The Vedic literature is divided into two parts: the śrutis and the smṛtis. The śrutis are the four Vedas—Ṛg, Sāma, Atharva and Yajur—and the Upaniṣads, and the smṛtis are the Purāṇas and the Itihāsas like the Mahābhārata, which includes the Bhagavad-gītā. The conclusion of all these is that one should know Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the Parama-puruṣa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, under whose superintendence material nature works. For creation, maintenance and annihilation, the Supreme Lord incarnates into three—Lord Brahmā, Lord Viṣṇu and Lord Śiva—after manifesting the material cosmos. All of these take charge of the three modes of material nature, but the ultimate direction is in the hand of Lord Viṣṇu. The complete activities of material nature under the three modes are conducted under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.
Itihasa
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 1
They are one and different simultaneously because they are meant for the same end, in different ways.
There is no difference also between the Vedic mantras and what is explained in the Purāṇas and Itihāsas. According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, it is mentioned in the Mādhyandina-śruti that all the Vedas, namely the Sāma, Atharva, Ṛg, Yajur, Purāṇas, Itihāsas, Upaniṣads, etc., are emanations from the breathing of the Supreme Being. The only differences are that the Vedic mantras mostly begin with praṇava oṁkāra and that it requires some training to pronounce the metrical accent, without which the mantras cannot be successfully chanted. Although Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī was a preacher of the first order, he did not bother much about the metrical pronunciation of the Vedic mantras. But that does not mean that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is of less importance than the Vedic mantras. On the contrary, it is the ripened fruit of all the Vedas, as stated before.
The Lord sucked her breast like a natural baby, and He sucked out her very life also. Similarly, He lifted the Govardhana Hill, just as a boy picks up a frog's umbrella, and stood several days continuously just to give protection to the residents of Vṛndāvana. These are some of the superhuman activities of the Lord described in the authoritative Vedic literatures like the Purāṇas, Itihāsas (histories) and Upaniṣads. He has delivered wonderful instructions in the shape of the Bhagavad-gītā. He has shown marvelous capacities as a hero, as a householder, as a teacher and as a renouncer. He is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by such authoritative personalities as Vyāsa, Devala, Asita, Nārada, Madhva, Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Jīva Gosvāmī, Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī and all other authorities of the line. He Himself has declared as much in many places of the authentic literatures.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Madhya-lila
"In this Age of Kali, the fame of one who is known as a great devotee is very rare. However, such a position is superior to that of the great demigods like Brahmā and Mahādeva. This is the opinion of all spiritual masters."
In the Itihāsa-samuccaya, Nārada tells Puṇḍarīka:
- janmāntara-sahasreṣu yasya syād buddhir īdṛśī
- dāso ’haṁ vāsudevasya sarvāl lokān samuddharet
"After many, many births, when a person realizes that he is the eternal servant of Vāsudeva, he can deliver all the worlds."
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Renunciation Through Wisdom
Uncorrupted by any kind of discrepancy or mistake, the Vedas out as the most ancient religious texts in the world. Every human being has a right to follow their edicts, along with the instructions contained in other books of Vedic literature. The Vedic literature consists of the śruti (the Vedas and Upaniṣads) and the smṛti (the Vedānta-sūtra, the Puraṇas, Itihāsas like the Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa, the Pañcarātras, and finally the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam). The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the natural commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra and offers solid education on how to conduct life perfectly. In recent ages the smṛti texts have become prominent and influenced human thought and action. All these scriptures fully support the varṇāśrama system of four social and four religious orders. But what is today being labeled varṇāśrama is an atheistic concept totally unsupported by the scriptures. Real varṇāśrama is based not on birth but on people's qualities and activities. One cannot reach the goal of the scriptures by practicing today's demoniac caste system.
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
The Upaniṣads, there are 108 Upaniṣads, and many others. So all the knowledge is concentrated in the Vedānta-sūtra, or Vedānta philosophy. Then again, it is explained for common men by purāṇāni, by Purāṇas. Just like this Purāṇa, this Bhāgavata-Purāṇa. Bhāgavata is also Purāṇa. Purāṇa means old, old history, Purāṇa. And itihāsa means history. But Vedic civilization was concerned with historical evidences which are very, very important. At the present moment, present age, they write history chronologically. One period may be important, one period may not be important, but they write all the history. The Vedic way of writing history was not like that. If you go on writing history... Suppose for millions years of history you write, then where you'll keep the records? It is not possible. Every day so many things are happening, or every year. So that was not the process. Just like autobiography of life. Nobody used to write autobiography. But the life of great kings, sages, saintly persons, they were recorded in the..., here.
Dharma-śāstra. In the Vedic civilization there are twenty big, big books, dharma-śāstra, for regulating life. Very difficult subject matter, dharma-śāstra. So Sūta Gosvāmī was offered the seat of vyāsāsana because he was aware of these things, itihāsa, history, Purāṇa, still older history, dharma-śāstra, the scriptures, everything. Therefore he's first of all addressing that "You have read... Not only you have read, but you have described." Description means... You read something. Unless you fully assimilate, understand, you cannot describe it. So two things... Simply reading will not help us. When we shall be able to preach the reading matter, doesn't matter whether in the same language or in my own language... It doesn't matter. That is wanted. Ākhyātāny adhītāni. Adhītāni means "You have read." And "You have explained." In this way the śaunakādi ṛṣis... There were thousands of ṛṣis in Naimiṣāraṇya... When you go to India, you must see this place, Naimiṣāraṇya. It is very, very old place. At least, from historical point of view, modern estimate is it is five thousand years old, because the first Bhāgavata discussion took place there after instruction of Vyāsadeva.
It is very, very old place. At least, from historical point of view, modern estimate is it is five thousand years old, because the first Bhāgavata discussion took place there after instruction of Vyāsadeva. So in India there are many places very suitable for spiritual advancement. Still they're existing from the very, very old time, historical time.
So the itihāsa... Itihāsa means history, and purāṇāni, purāṇāni means old itihāsa. All the statements or narrations described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they're all historical evidence, they're not imagination. Sometimes the so-called scholars and research students, they say it is fancy or something imagination. No. They're all history. It is said here, itihāsam. Itihāsa means history. Then?
There is no imposition. It is reality. Simply one has to understand. The same thing is expressed here by Nārada, urukramasya. Who is urukrama? Wonderful actor. The wonderful actor is Kṛṣṇa, Urukrama. So Nārada Muni says, "Although you have mentioned in other purāṇas or in itihāsa, Mahābhārata, about Kṛṣṇa, some of the activities of Kṛṣṇa..." Just like this same thing, as I told you. So many people are reading Bhagavad-gītā, but all nonsense. They do not understand what is Kṛṣṇa, because they are disturbed. They are not situated in Kṛṣṇa. Nārada Muni says that "Be situated in Kṛṣṇa. You write something, simply Kṛṣṇa's activities." Akhila "Then you'll be liberated, and those who will stick to this principle, they'll be liberated."
How do you know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Yes, by history, by authority, by His action, everything complete. We know historical, from historical point of view, Kṛṣṇa is there in the Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata means "The history of great India." Mahā means great. So greater India. Greater India, this is history. Itihāsa. Itihāsa means history. So there is Kṛṣṇa, in the itihāsa, in the history. In the Vedas also, there is name of Kṛṣṇa. In the Yajur Veda, there is name of Kṛṣṇa and His father's name, Vasudeva. Everything is there. And besides that, Kṛṣṇa appeared as He is five thousand years ago and He acted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So where is the difficulty to understand Kṛṣṇa?
The rascals, they say mythology. No. It is history. Mahābhārata. Mahā means greater and bhārata means this planet. So Mahābhārata means the history of this planet. Now it is minimized, "India." India is given the name given by the Britishers or the Europeans. Real name is Bhārata, Bhārata-varṣa, according to the name of Mahārāja Bharata. So this greater India, Mahābhārata, this is also history. Itihāsa. Itihāsa-purāṇa. Purāṇa means old history. Purāṇa means old. It is not mythology. Purāṇa.
So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is amalaṁ purāṇam. Amalam. Mala means dirty things and amalam means without any dirty things. What is that dirty things? The dirty things means the material modes of nature—sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Because it is material it is called mala, dirty. And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: amalam, without any material contamination, because simply narration of Bhagavān and Bhagavān's devotees.
Now Śukadeva Gosvāmī is giving an example from the history. Now it is explicitly stated here, itihāsaṁ purāṇam. All the Purāṇas that we have got, they are not legends; they are all history. They are all histories. Just like there is no chronological history one after another, but any incident which has taken actually place, they are reciting. They are not fiction or imaginary stories, all the Purāṇas. Itihāsa, yes. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī is giving an instance from the history which is very instructive. Atra codāharantīmam itihāsaṁ purātanam. Purāṇa means old history, actually Purāṇa. Purāṇa means old.
So here is, one example is given, itihāsa. Itihāsa means history. The Vedic system of itihāsa, it is not the modern history. Modern... Itihāsa means some incidence which took place long, long ago, and such incidence is very beneficial to hear so that we can follow. That is called itihāsa. It is not chronological record of all incidences. Only important things. Purātanam. Purātanam means old and important. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī is explaining to Parīkṣit Mahārāja how important is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now he is giving one incidence of history—example is better than precept—how Ajāmila was saved simply by chanting once..., not once, many times, Nārāyaṇa. That is the itihāsaṁ purātanam. In the Vedic literatures there are itihāsas, or histories. Just like Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata is the history. Bhārata means India, and Mahā means greater. Greater India. Just like modern age they use "Greater Britain," "Greater this," so many, same thing. Mahābhārata means "Greater..." Mahā means great, and Bhārata means India.
This is called brahminical culture. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means brahminical culture—the cultural exhibition of the first-class men, first-class men. The brāhmaṇa is to be understood as the first-class man within the human society. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Itihāsa, history, history means to understand the activities of the first-class man. That is history. They pick up the most important incidences. Therefore the example is given here that udāharanti imam itihāsaṁ purātanam. Because it is a first-class incidence... Otherwise, if you record the history of the whole period, then where..., who will read that, and who will appreciate that, and where you will keep that? Daily so many things are happening. Therefore, according to Vedic system, the only important incidences are recorded in the history. Therefore it is called Purāṇa. Purāṇa means old history. Purātanam. Purātanam means very, very old.
That are recorded. So this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the collection of very old history, historical incidence. Itihāsa purāṇānāṁ sāraṁ sāraṁ samuddhṛtya(?). Sāram means essence. Not that all nonsense records have to be taken. No. Sāraṁ sāram, only the important, essence, that are to be recorded. This is called Indian history. Mahābhārata... Mahā means Greater India. Greater India, there were so many incidences were there, but the most important incidence, the Battle of Kurukṣetra, is there. Not that all the battles should be recorded.
So long the human history is there, there must be war. You cannot avoid it. Because it is material world, disagreement, misunderstanding must be there. You cannot avoid it. Because everyone is not of the same standard. That is not possible. Somebody is in the lower standard, somebody is in the middle standard, and somebody in the highest standard. That is division: goodness, passion, and ignorance. You cannot avoid it.
So gradually the history of Ajāmila. We have already narrated, he was inhabitant of Kānyakubja. It is historical incidence. It is not a fiction, manufactured something. No. History, itihāsa. So in the Vedic literature they are... Everything is itihāsa, history. Just like in the park we were talking of the Milk Ocean. The Milk Ocean is there in some part of the universe, top, near Brahmaloka. So it is not fiction; it is itihāsa, means history. We do not know the universal history. We may know some history of our country or this planet, that's all. But there are millions and trillions of planets.
So this Ajāmila, he learned all this nonsense, abominable way of livelihood. And therefore his example is given, how he was downtrodden and fallen. Still by the grace of Nārāyaṇa how he was elevated, that is the itihāsa, history, which is, Sūta Gosvāmī is citing, how Kṛṣṇa consciousness is powerful. That is the motive of narrating Ajāmila ūḍha, delivering Ajāmila. So here it is said, evaṁ nivasatas tasya lālayānasya tat-sutān. Everyone is tat-sutān, his children. Even one big economic, economist professor, Prof. Marshall, he says... I was student of economics in the Marshall book. He says that economic development begins out of family affection. Family affection. That is the basis. That was his understanding, that nobody would work for livelihood unless he is attached in family. That is his proposition. So here he was attached to the family.
Therefore the same Vedas explained with reference to the historical incidences, that is called Purāṇa. Purāṇa means "who is complete." Purāṇa, pūrayati iti purāṇa. So, the Māyāvādī philosopher, they say the Purāṇas are stories. No. The Bhāgavata is Purāṇa. It is full of stories. But what kind of stories? All Vedic instruction. Just like Ajāmila. Ajāmila began, itihāsa. The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is speaking itihāsa, in the beginning. It is said. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī is giving incidences of itihāsa, history, example from the history. So this is actual fact.
So in order to convince Parīkṣit Mahārāja how chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is powerful, he is giving a lesson from the history, how Ajāmila was delivered simply by chanting "Nārāyaṇa." This is the incidence from the history. And it is history. The story begins, kānyakubje. Kānyakubja is still there in India. Perhaps you have heard the name of Kanpur. So that is within the Kānyakubja area. Kānyakubje dvijaḥ: "There was a brāhmaṇa in Kānyakubja." Historical name is all... So it is history. It is not story, mythology.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Just like Upaniṣads is part and parcel of the Vedas, similarly, Purāṇas are also part and parcel of the Vedic literature. There are philosophers, the Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not accept Purāṇas as Vedic literature, but Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has proved in his Tattva-sandarbha, in the beginning, that Purāṇas, Mahābhārata, itihāsa-purāṇa, they are part and parcel of the Vedic literature. Supplementary. Purāṇa means that which supplements. So evidences from Purāṇa is as good as the evidence from the Vedic quotation. That is the verdict of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī is not prepared to accept any statement which does not refer to the Vedic literatures: Vedas, Purāṇas, Upaniṣads, Mahābhārata, Rāmāyaṇa, like that. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī also says in another place, śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-pāñcarātriki-vidhiṁ vinā (Brs. 1.2.101). So he has taken purāṇas also as evidences, Vedic evidences. So śruti, the Vedas, smṛti, the Purāṇas and other literatures, dharma-śāstra, smṛti-śāstra and Purāṇa, pañcarāti-vidhi—without reference to all these authentic literature, any kind of devotional activities are not accepted by the Gosvāmīs.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
That kurukṣetre is still existing. It is not a myth or mythology. The nonsense people, they may say like that, but Kṛṣṇa is the supermost person both in history... Purāṇa means history, itihāsa purāṇa. Saraṁ saraṁ samuddhṛtam. Vyāsadeva compiled the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by collecting the most important news from history. Purāṇa means old history. It is not mythology. The foolish people, they say like that, "Mythology means something created." No. Don't take it that way. It is the essence of important historical incidences, record. Mahābhārata is also history. Mahā means great, and bhārata means this land. Actually it is a history. But foolish people, without understanding through the guru-paramparā system, they manufacture their own way of understanding; therefore they are misled. They cannot take full advantage of this Vedic literature because they are misled. We should not be misled. We should know always that we are lame, paṅgoḥ.
Initiation Lectures
There can be no gatiḥ, there can be no spiritual achievement without following the orders of the spiritual master. Because the order of the spiritual master is the same as Kṛṣṇa's order. Śruti-śāstra-nindanam. One should not make blasphemy the śruti, which are the Vedas, and śāstra, the śāstras which follow the Vedas. This is Mahābhārata, the Purāṇas, the itihāsa, the smṛti. Śruti-smṛti. These are the two eyes. It is said the brāhmaṇa has two eyes: one is śruti, one is smṛti. So by these śāstras we can understand, because the śāstras are made by God, because they are emanating from God; therefore they are perfect. As Kṛṣṇa...
Conversations and Morning Walks
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Therefore you have to believe only. You have to accept what Bhāgavata says. That is your business. Not to try to make an experiment. That is not possible. It is already experimented, and the mature knowledge is stated there. You have to accept, that's all. Śruti-pramāṇa. Śruti means Vedas. Evidence... Vedic literature there are three kinds of evidences. The most powerful evidence is śruti. If it is stated in the Vedas, that is first-class evidence. Therefore whatever we say, immediately quote some Vedic version, that is the way of understanding. Kṛṣṇa says, Vyāsadeva says, Parāśara says, that's all. We don't require much proof. This is the first-class proof, when you find the statement corroborated by the Vedas. And śruti, smṛti. Smṛti means literature written according to the Vedic version. Śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi (Brs. 1.2.101). Purāṇādi is itihāsa, history. And another pramāṇa is anumāna. And anumāna means "by right person." Thinking that it may be like this, anumāna. That is called anumāna.
Prabhupāda: Hm.
Amogha: On an earlier walk you were saying there are three kinds of Vedic evidence. Śruti, itihāsa, and anumāna, was it? I didn't understand what anumāna was.
Prabhupāda: Hypothesis. Hypothesis. Just like yesterday I was explaining that as soon as there is a machine, there is an operator. This is hypothesis. You cannot expect machine going on without operator. Similarly, this material nature is a machine and the operator is God. This is hypothesis. Even though you do not see God we can make this suggestion. That is human reasoning, logic. If any ordinary typewriter machine... This is a machine, but that requires operator. He is pushing this button; then it is working. It is not automatically working, any machine. So how this big machine is operating without any operator? What is this nonsense? They say, "There is no God. Nature, nature."
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Right by the lake.
Acyutānanda: It already has our name. If the Bhagavad-gītā is in the Mahābhārata—that's itihāsa—how did it get the name Upaniṣad, Gītopaniṣad?
Prabhupāda: Because it is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. Itihāsa also Vedic literature. Pañcama-veda, Mahābhārata, for understanding of the common man. Strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnāṁ trayi na śruti-gocarāḥ (SB 1.4.25). Woman, śūdra, and dvija-bandhu, they cannot understand directly the Vedas.
Acyutānanda: But even Bhisma, when he was on the battlefield, he said, "I have given up my bheda-jña," so he became one.
Prabhupāda: No, I mean to say instead of collecting so many hundreds and thousands of literature on the Bhagavad-gītā, why not take Bhagavad-gītā as it is? What is the difficulty? Kurukṣetra is this position is fact. Mahābhārata, Mahābhārata means greater India. And that is, it is itihasa. It is called itihāsa. Itihāsa, if you don't believe that there was a battle in the Kurukṣetra... But that is the fact. It is the history. Then how you can finish (?) Bhagavad-Gītā? Every point of Bhagavad-gītā, it is clear. It is clear. There is no need of interpretation. That is the first thing. If you interpret you spoil the whole thing. Because interpretation is required when the things are not clear. If everything is clear, why should you interpret?
Guest: No, it is explanation I think.
Prabhupāda: Explanation, you cannot explain that Kurukṣetra means this, dharmakṣetra means this, Pāṇḍava means this. Why?
| Page Title: | Itihasa |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 29 of Jun, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=2, CC=1, OB=2, Lec=16, Con=4, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 25 |