Like a man is fallen in a dark well. He's crying, "Save me, save me," and one man drops a rope, "Please catch it, I'll save you." If you don't catch, then whose fault it is

Expressions researched:
"like a man is fallen in a dark well. He's crying, "Save me, save me," and one man drops a rope, "Please catch it, I'll save you." If you don't catch, then whose fault it is"

Conversations and Morning Walks

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

You have not surrendered to God, you take the knowledge from God that, "You surrender to Me." That is knowledge. Why don't you take it? Where is the question of ignorance? You may be in ignorance, but when the knowledge comes directly that, "You surrender to Me," then you can do it. Just like a man is fallen in a dark well. He's crying, "Save me, save me," and one man drops a rope, "Please catch it, I'll save you." If you don't catch, then whose fault it is? Kṛṣṇa comes directly, paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8), and He says: "Do it." If you don't do it, then whose fault it is? It is your fault. You don't catch it. Kṛṣṇa says: "Here is the rope. Catch it. I shall take it . . . take you out of this well." But if you don't catch it, then whose fault is it?.

760810 - Conversation B - Tehran

Ali: My question was how could one choose when he himself is ignorant?

Prabhupāda: By knowledge. Here is knowledge. You have not surrendered to God, you take the knowledge from God that, "You surrender to Me." That is knowledge. Why don't you take it? Where is the question of ignorance? You may be in ignorance, but when the knowledge comes directly that, "You surrender to Me," then you can do it. Just like a man is fallen in a dark well. He's crying, "Save me, save me," and one man drops a rope, "Please catch it, I'll save you." If you don't catch, then whose fault it is? Kṛṣṇa comes directly, paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8), and He says: "Do it." If you don't do it, then whose fault it is? It is your fault. You don't catch it. Kṛṣṇa says: "Here is the rope. Catch it. I shall take it . . . take you out of this well." But if you don't catch it, then whose fault is it?

Mrs. Sahani: Excuse me, once you surrender to God, will you still have to look for an authority to guide you, or Kṛṣṇa helps you to find Him?

Prabhupāda: Yes, Kṛṣṇa is giving direction, but we have no such intelligence. Therefore Kṛṣṇa advises:

tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

(BG 4.34)

You go to a person who has seen the truth and you understand. Because they are not understanding Kṛṣṇa directly or through the agent, they are misled, they are misinterpreting. That is their folly. They'll not understand Kṛṣṇa directly, neither they'll understand through Kṛṣṇa's agent. Therefore they are misguided.