BG 04.40 ajnas casraddadhanas ca... cited

Expressions researched:
"For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next" |"ajnas casraddadhanas ca" |"ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do not attain God consciousness" |"na sukham samsayatmanah" |"nayam loko 'sti na paro" |"samsayatma vinasyati"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: "4.40" or "For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next" or "ajnas casraddadhanas ca" or "ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do not attain God consciousness" or "na sukham samsayatmanah" or "nayam loko sti na paro" or "samsayatma vinasyati"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 4.40, Translation and Purport:

But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do not attain God consciousness; they fall down. For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next.

Out of many standard and authoritative revealed scriptures, the Bhagavad-gītā is the best. Persons who are almost like animals have no faith in, or knowledge of, the standard revealed scriptures; and some, even though they have knowledge of, or can cite passages from, the revealed scriptures, have actually no faith in these words. And even though others may have faith in scriptures like Bhagavad-gītā, they do not believe in or worship the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Such persons cannot have any standing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They fall down. Out of all the above-mentioned persons, those who have no faith and are always doubtful make no progress at all. Men without faith in God and His revealed word find no good in this world, nor in the next. For them there is no happiness whatsoever. One should therefore follow the principles of revealed scriptures with faith and thereby be raised to the platform of knowledge. Only this knowledge will help one become promoted to the transcendental platform of spiritual understanding. In other words, doubtful persons have no status whatsoever in spiritual emancipation. One should therefore follow in the footsteps of great ācāryas who are in the disciplic succession and thereby attain success.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 4.37-40 -- New York, August 21, 1966:

So keeping faith on Kṛṣṇa or to His bona fide representative is the same thing. So that śraddhāvān, if you follow, saṁyatendriya, with controlled senses, then your result is guaranteed. And you'll feel it.

How you'll feel it? Just like you are hungry and if you are given some food, foodstuff and you eat it, and as you eat it, you feel that "Yes, I am feeling satisfaction," so you'll feel it. You won't have to ask anybody that "Whether I am making progress nor not?" You yourself will feel it. Acireṇa. Acireṇa śāntim adhi... He feels full peace acireṇa, very soon. Then ajñaś cāśraddadhānaś ca saṁśayātmā vinaśyati. And those who are faithless or hesitating, oh, they have no chance. They have no chance. Ajñaś ca. That hesitation is due to also ignorance. Ajñaś ca aśraddadhānaḥ. And ignorant and faithless. Saṁśayātmā, hesitating. Vinaśyati: "He is hopeless." Nāyaṁ lokaḥ asti na paraḥ na sukhaṁ saṁśayātmanaḥ: (BG 4.40) "Anyone who is hesitating in accepting this principle of knowledge or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for him," nāyaṁ loko 'sti, "not even this material world will be happy. And what to speak of his next life?" If he has no faith, then even in this material world, he'll be unhappy. The material world is unhappy. It is all already miserable. It will be more miserable. He'll feel always disturbed, miserable, faithless. So for a faithless, the situation is very precarious.

Lecture on BG 4.39-42 -- Los Angeles, January 14, 1969:

Prabhupāda: So these are the points of knowledge. You see? One... When one is struck with that knowledge, that "What I have gained? I have tried life after life, hours after hours, days after days, this sense gratification. What I have got?" this is knowledge. Then searching begins. Go on.

Revatīnandana: "But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures go to ruin and perish. For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next."

Prabhupāda: Yes. One who is doubtful, he has neither happiness in this world, and what to speak of the next?

Revatīnandana: "Therefore, one who has renounced the fruits of his actions, whose doubts are destroyed by transcendental knowledge, and who is situated firmly in the self is not bound by works, O conqueror of riches." Purport: "One who follows the instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā as it is imparted by the Lord, the Personality of Godhead Himself, becomes free from all doubts by grace of transcendental knowledge."

Prabhupāda: Because everything is threadbare explained. You can have answer of all questions from this Bhagavad-gītā, chapter by chapter. Everything is completely understood. Yes.

Lecture on BG 4.39-5.3 -- New York, August 24, 1966:

That is the perfect knowledge when we understand that the Supreme Lord, He is the supreme enjoyer—bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram—He is the supreme proprietor. And if we think very, I mean to say, scrutinizingly with cool head, then we can understand that everything, whatever there is in our presence, the actual proprietor is God, or Kṛṣṇa. We are not proprietor. We have got the right to use them, the things which are given by God to us. We shall have the right to use them, but we are not proprietor. So that is real knowledge.

ajñaś cāśraddadhānaś ca

saṁśayātmā vinaśyati

nāyaṁ loko 'sti na paro

na sukhaṁ saṁśayātmanaḥ

(BG 4.40)

So this faith is very essential, and one who hasn't got such faith, for him, it is stated here that vinaśyati. Vinaśyati means he is put into the wilderness of this material world. Now, what is that wilderness? Oh, there are 8,400,000 different species of life. Now, if we miss this opportunity, this human form of life... It is the developed, conscious life, and if we miss the opportunity, then we shall be again thrown into the cycle of birth of death in that eight million four-hundred-thousand's of species of life.

Lecture on BG 4.39-5.3 -- New York, August 24, 1966:

Vinaśyati means where you shall be put up, oh, there is no certainty. So you must make proper utilization. So one who hasn't got faith, for him it is stated, nāyaṁ loko 'sti na paro na sukhaṁ saṁśayātmanaḥ: "Anyone who has not faith, for him there is no profit even during this life and what to speak of the next life?"

yoga-sannyasta-karmāṇaṁ

jñāna-sañchinna-saṁśayam

ātmavantaṁ na karmāṇi

nibadhnanti dhanañjaya

(BG 4.41)

Now, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "O Dhanañjaya, Arjuna, anyone who is working in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or yoga..." Yoga means God conscious, or Kṛṣṇa conscious. Everything, anything, any attempt, which we perform, which we do for spiritual realization is called yoga. Yoga. So there are many different kinds of yoga, but they have been divided into three: the jñāna-yoga, karma-yoga, and bhakti-yoga.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 3.26.30 -- Bombay, January 7, 1975:

So the modern psychologists, they have divided the function of the mind: thinking, feeling, willing, and then other subdivisions. That is known as the science of psychology. But intelligence... Above mind there is intelligence. I don't think in the modern science there is any analytical study of the intelligence function. But in the Vedic literature there is analysis of the intelligence. They are described here: saṁśaya, doubtfulness. The saṁśaya, saṁśayātmā vinaśyati.

In the Bhagavad-gītā there is a statement: "Those who are doubtful about the existence of God," vinaśyati, "they are finished." Their progress is finished. Saṁśayātmā vinaśyati. That niścayātmā, that is very good, to believe, to have faith, niścaya, by full assertion. Just like Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So if by your intelligence you become doubtful, "Whether Kṛṣṇa is able to give me protection?" then you are finished. Saṁśayātmā vinaśyati. But if you have faith in Kṛṣṇa's words, niścaya, "When Kṛṣṇa says that if I surrender unto Him, He will give me protection, there is no doubt about it," that is called faith. Niścayātmikā. Vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ. Buddhi, intelligence, vyavasāyātmikā, niścayātmikā, that is very good.

Lecture on SB 3.26.30 -- Bombay, January 7, 1975:

This is beginning of successful life. Ādau śraddhā, this śraddhā, or this niścayātmikā buddhi, or vyavasāyātmikā buddhi, is the beginning of spiritual life. If one has no faith in the words of the authorities, then he has no hope. Saṁśayātmā vinaśyati. Vinaśyati means he does not get any chance to enter into spiritual life. We are in the material world. We are... Vinaśyatsu. We are in an atmosphere of being finished. That everyone, we know. This body... I am concerned with this body, and the body is to be finished. But the soul is not finished. Therefore our bhakti-mārga... How one can make progress in bhakti-mārga? If we have got faith in the words of Kṛṣṇa, that Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), if we apply our intelligence, niścayātmikā, then our spiritual life begins.

Lecture on SB 3.26.30 -- Bombay, January 7, 1975:

That is very important point, that Caitanya Mahāprabhu's secretary, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, he advised... Many person used to come to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu, but he was first of all examined by His secretary whether he is actually fit for talking with Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Otherwise he will simply waste His time. So one brāhmaṇa from East Bengal came with some literature. Many people used to write something. So when it was examined by Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, he said, "No." Then he explained how the literature was defective. He pointed out. These are described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Then he saw the person was submissive. He did not protest. Then Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī advised him that "You..." Bhāgavata paḍā giya bhāgavata sthāne: "You go to a Bhāgavata, person Bhāgavata, and read or hear Bhāgavata from him. Otherwise you will be misled, doubtful."

So saṁśayātmā vinaśyati. So it is our business to be very, very careful from understanding spiritual life or devotional life from nondevotee class of men. Nondevotee means one who does not accept Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is nondevotee. Kṛṣṇa abhakta āra. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was asked by His one devotee, gṛhastha devotee, that "What is the primary function of a devotee?" So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said in two lines: asat-saṅga-tyāga, ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra (CC Madhya 22.87). Asat. Asat means those who are nondevotees. They are asat. They are asat. Why asat? Because they will remain in this material world. Therefore they are asat. And those who will go to the spiritual, who will be promoted to the spiritual world, back to home, back to Godhead, they are sat, oṁ tat sat, because they are being promoted to the eternal kingdom. That is sat. This is the distinction between asat and sat. Those who will perpetually remain within this material world, they are called asat.

Lecture on SB 3.26.30 -- Bombay, January 7, 1975:

So these pāṣaṇḍīs are flourishing in this Kali-yuga on account of our these doubts. What is that? Saṁśaya, this saṁśaya. So the first business of spiritual life is to become free from saṁśaya. Because saṁśayātmā vinaśyati. We should accept the statement of the śāstra, we should accept the statement of authorities and make our life following. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). That is actually paramparā system, as Kṛṣṇa says, as Kṛṣṇa's devotee says, His authorized agent says. Then our life will be successful. Otherwise saṁśayātmā vinaśyati.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- November 15, 1976, Vrndavana:

Mr. Saxena: Thank you, thank you, thank you. You must have also this missionary spirit. (Hindi conversation) So I am at your disposal now.

Prabhupāda: Yes. You give him one single room. So we have given word to word meaning, translation, purport. This book also we are selling, millions.

Mr. Saxena: I see.

Prabhupāda: We have published the small book and big book, eighty-four.

Mr. Saxena: Eighty-four. In that film I saw, that how those foreigners, they are working in the press and preparing all those books and sending abroad, I have seen that film. The only request is this that you once make us away from this saṁśaya. Saṁśayātmā vinaśyati. There should be no saṁśaya...

Prabhupāda: If you increase your attachment for Kṛṣṇa, then it will automatically. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). There is a verse of Rūpa Gosvāmī that one gopī is warning another gopī that

smerāṁ bhaṅgī traya-paricitāṁ sāci-vistīrṇa-dṛṣṭiṁ

vaṁśīnyastādhara-kiśalayāmujjvalāṁ candrakeṇa

govindākhyāṁ haritanumitaḥ keśitīrtho 'pakaṇṭhe

mā prekṣiṣṭhāstava yadi sakhe bandhu-saṅge 'sti raṅgaḥ

There is govindākhyāṁ haritanum, standing in keśitīrtho 'pakaṇṭhe, with flute and smiling and with the moonshine it has become, He has become very, very bright. So, but don't see, don't see. Why? Provided you have the desire no more your association with so-called society, friends. If you have got desire to enjoy society, friendship and love of this world, then don't see. The purport is that anyone who sees Kṛṣṇa actually, he loses interest in this. So therefore, we must increase our interest in Kṛṣṇa, then automatically...