what about the third class? The third class also, if he stick to the devotional service according to the rules and regulation, vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ... (SB 1.2.7). Prayojita means "just begun." Janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam. Then that devotional service to Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, will gradually help him how to become vairāgya, how to become detached with material attraction, and how to acquire knowledge about Kṛṣṇa. Everything will come.

So for the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, we must stick to the principle. Gradually, everything will be revealed. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). In the beginning, because we have got blunt material senses, we cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa's service. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi... What is Kṛṣṇa's chanting of name. We are thinking that this is chanting, just like we chant so many vibrations, this is also like that. We cannot understand. But if we take up all this devotional service in right earnestness to serve the Lord, then everything will be gradually revealed.

Page Title:Acquire knowledge about Krsna
Compiler:Matea, Sahadeva
Created:16 of Nov, 2009
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=2, CC=1, OB=0, Lec=4, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:7