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Can there be an existence without a faith, sir?

Expressions researched:
"Can there be an existence without a faith, sir"

Conversations and Morning Walks

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

No. Faith is the beginning. But you have to... If you don't increase that faith scientifically, then that faith will not help you.
Interview with Reporters -- November 10, 1971, New Delhi:

Prabhupāda: No, no. It is easy. It is easy. Suppose I say, you say that "I have never seen Lalaji," and if I say, "Here is Lalaji. Why don't you see?" and if he accepts, that is... That's all right. What is the difficulty? If you say, "No, I cannot believe you. I don't think that he is Lalaji. Lalaji, why he is walking on the street? He must be in a big, nice car." But if you put all this argument, then it is very difficult for you. But if you believe me that "Here is Lalaji," then the matter is very simple.

Reporter: The question is faith versus the...

Prabhupāda: It is not faith. It is not Lala... When I speak "Here is Lalaji," it is not faith. It is fact.

Reporter: I guess because you have...

Prabhupāda: But you don't believe me.

Reporter: Because you have personally witnessed, you see, sir.

Prabhupāda: That's all. It is not faith.

Reporter: Oh, yes, sir. You are (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: If you believe me, then it is all right. If you don't believe me, that is different.

Reporter: Then, sir, if everybody (indistinct) and that comment, "Believe me," that...

Prabhupāda: No. Why do I say...? You have to, you have to see whether, whether this person is worthy of believing. (laughter)

Reporter: Whether the guru is right.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore guru, guru cannot be any ordinary man.

Reporter: That's right.

Prabhupāda: That guru cannot be. That guru's designation is there in the Vedas, that tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). Anyone who is inquisitive for understanding... Suppose if you are inquisitive to understand really what is Lalaji, then you must approach to a person who knows Lalaji. Then you will understand Lalaji. And if you approach somebody who does not know Lalaji, then he may give you misinformation. So guru is that who knows Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise you will not be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. That Kṛṣṇa also very easily you can find out. Take what Kṛṣṇa says. Kṛṣṇa teaches Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna directly. Now if you believe Arjuna, then you understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa taught Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna, and why Arjuna was taught, that is also said by Kṛṣṇa, that bhakto 'si priyo 'si: (BG 4.3) "Because you are My devotee." Kṛṣṇa did not go to teach Bhagavad-gītā to a Vedantist. He went to teach to Arjuna. He was a family man, he was a soldier, but why he was selected? He, Kṛṣṇa said, bhakto 'si. So if you approach a Kṛṣṇa bhakta like Arjuna, then you will understand Kṛṣṇa; otherwise you will not. They are understanding Kṛṣṇa through me, not before me. But if they or some of them, "something," some of them "something," they may be very big scholar, but they did not know what is Kṛṣṇa.

Reporter: So first there should be direct...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Reporter: ...apprehension by...

Prabhupāda: Yes. One must be brahma-niṣṭham, śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham. Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Abhigacchet means must. You must find out a guru who knows Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise there is no possibility of knowing Kṛṣṇa.

Reporter: So, sir, for we poor mortals it is very difficult to immediately, you see, to...

Prabhupāda: It is not a subject matter to understand immediately.

Reporter: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: It is not subject matter to understand immediately. It is a science.

Reporter: Yes, a science.

Prabhupāda: It is a science, jñāna sa vijñāna. So you cannot understand a science in five minutes. That is not possible.

Reporter: Yes. So we were trying to understand... No. We have just come to understand you.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That was others you cannot understand. (laughter)

Reporter: (indistinct) He is trying to tell some kind of parochial (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: If you kindly accept what I say, then it is possible. If you are simply, what I say, if you have faith in me, and if what I say you believe, then you can understand. Other, it is not possible.

Reporter: Can there be an existence without a faith, sir?

Prabhupāda: No. Faith is the beginning. But you have to... If you don't increase that faith scientifically, then that faith will not help you.

Reporter: My (indistinct), sir, that without existence, without faith, there can not be (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: No, no. That I say: faith is the beginning. Faith is the beginning.

Reporter: Because I take the word of my father, of my mother, that he is my father...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Reporter: ...I cannot prove it. Nobody can prove it that he is my father.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Therefore that is the beginning of knowledge. That is the beginning, adau śraddhā. That is stated in the śāstra: adau śraddhā, faith. Then if you have got śraddhā, then ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). Suppose if you are, if you are very much anxious, you have got faith to understand Kṛṣṇa, then next step is to associate with persons who know Kṛṣṇa. Just like you are doing some business, so you have to enter into some association, businessmen, to understand the business from them. Similarly, if you have faith in Kṛṣṇa, then you have to understand Him through the association of devotees. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgau (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). Atha bhajana-kriyā. Then as soon as you have... Just as these boys, they came to me. After association they wanted to be initiated: "Swami, please initiate." That is called bhajana-kriyā. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ atha bhajana kriyā. And if you are performing bhajana kriyā nicely, then anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt, then all misgivings will go away.

Reporter: Anartha visya.

Prabhupāda: Anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Then nobody will question. All questions will be anartha-nivṛttiḥ, all doubts gone. Then niṣṭhā, firm faith. Then firm faith, niṣṭhā. Then taste. Whenever there is Kṛṣṇa topics, immediately you go. Tato niṣṭhā...

Reporter: Taste?

Prabhupāda: Taste, ruciḥ.

Reporter: Accha. Taste, ruciḥ.

Prabhupāda: Tato niṣṭhā tataḥ ruciḥ athāsakti , then attachment.

Reporter: Tathā?

Prabhupāda: Āsakti.

Reporter: Āsakti.

Prabhupāda: Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. That is Kṛṣṇa says, mayi āsakta. We have to increase our āsakta, attachment, for Kṛṣṇa by this process. Tathāsakti tataḥ bhāvaḥ. Then you will see Kṛṣṇa everywhere. That is kṛṣṇa prema.

Reporter: That is bhāva. That is at last...

Prabhupāda: Yes, not last. Last but one. The last stage is you can not live without Kṛṣṇa.

Reporter: What do you call in Sanskrit, sir?

Prabhupāda: That is called, first of all bhāvaḥ, then prema, prema, kṛṣṇa prema. That is our high perfection. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu is speaking that "I am seeing everything vacant without Kṛṣṇa." Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me. That is the last stage of perfection. You become mad about, after Kṛṣṇa. So that will take time. This is the process. But faith is the beginning. Yes. And that faith is also explained by the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta: śraddhā-śabde viśvāsa sudṛḍha niścaya. Faith means such faith that firm faith, sudṛḍha, niścaya, certain. Kṛṣṇa bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya. This is faith. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So faith means to believe in the word of Kṛṣṇa, that "Surrendering to Kṛṣṇa I will get everything. Now, I am free. This is my perfection." That is called faith. Kṛṣṇa said that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Now, if I say unto you that "You give up everything, come with me," unless you have got firm faith, how can you do it? That is faith. That faith has to be increased, and then it will reach to the stage of love.

Page Title:Can there be an existence without a faith, sir?
Compiler:Mangalavati, Rishab
Created:20 of May, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1