According to the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, the material energy is called avidyā, or nescience, and is exhibited in the fruitive activities of sense enjoyment. But although the living being has the tendency to be illusioned and trapped by the material energy for sense enjoyment, he belongs to the antimaterial energy, or spiritual energy. In this sense the living being is the positive energy, whereas matter is the negative energy. Matter does not develop unless in contact with the superior spiritual, or antimaterial, energy, which is directly part and parcel of the spiritual whole. The subject matter of this spiritual energy exhibited by living beings is undoubtedly very complicated for an ordinary man, who is therefore astounded by the subject. Sometimes he partially understands it through the imperfect senses, and sometimes he fails to know it altogether. It is best, therefore, to hear from the highest authority, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, or from His devotee who represents Him in the chain of disciplic succession.
Highest authority
Bhagavad-gita As It Is
BG Chapters 13 - 18
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is the highest authority in explaining this knowledge. Still, as a matter of course, learned scholars and standard authorities always give evidence from previous authorities. Kṛṣṇa is explaining this most controversial point regarding the duality and nonduality of the soul and the Supersoul by referring to a scripture, the Vedānta, which is accepted as authority.
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 2
The question put by Nārada before Brahmā concerning the sustenance of the material creation is thus answered. Material actions and reactions, as the material scientist can superficially observe, are not basically ultimate truth in regard to creation, maintenance and destruction. The material energy is a potency of the Lord which is displayed in time, accepting the three qualities of goodness, passion and ignorance in the forms of Viṣṇu, Brahmā and Śiva. The material energy thus works under the supreme spell of His Lordship, although He is always transcendental to all such material activities. A rich man constructs a big house by spending his energy in the shape of resources, and similarly he destroys a big house by his resources, but the maintenance is always under his personal care. The Lord is the richest of the rich because He is always fully complete in six opulences. Therefore He is not required to do anything personally, but everything in the material world is carried out by His wishes and direction; therefore, the entire material manifestation is situated in Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The impersonal conception of the supreme truth is due to lack of knowledge only, and this fact is clearly explained by Brahmājī, who is supposed to be the creator of the universal affairs. Brahmājī is the highest authority in Vedic wisdom, and his assertion in this connection is therefore the supreme information.
SB Canto 3
The highest authority for me is the unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whom this wonderful creation emanates and in whom its sustenance and dissolution rest. He is the origin of all Prajāpatis, the personalities meant to produce living entities in this world.
It is stated here that by following the system of yoga one can become joyful. Lord Kapila, the Personality of Godhead, who is the highest authority on yoga, here explains the yoga system known as aṣṭāṅga-yoga, which comprises eight different practices, namely yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna and samādhi. By all these stages of practice one must realize Lord Viṣṇu, who is the target of all yoga. There are so-called yoga practices in which one concentrates the mind on voidness or on the impersonal, but this is not approved by the authorized yoga system as explained by Kapiladeva. Even Patañjali explains that the target of all yoga is Viṣṇu. Aṣṭāṅga-yoga is therefore part of Vaiṣṇava practice because its ultimate goal is realization of Viṣṇu. The achievement of success in yoga is not acquisition of mystic power, which is condemned in the previous chapter, but, rather, freedom from all material designations and situation in one's constitutional position. That is the ultimate achievement in yoga practice.
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Easy Journey to Other Planets
Sri Isopanisad
There is a spiritual sky. There is another nature, which is beyond manifestation and nonmanifestation. But how will you know that there is a sky where the planets and inhabitants are eternal? All this knowledge is there, but how will you make experiments? It is not possible. Therefore you have to take the assistance of the Vedas. This is called Vedic knowledge. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we are accepting knowledge from the highest authority, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the highest authority by all classes of men. I am speaking first of the two classes of transcendentalists. One class of transcendentalists is called impersonalistic, Māyāvādī. They are generally known as Vedāntists, led by Śaṅkarācārya. And there is another class of transcendentalists, called Vaiṣṇavas, like Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī. Both the Śaṅkara-sampradāya and the Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya have accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to know everything perfectly from the supreme authority, Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). In order to understand subject matter which is beyond our perception, you have to approach such authority who can inform you. Exactly in the same way: to understand who is my father is beyond my perception, beyond my speculation, but if I accept the authoritative statement of my mother, this is perfect knowledge. So there are three kinds of processes to understand or to advance in knowledge. One is direct perception, pratyakṣa. And the other is authority, and the other is śruti. Śruti means by hearing from the Supreme. So our process is śruti. Śruti means we hear from the highest authority. That is our process, and that is very easy. Highest authority, if He is not in default... Ordinary persons, they are in default. They have got imperfection. The first imperfection is: the ordinary man, they commit mistake. Any great man of the world, you have seen, they commit mistake. And they are illusioned. They accept something as reality which is not reality. Just like we accept this body as reality. This is called illusion.
As we are living being—not supreme, subordinate—similarly, God is also being, but the supreme being. That is the difference. Very simple thing. You cannot say that "I am supreme." As these rascals say that "I am God." How you can be God? Are you supreme? As soon as we ask this question, "Are you supreme?" "No." Then how you have become God? The supreme means... That is also... We consulted dictionary. The Supreme means the "highest authority." So is any one of us the highest authority? No. Nobody is highest authority. Everyone is under the grip of material nature. How you can be highest authority? But they imagine, "Yes, I am high authority. I am..." Meditate: "I am the highest authority, I am moving the sun, I am moving the this," simply rascaldom. This is their meditation. Falsely think that "I am the supreme, I am controlling everything. The sun is moving under my direction, the everything, the water is, seas, I mean to say, there under my direction." Simply... This is their meditation. Impersonalists. Just try to understand how much foolish they are. Any sane man will say that "I am moving the sun, I am moving the moon, I am moving the sea"? Any sane man will say like that? Nobody will say. Will you say? Anyone here? That you are moving the sun, you are moving the moon? Who is there, anyone? Who can say? Nobody can say. And still these rascals they are claiming that he has become God. God... "We are all God."
So we cannot understand God by our mental speculation. Neither we can understand what is the measurement of the soul. That is not possible. Therefore we have to take information from the highest authority, Kṛṣṇa, what is the nature of God, what is the nature of Absolute Truth, what is the nature of the soul. We have to hear. We have to hear. Therefore the Vedic literature is called śruti. You cannot make experiment. That is not possible. But unfortunately, there is a section of people who think that they can make experiment, they can know the Absolute by mental speculation.
Pratyakṣa, anumāna and aitihya, or śabda-pramāṇa. Śabda-pramāṇa means to take the truth from the highest authority. That is called śabda-pramāṇa. Just like "Man is mortal." Now, this "Man is mortal," nobody knows wherefrom this sound has come first. Who has experienced that man is mortal? But we are accepting this. We are accepting this. By tradition, we know man is mortal. Now if we, if somebody says, "Who found this truth first? Who discovered that man is mortal?" That is very difficult to say. But it is coming down. The knowledge is coming down, "Man is mortal," and we accept everything. There are so many examples. So out of these three, the Vedic knowledge, they say that this aitihya, or the knowledge received from the authority, is the most perfect.
Now, here is Kṛṣṇa, the direct, I mean to say, highest authority. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). The Lord says that "There is no other superior personality than Me." And it has been accepted by great scholars. Otherwise, why Dr. Radhakrishnan would take so much trouble for commenting or reading Bhagavad-gītā? Why there are so many foreign scholars also in America, in England, in France, in Japan? All, they have... Why? Because it is an authority. So therefore we have to accept. To accept...
If we do not accept Kṛṣṇa the supreme authority and so not take His words as they are, then we cannot derive any benefit... It is not dogmatic. It is actually fact. It is not dogmatic. If you study scrutinizingly what Kṛṣṇa says, you'll find it is right. You'll find it, and if you take, if you follow.
Similarly, in the temple of Guru-dvāras, Sikhs... (break) ...like the Hindus. And they also offer flower, fruits, and sweetmeat, but they read their Granthasahib. As we are reading Bhagavad-gītā they read Granthasahib enunciated by Guru Nanak. So this temple worship or accepting some authority, either you accept Kṛṣṇa or you accept Lord Jesus Christ or Jehovah or Lord Buddha or Guru Nanak, that is a different, I mean to say, kinds of faith, but this acceptance of authority is there in everywhere. Now who is the highest authority, that we have to see by understanding Vedic literature, by our arguments, by our sense, by our understanding. But this acceptance of authority is there.
Now, by becoming Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by this yoga, bhakti-yoga, you can be successful. Yoga-saṁsiddhaḥ. And, in due course of time, you'll understand that "Yes, I am in right path. Oh." In due course of... Immediately you may be very doubtful, "Whether I have accepted the right path or not?" But in kālena, in due course, in due course of time, if you continue the process... Therefore in the next verse it is stated, śraddhāvān labhate jñānam. Śraddhāvān, one who is faithful, he can take up this knowledge. Faithful. Those who are hesitating, those who have no faith, oh, it is very difficult for them. We have to accept. Because the method is standard, and it is given by the highest authority, Kṛṣṇa, so we must have such faith, "Oh, here is a thing, authoritative."
Suppose a sputnik is flying on the outer space and we are getting knowledge of the sputnik flying from the newspaper. You are not going there, but you are receiving the knowledge from some authority whom you believe.
So don't you think Kṛṣṇa is the highest authority? So whatever knowledge you receive from Kṛṣṇa is far better than the newspaper knowledge. We are always in the lowest stage. Either I read Bhagavad-gītā or newspaper, I am not with the sputnik, but newspaper says that sputnik has gone 25,000 up, so I believe it. So I believe the newspaper, not that, "Oh, I want to see." Now, can you see how sputnik is flying? And why do you say, when Bhagavad-gītā is spoken, "Oh, I want to see." You just take complete knowledge from Kṛṣṇa, the complete person. That's all. That will make you perfect. Yes. So bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān uvāca. That does he say? Pārtha na eva iha nāmutra vināśas tasya vidyate. You mind that. "One who is making, attempting for spiritual advancement, oh, either in this life or in the next life, he'll never be vanished. He'll never be vanished." Na hi kalyāṇa-kṛt kaścid durgatiṁ tāta gacchati: "Oh, this is the highest auspicious attempt. After attempting, nobody degrades. Nobody degrades." Even attempt is not fully successful, nobody degrades. It is so nice.
Just like you take a car. That is a machine. Now some way or other, if the car stops, not working, does it mean that you are finished? No. I can take another car. This is knowledge. But this knowledge is lacking. People are being educated, but they are all rascals because they have not this simple knowledge that ajaḥ śāśvato 'yam, "I am aja." How it is aja proof? Yes, there is proof. "How I am eternal?" If somebody asks that "How I am...?" (Aside:) Don't move that body, that. "How I am eternal?" There is proof. And who is giving the proof? Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān uvāca. The highest authority, not ordinary person or any living being, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Kṛṣṇa means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is saying. He is giving the proof.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
So, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī is first offering his respect, obeisances to Sanātana Gosvāmī who is his elder brother, at the same time, guru. So we offer our respect in that way, vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. That is the way. We cannot jump over the highest authority directly. That is not possible. That is not the etiquette or rules, regulations we have to go. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). So He presents Himself as the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. So in order to become Kṛṣṇa's servant, we have to become the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. So, my Guru Mahārāja is servant of Kṛṣṇa, his guru, his guru is servant of Kṛṣṇa, his guru is servant of Kṛṣṇa. I am also servant of Kṛṣṇa, but I have to approach through the other servants, not directly. That is not possible. Kṛṣṇa will not accept that service.
Festival Lectures
Whenever we'll find the face of Lord Kṛṣṇa or Rāma, Viṣṇu, you'll find smiling with peace. As soon as you'll see you become also peaceful. His very face is so nice. Śāntam. And śāśvatam. Śāṣvatam means original. It's not that Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, as the Māyāvādī philosophers say, that the impersonal Brahman appears in form. This is rascaldom. Actually, He appears in His own form, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6). We are accepting this form not by our own potency. I have accepted this body, you have accepted this body, not by your own will. You have been forced to accept a particular type of body according to your work. You cannot make choice. Otherwise, everyone would have made his choice to take birth in America or some place like that, or heavenly planets. Oh, that is not choice. Just like if the foreigners, they apply for immigration, there is, the choice depends on the highest authority.
General Lectures
Just like somebody came here, he said that he's God, every one of us God. (aside:) Stop this. So I asked that "Just find out in the dictionary what is meaning of God. Let us see whether he is God." The dictionary, as soon as dictionary was consulted, the meaning of God is "the supreme being," meaning of God. So I asked him, "Are you supreme? If you cannot understand, then find out the meaning of supreme." Then when he consulted dictionary, the supreme, it is said "the greatest authority." So I asked him, "Are you the greatest authority?" The rascal could not answer. He does not know even the dictionary meaning, and he's claiming that he's God. This rascaldom is going on, whole world. Big, big rascal swamis, they say, "Why you are finding out God anywhere? You do not see so many rascal gods are loitering in the street?" This is going on. If you simply consult dictionary, you can understand what is the meaning of God. God is so cheap thing, huh? Supreme being. Are you supreme being? Supreme means the highest authority. Highest authority means nobody is equal to him, nobody is greater than him. That is supreme. So these rascals who are claiming to become God, is it a fact that nobody is equal to him, nobody is greater than him? There are so many.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be, we accept Kṛṣṇa as the higher authority. Do you accept that?
Guest (1): I mean, I am shown the form. You see...
Prabhupāda: There is no question of shown. Kṛṣṇa is accepted higher authority not only by us by big ācāryas like Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, those who are guiding our Vedic life in India, Caitanya. So Kṛṣṇa is accepted the highest authority. (break) Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nāsti: "There is no more higher authority than Me." Then, if you don't accept Kṛṣṇa as the higher authority, that is your business, but we accept Kṛṣṇa as the higher authority.
Prabhupāda: All the time. That is authority.
Guest (1): No, but later, later many lights shining...
Prabhupāda: (knock on door) Yes, open it. Anyway, to make cut short, to make cut short, so far we are concerned, we have declared, "International Society for Krishna Consciousness." Our process of propaganda is that Kṛṣṇa is the highest authority. That is our... You may take it that we are limited; that is your business. But we have taken this. Now, if you don't accept Kṛṣṇa as the higher authority, then there is no question of inquiring from us.
Prabhupāda: You may think, but we have concluded that there is nothing, such thing, which can satisfy everyone. It is not possible.
Guest (1): Until we hear all, we may do that...
Prabhupāda: That may be an ideal, but we take Kṛṣṇa as the highest authority. Even Kṛṣṇa's words are not accepted. That's a fact. Kṛṣṇa says, "You surrender unto Me." So a few persons might have surrendered to Him. Even Kṛṣṇa was present, only the Pāṇḍavas and the inhabitants of the Vṛndāvana and Dvārakā, some of them understood that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme. But many did not accept Him. Many insulted Him. Just like Śiśupāla insulted Him. So even Kṛṣṇa could not be accepted.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: No, if you accept Kṛṣṇa authority, then at least He is bigger than you.
Guest (2): Yes, sure. Not only authority on this thing. Because they have experienced, they have gone through that stage. And definitely we have to, because the..., just like from a teacher a boy learns, and it is that method. You have to learn from a higher person.
Prabhupāda: So you do accept Kṛṣṇa as the highest authority, and not only you accept, but all other authorities, they accept. Find out this verse. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12).
Correspondence
1947 to 1965 Correspondence
Any way the subject matter of this spiritual energy exhibited by the living being is undoubtedly very complicated thing for an ordinary man. The ordinary man is therefore astounded in the subject. Sometimes he partially understands it through the imperfect senses and sometimes he fails to know it altogether. The best thing is therefore to hear the grave subject matter from the highest authority Sri Krishna or His devotee representative coming down in the chain of disciplic succession. Bhagavad-gita is the essence of all the Upanisads and Vedanta.
1968 Correspondence
India government has cultural dept. and it is learned that Indira Gandhi is interested in sending learned scholars to spread Indian culture in foreign countries. I am already doing this. It is accepted by the highest authority here in U.S., namely the Ambassador of India. If you can convince Dr. Zakir Hussein, he also knows me well. You can refer my name when you meet him, that I am the same man who presented him English Srimad-Bhagavatam, and he highly appreciated it. At that time, I requested him to give me facilities to go to foreign countries, and he promised to do his best. Now, somehow or other, I am here and ask him if he will allow SANKIRTANA party to come here.
You can take it for granted that nondevotee class who is not in Krishna Conciousness as we are teaching are all great fools never mind how ever they may advertise themselves as meditators, yogis, philosophers, religionists, and so on. We are presenting a scientific program of God conciousness on the basis of the highest authority, Bhagavad-gita. For a preacher there are four principles to be followed. One, he must be fully surrendered to Krishna. Two, intimately in friendly relationship with devotees trying to elevate conditioned living entities to Krishna Conciousness and rejecting the nondevotee class. So if you find a nondevotee eager to listen submissively you can show your mercy to elevate him to Krishna Conciousness, but a nondevotee who is already poisoned by the serpent of the demon class swami or yogi is very difficult to be dealt with, so the best thing is to reject them and not waste time for their elevation; but a person who is willing to hear us submissively must be given chance to understand the philosophy of Krishna Conciousness. I am very much obliged to you for expressing your good sentiments on account of my humble service to you all. Your appreciation of my humble service is thankfully accepted.
| Page Title: | Highest authority |
| Compiler: | Siddha Rupa, Visnu Murti, Serene |
| Created: | 19March08, |
| Totals by Section: | BG=1, SB=3, CC=0, OB=2, Lec=12, Con=4, Let=3 |
| No. of Quotes: | 25 |