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Susruma means

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Śuśruma means "heard from authority."
Lecture on BG 1.43 -- London, July 30, 1973:

So here Arjuna also says that narake niyataṁ vāso bhavati iti anuśuśruma: (BG 1.43) "Kṛṣṇa, I have heard it from authorative sources." He never says, "Kṛṣṇa, in my opinion, if it is done like that, then people will go to hell." He does not give his own opinion. He says iti, "Thus," anuśuśruma, "I have heard." This is called paramparā system. Nobody should give his own opinion. He must quote the authoritative statement to support his proposition. So similarly, when Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked that "What is the aim of life and how to achieve it?" so Rāmānanda Rāya, he did not give his own opinion, that "In my opinion, like this." Here also Arjuna says, ity anuśuśruma, "I have heard it." He heard it means... Śuśruma means "heard from authority." So Rāmānanda Rāya said that "Real purpose of life, goal of life, is to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Just like as we are citizens, what is our duty? We want to satisfy the authority, the government. When one serves the government nicely, in this country he is recognized as knight. He is recognized as earl, as lord, as... So many, they have got titles. Every country, when a person is very exalted citizen, then he is recognized by the government. So if this is the system in our ordinary life, then the aim of life should be to satisfy the supreme governor, or supreme government. It is very common sense. But they have no supreme government. They think, "Whatever government we make, that is final." No. There are so many kingdoms, so many planets. In each planet there is government, there is authority, and above all of them, there is the supreme authority, Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). This is the śāstric injunction. There are many controller. In this planet there is controller. There is another planet, another planet. Even Brahma is the controller of the whole universe. Just like in our government there is system. One department... Several departments is being managed by another director. Several directors is being managed by another secretary. As... The same system. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme proprietor, sarva-loka-maheśvara (BG 5.29), and He has got many secretaries, assistants. They are called Brahmā. So Brahmā means the manager of one brahmāṇḍa, universe. And there are millions of Brahmās, millions, trillions. They are numberless. Ananta-koṭi. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiḥ (Bs. 5.40). Koṭi. Koṭi means unlimited. Jagad-aṇḍa. Jagad-aṇḍa means universe. Brahmāṇḍa or jagad-aṇḍa. Aṇḍa. Aṇḍa means it is egg-shaped, round, egg-shaped. Therefore it is called aṇḍa, brahmāṇḍa. Bhū-gola. Gola means round. I have heard that before the science, the people were under the impression that this world is square.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Śuśruma means "We have heard it." Śuśruma, śuśruma: "We have heard it with service." That is the way of Vedic instruction.
Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- San Francisco, July 21, 1975:

Nitāi: "...replied: What is established by the Vedas as duty, that is called religious principles, and irreligion is the opposite of that. The Vedas are directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, and are self-born. Thus we have heard from Yamarāja."

Prabhupāda:

yamadūtā ūcuḥ
veda-praṇihito dharmo
hy adharmas tad-viparyayaḥ
vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt
svayambhūr iti śuśruma
(SB 6.1.40)

This word śuśruma is very important. "We have heard it." They never say that "We have manufactured it." Śuśruma means "We have heard it." Śuśruma, śuśruma: "We have heard it with service." That is the way of Vedic instruction.

The Bhagavad-gītā says,

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
(BG 4.34)

To receive Vedic knowledge... Vedic knowledge means spiritual knowledge. Material knowledge also, the same process, any knowledge, especially spiritual knowledge. Because material things sometimes we can perceive directly because our body is material. But spiritual knowledge, unless you hear from the authority, there is no source of knowledge. You cannot understand. Because we do not see what is spirit. I am spirit, you are spirit, but I do not see your spirit soul, you do not see my spirit soul, because we have got material eyes. When somebody dies, one cries, "Oh, my father is gone. My father is gone." Where is your father gone? Your father is lying on the bed. Why do you say father gone? That means with these material eyes we cannot see spirit.

Sri Isopanisad Lectures

Śuśruma means heard.
Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 10 -- Los Angeles, May 15, 1970:

Prabhupāda: So this verse is very important.

anyad evāhur vidyayā
anyad āhur avidyayā
iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṁ
ye nas tad vicacakṣire
(ISO 10)

So here is one word, iti śuśruma. Śuśruma means heard. The word meaning is there. "It is heard." In the Vedic disciplic succession, it is never said, "It is experienced." That is the secret of Vedic understanding. No student will... Just like people are now engaged in researching what is there in the moon planet. So this is material policy, to try to understand things by his own experience. Pratyakṣa, direct, experimental knowledge. The Vedic understanding is different. It is śruti. Śruti means to hear from authoritative source. That is real knowledge. Just like I have given many times this example that if you want to know your father by experimental knowledge, is it possible? Not possible. Then how to know my father? By hearing from the authority, mother. That's all. Simple thing. Similarly, things which are beyond our experimental knowledge you should not try to understand by your imperfect senses. That is not possible. If you cannot know your material father by experimental knowledge, how you can know the Supreme Father by experimental knowledge? The original father... The father of the father, father, father, you go on searching father, and the original father is Kṛṣṇa. So if you cannot understand your material father, the next generation, by experimental knowledge, how you can know God, or Kṛṣṇa, by experimental knowledge? Can you answer this, anyone?

So people are searching what is God. And searching, searching, searching, and they fail. They say, "Oh, there is no God. I am God." Finished. You see? This is not possible. Here it is said, iti śuśruma. This is Vedic knowledge. Heard, śuśruma. Wherefrom śuśruma? From the storekeeper? No. Dhīrāṇāṁ śuśruma. Iti śuśruma dhīrāṇām. What is dhīrāṇām? From the sober sect. Not this fanatic sect, but the sober sect, dhīra. Dhīra means whose senses are not agitated by material influence, or svāmī, or gosvāmī. He is called dhīra. There are different kinds of agitation. The first agitating agent is the mind, then the another agitating agent is this tongue. Another agitating agent is our speaking power. Vāco-vega krodha-vega. Another agitation is when we become angry. When we become angry, we forget. We do any nonsense due to the agitation of anger. When we speak in anger, we speak so many nonsense things.

Page Title:Susruma means
Compiler:Vaishnavi
Created:25 of Nov, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=3, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:3