Rg Veda (Conversations and Letters)

Expressions researched:
"rg veda"

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Authentic literature, which is acceptable, is of various types. Just like Vedas. There are four Vedas: Sāma-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Atharva-Veda, Ṛg-Veda.

Room Conversation with Richard Webster, chairman, Societa Filosofica Italiana -- May 24, 1974, Rome:

Prabhupāda: Yes. And śrutayo vibhinnaḥ. Literatures are also, authentic literatures... Śrutayaḥ means authentic literature, which is acceptable. They are also various type. Just like Vedas. There are four Vedas: Sāma-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Atharva-Veda, Ṛg-Veda. Then the Upaniṣads are there. Then the Vedānta-sūtra is there. So if we study all this Vedic literature or any other similar literature, it is very difficult to find out the Absolute Truth. Śrutayo vibhinnaḥ. And if we take the philosophers, so one philosopher differs from another philosopher. Na cāsāv ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam. Therefore, to approach the Absolute Truth, God, is very difficult subject matter. Therefore our principle is mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Mahājana means the recognized persons, recognized by the Supreme Lord, such persons we follow. We have got a list of recognized persons, just like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, the Manu.

In the Ṛg Veda there is the name of Viṣṇu and Kṛṣṇa.

Room Conversation with Prof. Regamay, Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Lausanne -- June 4, 1974, Geneva:

Prof. Regamay: Now, one question still. Why in the Ṛg Veda there is not even the name of Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: Oh yes, Viṣṇu, there is. Viṣṇu and Kṛṣṇa, I have already. There is no difference.

Prof. Regamay: Viṣṇu, yes, but not the name of Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: No, in Atharva Veda there is name of Kṛṣṇa.

Prof. Regamay: Viṣṇu, yes, I know that the...

Prabhupāda: So it doesn't require that in every Veda there should be, because the Upaniṣads, they are impersonal study, negation of the material existence. That is negation. There is no positivity. So when you come to the positivity, then you can understand Kṛṣṇa.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam. Ṛg Veda. Viṣṇu is the Vedic Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Second Meeting with Mr. Dwivedi -- April 24, 1977, Bombay:

Mr. Dwivedi: I do not know much about it, but that's what I hear. And therefore you find more statues of Viṣṇu than Kṛṣṇa. But nobody might be stealing statues of Kṛṣṇa, and He might be still there with His cakra-sudarśana.

Prabhupāda: Tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam. Ṛg Veda. Viṣṇu... Oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. Viṣṇu is the Vedic Supreme Personality of Godhead.

1974 Correspondence

Regarding those professors who say that Siva is the Supreme, in the Rg Veda it is stated: "om tad visnoh paramam padam." The lotus feet of Visnu are the supreme devotional platform.

Letter to Satsvarupa -- Bombay 3 November, 1974:

Regarding those professors who say that Siva is the Supreme, in the Rg Veda it is stated: "om tad visnoh paramam padam." The lotus feet of Visnu are the supreme devotional platform. There Visnu is accepted as the Supreme. So there are 18 Puranas. Six of them are for persons in the modes of ignorance, some for those in passion, and the topmost are for those in goodness, the sattvic puranas. If one intelligently reads the Puranas and Vedas, then he can understand that Visnu is the Supreme Person. But, for those on the stage of ignorance and passion, sometimes such statements are there. So it depends on the quality of the nature of the person that one accepts Lord Siva or Lord Visnu as the Supreme, but one who studies scrutinizingly all the Vedic literature and who accepts the statements of the acaryas who guide the destiny of Vedic culture of India who all accept Visnu as the Supreme Person, then he will also have the same conclusion.