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Speculative (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- London, August 15, 1973:

Either you are engaged in the activities of karma or either you are engaged in the activities of speculative knowledge or acquiring knowledge, this is jñāna-kāṇḍa and karma-kāṇda. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that "Both these, jñāna-kāṇḍa and karma-kāṇḍa, are pots of poison. Either you drink this or that, it doesn't matter." Karma-kāṇḍa—according to karma you'll get a different body. Jñāna-kāṇḍa also. If you actually become very much advanced in knowledge, you can get a body in a brāhmaṇa family, in a very educated family. But I'll have to go through the transmigration of the soul, repetition of birth and death.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 7, 1966:

The subsequent commentators and interpreters... The difficulty is that wrong interpretation of the original text delude the audience. You see? So they are... The subsequent commentators and interpreters of the yoga reveals also a theoretical interest in God and discuss more fully the speculative problems as to the nature of God and the proof for the existence of God. They practically take up the speculative way. But Patañjali, as he is, he takes practically, that without devotion of God, there is no success of yoga. Thus the yoga system has come to have both a theoretical and practical interest in the divine will. According to the yoga, God is the Supreme Person. Now just see. This is authoritative statement. A Supreme Person. Did you ever hear...? You have been in so many yoga societies. Did you ever hear that God is the Supreme Person? Now just see.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 18, 1972:

So it is the science of understanding God. Yad vijñāna-samanvitam. Jñānaṁ te pravakṣyāmi yad vijñāna-samanvitam. It is a vijñāna. Vijñāna means science. As everything is understood thoroughly through a scientific process, similarly, if you want to know the science of God, then you have to adopt the process by which one can understand God. That process is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He says, "If anyone wants to understand Me, then he has to take the process of devotional service," not by the speculative process or by fruitive activities, or by yogic process, mystic yogic process. It is clearly stated. Not only in Bhagavad-gītā. In all other Vedic scripture.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 19, 1972:

There are two ways of acquiring knowledge, āroha-panthā and avaroha-panthā. Knowledge coming from the authorities, that is perfect knowledge. And knowledge acquired by experimental knowledge, that is not perfect. Because we are imperfect. Suppose a big professor, just like that Russian Professor Kotovsky, they are trying to understand things by so-called inductive process, or āroha-panthā, going up by one's speculation, by speculative method. But our process of knowledge, Vedic process of knowledge: tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Their knowledge should be taken from the authority. Do not manufacture knowledge. Because how you can manufacture perfect knowledge? You are imperfect. Your senses are imperfect.

Lecture on BG 2.16 -- Mexico City, February 16, 1975:

The karma is the binding. So long our mind is karma conscious, then we have to take another body. Therefore bhakti is defined, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11). Karma. People are very much enthusiastic to be engaged in karma, fruitive activities, and some of them are very eager to speculative knowledge. That is called jñāna. Therefore bhakti is jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). It must be uncovered by the speculative knowledge and fruitive activities. By karma, you are bound up to accept birth and death; by jñāna, you can be liberated for the time being, but you again fall down; but by bhakti, you are firmly fixed up in your spiritual platform.

Lecture on BG 2.23 -- Hyderabad, November 27, 1972:

So another place it is said in the Brahma-saṁhitā: vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). Vedeṣu. If you simply study Vedas, although the ultimate goal of studying Veda is to know Kṛṣṇa, but if you want to study Vedas by your own speculative process, then He'll always remain rare. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). But if you approach a devotee of the Lord, he can deliver. He can deliver. Mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-'bhiṣekaṁ niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat, naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim (SB 7.5.32). Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "You cannot have Kṛṣṇa consciousness..." Naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not so easy. You cannot have it unless you surrender yourself. Niṣkiñcanānām, mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-'bhiṣekaṁ niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat. So long you do not take the dust of the lotus feet of a devotee, niṣkiñcanānām, who has nothing to do with this material world—he's simply concerned with the service of the Lord—unless you are in touch with such a person, it is not possible to attain Kṛṣṇa consciousness. These are the statements of the śāstra.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Montreal, August 24, 1968:

In the beginning he considered that "If I kill my kinsmen and my grandfather I'll be sinful." Yes. But the same thing he acted under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa wanted. So he's free. So karma-yogī means he is free from the reaction of activities. He is karma-yogī. Similarly jñāna-yogī. Somebody is addicted to work very hard. Somebody is addicted to speculate philosophically. So for the speculator, Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). The persons who are addicted to speculative knowledge, after many, many births, he comes to the understanding: vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19), "Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is everything." That means termination of knowledge. That is jñāna-yoga.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Bombay, March 25, 1974:

So what is that? Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). Jñāna and karma and bhakti. Bhakti is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam, but jñāna is abhilāṣi..., there is desire for liberation, to become one with the Supreme. So that also should be given up. Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). Not covered by the speculative process or fruitive activities. Jñāna-karma.... ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam. Simply favorably cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Ānukūlyena... That is bhaktir uttamā. That is first-class bhakti. And if it is mixed up, anyābhi..., with material desire or spiritual emancipation or fruitive activities, then it is not pure devotee.

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Bombay, March 28, 1974:

Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). Even we should not speculate so-called knowledge. What kind of knowledge we can get? We are deficient, imperfect in so many ways. So what is the use of speculating, of our knowledge? Therefore jñāna. And karma, fruitive activities. "Let me work hard and get the result and enjoy." This is called karma. And jñāna means speculative knowledge. So Rūpa Gosvāmī says, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11). Simply cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness favorably. Not unfavorably.

Lecture on BG 4.11 -- Bombay, March 31, 1974:

For the jñānīs, those who are seeking out the Absolute Truth by speculative knowledge, they want to make these varieties of material world as void. The Buddha philosophy, śūnyavādi. Because they are disgusted with these material varieties, therefore they want something opposite. That opposite is voidism, śūnyavāda. The śūnyavāda or, little more further, that is brahmavāda, without any varieties, simply the light, brahma-jyotir. This is also another realization. Śūnyavāda, to make this material world null and void, they come to the impersonal Brahman effulgence. This is Brahman realization.

Lecture on BG 4.11 -- Geneva, June 1, 1974:

Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā you will find, Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19), which means, "After many, many births, the jñānīs, after speculative knowledge, when actually they come to the platform of knowledge, they surrender unto Me or they understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

The next line is, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). One who can understand Kṛṣṇa, whose another name is Vāsudeva, so He is everything, He is the origin of everything, one who can understand, He is supposed to be mahātmā, the liberated soul, or the great soul. Mahātmā. Mahā means great. Ātmā means soul. But sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. It is very difficult to find out such mahātmā. So the Kṛṣṇa devotees who are engaged in these missionary activities, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they are not ordinary persons. They are mahātmā, but very rarely to be found. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. So although everyone is searching after Kṛṣṇa, either in impersonal Brahman or localized Paramātmā, the person who has understood Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, he is the greatest, I mean to say, successful man within this world.

Lecture on BG 4.23 -- Bombay, April 12, 1974:

So the best thing is that we should be submissive. We should not be proud. That will not help us. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatām. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. The so-called speculative knowledge should be given up. Jñāne prayāsam, namanta eva. Just be submissive. Namanta eva. Śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva, san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām. San-mukharitām, those who are perfectly saint.... Just like Vyāsadeva, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, san-mukharitām. They have accepted.... Caitanya Mahāprabhu.... San-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām. In this way we can understand, we can take the lesson, everything is clear.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Diego, July 1, 1972:

"When one gives up this nonsense speculative process..." Everyone is speculating. The scientist, philosopher, everyone is speculating, just to show himself that he has grown very learned, he can put some theory. So this is first rejected. Brahmā... Brahmā says. Brahmā's experience... He's the topmost living creature within this universe. He said that "When a person will give up this nonsense habit of speculation..." Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. He must become submissive. One should not pose himself that he knows something, he can speculate something, he can invent something. Just like the so-called scientists, they are simply speculating and wasting labor. Nothing can be done by you. Everything is already arranged. You cannot change. You can simply see how the law is working; so much you can do. But neither you can change the law, you can make a better facility for the law. No. That you cannot do. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Duratyayā means it is very difficult. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He was informed this statement of Brahmā, that one should give up the speculative method, that he can create something... These nonsense habits should be given up. He must become very humble. Humbler than the grass. Just like we trample over the grass; it does not protest. "All right, sir, you go." That type of humble. Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. Taru means tree. Tree is so much forbearing.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Diego, July 1, 1972:

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva... "Or then I, I give up the speculative process and I become humbler, as you advise. Then what is My next duty?" Next duty is: namanta eva, being humble, san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām, you should approach a person who is a devotee, and you should hear from him. Sthāne sthitāḥ. You remain in your place. You remain American. You remain Indian. You remain Christian. You remain a Hindu. You remain black. You remain white. You remain woman, man, whatever you are. Simply you lend your ear to the discourses given by realized souls. This is recommended. And when you hear, then you contemplate also. Just like you are hearing me. If you contemplate that "What Swamiji said...?" Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. Śruti-gatām. Śruti means just receiving through the ear.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Calcutta, January 27, 1973:

So attachment is there. Now this attachment has to be employed on Kṛṣṇa. That yoga system, kṛṣṇa-yoga system, is described in this Bhagavad-gītā, Seventh Chapter: mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ, asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ mām (BG 7.1). Asaṁśayam, "without any doubt." In any other process, you cannot understand what is God in full sense. That is not possible. By speculating process... There are so many speculators, theosophist, theologist, philosopher, Māyāvādī. They are speculating about God by... But that, by that process, by speculative process, you cannot understand God. That is not possible.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Calcutta, January 27, 1973:

If you want to know Kṛṣṇa or God by the speculative process, not only for one year, two years... Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi. Not mental speculation, but on the aeroplane running on the speed of vāyu, or air, or mind, the speed of mind, still, by traversing many crores of years, you cannot reach. Still it, it remains avicintya, inconceivable. But if you take to the process of this kṛṣṇa-yoga, or bhakti-yoga, then you can become aware of Kṛṣṇa very easily. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). To understand Kṛṣṇa superficially, that is not sufficient. That is also good, but you must have tattvataḥ, what is Kṛṣṇa actually. That knowledge can be achieved—bhaktyā, by this kṛṣṇa-yoga.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Calcutta, January 27, 1973:

Out of these persons who are following the Vedic principles, mostly they're attached to karma-kāṇḍa, ritualistic ceremonies. So out of many millions of persons engaged in ritualistic ceremony, one becomes advanced in knowledge. They are called jñānīs, or speculative philosophers. Not karmīs, but jñānīs. So out of many millions of such jñānīs, one becomes mukta, liberated. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). This is liberated stage. One who is Brahman realized soul, he has nothing to lament or nothing to hanker. Because in the karmī stage we have got two diseases: hankering and lamenting. Whatever you have got, if it is lost, then I lament. "Oh, I got this and that and it is now lost."

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Sydney, February 16, 1973:

So in every way we are dependent on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When we speak of Kṛṣṇa, we mean the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So here, Kṛṣṇa is teaching Himself, God is teaching Himself, what is God, what is the science of God. You cannot speculate on the science of God: "God may be like this. God may be like that." No. You have to know God from God Himself. Just like you cannot speculate about the position of a very big man. Suppose there is a very big man in your country. If you speculate about him at home, the knowledge is never perfect. It cannot be. Speculative knowledge is never perfect, especially when you imagine something about somebody. That is all humbug; it has no meaning. So God cannot be realized by speculation. But here is a chance wherein God is speaking about Himself, so you can understand what is God.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Sydney, February 16, 1973:

That is the yogic, yogic principle, to think of the Supreme within the heart. He is there within the heart. Both the living entity, individual living entity and God, is sitting within this heart. That's a fact. We have to search it out, catch Him by yogic process. So those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth by speculative method, they come to the conclusion of impersonalism. And those who are trying to capture the Supreme Personality of Godhead within the heart—yogis, Paramātmā—they understand Kṛṣṇa or God as Paramātmā, the Supersoul. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). You will find in the Bhagavad-gītā. Īśvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is sitting in everyone's heart. Not only human beings, even animals, everyone. So that feature is called Paramātmā.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, December 20, 1975:

Of course these things we are not going to discuss, but bhakti means no desire. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Then bhakti is very easy. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). People are very busy for knowledge and fruitive activities. Everyone in Bombay is working so hard day and night to get some result, and the jñānīs, when they are disgusted, they try to become jñānī. Jñānī generally means one who wants liberation, mukti, by merging into the existence. Bhakti is above this jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). If you want to become a bhakta then you have to disregard the process of fruitive activities and the speculative method of understanding God, jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). Then what I have to do? Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā. Simply you have to be ready to execute the order of Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān. Ānukūlyena, what Kṛṣṇa says, you have to do that, just like a servant. Servant faithfulness is, as soon as the master orders something, he is ready. You have to become.

Lecture on BG 7.1-2 -- Bombay, March 28, 1971:

So here it is stated by Kṛṣṇa, mayy āsakta-manāḥ. How we can become attached to Kṛṣṇa? You have to think over. Kṛṣṇa's different features, His name, His quality, His pastimes, His form, His entourage—so many things—you can simply think over. That is practical and actual meditation. If you study Vedic literature, you get so many information about Kṛṣṇa. And all these will be revealed to you. Svayam eva. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). We cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by our speculative knowledge. If we try to do that, then we can approach up to the impersonal Brahman feature of Kṛṣṇa. Brahmeti. That is not full Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa's partial realization. Brahman realization means Kṛṣṇa's partial realization. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, brahmaṇo 'haṁ pratiṣṭhā: "The Brahman, the all-pervading Brahman, impersonal Brahman, is situated in Me." That's a fact.

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Ahmedabad, December 14, 1972:

Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). So this knowledge, this process of knowledge, is received by submissive mood. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. One has to give up the false prestigious position that "I can understand God and everything by my speculative, experimental knowledge." This is called jñāne prayāsam. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. One should be submissive, san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām, and try to hear the message of the Lord from san-mukharitām, sādhu, devotees, san-mukha..., not professional. Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī has strictly forbidden: avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyam. Avaiṣṇava, those who are not practically Vaiṣṇava, devotee, in practical life, professional person, there is no use. Avaiṣṇava. There must be heart and soul Vaiṣṇava. Avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam. Hari-kathā, the words about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, certainly that is amṛtam. But still, it should not be heard from a person who is not a devotee.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Bombay, February 18, 1974:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa said in the beginning of this chapter that jñānaṁ me. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam (BG 7.2). It is a great science. It is not a speculative; it is not imagination. Just like sometimes they create imagined God. The impersonalists, they think there is no God. "God is not personal, but is impersonal. So you can imagine any form." That is rascaldom. That is not Kṛṣṇa; that is not God. How, with your limited senses, imperfect senses, you can imagine God? Whatever you imagine, that is rascaldom, that is not Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ (BG 7.3). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa, then you must become Kṛṣṇa's devotee.

Lecture on BG 7.11-12 -- Bombay, February 25, 1974:

He does not know. Kṛṣṇa can be known by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa tattvataḥ, in truth, then you have to go through this bhakti process, not by your speculative process. Kṛṣṇa is not open to your sensual gratification. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). He cannot be revealed to anyone and everyone. Yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ. He's covered. Just like at night we cannot see the sun. That does not mean the sun is not in the sky. This is foolishness. If somebody thinks, "Now we cannot see the sun. Therefore sun is gone, dead..." Formerly people used to think like that. What is that? Some people? Used to think that sun is dead? So Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. As sun is always there in the sky, Now it is, say, half-past eight. So the morning, half-past eight, is also there, present. In America it is half-past eight, morning. There you'll see sun. So because at night in India, in Bombay, half-past eight we cannot see the sun, it does not mean the sun is finished. If you go to America, in Los Angeles, you'll see the sun. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is always present. Simply you have to prepare your eyes to see Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 7.28-8.6 -- New York, October 23, 1966:

The śāstra says that knowledge... Because our receptive power of knowledge is very limited... We are not perfect. Our senses are not perfect. Therefore whatever we acquire by these blunt senses, they cannot be perfect. The direction is, therefore, tarkaḥ apratiṣṭhaḥ: "If you want to reach to the ultimate conclusion simply by arguments and speculation, that is not possible." Because argumentative power is a special gift. Suppose you can argue very nicely. That's all. I cannot. But somebody may come—he's more powerful in arguments. He can defeat you. So don't depend on your speculative function or arguments. Don't depend on that. They're all imperfect. Tarkaḥ apratiṣṭhaḥ. These are the directions of higher authorities.

Lecture on BG 10.2-3 -- New York, January 1, 1967:

Persons... Let them remain in their own position but adopt this principle. What is that? The principle is that jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. Give up this nonsense speculation, volumes of books. The world is producing every year volumes of books, and they're useless. After six months that is useless, thrown. So don't take to that speculative process, this way and that way, this way and that way, because our senses are limited. How you can have the Supreme Truth known by these imperfect blunt senses?

So my senses, my speculative power may be greater than you, and another person's speculative power may be greater than me, but nobody can... Here it is clearly stated, na me sura-gaṇāḥ viduḥ. What you are? You are human being. Even the sura-gaṇāḥ and the great sages, they cannot.

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Bombay, September 25, 1973:

So in the modern world every knowledge is speculative, hypothetical. There is no perfect knowledge. So if you want to be perfectly in knowledge, then you have to take knowledge from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is here delivered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa in the form of Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore Arjuna is asking this question so that people may receive the perfect knowledge from Kṛṣṇa and their life may be perfect in that way.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Hyderabad, April 19, 1974:

Arjuna is disciple, and Kṛṣṇa is the teacher. The disciple submissively inquired from the teacher about knowledge. That is the Vedic injunction. You cannot have knowledge, I cannot have knowledge, without teacher. By speculative advancement, one cannot come to the real platform of knowledge. At the present moment, so many philosophers, scientists, they are trying to advance in knowledge by speculation. "I think," "In my opinion," "Perhaps," like this. These things are going on. Big, big philosophers, scientists, they give their opinion. "I think like this." Everybody is thinking, "I think..." And it is being supported. Knowledge means anyone can think in any way, and at the present moment that is being accepted as knowledge.

Just like at the present moment, amongst the scientists the knowledge is going on that life is made of matter, from matter, chemical evolution theory. And such person also being awarded with Nobel prize. He is going on on the wrong field of knowledge, that life is product of matter; by combination of matter, life is produced. It is not knowledge. It is ignorance. But by speculative process, one is writing a big volume of books and he is getting Nobel Prize.

Lecture on BG 13.18 -- Bombay, October 12, 1973:

Because we are so much influenced by the material world, especially in this age of Kali, the age of misunderstanding and quarreling, that people are... Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ. In this age their life is very short. Span of life is very short. And manda, all bad, not good men. Manda. And even there are so-called good men, they have their own process of knowledge, speculative process, godless. The main basic principle of speculative process is to avoid Kṛṣṇa, to avoid God. There are so many commentaries on Bhagavad-gītā to make Kṛṣṇa nil. That is mental speculation. Somebody is saying that in the there is karma only recommended. Somebody says jñāna. Somebody says yoga. Somebody says bhakti.

Lecture on BG 13.26 -- Bombay, October 25, 1973:

When he proposed this verse, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, "Yes, this is nice. This is nice." What is that meaning? Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. Because you are no better than an animal, so what is the value of your speculative knowledge? Jñāne prayāsam. Don't endeavor in this speculative way. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. Give it up. Namanta eva. Just become namra humble, humble and meek. Lord Jesus Christ also said, "The Kingdom of God is for the humble and meek."

Lecture on BG 15.1 -- Bombay, October 28, 1973:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). After studying Vedas, speculative knowledge, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān, when one is actually a wise man, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate, he surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. Why? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). Because Kṛṣṇa is everything. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. Whatever we see, whatever we experience, that is, everything, Kṛṣṇa's energy. This material world is also expansion of Kṛṣṇa's energy. Similarly, the spiritual world is also expansion of Kṛṣṇa's energy. The brahma-jyotir is also expansion of Kṛṣṇa's energy. Paramātmā is also expansion of Kṛṣṇa's plenary portion. In this way, when one understands perfectly well that whatever we are experiencing, that is Kṛṣṇa's energies.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 16, 1971:

There are many places. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. To understand God, Brahmā says, jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. Leaving, giving up this nonsense habit of speculation, "God is like this, God is like that," prayāsam, jñāne prayāsam... The jñānīs, they are discriminating, "No, this is not God." The scientists, they will say, "This is the fact." And then, one year after, "No, this is not fact. Now we have improved, another." And again, three years after, they will say another. There is no standard knowledge. What is the final knowledge, they do not know. Therefore these kind of speculative habits or scientific research is simply waste of time. They cannot understand what is the ultimate truth.

Lecture on SB 1.2.11 -- Tirupati, April 26, 1974:

So brahmeti paramātmeti. If we try to understand the Absolute Truth, then we can approach only up to the impersonal feature. Just like if we simply want to come to the light, so we can see the sunshine is light. But if we want to study what is the sun globe and if we want to study what is the predominating deity in the sun globe, that is different thing. That is, simply coming to the light, sunshine, will not help you. You must have strength and process to go to the sun globe. The same example: One can understand impersonal Brahman by dint of his speculative knowledge, but he cannot understand Paramātmā, who is situated in everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣ... (BG 18.61). That is Paramātmā feature. That Paramātmā feature is also one fourth expansion of Kṛṣṇa's personal existence.

Lecture on SB 1.5.9-11 -- New Vrindaban, June 6, 1969:

"I am doing something, I must enjoy this result. I must be enjoyer." This is called jñāna-karma. "Oh, I must try to understand Kṛṣṇa by my speculative method." Why? Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself. Why don't you try to understand Him in that way? Nonsense. (chuckling) What speculative power you have got? Simply you'll commit blunder. Why? Kṛṣṇa says, "I am this, I am this, I am that, I am that." In the Bhagavad-gītā, explains. God says. Why don't you understand Him as He says? If I say that "I am from India. My birthplace is in Calcutta. I have got five children. I was formerly a businessman," then why do you understand to speculate about me? What is the use of this speculation? If you actually want to know what Swamiji is, Swamiji says that "I was householder, and I was doing medical business. I have got five children. And this and that." So that is sufficient. Why do you want to know Swamiji by speculation? Similarly, these rascals will try to understand Kṛṣṇa by speculation. No. There is no need. Paramahaṁsa. That is paramahaṁsa stage.

Lecture on SB 1.5.14 -- New Vrindaban, June 18, 1969:

Now we are discussing instruction of Nārada to his disciple, Vyāsadeva. Such a learned scholar, Vyāsadeva. He's known as Vedavyāsa, the authority on all Vedic literature. And he's supposed to be incarnation of Nārāyaṇa, exalted position. Still, he requires the instruction of a spiritual master. That is the way of Vedic way. Avaroha-panthā, āroha-panthā. Āroha-panthā means inductive process. To know from here, from the lower status to the higher status, speculative method, or ascending process. And avaroha-panthā is deductive process, getting knowledge from higher authorities. So our Vedic understanding is to receive knowledge from the authorities. That is perfect knowledge.

Lecture on SB 1.5.30 -- Vrndavana, August 11, 1974:

These things are unknown. It is simply known to the, I mean to say, devotees. Why it is monopolized by the devotees? That is also answered in the Bhagavad-gītā: bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to know what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa, then you have to go through this bhakti-mārga, or devotional... There is no other way. Kṛṣṇa never says that He can be known through speculation or cultivation of so-called speculative knowledge. No. Then He would have said "Through jñāna one can understand Me." No. Neither karma one can understand. Neither yoga.

Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, April 18, 1975:

So when Nārada instructed that "You write something which will help people to understand the Supreme," then he engaged himself in bhakti-yoga because you cannot understand the supreme truth without engaging yourself in devotional service. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Only through devotion, submission, surrender you can understand Kṛṣṇa, not by your so-called scholarship or research work, no. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Kṛṣṇa never said, "By cultivating knowledge, speculative knowledge, one can understand Me," no. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). So therefore Vyāsadeva engaged himself in bhakti-yoga to understand the Supreme Truth.

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Mayapura, October 12, 1974:

But brahma satyam is fact, but because they are trying to understand Brahman by their speculative method, they cannot understand Brahman. Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi, jānāti tattvam (SB 10.14.29). You can understand the Supreme Brahman... Simply understanding Brahman will not give you satisfaction. Simply understanding ahaṁ brahmāsmi, this will not... Suppose if you have got money, and you are aware that you are very rich man. So simply thinking that you are very rich man and you see your money in the treasury, you'll be happy? No. When the money is utilized in so many ways for your gratification, then you are happy. Similarly, simple understanding, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, this realization, will not make you happy. You have to utilize his Brahman's position. That means bhakti. This is called śānta-rasa, simply to understand ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is called śānta-rasa. You must develop further. That is called dāsya-rasa, to become the servant of the Supreme Brahman.

Lecture on SB 1.8.44 -- Mayapura, October 24, 1974:

"One should not very much endeavor to speculate, speculating process." Just like these theosophists, the philosophers, the scientists. They, instead of having direct knowledge from the superior, they, more or less, speculate. So one has to give up this speculating habit. If one thinks that "I know. I am very educated. I am very advanced. I can discover what is God," that is not possible. That is not possible. Athāpi te deva-padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi jānāti tattvam (SB 10.14.29). You cannot understand God by your speculative method. Big, big scholars, they have speculated about Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. Misled, they could not understand.

Lecture on SB 1.8.45 -- Los Angeles, May 7, 1973:

So they are getting... In Zurich, we saw that every bank is by television giving the quotation, of price quotation. That city is very speculative. They are speculating on the price of gold and they purchase and sell, so they must know the price of the gold, every moment, how the market is changing. Their brain is always in that way.

Lecture on SB 1.10.20 -- London, May 24, 1973:

So Vedānta means the, the ultimate platform of acquiring knowledge, up to this. So that "up to this" is Kṛṣṇa. That if you talk of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you talk of all the Vedas. Sarva-śruti-mano-haraḥ. You talk of Vedic knowledge, but if you simply talk of Vedic knowledge, it becomes dry, speculative. But if you talk of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's līlā, Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, then it becomes simultaneously discussion of Vedic knowledge, at the same time, very beautiful. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is described here: uttama-śloka. Kṛṣṇa is never described by ordinary verses.

Lecture on SB 1.15.1 -- New York, November 29, 1973:

Pradyumna: "Translation. Sūta Gosvāmī said: Arjuna, the celebrated friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa, was grief stricken because of his strong feeling of separation from Kṛṣṇa, over and above all Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's speculative inquiries." (SB 1.15.1)

Prabhupāda: So evaṁ kṛṣṇa sakhaḥ kṛṣṇo. Arjuna's name is Kṛṣṇa Sakha, and he is also called sometimes Kṛṣṇa, because Arjuna's bodily feature was almost similar to Kṛṣṇa's bodily feature. So, he was morose, being separated from Kṛṣṇa, and his elder brother was suggesting whether he was morose for this reason or that reason or this reason. Actually, he was unhappy on account of being separated from Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, not only Arjuna, all of us, we are also, as Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, he is also a living entity, we are also living entity. So we are also unhappy, because we are separated from Kṛṣṇa. These modern philosophers or scientists, they may suggest that they may go on thinking otherwise that they can improve the world situation in their own way, but that is not possible. We are unhappy on account of being separated from Kṛṣṇa. They do not know that. Just like a child, a child is crying, nobody can say why he is crying, but actually a child is generally in crying condition being separated from the mother.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Paris, June 9, 1974:

They're searching out God. Since the beginning, they're searching out. And so many leaders came and gone, but they are searching out. And they will go on searching out for lives together. But it is not a thing to be searched out. It is not ordinary thing, not material thing. You know...

athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-
prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi
jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno
na cānya eko 'pi ciraṁ vicinvan
(SB 10.14.29)

Ciraṁ vicinvan. For forever, millions of years, if you speculate, to understand what is God, it is not possible. It is not a subject matter of speculative knowledge. No. It is to be received through the right source, deductive process, not inductive process. Because our senses are limited. We cannot have any perfect idea on account of our senses being limited. We cannot see.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Paris, June 9, 1974:

So you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, or God, or His abode by the speculative, ascending process. That is not possible. You have to inquire from. Therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "What is my duty now I am going to die?" He was cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy to die within seven days. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was quite competent to counteract the curse of the brāhmaṇa boy, but he decided that "I shall die." Because he thought that "I offended the boy's father by encircling a dead snake on the neck of the ṛṣi. So his son became angry that 'You have insulted my father. You die with this snake.' " So he accepted.

Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Vrndavana, March 17, 1974:

Anyway, so these six Gosvāmīs, we have to follow. Now, this is... Not śrotavyādīni rājendra... (SB 2.1.2). We are not interested with this bodily concept of life and... Although we have got this body, but we, we do not think that body is all in all, mind is the..., mental speculative... No. The Gosvāmīs, they are described, how the Gosvāmīs, six Gosvāmīs. First gosvāmī, the first qualification is sense control. Vāco vegaṁ krodha-vegam udara-vegam upastha-vegam manasa-vegam. In this way, six kinds of vega, urge. Urge for talking, vāco vegam; krodha, or anger; mind, and that belly, stomach, and then genital. They are forcing. They are forcing. Material life means these six senses are forcing us to remain in the material... But a gosvāmī means one who has control over these six urges of the senses. Etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ (NOI 1). As soon as one is practiced to control the urges of the senses, then he becomes a gosvāmī. That is the first definition of gosvāmī. Etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ. Being forced by the urges of these six senses... And there are so many people. They are being criminally charged, police inquiries, and still, they are gosvāmīs. So this is not good. Gosvāmī should be very ideal. We have given title "Gosvāmī." So you must be very ideal. Ideal is there—six Gosvāmīs.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Los Angeles, August 13, 1972:

This is very important. Ante nārāyaṇa. Ante means at the end of your life. The ante nārāyaṇa. Etad, etad, etāvān sāṅkhya-yogābhyām. Sāṅkhya-yogābhyām. Sāṅkhya means those who are inclined to discuss about self-realization through philosophical or speculative way. They are called sāṅkhya. And yogi... You know, in your countries, yoga practice is very popular. But this yoga practice is also difficult also. Anyway, those who are interested in yoga practice, for them also. Not that only for the devotees.

Lecture on SB 2.3.11-12 -- Los Angeles, May 29, 1972:

Word meaning? (synonyms read) Jñānaṁ yadā pratinivṛtta-guṇormi-cakram. Knowledge, progressive knowledge, so, when it comes to the real standard, yadā, jñānaṁ yadā, when the knowledge or speculative empiric knowledge, pratinivṛtta-guṇormi-cakram, no more affected by the waves of these modes of nature ... Our present conditioned stage is due to our being carried away by the waves of material nature. We are being carried away. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has translated in his song, keno māyār bośe, jāccho bhese', Khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi. "Why you are being carried away by the waves of māyā, and sometimes drowned and sometimes on the surface? Why you are taking so much trouble?" Jīv kṛṣṇa-dās, e biśwās, korle to' ār duḥkho nāi. As soon as you take it... It is a fact, but you are misled. It is a fact that you are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, but artificially you are thinking that you are master. You are master, you are God, you are enjoyer, you are this, you are that.

Lecture on SB 3.25.31 -- Bombay, December 1, 1974:

This evening we were talking about Bhagavad-gītā, that Bhagavad-gītā is understood by the descending process, as Kṛṣṇa said. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that this yoga system... Bhagavad-gītā is also yoga system. That is bhakti-yoga. Although there are description of karma, jñāna, and the mystic yoga and ultimately bhakti-yoga, but actually it is meant for bhakti-yoga, the Bhagavad-gītā. Those who are jñānīs, speculative, for them also, it is described. And those who are haṭha-yogīs, they are also described there. But ultimately, the conclusion is bhakti-yoga. Just like in the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā the yoga system is described. The yoga system is described, that one has to go in a secluded place, and he has to sit down straight, right angular, and see the front portion of the nose, and the eyes half closed. In this way the haṭha-yoga system, or aṣṭāṅga-yoga system, is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. But when Arjuna said that "This system of yoga is very difficult for me.

Lecture on SB 3.25.31 -- Bombay, December 1, 1974:

So speculative knowledge cannot be perfect. Just like we are sitting here. If there is some sound on the roof... Now we are, say, one hundred persons sitting here. We can speculate that "This sound may be for this reason." That, all of them, may be imperfect, and if somebody says from the roof that "This sound was caused for this reason," that is perfect. That is perfect because he has got direct experience. That I was speaking in the evening, that you have to accept Bhagavad-gītā by this āmnāya-patha. Tattva āmnāyam. Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna that this bhagavad-bhakti-yoga or Bhagavad-gītā yoga... That is a yoga. Yoga means which connects, and viyoga means which disconnect. So we are now disconnected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Now we have to connect again our relationship. That is called yoga. That yoga is described in the Bhagavad-gītā as karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga, and aṣṭāṅga-yoga, and at last bhakti-yoga.

Lecture on SB 3.26.15 -- Bombay, December 24, 1974:

What is that? Māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate (BG 14.26). You just engage yourself in bhakti-yoga process, mām avyabhicāreṇa, without any mixture, without any deviation. And how it can be, deviation? Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), without any material desire, without any motive. Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167), not mixed up with fruitive activities or speculative knowledge-pure, simple.

You cannot bring Kṛṣṇa under your speculative knowledge, avan manasa-gocaraḥ, because He is beyond the scope of the activities of the mind, Adhokṣaja. Therefore don't try to bring Kṛṣṇa within your speculative knowledge. Speculative knowledge, how can you go? That is Dr. Frog. Dr. Frog cannot... Frog is in the well, three-feet well, and how he can imagine about the Atlantic Ocean? It is not possible. Avan manasa-gocaraḥ. So don't try to speculate upon God. You will never find God. If you want to go by the speculative knowledge, trying to find out what is God just like the theosophist and many other societies—they do that, speculating—you cannot reach God by speculation. That is not. Because your senses are limited. How you can reach God, the unlimited, by speculative knowledge? That is not possible.

Lecture on SB 3.26.15 -- Bombay, December 24, 1974:

Therefore bhakti means karma-jñāna-anāvṛtam. Anyābhilaṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (Brs. 1.1.11). Don't try to approach God with your so-called speculative knowledge and fruitive activities, as people are trying to do. It is not possible. You may, by such activities, you can come to the platform of this sattva-guṇa, sattva-guṇa. But that is also guṇa. You remain saguṇa. You are not nirguṇa. But you require to be nirguṇa. That is bhakti.

Lecture on SB 3.26.18 -- Bombay, December 27, 1974:

That is not sanctioned, because even one is jñānī, he has to learn Kṛṣṇa after many, many births; not in one life, but many, many life. If he persists to understand what is the Absolute Truth by his jñāna method, by his speculative method, then still he will have to change many, many births. Then one day he may be fortunate. If he comes in contact with a devotee, then it may be possible for him to understand Kṛṣṇa.

That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). Who is prapadyate? Who surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. Unless one understands Kṛṣṇa perfectly, why one should surrender? Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Big, big scholars they, "It is too much," they say. "It is too much. Kṛṣṇa is demanding, mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. This is too much." This is not too much; this is the real position. If he is actually advanced in his knowledge... Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). That is not attainable in one life. If he persists in knowledge, understanding of the Absolute Truth, then, after many, many births, when he is actually in knowledge, then he surrenders to Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:

This is our voluntary work. If we want to be detached... Because Kṛṣṇa is so kind, if you have got even a little pinch of attachment for this material world, you are not allowed to enter into the kingdom of God. You must be completely free. Therefore, bhakti-yoga is enunciated by Rūpa Goswami: anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Śūnyam means zero. All kinds of material desires should be made into zero. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). Jñāna, speculative method for understanding the Absolute Truth, as the Māyāvādīs, they are speculating, "This is not, this is not, this is not." Neti neti. This is jñāna.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- San Francisco, March 1, 1967:

So if we read different scriptures, then we are also bewildered and we cannot come to the conclusions by arguments. And nāsau munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam. And if you read different speculative methods or philosophical doctrines, that is also different from one another. Because the philosophy, one philosopher is big philosopher if he can defy his predecessor philosophers. Matam na bhinnam. Therefore, dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyām. Therefore the truth of a religious path is in oblivion. How one can understand what is actual Absolute Truth, what is the religious path? The last instruction is mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Therefore you have to follow the footprints of authority.

Lecture on SB 6.1.9 -- Los Angeles, June 22, 1975:

I have already explained that there are three ways, karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa, and upāsanā-kāṇḍa. Therefore Veda is called trayī, three kinds of activities. So devotees, they are not in the karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa. He is not pure devotee. Bhakti means jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam: (CC Madhya 19.167) "There is no touch of this fruitive activities or speculative knowledge." The devotees do not accept this.

Lecture on SB 6.1.10 -- Honolulu, May 11, 1976:

They are going on, passing resolution after resolution and laws after laws, but things are in the same position. They are not changing. Therefore it cannot be checked in that way. Karmaṇā karma-nirhāra. Now Śukadeva Gosvāmī is suggesting the platform of speculative knowledge. When it has failed that a thief repeatedly committing criminal activities, repeatedly he is being punished but he is not corrected, then what is the remedy? That is vimarśanam, speculative knowledge. Progressing from karma-kāṇḍa to jñāna-kāṇḍa, he is proposing prāyaścittaṁ vimarśanam: real atonement is full knowledge. One should be given knowledge.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Los Angeles, June 6, 1976:

So here is explanation by the Yamadūtas. The Yamadūtas were not very advanced so far their position was there. They were very odd-looking and not to be supposed very civilized—uneducated—but how they are explaining about dharma? Because the challenge was that "If you are the servants of Dharmarāja, then explain what is dharma." It doesn't matter whether a man is civilized or uncivilized or good-looking or bad-looking, but if he has got proper guide, then he can speak the right thing. This is the ... Yamarāja ūcuḥ. They're not manufacturing anything. They're saying iti śuśruma. Iti śuśruma, "We have heard it from our master." This is knowledge. They are not expected to manufacture something speculative. They are neither educated nor civilized nor... Nothing of the sort. But they are talking of the source of religion, how they have heard it from the authority, Yamarāja.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Los Angeles, June 6, 1976:

Then Caitanya Mahāprabhu said..., uh, Rāmānanda Rāya said, quoting from the Vedas, jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtāṁ (sthāne sthitāḥ) śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṇ-manobhir (ye) prāyaśo 'jita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokyām. "If you want to know who is God, what is God, then give up your, this speculative endeavor." Jñāne prayāsam. Prayāsa means endeavor: "May be like this," "Perhaps like this." No. You give up this habit. Jñane prayāsam udapāsya, give up this bad habit. Then? How? Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva: "Just become humble and meek. Don't declare yourself a great philosopher or great learned scholar and..." No. That is not the process. "Now I am a learned scholar, I can discover God, I can manufacture God." No. Give up this bad habit. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya—be humble. If you want to know God, then be humble. In the Bible also it is said, "God is for the meek and the humble," not for the impudent.

Lecture on SB 6.1.56-62 -- Surat, January 3, 1971, at Adubhai Patel's House:

By worshiping Lord, one should not ask for any material benediction. Why they should? That is not the proper... That is not pure devotion. Pure devotion means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), no material desire, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167), without any coverage of fruitive activities and speculative knowledge. Because the real purpose of successful life is to invoke your dormant love for Kṛṣṇa. That is the perfection of life. Caitanya Mahāprabhu... Premā pum-artho mahān. That is the highest perfection. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). That is first-class religion, pursuing which one can develop his dormant love for God. That is first-class religion.

Lecture on SB 6.3.20-23 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971:

So dharma, this religion, so although it is very difficult to understand, still, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, it has been made very simple and easy. Unfortunately, people have no faith. They do not believe. They think something cumberous, something speculative, something very difficult is the process of executing religion. No. Yamarāja says that etāvān eva loke 'smin puṁsāṁ dharmaḥ paraḥ smṛtaḥ: "The highest principle of religion is this." What is that? Bhakti-yogaḥ bhagavati. Bhakti-yoga. One may... Just like some people, some foolish say, "Bhakti-yoga... I have got very much devotion to Goddess Kālī, to Goddess Durgā, or so many demigods. This is also bhakti." No. Bhakti-yoga means bhagavati. Love means love of Godhead. Otherwise, there is no love—only lust.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

Everyone's duty, the point of perfection is saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13), whether by your duty you have satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the duty. Then it is perfect. You are a great scientist? Very good. But if you can prove scientifically that there is God, that is successful. Otherwise, it is nonsense. If you prove that there is no God, God is dead by scientific method, it is simply lunacy, craziness. That's all. Similarly, if you are philosopher, very expert in mental speculation and writing volumes of books, speculative, but if you can prove that there is God, then your philosophy is perfect. Any line you take.

Lecture on SB 7.6.20-23 -- Washington D.C., July 3, 1976:

So here, our position in this material world: darkness. We are simply speculating in so many ways what is the ultimate cause. There are so many philosophers, but they are speculating only without any definite knowledge. So śāstra says that speculative knowledge will not be successful at any time. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām (Bs. 5.34). Manaso, by mental speculation, muni-puṅgavānām, one who speculates, he is called muni. So muni-puṅgava. Puṅgava means the most exalted muni, if he simply speculates about the Absolute Truth, how many years? Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara. Just like people are now going in the outer space to find out some shelter in the moon planet, in the Mars planet, similarly, if you want to find out the Absolute Truth or the abode of the Absolute Truth.

Lecture on SB 7.7.29-31 -- San Francisco, March 15, 1967, (incomplete lecture):

They are on the material platform. So here And the yogis. Yogis, still more further advanced from jñāna, from the mental speculative platform, when one comes to the platform of finding out the soul within by meditation, they are still elevated. So But the bhaktas, they are already engaged. They have not only found out the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but they are actually engaged in His service. They are called bhaktas, devotees.

So here Prahlāda Mahārāja, he recommends that first of all you have to engage yourself under the guidance, under the service of a bona fide spiritual master, and then you have to keep yourself in association of the devotees—not with the yogis, not with the jñānīs, not with the karmīs. He specifically mentions. And sādhūnām īśvara-ārādhanena ca. And you, in their association, you have to worship the Supreme Lord, worship. So this, in this age the worship of Supreme Lord is very simple. The worship of Supreme Lord is very simple.

Lecture on SB 7.9.3 -- Mayapur, February 10, 1976:

So if you want to conquer over this unconquerable Kṛṣṇa, then, according to the prayer of Brahmā and appreciated by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ: "You remain in your place, it doesn't matter, but you become very humble. Don't be puffed up." Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. You should not think yourself that you are very advanced, "By my speculative knowledge I can understand God." That is mistake. That is not possible. You have to give up first of all this attempt, that "I am very learned," "I am very rich,"or "I am very this and that. Therefore for me to understand God, it is nothing." They think like that. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhiḥ (SB 1.8.26). Those who are very much proud, they do not take Kṛṣṇa consciousness very seriously. They think, "These poor fellow who had no money, no foodstuff, they have come in the name of Kṛṣṇa for begging. So it is for them. It is not for us. I am very rich. I am very opulent. I am very educated. I am very aristocratic. So for me there is no need of." The Indians say like that in your country. "Now we have known this Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. We have... Now it is not needed. Now it is technology."

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 5, 1973:

Then Rāmānanda Rāya suggested karma-miśra-bhakti, then jñāna-miśra-bhakti-bhakti with jñāna, mixed with jñāna, process of jñāna, speculative philosophy; and bhakti mixed with karma, karma-kāṇḍīya. Karma-kāṇḍīya vicāra. But real bhakti is jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). It must be untouched by the process of jñāna and karma. It should be spontaneous. Spontaneous. That is bhakti. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇa (Brs. 1.1.11). Spontaneous means when we shall rise to the platform that "Here is a service for Kṛṣṇa.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 27, 1973:

This first-class devotee is one who has strictly followed the rules and regulations under the training of a bona fide spiritual master and is sincerely obeying him in accord with revealed scriptures. Thus being fully trained to preach and become a spiritual master himself, he is considered first class. A first-class devotee never deviates from the principles of higher authority, and he attains firm faith in the scriptures by understanding with all reasons and arguments. When we speak of arguments and reason, it means arguments and reason on the basis of revealed scripture. The first-class devotee is not interested in dry speculative methods for wasting time. In other words, one who has attained a mature determination in the matter of devotional service can be accepted as the first-class devotee.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.10 -- Mayapur, April 3, 1975:

These are to be known from the śāstra. You cannot imagine how the creation takes place, huge creation. That sort of explanation—"There was a chunk, and it exploded"—no, these are not explanation. Here is the explanation, in the śāstra. Śāstra cakṣuṣāt. You have to see by your śāstric eyes, not your limited, speculative eyes. That will not help us. Such gigantic business... You are a tiny soul. Your brain is very small. You cannot imagine the process of creation by your sporadic thoughts. That is not possible. So the creation means that first of all the universes are created through the breathing period of Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Then in each and every universe He enters as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and He creates... Half of the universe is filled up with water. The water came from His perspiration, and then He lies down there.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.7 -- Mayapur, March 9, 1974:

Whatever Kavirāja Gosvāmī is speaking, not out of his own whimsical way, whatever he's speaking, he's following the paramparā system. That is Vaiṣṇavism, or ācārya. Ācāryavan puruṣo veda. (noise, talking) (aside:) Stop this. Unless we accept the ācārya in the paramparā system, we cannot understand things as they are. It is not possible. So Kavirāja Gosvāmī, he's describing this Caitanya-caritāmṛta strictly according to the verdict of the śāstras. His statement is that Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead. Svayam bhagavān kṛṣṇa. Bhagavān is person; Bhagavān is not imperson. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). First realization of the Absolute Truth by speculative knowledge is impersonal effulgence of the Lord, which is called brahma-jyotir. Then next realization is Paramātmā, the localized aspect of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But realization of Kṛṣṇa, that is the ultimate realization. Svayam bhagavān kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.125 -- New York, November 27, 1966:

I do not steal. I treat with my neighbors very nicely. So I have no necessity to search out father. I am quite all right." That means, this mundane moralist, if you become mundane moralist, or if you become mundane philosopher or if you stick to the ritualistic process of your particular faith, then there is no hope of reaching to the Absolute Truth. Mundane scriptural, ritualistic way and dry speculative philosophy and mundane moralists. Just like Arjuna and his brother. His eldest brother is Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira; he was very moralist, Dharmarāja. His name was "the king of religious principles," Dharmarāja. So Kṛṣṇa Himself advised him that "You go to Droṇācārya and tell him a lie, that 'Your son is dead. Your son is dead.' " Now Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, he was a mundane moralist, so "How can I tell lie? How can I tell lie? I have never spoken lie in my life." So there was some argument. Of course this was, fight was, some compromise was made between them in the camp.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 21.62-67 -- New York, January 6, 1966:

So this instruction is that we speak of God as unlimited, but when He makes some manifestation of unlimitedness, we take it in a different way. But actually that is not the fact. If God has unlimited potency, He can do anything and everything. That is unlimitedness. We should not restrict God with our speculative mind, that "How is that? Oh, four-headed Brahmā, then thousand-headed Brahmā? How it is possible?" Yes. If Kṛṣṇa likes, if God likes, He can make millions-of-headed Brahmā. Otherwise there is no meaning of unlimited. He can show anything and everything. We should accept.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.14-20 -- New York, January 10, 1967:

Now, it is clearly explained that if you simply prosecute the other system of yoga, then you'll never be able to reach to the final goal. Therefore it is tenth leg. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti vinā, unless you add to it Kṛṣṇa-bhakti... Plus... Karma-yoga means karma, your working capacity, plus Kṛṣṇa consciousness; your speculative capacity plus Kṛṣṇa consciousness; your meditating capacity plus Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When you make a plus, then it becomes successful. Kṛṣṇa consciousness minus karma or Kṛṣṇa consciousness minus knowledge, that will never be able to give you the desired result.

Festival Lectures

Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-34 -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972:

"My dear father, don't be afraid. It is not a thing to be taught." Matir na kṛṣṇe. "Nobody can become Kṛṣṇa conscious," matir na kṛṣṇe parato, "being taught by others," matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā, "or by mental speculation or thinking oneself," mitho 'bhipadyeta, "or by making conference meeting, religious meeting, conference." No. Three things. One thing is to learn Kṛṣṇa consciousness by speculative method, self-realization. Just like so many people are very much interested that "Why shall I go to a guru? I can realize myself. I shall meditate." So that is called svataḥ.

Sri Vyasa-puja -- Hamburg, September 5, 1969:

So this is the feeling of a devotee. Generally, those who are followers of speculative process, or jñāna-mārga, they finally reach to understand that he is one with the Supreme Absolute Truth. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. But the devotional service is so nice that a devotee is not satisfied that "I am one with the Supreme," but by his service he becomes greater than the Supreme. Just like Nanda Mahārāja. He is not anxious to become one with God, but he underwent so great penances that he became the father of God. That is possible. A devotee is so great that he can pray the Supreme Lord as his son. Of course, it is a very subtle science for understanding of spiritual knowledge. So today Nanda-mahotsava is celebrated because the father of Kṛṣṇa... Ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said. Although God is unborn and He is the Supreme, still, by love, He accepts one of His devotees as His father and appears as his son. So today is very nice day, that Kṛṣṇa has appeared. The Supreme Lord has appeared as the son of Nanda Mahārāja. So there is some arrangement of prasādam on account of Nanda Mahārāja. So you can distribute and enjoy.

Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- London, August 29, 1971:

If you go by the speculative process to understand Kṛṣṇa, it will take many, many lives. But if you take devotional service, just try to please Rādhārāṇī, and Kṛṣṇa will be gotten very easily. Because Rādhārāṇī can deliver Kṛṣṇa. She is so great devotee, the emblem of mahā-bhāgavata. Even Kṛṣṇa cannot understand what is Rādhārāṇī's quality. Even Kṛṣṇa, although He says vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26), "I know everything," still, He fails to understand Rādhārāṇī. Rādhārāṇī is so great. He says that... Actually, Kṛṣṇa knows everything. In order to understand Rādhārāṇī, Kṛṣṇa accepted the position of Rādhārāṇī. Kṛṣṇa wanted to understand the potency of Rādhārāṇī. Kṛṣṇa thought that "I am full. I am complete in every respect, but still, I want to understand Rādhārāṇī. Why?" This propensity made Kṛṣṇa obliged to accept the propensities of Rādhārāṇī, to understand Kṛṣṇa, Himself.

Initiation Lectures

Initiation of Lokanatha dasa -- New Vrindaban, May 21, 1969:

Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. It is not the statement of Caitanya Mahāprabhu; it is the statement of Bhāgavata, but He quoted this. His disciple, Rāmānanda Rāya, quoted this while discussing what is the objective of human life. So He recommends this objective. What is that? Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. Don't try to be puffed up artificially by your speculative knowledge that you are the same God. Don't try for it. If you actually want to be happy, and if you want, actually, you want to be God realized or Kṛṣṇa conscious person, then the first thing is that you give up this nonsense habit—by speculation, you want to be God. Puffed up: "I am God. I am God. I am God." But you are not God. You are God qualitatively, not quantitatively.

Initiation of Lokanatha dasa -- New Vrindaban, May 21, 1969:

So Bhāgavata says... Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "Don't be situated in the speculative method, that you are God, you are something—'There is no God,' or 'I am God, this God, that God.' Give up this habit kindly. Give up this nonsense habit." There is God, and you are not God. You are God partially, part and parcel, just like I have explained. So we have to give up this nonsense habit. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. Udapāsya means give up. Then what is next? Namanta eva. Just be submissive. Don't be puffed up artificially.

General Lectures

Lecture Engagement -- Montreal, June 15, 1968:

So the cheating propensity is there. And above all, your senses are imperfect. You are proud of your eyes: "I want to see." What you can see? If the light is off, your seeing power is immediately gone. If there is no sun, your seeing power is gone. Therefore we see under conditions. Therefore imperfect. So you cannot get perfect knowledge by imperfect senses, by speculative knowledge. You have to accept authority. Just like if you want to know who is your father, the authority is your mother. The mother says, "Here is your father." You have to accept. You cannot make research. Mother is the last authority, who is your father. Similarly, we have to accept authority, and if the authority is not a conditioned soul, if he is liberated soul, if he is not a cheater, if his senses are not imperfect, if he does not make any mistakes, if he is not in illusion, if you receive knowledge from that authority, then your knowledge is perfect. That is the process.

Lecture to College Students -- Seattle, October 20, 1968, Introduction by Tamala Krsna:

I shall be happy in this way. I shall be happy in that way." But mantra means when you are delivered from that concoction, speculative way of your mind, and you come to the transcendental platform. That is the effect of mantra. So this mantra, this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, is called the mahā-mantra. Mahā-mantra means the greatest of all mantras. And this is the only suitable mantra for this age. This age is called Kali-yuga. Kali-yuga means the age of disagreement. Nobody agrees. Even husband, wife does not agree, what to speak of others. The father, son does not agree. Nobody agrees with anyone. This is the age like that. So in this age of disagreement you cannot say that this type of religion is nice, that type of religion is nice. That is finished now. You have to take this mantra: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. And you'll find it that very soon you are coming to the light.

Lecture with Allen Ginsberg at Ohio State University -- Columbus, May 12, 1969:

And the process is very simple. You haven't got to take difficult processes like yoga system or philosophical, speculative system. That is not possible in this age. That is... I am not speaking from my own experience, but I am taking the experience of big ācāryas and big stalwart sages. They say that kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. If you want to realize yourself, if you want to know what is your next life, if you want to know what is God, if you want to know what is your relationship with God, all these things will be revealed to you—this is real knowledge—by simply chanting this mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. It is practical. We are not charging anything. We are not bluffing you that "I shall give you some something, secret mantra, and charge you fifty dollars."

Lecture at Harvard University -- Boston, December 24, 1969:

The man has got the highest brain substance—not all—up to sixty-four ounce. And woman has got the highest up to thirty-six or thirty-four. Of course, we are not discussing that point. Our movement is a spiritual movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is beyond brain. Indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ, manasas tu parā buddhir (BG 3.42). So there are different platforms and status of consciousness. Bodily consciousness means sensual consciousness. Above that, there is mental consciousness, speculative, philosophical, poetic. Above that, intellectual consciousness. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness—above intellectual consciousness.

Lecture at Harvard University -- Boston, December 24, 1969:

Then he comes to the standard of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, when he can begin his duties in transcendental lovings towards the Absolute Truth. And when we begin that activity, that spiritual activity, then we can understand, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55), what is God. These are the stages. We cannot understand by speculative method. God is unlimited, and we are very limited. Our knowledge is limited because our senses, the instruments by which we acquire knowledge, that is imperfect and limited. Just like my eyes. I cannot see perfectly. I cannot see the eyelid. I cannot see the distant place. Although I am very proud that "I want to see face to face," but what you can see? What is your value of your instrument, seeing? That is imperfect. Therefore we cannot get perfect knowledge by these imperfect senses. By sense perception, by direct utilization of our senses, we cannot get perfect knowledge. The perfect knowledge you can get when your senses have been purified to the perfect order. Then you can see.

Lecture -- Gorakhpur, February 17, 1971:

So Śrīdhara Swami also says mahatām api kauravya viddhy aikāntika-niṣkṛtam ity adina. Mahatām. Śrīdhara Swami says those who are thinking that "I am liberated, I am very exalted," that imagination is also not perfect. Unless one takes to this process of loving platform, there is no possibility of being liberated. And Bhagavad-gītā also confirms this. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān (BG 7.19). Jñānavān, those who are speculating on knowledge, they are called jñānavān, jñānī. But that jñāna, that speculative knowledge is not sufficient to give you liberation unless he takes to devotional service. They may think that they have elevated themselves very high by speculating process, but unless they take to this surrendering process to Kṛṣṇa.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 20, 1971:

I cannot see what is Himalaya. Similarly, as we see imperfectly the Himalayan Mountain from a distant place, similarly, when the Absolute Truth is realized by the speculative process, he can simply understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by His effulgence as impersonal. And if you make further progress, then we can see... The same example. We are seeing the Himalayan Mountain from a distant place but if we make further advance, further, nearer, we see different thing. And when actually in the Himalayan Mountain, the thing is altogether different. Similarly, when you understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead from distance... Just like you cannot understand the sun globe from here. Although sunshine is light, sun globe is light, still we cannot understand what is sun globe from distant place.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1972:

So how we can understand the unlimited? But if we accept the version of the unlimited, that He is like this, like that, then we can understand. That is perfect knowledge. Speculative knowledge of God has no value. Real knowledge, just like... I give this example. Just like if a boy wants to know who is father, who is his father, the simple thing is (to) ask mother. Or mother gives, "Here is your father." That is perfect knowledge. And if you speculate, "Who is my father?" and ask the whole city "Are you my father? Are you my father? Are you my father?" The knowledge will always remain imperfect. He'll never find out what is his father. But this simple process, if he takes the knowledge from (of) his father, the authority, mother, "My dear boy, here is your father," then your knowledge is perfect.

Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976:

"My dear Pārtha, Arjuna, in order to know Me, God, asaṁśayam, without any doubt, and samagram," means in completeness, "as you can know Me, I am personally speaking to you." That means if you want to know God, you can know Him when He explains Himself. Otherwise, you cannot speculate. God is unlimited, and your speculative power is limited. So you cannot understand God without the mercy of God. That is the verdict of the Vedic literature. It is very easy to understand. Suppose here is a big man, rich man, learned man. You want to know about him. So you cannot understand him by speculation: "He may be of this standard. He may be like this. He may have so much money." You suggest; another friend suggests. In this way the study of that particular man is not complete. But if the same person kindly speaks and explains about himself that "Sir, I am like this."

Evening Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 23, 1977:

Aravindakṣa is Kṛṣṇa. "Persons who are thinking that 'I have become liberated,' vimukta-mānina, they're actually... They're not mukta. Therefore," āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padam, "although they underwent very severe austerities and achieved the position in nirviśeṣa-brahma," āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padam (SB 10.2.32), "but because they could not understand, my Lord, Your lotus feet, they," patanty adho, "they fall down." Just like in the modern age they are going very high by aeroplane or sputnik, but because they do not get a shelter in either the moon planet or Mars planet, they again come down. So simply speculative knowledge, philosophical knowledge, will not give us actual shelter in the nirviśeṣa, nirākāra-brahman. Absolute Truth we can realize in three stages.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:

Hayagrīva: Kant says that speculative reason is unable to attain to a sure or adequate conception of God.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is our..., that the speculator cannot reach vicinity of God. It is not possible. Athāpi te. Only one can understand by the mercy of God, and this mercy is bestowed upon a person who is devotee, who is surrendered to God. Otherwise this mercy is reserved, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ: (BG 7.25) "I am not revealed to everyone and anyone; rather, I am covered by yoga-māyā." Because revelation means when one becomes devotee this covering curtain is... What is called, curtain?

Devotee: Curtain.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Hayagrīva: Curtain.

Prabhupāda: No, curtain closed and opened.

Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:
Prabhupāda: Because they do not know, that is vairasana(?). Nirākāra, nirākāra, the Sanskrit word... When one cannot actually specify what is the nature of God, what is the form of God, and by thinking, speculative speculating, they cannot come to the right conclusion, so out of frustration they say, "No, there is no God."
Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Śyāmasundara: I think he said it is the crowning achievement of speculative thought.

Prabhupāda: He has said like that?

Śyāmasundara: "Bhagavad-gītā is the crowning achievement of speculative thought," as if some sages thought it up.

Prabhupāda: Now what is there? Finished. (break) ...fact. It is known to the Vedic culture millions of years ago. (indistinct) I was reading, aśitiṁ caturaś caiva, this is Brahmā-vaivarta Purāṇa and this Brahmā-vaivarta Purāṇa was written by Vyāsadeva five thousand years ago. And it was known long, long years ago. It was written in the Purāṇas, but it was coming by tradition long, long ago. So (indistinct). He has stolen this theory, this idea, from Brahmā-vaivarta Purāṇa, and he has tried to prove it in a different way. Otherwise this evolutionary theory is already there.

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

varūpa Dāmodara: Actually the proposals that they made here (indistinct) very speculative type. It's just a projection that can be made by their own speculation.

Prabhupāda: That's all. It is simply mental speculation.

Śyāmasundara: They haven't even come near to these things yet.

Prabhupāda: They'll never come.

Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson:

Atreya Ṛṣi: Prabhupāda, I have another question about... There are certain scientists, who through speculative knowledge, they have acquired some little bit of knowledge through speculation. My question is, Prabhupāda, that yes, maybe through speculation we can get knowledge, some knowledge, but isn't it, as Kṛṣṇa says that He is the source of all knowledge and there is no way to get to any knowledge except through His representative, that that, for example, if Bergson comes to the knowledge, even though he did not accept a spiritual master or a prophet, he acquired it because that knowledge was made available to him through some other way. In other words...

Prabhupāda: How he takes the knowledge, if it comes..., does not come to the final conclusion? That kind of knowledge anyone can get. It does not need a philosophy. To some extent.

Atreya Ṛṣi: But knowledge of God, knowledge of soul...

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is real knowledge.

Atreya Ṛṣi: Real knowledge. Can one, purely speculatively, can one...

Prabhupāda: No. Otherwise the Vedas would not have asked you, tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12), that in order to learn that transcendental science one must approach a guru.

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Then we can know what is reality. I cannot know what is reality, but if I go to the perfect experienced personality, he can tell me what is reality.

Viśāla: In the Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Your Divine Grace, it mentions that there are three processes: the transcendental process, the speculative philosophical process, and the materialistic process. The devotees go to the transcendental process to get perfect knowledge.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Philosophy Discussion on Jacques Maritain:

Śyāmasundara: Yes. He says that the speculative faculty is intelligence, that we can understand...

Prabhupāda: Then he is also speculating. Just like the butcher killing, he is also speculating, "What is the wrong there? Why people are protesting?" That is also speculating. But because his background is different, his conscience does not help him.

Śyāmasundara: So the method of... An authoritative basis for right and wrong, given by God Himself, then we can never know absolutely...

Prabhupāda: Unless one comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his conscience has no value.

Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte:

Śyāmasundara: So he seeks to combine these two types of reason, Kant set up. There's pure reason and practical reason or moral reason. In other words speculative reason and practical reason or moral reason.

Prabhupāda: Practical, practical reason is that if I think I am this body, then where is the difference between dead body and living? Living body means I am in this body, that is living body. As soon as I give up this body, I go and accept another body. Then it is dead body. So this is practical reason, that without the soul this body is a lump of matter. It is very practical. Therefore soul is different from this matter.

Śyāmasundara: He says that our progress towards this kind of understanding comes about because we unify our speculative reason, our theoretical reason with our practical reason or our moral reason.

Prabhupāda: This is practical. Anyone can understand that when the body is, does not contain any more the soul, then it is dead, dead body, lump of matter. So spirit soul is different from the matter. This is practical. If anyone cannot understand, then he's less intelligent. This is practical.

Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte:

Śyāmasundara: He says that the pure speculative reasoning...

Prabhupāda: No, that is (indistinct).

Śyāmasundara: But this pure speculative reason must be unified with practical reason also.

Prabhupāda: Yes. But practical means he will require guidance. (laughter)

Śyāmasundara: He says the institutions such as laws can participate in this unfolding of the reason of the universe, duty of the universe for instance by controlling conflicts between personalities and so on. Law, the laws of the state, the laws of (indistinct) can participate in the unfolding of the universe, the purpose of the universe.

Prabhupāda: Yes. We accept that personality may be (indistinct), not that we pick up any man from the street and we accept guru. That will not (indistinct). Śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12), one who has heard properly from his spiritual master and as a result of such hearing he is perfectly in God consciousness (indistinct).

Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte:

Prabhupāda: That means I can manufacture my own duty, you can manufacture your own duty. There is no standard. But our standard is, Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śar... (BG 18.66), whatever you, rascal, whatever you have manufactured, give it up. The Bhāgavata says that dharmaḥ projjhita atra kaitavaḥ, that all cheating type of religious system is kicked out. Here is the religious system, satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi (SB 1.1.1). What is that satyam? Oṁ namo bhāgavate vāsudevāya. Everything is clear. And where is that clear understanding? Simply speculating. That is the difference, the Vedic standard knowledge and this speculative philosophy. So, so far we are concerned, we refer to the Vedas, śabdaḥ pramāṇam. Śabdaḥ means Vedas, śabdaḥ brahman. So whatever action we do, if it is approved by the Vedic injunction then it is standard and confirmed.

Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas:

Prabhupāda: Yes. That we say, that every man is defective on account of his material condition of life. So philosophy coming from such defect persons cannot be any good for the human society. Philosophy coming from a person who is in contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is perfect. That will benefit human society. And the speculative philosopher, who has no definite idea, simply basing on his belief or imagination, by following such philosophy nobody will be benefited; rather, he will be deviated from the actual philosophy of life.

Philosophy Discussion on George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel:

Prabhupāda: That is a definite, not vague, speculative. That is the difference between my translation and others. Therefore I have given the name "As It Is." So we will be no spoke or speculation. As soon as you speculate, you are rejected. Therefore others are seeing some danger that "This Bhaktivedanta's..., this Bhagavad-gītā As It Is accepted, then where we are?"

Hayagrīva: Everybody wants to speculate.

Prabhupāda: That's all. We are, I have stopped it. They cannot speculate on the words of Bhagavad-gītā. That is our mission. Won't allow you to speculate. You are finite, imperfect. How you can by speculation give the unlimited, infinite? How it is possible? That is reasonable. Waste of time, misleading others. Aṇḍhā yathāndair upanīyamānāḥ. You are blind; how you can show others, blind men? They are already blind. You open your eyes, then take the leadership of the blind. Ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā. That is our process. That's all right.

Philosophy Discussion on Samuel Alexander:

Hayagrīva: Alexander despairs of the speculative method as a means for connecting with God, and he also feels that proofs of God's existence in nature are nonexistence, are nonexistent. If such a God is to be identified with the object of worship, that is to say we shouldn't worship God in nature. But how can God be known? For him God can be known by experience. Nor can we prove the existence of God, whether worshipable or not, except on the basis of experience.

Prabhupāda: This is natural. This is just like the other day I was saying that on the Hawaii Island we are standing, we know that the proprietor, the government, is there. So just after few yards there is the sea. Then we can conjecture: if the land has the proprietor, the sea has also proprietor. We have not seen who is the proprietor of the land, or the governor of the land. Similarly, there is a governor, proprietor, of the sea and the sky, but we have not seen. That does not mean there is no proprietor.

Philosophy Discussion on Samuel Alexander:

Hayagrīva: Now he analyzes theism, which is the personal aspect, and pantheism, the impersonal aspect, and he finds both defective in themselves, and so what is his position? This is his position: "If the question is asked whether the speculative conception of God or Deity which has been advanced here as part of the empirical treatment of space/time, and has appeared to be verified by religious experience belongs to theism or pantheism, the answer must be that it is not strictly referable to either of them. Taken by itself..."

Prabhupāda: That is his mistake. As you have explained that the sky is also with reference to God... The sky is explained as the heart of God, and the water is explained as the semina of God, the moon is explained as the mind of God, the sun is explained as the eyes of God, the land is explained as the foot of God. So everything is with reference to God. So for a person who understands God, there is nothing existing without God. So how God can be separate? That is the fact. So pantheism or any "ism" you take, it has reference with God.

Purports to Songs

Purport to Parama Koruna -- Atlanta, February 28, 1975:

We cannot manufacture a way of life. We have to follow the footprints of mahājana, great personalities. That is the way. Here, at the present moment, everyone is speculating. What is the use of speculation? You are imperfect. Your senses are imperfect. Whatever you establish, because you have established by imperfect senses, they are all imperfect. Therefore, that suffering, there is no solution. So speculative method will not help us. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching is It is not as He had manufactured something. He is also following. He quoted one verse from the prayers of Lord Brahmā.

Page Title:Speculative (Lectures)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:22 of Dec, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=101, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:101