Prabhupāda: Yes, for the noneducated rascal, belief is the . . . That is required, blind belief. That is good.
Bahulāśva: Blind faith.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Bahulāśva: But to become an advanced devotee, do you have to have knowledge?
Prabhupāda: Therefore it is said, catur-vidhā bhajante mām . . . (BG 7.16).
Jayādvaita: Janāḥ sukṛtino 'rjuna.
Prabhupāda: Sukṛtinaḥ arjuna. Jñānī . . . What is called?
Devotee (5): Ārto jijñāsur . . .
Prabhupāda: Ah. No, this first word, distress, ārtaḥ, ārtaḥ. Artaḥ, arthārthī, jñānī and jijñāsuḥ. So some innocent man, when he is distressed—he has belief in God—so he approaches God, "God, I am distressed. Kindly help me." He is simply on faith. That is good. And jñānī means he wants to know actually what is God. Then his enquiry is advancing.
Bahulāśva: Śrīla Prabhupāda, sometimes philosophers make a distinction between knowledge and a belief. They say you can believe in something, but that doesn't mean that you necessarily know that thing which you believe in.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that's fact. Therefore for the neophytes, less intelligent, they should believe. That is the only way. Viśvāsa. So generally, mass of people they are not so educated. They should believe.
Devotee (6): It says in the Bhāgavatam . . .
Prabhupāda: Therefore in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that viśvāsa śabde śudṛdha niścaya. Śudṛdha niścaya, kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya (CC Madhya 22.62). Śraddhā, śraddhā. Śraddhā means faith. So in Christian science also, there is state, faithful. So this faith may be blind, but that is required.
Kṛṣṇadāsa: Like a child.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Śraddha-śabde viśvāsa. Śraddhā, faith, means believing firmly. That is śraddhā, or faith. There is no question, "Yes." Śraddha-śabde viśvāsa. Therefore we have to believe in the Vedas. Vedas also says like that. That example I give sometimes, that cow dung is stool. In one place it is said stool is impure; in another place it is said cow dung is pure. Now, one may argue, "What is this, contradiction?" But you have to believe it. That is Veda. And that is actually being done. So without faith, you cannot make advance. The skeptics, they have no faith. Therefore they are lost. You must have faith.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? What is that ingredient or what is that thing which causes faith to develop in one? From someone becoming . . .
Prabhupāda: Purity. Purity. The more you become pure, the faith is firm.
Nārāyaṇa: So faith comes from previous pious activities?
Prabhupāda: No, may not be previous activity. You believe the authority, spiritual master.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That comes from purity, faith.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: As purity develops, one becomes more faithful.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That purity is said, ādau śraddhā: "Beginning is faith." Now tato sādhu-saṅgaḥ: "You mix with faithful men." Then it will develop. Otherwise, if you take simply initiation and then sleep, then faith will be lost. That is happening. You see? Therefore it is said, adau śraddhā tato sādhu-saṅgaḥ (CC Madhya 23.14-15). You accept faith, maybe blindly. Now you make further progress by mixing with advanced devotees. Then it will remain fixed. Otherwise you will loss.
Bahulāśva: Faith is fixed by knowledge?