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There are three kinds of evidences. The most powerful evidence is sruti. If it is stated in the Vedas, that is first-class evidence

Expressions researched:
"there are three kinds of evidences. The most powerful evidence is śruti. If it is stated in the Vedas, that is first-class evidence"

Conversations and Morning Walks

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

You have to accept what Bhāgavata says. That is your business. Not to try to make an experiment. That is not possible. It is already experimented, and the mature knowledge is stated there. You have to accept, that's all. Śruti-pramāṇa. Śruti means Vedas. Evidence . . . Vedic literature there are three kinds of evidences. The most powerful evidence is śruti. If it is stated in the Vedas, that is first-class evidence.

Madhudviṣa: In other books, Śrīla Prabhupāda, it says things, and then in time you can see them, you can substantiate them. But some of the descriptions in the Bhāgavatam are so fantastic that people . . . I mean, it's very difficult for people to even. . .

Prabhupāda: Therefore you have to believe only. You have to accept what Bhāgavata says. That is your business. Not to try to make an experiment. That is not possible. It is already experimented, and the mature knowledge is stated there. You have to accept, that's all. Śruti-pramāṇa. Śruti means Vedas. Evidence . . . Vedic literature there are three kinds of evidences. The most powerful evidence is śruti. If it is stated in the Vedas, that is first-class evidence. Therefore whatever we say, immediately quote some Vedic version. That is the way of understanding. Kṛṣṇa says, Vyāsadeva says, Parāśara says. That's all. We don't require much proof. This is the first-class proof, when you find the statement corroborated by the Vedas. And śruti, smṛti. Smṛti means literature written according to the Vedic version. Śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi (Brs. 1.2.101). Purāṇādi itihāsa, history. And another pramāṇa is anumāna. And anumāna means "by right person." Thinking that "It may be like this," anumāna. That is called anumāna.

Madhudviṣa: Would that be like the songs written by Bhaktivinoda and things like that?

Prabhupāda: Huh? Yes.

Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, you said that the songs written by the great ācāryas are expansions of the holy name. Could you explain that?

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Madhudviṣa: The songs written by the great ācāryas are said to be expansions of the holy name.

Prabhupāda: Yes, glorified. (break) Trees live for thousands of years—five thousand, six thousand. Fig tree and banyan tree, they do not die.

Madhudviṣa: They must be especially sinful. They get five thousand years as a tree.

Prabhupāda: No, they are most pious. Because you want to live more by science, so they are also living more years. What is the use of such living, like tree? Therefore Bhāgavata says, taravo kiṁ na jīvanti (SB 2.3.18). You are trying to live more years by scientific advancement, but do the trees not live for many, many years? What you will gain by that? Suppose you live for three thousand years, what you will gain if you remain ignorant? Better live for a few years and understand that "This material world is worse. I have to go to the spiritual world and meet Kṛṣṇa." That knowledge will help you. You live for ten years, but get this knowledge, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is perfect life. And what is the use of living like this tree for many thousands of years without any knowledge? (break) . . . cars, they have come to botanical garden? No.

Madhudviṣa: No, they go . . . they park their car here and they walk into town.

Prabhupāda: Ah. Why?

Madhudviṣa: They don't like to pay money for parking space. So they park out here and they walk into their different office buildings. (break)

Prabhupāda: It is said, garīb manuṣ (Bengali) jaya. A villager, very poor man, he says, "I am very poor man. I live on eating the grasshoppers."

Madhudviṣa: Grasshoppers.

Prabhupāda: Yes. "I have no money. But when I go to pass stool, I ride on a horse." They cannot pay parking fare, but they still they keep a carriage. (laughs) Garīb manuṣ (Bengali) jaya. Because the villagers go to the field for passing stool, so this garīb man, this poor man, goes on a horse. (sound of walking through leaves) Leaves can be also utilized as fire, but they do not know that. In India they collect, poor man, and use as fuel, they cook food. All this dry twigs and this, that can be used as fuel, at the same time this ground will be cleansed.

Madhudviṣa: In India there is no problem with litter. There is no litter problem. No problem about paper and things thrown around, because everything that is thrown in the street, it is immediately taken up by some form of beggar or some form of animal.

Prabhupāda: Municipal sweeper also. That cleans. (break)

(in car) Similarly we can go to the place where there is simply pleasing atmosphere. Simply we have to become purified. That is required. But they don't want to be purified. They want to become more entangled in sinful life: illicit sex, meat-eating. That they do not know, that "I am entangling myself. Instead of being purified, I am becoming more and more entangled." This is ignorance. (break) . . . criticize us, shaven-headed. They don't criticize long hairs, but shaven-headed. Just see. If you don't criticize the long hair, why should criticize the shaven-headed? But they criticize us. So regularly they are going out?

Madhudviṣa: Saṅkīrtana?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Madhudviṣa: Oh, yes.

Prabhupāda: That's nice. That is wanted. Live here very nicely and go back to home, back to Godhead. Why should you die like cats and dogs? Die like a human being and be freed from all these material anxieties. But their determination is that they must live in this hellish condition. They do not believe in the next life. If they believe in the next life, then it becomes horrible. They want to avoid this question. "No, no, there is no life. Enjoy to the best capacity now." Enjoy . . . we do not say that don't enjoy, but enjoy so that you may not be implicated. There is no harm having big house, comfortable life, but keep Kṛṣṇa, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. What is the wrong there? Hmm? Madhudviṣa Mahārāja, if they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa in these big, big skyscraper building, what is their loss?

Madhudviṣa: Hmm.

Prabhupāda: Huh? There is no loss, but still they will not do it. We don't say that don't live in the . . . we are living in nice building; you also live in nice building. But see, do, see what we are doing there. Everyone can do it. Everyone can . . . that is Vedic culture. And everywhere Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa-śilā is worshiped. At least the higher caste, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya—not the śūdras. Don't eat meat, don't have intoxication, no illicit sex, have Kṛṣṇa's picture, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, make nice preparation. Where is the difficulty? Take this civilization.

Page Title:There are three kinds of evidences. The most powerful evidence is sruti. If it is stated in the Vedas, that is first-class evidence
Compiler:SharmisthaK
Created:2022-09-07, 05:21:45
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1