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Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 2

SB 2.2.32, Purport:

The truth is eternal, and as such there cannot be any new opinion about the truth. That is the way of knowing the knowledge contained in the Vedas. It is not a thing to be understood by one's erudite scholarship or by the fashionable interpretations of mundane scholars. There is nothing to be added and nothing to be subtracted, because the truth is the truth. One has to accept, after all, some authority. The modern scientists are also authorities for the common man for some scientific truths. The common man follows the version of the scientist. This means that the common man follows the authority. The Vedic knowledge is also received in that way. The common man cannot argue about what is beyond the sky or beyond the universe; he must accept the versions of the Vedas as they are understood by the authorized disciplic succession. In the Bhagavad-gītā also the same process of understanding the Gītā is stated in the Fourth Chapter. If one does not follow the authoritative version of the ācāryas, he will vainly search after the truth mentioned in the Vedas.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 2.93, Translation:

I worship herewith the lotus feet of all kinds of devotees, both advanced and neophyte. I request all of them to be satisfied with me. I am faultless because I have written herein whatever I have understood from Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī and Rūpa and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmīs. I have neither added to nor subtracted from their version.

CC Madhya 2.93, Purport:

The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta begs the mercy of all these devotees and asks them to be pleased with him. He says, "Let the neophyte devotees—the devotees who are very expert in arguing though they have no sense of advanced devotional service, who think themselves very advanced because they imitate some smārta-brāhmaṇa—let such devotees not be displeased with me, thinking that I have committed errors in this regard. I beg their pardon with great humility, but I am submitting that I personally have no desire to add or subtract anything. I have only written what I have heard in the disciplic succession because I am dedicated to the lotus feet of previous ācāryas like Svarūpa Dāmodara, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī. I have only written what I have learned from them."

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Nectar of Devotion

Nectar of Devotion 37:

When Uddhava was freed from all material contamination, he saw the Lord, and his throat became choked up, and he could not speak. By the movements of his eyebrows alone he was embracing the Lord. Such ecstatic love has been divided by great scholars into two groups—addition and subtraction. If a devotee is not directly associated with the Lord, it is called subtraction. In this state of love, one is constantly fixed with his mind at the lotus feet of the Lord. A devotee in this state becomes very eager to learn of the transcendental qualities of the Lord. The most important business of such a devotee is attaining the association of the Lord.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 3.17-20 -- New York, May 27, 1966:

We understand Veda. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. If anyone understands one... Just like in arithmetic, if you understand one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, then you understand everything because in arithmetic or mathematics there is nothing than these nine figures. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven—you make it a multiplication or subtraction or division, or whatever process you may. There is nothing but one, two, three, four, five, six, eight, nine. That's all. Similarly, if you understand Kṛṣṇa, then you understand the whole Vedas.

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

That is first-class yoga. Yoga actually means to make your connection with the Supreme Lord. That is yoga. Yoga means addition, connect. And viyoga... The opposite word is viyoga. Just like addition and subtraction. Similarly, the yoga, and the opposite word is viyoga, or viyoga. Viyoga means when we are detached from God, and yoga means when we are attached to God. This the two different words.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching people how to become first-class yogi. Sa me yuktatamo mataḥ. Yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. This is real yogi. To practice yoga... Yoga means connection. Yoga... In India, yoga means "addition," and viyoga means "subtraction," viyoga. So we are now viyoga, without any contact with the Supreme Lord, Personality of Godhead, material conditioned life; therefore we have to make connection with Him. That is called yoga. Yoga system means to connect ourself again with God, or Kṛṣṇa. So this practice of yoga, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, so this process is very easily accomplished by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare twenty-four hours. It can be practiced. There is no expenditure, there is no loss, but the gain is very great. We are teaching that.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Delhi, November 12, 1973:

Otherwise, for thousands of years you may go on reading Bhagavad-gītā; you will not learn even a word of it. That is the secret. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2).

So our business is... We are teaching Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as it is spoken by the authorities. We don't add anything or subtract anything. Kṛṣṇa says man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). This is the process. Man-manāḥ: "You always think of Me." And we say, "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma... If you chant somebody's name, your friend's name or your relative's, immediately you remember the person. It is not very difficult. If you hear in the telephone somebody speaking, as soon as you hear the voice, you can understand, the other side, the person is there. So the chanting process means to always think of Kṛṣṇa, twenty-four hours.

Lecture on SB 1.8.46 -- Los Angeles, May 8, 1973:

So which is greater? (laughter) Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is zero. It is a business of zero, add or subtract. So anyway, a very large number of people died, and Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, because he is Vaiṣṇava, although he was kṣatriya... Kṣatriya's business is to keep himself in power even by killing his own son. That is kṣatriya's business. Kṣatriya, when there is question of fight...

Just like Bhīṣmadeva, Bhīṣmadeva, grandfather of Arjuna, very affectionate grandfather... Because the Pāṇḍavas, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva, when their father died they were small children. Naturally Bhīṣma is the grandfather of the family and he had to take care to raise the children. In one side he is grandfather, and he actually raised the children.

Lecture on SB 6.1.14 -- Bombay, November 10, 1970:

Whatever we know, whatever we have heard from our authorities we'll speak. That's all. It may be somebody may know better than me. That is another thing. But I have to present what I have learned from the authority. That's all. And our authority is Kṛṣṇa, mainly. Yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upa... That is the spiritual master. Who does not add or subtract from the talks of Kṛṣṇa, he is spiritual master. One who adds and subtracts according to his whims, he is not spiritual master. He is not bona fide spiritual master. "I, my opinion..." "I give this interpretation..." He is not authorized. You are lawyer, you know better than me. In your law court you cannot change the law by your opinion. That is not possible.

Lecture on SB 6.2.7 -- Vrndavana, September 10, 1975:

You can work on karma-yoga. You can work on jñāna-yoga. You can work on haṭha-yoga. There are different yogas. Yoga means how to connect with the Supreme. Yoga means connection, and viyoga means distraction. We know, anyone who knows mathematics, yoga. Yoga means addition, and subtraction, viyoga. So at the present moment, in our conditional stage, we are separated. Not exactly separated, but we have forgotten. We have forgotten our relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So we have to connect it again. That is called yoga. Because we are now disconnected somehow or other, now we have to connect it again.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 9, 1973:

Rūpa Gosvāmī is following his predecessor, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, so we have to follow our predecessor. Then we will be successful. There is no doubt about it. Nobody can do any harm. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31). If you stick to the principle of following the footsteps of previous predecessor, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2), don't add anything, don't subtract anything, present as it is and keep your spiritual strength intact, then the preaching will go on. Nobody can disturb you.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 5, 1972:

He could manufacture so many things—but He did not do so. That is ācārya. Ācārya will not manufacture any new type of religion, a new type of phrase of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. That is not potent. The... Just like Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. This is in the śāstra. So that is potential. Now if we add and subtract something from these sixteen words, that is my manufacture. That will have not the potency. They do not understand it. They are thinking if they can manufacture some new line, adding with Hare Kṛṣṇa, then he becomes particularly noted. But he spoils the whole thing. That is the... He does not make any new thing. The new thing he does, he spoils the whole thing. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu never did so, although He's Kṛṣṇa Himself. He stuck to the point of śāstra. Kṛṣṇa, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He also indicates: yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ na siddhiṁ sāvāpnoti (BG 16.23).

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137 -- New York, November 28, 1966:

And that is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So in course of that instruction He says, "My dear Uddhava, yoga cannot achieve Me, neither sāṅkhya." Yoga means, real yoga means "connect, plus." Real yoga means "plus," "addition," just like in mathematics we have got addition and subtraction. So at the present moment we are in subtraction—God minus myself. I have no sense of God; therefore I am in minus condition. So yoga means God plus I. That is the real meaning of yoga. So long I was God-minus, now God-plus. But you must always remember. In the spiritual, absolute sense, God plus me is also God, and God minus me is also God. When I am minus, that does not mean God has lost some of His capacity. No. He is full. And when I am plus, it does not mean that God has increased in some capacity. No.

Festival Lectures

Sri Vyasa-puja -- New Vrindaban, September 2, 1972:

Just like a post peon comes and delivers you, say, one hundred dollars. So he is not delivering that one hundred dollars. Your friend has sent you one hundred dollars, and his business is to hand over that one hundred dollars as it is, without any change, without taking one dollar from it, no, or adding. No addition, no subtraction. His honesty, his perfection, is that he delivers you that hundred dollars which is sent by your friend. That is his honest..., perfection. He may be imperfect in so many others ways, but when he does his business perfectly, he is perfect. Similarly, our, this Vyāsa-pūjā means we receive perfect knowledge from Kṛṣṇa through the agency of spiritual master.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson:

Prabhupāda: Poor fund of knowledge.

Hayagrīva: But new worlds are being added, but not indefinitely.

Prabhupāda: No, new worlds added and old worlds subtracted. That is going on, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).

Hayagrīva: The present-day material scientists, astronomers, state..., one of the theories is that the universe is expanding, that the systems are going outward into space and are moving proportionately further and further from one another, just like raisins rising in dough. When raisin bread is in the oven, the raisins, they go further and further and further apart as the dough expands. So is this...?

Prabhupāda: That expansion goes to a certain extent. Then the expansion stops, then it becomes dwindling and then finished.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation With John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and George Harrison -- September 11, 1969, London, At Tittenhurst:

Prabhupāda: Even the most insignificant creature, he is living there. Paramātmā. So if these three things are understood clearly, then he becomes peaceful. This is the peace formula. So everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā and Vedic literature. Simply one has to learn. Just like in arithmetic. There is all mathematical calculation, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, this or that, fraction. One has to learn. So Bhagavad-gītā is so nice book and it is accepted. Not that because we are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we are advocating for Bhagavad... No. It is accepted by scholarly section, religious section, not only in India, but all over the world. Perhaps you know. In every country there are thousands of Bhagavad-gītā translation, in every language, in English, in French, in German, all languages. And even Mohammedans... Of course, scholarly Mohammedans, they also read very nicely Bhagavad-gītā. I know one Mohammedan professor in India. He was a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 9, 1974, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: They do not know what is Bhagavad-gītā, but they can say it is added and subtracted. They're... But they do not know what is Bhagavad-gītā. Yes.

Brahmānanda: Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). There is no adulteration there. Very simple.

Prabhupāda: So you, all Indians, you have to do this. This is simply a plea to avoid. In Bengal, everyone knows Caitanya Mahāprabhu was for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Guest (4): But so far, most of them, perhaps, also wanted informations regarding, full informations regarding ISKCON.

Room Conversation with Pater Emmanuel (A Benedictine Monk) -- June 22, 1974, Germany:

Prabhupāda: But if you miss one point, if you commit mistake in calculation in one point, the more you make calculation, add and subtract, it is all mistake. (German) Just like in the bank they daily make a trial balance, and if there is one mistake anywhere, the trial balance does not come.

Pater Emmanuel: I understand.

Prabhupāda: This is called ardha-kukkuṭī-nyāya (Cc. Ādi-līlā 5.176). If you... I will explain. Ardha-kukkuṭī-nyāya means there is a logic of accepting half of the chicken. The chicken or what is called, cock, that?

Haṁsadūta: Oh, the rooster, hens.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 3, 1975, Hawaii:

Devotee (1): We should dedicate our lives to preaching this message of Lord Caitanya.

Prabhupāda: Yes, preaching, preaching, you will become perfect preacher. Preach only what you have heard from Kṛṣṇa and guru, that's all. Don't add and subtract. Then you are secure. And if you add some concoction just like somebody says that "I may do whatever I like independently. If I chant, then everything is all right," this is nonsense addition. It is not the fact. That is the danger. Some inexperienced man, he introduces some concoction. Sometimes they say, "Prabhupāda said it." More misleading. Yes. (end)

Correspondence

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Hayagriva -- Seattle 7 October, 1968:

So far Srimad-Bhagavatam is concerned, now Pradyumna and yourself immediately revise the 3 volumes already published. My next attempt will be to get them in 1 volume, as I have already suggested. And we shall now avoid the Sanskrit slokas, but simply give the transliteration, translation, and the purport. Pradyumna is there he will help in transliterating the verses, and translation is there, and purport is there; there is no use of giving synonyms and equivalent of Sanskrit word in English, simply transliteration and translation, as it is now adopted in Dr. RadhaKrishnan's Bhagavad-gita, and purport. In this way, we want to print each canto a book. So you begin preparing immediately. The present three volumes shall only be revised to see the spelling mistakes or if there is any grammatical discrepancy, otherwise there is nothing to be added or subtracted.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Bhagavan -- Los Angeles 10 January, 1970:

I also thank you very much for your appreciation of my books and letters and for my speaking in the meetings. They are not my words, as I have repeatedly informed you that I am simply the bearer of the message from Lord Caitanya through the disciplic succession and I do not make any addition or subtraction. Similarly, if you all carry these words successively, then the transcendental parampara system will be exactly maintained and people in general will be benefited. I am very much obliged to my disciples because they are realizing the importance of Krishna Consciousness Movement and it is very much encouraging to me. Please, therefore, continue the standard of understanding. Read regularly our books and try to expand and preach the philosophy as far as possible.

Letter to Dinesh -- Los Angeles 22 January, 1970:

So, of course, you must understand the purport and reproduce it in your own language. That will be very good, but someway or other if in some way you present the purport of Srimad-Bhagavatam or Bhagavad-gita that will be also very good. The idea is that we should not make any addition or subtraction of mental speculation, but we should endeavor, even if we do not fully understand from our present platform, to present simply the philosophy as we have received it directly and realized it by practical experience.

Letter to Unknown -- Unknown Place 28 February, 1970:

Similarly in mathematics beginning from 1,2,3, adding and subtracting, etc. up to higher mathematics, just like calculus, the 1,2,3, adding and subtracting is still there. But basic math taught to children and higher math to the college man. In this way by Krishna Consciousness we can solve all the dogmatic confusions and speculations. This is the greatest need of the human beings and please try to do it as far as possible and Krishna will help you. Hope you are all well.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Unknown -- Los Angeles 16 September, 1972:

The BBT is financing many world-wide projects for the society, and therefore all income from literature distribution should contribute and support it. Please therefore make the necessary arrangements. A simple way to accomplish this would be to figure at the end of each month what your gross (total; before subtracting production costs and overhead) income from the sale of literature was for that month, calculate 10% of this figure , and send this to BBT in care of myself in Los Angeles. I know that you will understand that this subsidy will greatly facilitate the growth of Society-wide programs and everyone will benefit. From your local view it may appear to be an imposition, but I assure you that overall it is in the interest of Lord Caitanya's Movement. Regarding your regular remittance, it will be left solely to your integrity and "for the overall benefit" conscientiousness. I am sure you will do the needful.

Letter to Giriraja -- Los Angeles 29 September, 1972:

You have formed a big committee with Sumati Morarji, so what use is such committee? Why they cannot help you finish this business? If the money is still not available, what is the use of this big sound? Although by law Mr. Nair must give us the conveyance, and we are not legally bound to pay the 5 lakhs conveyance tax, still, we shall pay it and subtract form the purchase price, as he suggests. But one thing is, you must secure document in proper legal from which will insure that the five lakhs will be subtracted from the fourteen lakhs purchase price, not that again we shall have to pay according to Mr. Nair's whims. Try to get that bank loan of five lakhs, and Sumati-ben will stand as guarantor, try for that and somehow or other get the bank to loan us. But if you are unable to get the bank loan, we shall pay. If it is not possible to get the bank loan, you send telegram to Los Angeles and we shall make necessary arrangements from this side.

Letter to Gurudasa, Yamuna -- Bombay 31 December, 1972:

So the total come to Rs. 10611.50. So far expenditures are there, there is one check drawn on the 5th instant for Rs. 600, one check drawn on the 12th instant for electrical supplies for Rs. 45, one check drawn on the 14th instant for supplies of Rs. 4665.51, and on the 15th instant one check has been drawn for Rs. 3571.26. Subtracting the expenditures of Rs. 8881.77 from the total bank balance including deposits, or Rs. 10611.50, it comes to Rs. 1727.73 as final balance in bank. But you have declared that your figure for final balance in bank is Rs. 1643.79. That means, according to the figures you have given me, there is discrepancy of about Rs. 85.94. Of course there may be some bank charges, like that, I do not know, or you may have omitted some mention of any other check, but you may inform me why our figures have come out differently.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Mr. Dennany -- Tehran 14 March, 1975:

The reason is because we do not change the actual meaning of the gita at all. Many other commentators due to poor fund of knowledge tamper with the lines of Bhagavad-gita and twist the meaning for their personal motives, but we do not do like that. We present it exactly as it is; without any additions or subtractions. That is perfect in every way and therefore it is actually having a tremendous effect all over the world. The original words of Lord Krishna have unrivalled potency and anyone who is fortunate enough to hear those words and tries to apply them to his life becomes perfect.

Letter to Mr. Himtsinh J. Bhatia, Mrs. Manjula H. Bhatia -- Bombay 23 November, 1975:

So I am very pleased to hear this and I thank you for your service in helping to push on this mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Our mission is that especially those who have taken their birth in India that it is their responsibility to become perfect in the science of Krsna Consciousness and to deliver everyone in the world. In this way everyone is expected to become guru. But how to be a guru? It is said that one simply has to repeat the instructions that Krsna has given. If he repeats without adding or subtracting anything, then he is qualified as guru. Actually there is only one guru—Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So those who simply repeat His words, they also become guru. But of course a guru never thinks himself as being God. He only thinks himself as the servant of the servant of the servant: gopi bhrtya pada-kamalayo das dasanudasa (CC Madhya 13.80).

1977 Correspondence

Letter to Artists -- Unknown Place Unknown Date:

Vasudeva means both two and four armed. At Kuruksetra both forms were shown to Arjuna. At Kuruksetra, Krsna is Vasudeva Krsna.

Gaurasundara's drawing is done under my dictation, so it is authoritative and is perfect also. You can make improvements on that basis, but don't add or subtract anything.

B.G. 7/15&16. The picture is all right. You can leave it if you wish, but Laksmi-Narayana would be better.

B.G. 16/5&21. Radha and Krsna may remain. Similarly with B.G. 15/1-2. Introduction, pp.34 is also all right.

Page Title:Subtract
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:25 of Feb, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=1, CC=2, OB=1, Lec=12, Con=4, Let=10
No. of Quotes:30