He compares their arguments and logic to volcanic eruptions in the midst of the ocean. In the midst of the ocean, volcanic eruptions can do very little harm, and similarly, those who are against devotional service to the Lord and who put forward many philosophical theses about the ultimate transcendental realization cannot disturb this great ocean of devotional service.
Thesis
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 1
SB 1.7.10, Purport:
According to the Śabda-kośa dictionary, the affix ni is used in the sense of (1) certainty, (2) counting, (3) building, and (4) forbiddance, and the word grantha is used in the sense of wealth, thesis, vocabulary, etc.
SB 1.11.39, Purport:
The wives of Lord Kṛṣṇa were made to forget the immeasurable glories of the Lord by the internal potency so that there might not be any flaw of exchange, and they took it for granted that the Lord was a henpecked husband, always following them in lonely places. In other words, even the personal associates of the Lord do not know Him perfectly well, so what do the thesis writers or mental speculators know about the transcendental glories of the Lord? The mental speculators present different theses as to His becoming the cause of the creation, the ingredients of the creation, or the material and efficient causes of the creation, etc., but all this is but partial knowledge about the Lord. Factually they are as ignorant as the common man. The Lord can be known by the mercy of the Lord only, and by no other means. But since the dealings of the Lord with His wives are based on pure transcendental love and devotion, the wives are all on the transcendental plane without material contamination.
SB 1.19.37, Purport:
The pseudo spiritual master flatters the so-called disciple, and thereby both the master and his ward go to hell without a doubt. Mahārāja Parīkṣit is the right type of disciple because he puts forward questions vital to the interest of all men, particularly for the dying men. The question put forward by Mahārāja Parīkṣit is the basic principle of the complete thesis of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Now let us see how intelligently the great master replies.
SB Canto 2
SB 2.1.8, Purport:
As stated in the beginning of this book, it is the essence of the Vedic desire tree and the natural commentation on the Brahma-sūtras, the topmost philosophical thesis on the subject matter of Brahman. Vyāsadeva appeared at the end of Dvāpara-yuga as the son of Satyavatī, and therefore the word dvāpara-ādau, or "the beginning of Dvāpara-yuga," in this context means just prior to the beginning of the Kali-yuga.
SB 2.8.25, Purport:
That is the secret of receiving transcendental knowledge. The six great sages mentioned above may be great thinkers, but their knowledge by mental speculation is not perfect. However perfect an empiric philosopher may be in presenting a philosophical thesis, such knowledge is never perfect because it is produced by an imperfect mind. Such great sages also have their disciplic successions, but they are not authorized because such knowledge does not come directly from the independent Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa.
SB Canto 3
SB 3.28.41, Purport:
The four principles of the Vaiṣṇava philosophic doctrine are śuddha-advaita (purified oneness), dvaita-advaita (simultaneous oneness and difference), viśiṣṭa-advaita and dvaita. All four principles of Vaiṣṇava philosophy are based on the thesis of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explained in these two verses.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Adi-lila
CC Adi 1.35, Purport:
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, in his thesis Bhakti-sandarbha (202), has stated that uncontaminated devotional service is the objective of pure Vaiṣṇavas and that one has to execute such service in the association of other devotees. By associating with devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa, one develops a sense of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and thus becomes inclined toward the loving service of the Lord.
CC Adi 2.117, Purport:
Similarly, other false devotees think that studying books of the previous ācāryas is unadvisable, like studying dry empiric philosophies. But Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, following the previous ācāryas, has inculcated the conclusions of the scriptures in the six theses called the Ṣaṭ-sandarbhas. False devotees who have very little knowledge of such conclusions fail to achieve pure devotion for want of zeal in accepting the favorable directions for devotional service given by self-realized devotees. Such false devotees are like impersonalists, who also consider devotional service no better than ordinary fruitive actions.
CC Adi 4.62, Purport:
In his thesis Bhagavat-sandarbha (103), Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains the potencies of the Lord as follows: The transcendental potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by which He maintains His existence is called sandhinī. The transcendental potency by which He knows Himself and causes others to know Him is called samvit. The transcendental potency by which He possesses transcendental bliss and causes His devotees to have bliss is called hlādinī.
CC Adi 7.110, Purport:
Thus instead of being tattva-vāda, or in search of the Absolute Truth, they become Māyāvāda, or illusioned by the material energy. When Śrī Viṣṇu Svāmī, one of the four ācāryas of the Vaiṣṇava cult, presented his thesis on the subject matter of śuddhādvaita-vāda, immediately the Māyāvādīs took advantage of this philosophy and tried to establish their advaita-vāda or kevalādvaita-vāda. To defeat this kevalādvaita-vāda,
CC Adi 7.128, Purport:
Throughout all the Vedic literatures the glories of oṁkāra are specifically mentioned. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, in his thesis Bhagavat-sandarbha, says that in the Vedic literature oṁkāra is considered to be the sound vibration of the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Only this vibration of transcendental sound can deliver a conditioned soul from the clutches of māyā. Sometimes oṁkāra is also called the deliverer (tāra).
CC Adi 7.128, Purport:
One should therefore conclude that among the many incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, oṁkāra is the sound incarnation. All the Vedas accept this thesis. One should always remember that the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are always identical (abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ (CC Madhya 17.133)). Since oṁkāra is the basic principle of all Vedic knowledge, it is uttered before one begins to chant any Vedic hymn.
CC Adi 16.81, Purport:
Scientists explain that water is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen, but when asked where such a large quantity of hydrogen and oxygen came from and how they combined to manufacture the great oceans and seas, they cannot answer because they are atheists who will not accept that everything comes from life. Their thesis is that life comes from matter.
CC Adi 16.81, Purport:
Therefore in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī says that as soon as one accepts the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, no great philosopher or scientist can put forward any thesis to contradict the Lord's power. This is expressed in the following Sanskrit verse.
CC Madhya-lila
CC Madhya 1.43, Purport:
The sixth Sandarbha is called Prīti-sandarbha, a thesis on love of Godhead. Here it is stated that through love of Godhead, one becomes perfectly liberated and attains the highest goal of life. A distinction is made between the liberated condition of a personalist and that of an impersonalist, and there is a discussion of liberation during one's lifetime as distinguished from liberation from material bondage.
CC Madhya 8.250, Purport:
The talks between Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Rāmānanda Rāya are meant for advanced devotees only. Those who are on the mundane platform and who study these talks in order to put forward some thesis for a Ph.D. will not be able to understand them. Instead, these conversations will have a poisonous effect.
CC Madhya 17.96, Translation:
Candraśekhara continued, “There is no talk at Vārāṇasī other than discussions on the six philosophical theses. Nonetheless, Tapana Miśra has been very kind to me, for he speaks about topics relating to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
CC Madhya 17.96, Purport:
The six philosophical theses are (1) Vaiśeṣika, propounded by Kaṇāda Ṛṣi, (2) Nyāya, propounded by Gautama Ṛṣi, (3) Yoga, or mysticism, propounded by Patañjali Ṛṣi, (4) the philosophy of Sāṅkhya, propounded by Kapila Ṛṣi, (5) the philosophy of Karma-mīmāṁsā, propounded by Jaimini Ṛṣi, and (6) the philosophy of Brahma-mīmāṁsā, or Vedānta, the ultimate conclusion of the Absolute Truth (janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1)), propounded by Vedavyāsa.
CC Madhya 24.18, Translation:
“‘The prefix "niḥ" may be used for a sense of ascertainment, gradation, construction or forbidding. The word "grantha" means "riches," "thesis" and "composition."’
CC Madhya 25.53, Translation:
“After studying the six philosophical theses, Vyāsadeva completely summarized them all in the aphorisms of Vedānta philosophy.
CC Antya-lila
CC Antya 7.21, Translation:
“Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya perfectly knows the six philosophical theses. He is therefore the spiritual master of the entire world in teaching the six paths of philosophy. He is the best of devotees.
CC Antya 9.10, Purport:
Vyāsadeva was the son of the great sage Parāśara. Other names for him are Sātyavateya and Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Bādarāyaṇa Muni. As one of the authorities on the Vedas, he divided the original Veda, for convenience, into four divisions—Sāma, Yajur, Ṛg and Atharva. He is the author of eighteen Purāṇas as well as the theosophical thesis Brahma-sūtra and its natural commentary, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He belongs to the Brahma-sampradāya and is a direct disciple of Nārada Muni.
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Nectar of Devotion
Nectar of Devotion 2:
To support this statement there are many authoritative assertions by the learned scholars of bygone ages. According to their general opinion, a person may become governed by certain convictions derived by his own arguments and decisions. Then another person, who may be a greater logician, will nullify these conclusions and establish another thesis. In this way the path of argument will never be safe or conclusive. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam recommends, therefore, that one follow in the footsteps of the authorities.
Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Krsna Book 87:
The individual soul can exhibit his power only in proportion to the shape and constitution of the body. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, can exhibit His full potencies in any shape or form without any change. The Māyāvādī philosophers' thesis that God and the individual soul are one and the same cannot be accepted because the individual soul has to develop his power according to the development of different types of bodies.
Krsna Book 87:
As the Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti: (BG 18.55) "Only by devotional service can one understand Me." Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī has composed a nice verse in this regard, which states, “My dear Lord, let others engage in false argument and dry speculation, theorizing upon great philosophical theses. Let them loiter in the darkness of ignorance and illusion, falsely enjoying as if very learned scholars, although they are without knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Krsna Book 87:
The personified Vedas continued: "The cosmic manifestation, because of the flickering nature of its impermanent existence, appears to less intelligent men to be false." The Māyāvādī philosophers take advantage of the flickering nature of this cosmic manifestation to try to prove their thesis that this world is false. According to the Vedic version, before the creation this world had no existence, and after dissolution the world will no longer be manifested.
Message of Godhead
Message of Godhead 2:
On the other hand, we try to drag concocted meanings out of the simple passages of Bhagavad-gītā to establish some man-made idea which is never supported by Bhagavad-gītā. By such artificial dragging, one cannot ultimately establish his rubbish theory, but at the end, one confirms the whole thesis by putting a monkey in place of God. In Bhagavad-gītā it is definitively established that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is established, also, that our only duty is to render transcendental loving service unto Him. Thus, once we really understand these two facts from the pages of Bhagavad-gītā, then we can enter into the primary classes of spiritual education.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 7, 1966:
And another sect is Śaṅkarite sampradāya. So all these four, I mean, five different section of the Hindus, they accept Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All of them. There is no denial. Although they are five, they have got different theses and philosophies, little, little difference, not, I mean, conclusion, but still... Now, Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya, he, he is supposed, he is considered to be impersonalist. Impersonalist means he does not believe in the personal form of God. But still, he has commented in this, of this Bhagavad-gītā, Śaṅkara-bhāṣya.
Lecture on BG 2.22 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:
And śāstra means infallible, not theory. Not theory. Just like a conditioned soul writes some book on some thesis. What is the value of it? It has no value. Because the man who is putting forward the thesis, he is blind. He's imperfect. So how you can get perfect knowledge from him?
Lecture on BG 2.27-38 -- Los Angeles, December 11, 1968:
Now, after putting forward all definitions and arguments from different angles of vision, of different philosophers, thesis, now Kṛṣṇa concludes, "My dear Arjuna, take it for certain that the soul within is eternal." So because we are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even if we do not understand what is the constitutional position of the soul, here, because Kṛṣṇa says, we should accept it. This is called paramparā. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2), disciplic succession. What does He say? Yes. The same verse repeat.
Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Montreal, August 24, 1968:
So anyway, it is very, very old. Not that it is doctrine which is presented... Just like in the modern educational system somebody is presenting some doctrine, and he's getting the title "Doctor," some new thesis. It is not like that. There is nothing to be researched. Eternal knowledge has nothing to be researched. There is no question of research.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 13, 1972:
Govinda is very, very difficult to understand by mental speculation, philosophical theses. Philosophical theses, speculation, without religion is simply waste of time. And religion without philosophical basis is sentiment. They must be combined together.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 13, 1972:
And that Vivasvān is given reference in the Fourth Chapter: imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). So if you simply calculate the age of Manu it becomes forty millions of years. So Bhagavad-gītā is not a new theses. It is coming from time immemorial. So Kṛṣṇa is the original preceptor. So here Kṛṣṇa again personally speaking. The authority, personally... Out of compassion and friendship, love to Arjuna, He's speaking directly to Arjuna.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974:
Similarly, if you accept Bhagavad-gītā as the book of authority, you cannot change the meaning. That is not allowed. What right? If you have got some opinion, if you have got some philosophy, you can write in your own book. Why you are, I mean to say, killing others and yourself by interpreting Bhagavad-gītā? You give your own thesis in a different way. But these people, they take advantage of the popularity of Bhagavad-gītā and interpret in a different way according to their own whims. Therefore people do not understand what is Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on BG 13.6-7 -- Montreal, October 25, 1968:
It is for the humble and meek who can actually submit to a God-realized person and receive knowledge from him. But he has the, I mean to say, liberty to inquire from him. One should not blindly accept the thesis or the theory which is put forward from Bhagavad-gītā. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). One should be asking questions by two principles.
Lecture on BG 18.67-69 -- Ahmedabad, December 9, 1972:
He is actually the Vedānta, compiler of Vedānta, Vedānta-sūtra. The most important philosophical theses—not theses, but actually... So Kṛṣṇa knows what is Vedānta. And what He says, that is Vedānta. Veda, Veda means knowledge. Anta, anta means the last word. So what is the last word of Vedānta? Last word is to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Vedaiś ca sarvaiḥ. Not only Vedānta-sūtra, but also all the Vedas. Sāma, Yajur, Atharva, Ṛk, the ultimate objective is Kṛṣṇa, to know Kṛṣṇa.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 6, 1971:
Jīva Gosvāmī has got six sandarbhas, theses: Bhagavat-sandarbha, Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha, Tattva-sandarbha, Prīti-sandarbha, like that. So these books are... I don't think it is published in English. So these sandarbhas are so philosophically discussed that throughout the whole world, there is not a single philosopher who can defy these Jīva Gosvāmī's six sandarbhas. Our, this Gauḍīya-sampradāya... We belong to Gauḍīya-sampradāya—Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, from the disciplic succession of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. We have got immense literature to understand God. One who wants to understand God through philosophy, science, argument, logic, so to supply them material, we have got immense literature, Vedic literature.
Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- Caracas, February 23, 1975:
Every conditioned soul, as we are, we have got four defects, namely we commit mistake, we are sometimes illusioned, and sometimes we do not know properly anything, and still, I give my thesis, "Perhaps, it may be..." What is this knowledge "perhaps"? That means cheating. One hasn't sufficient knowledge and "perhaps, maybe"—he is giving knowledge. And above all of them, we should know that our present material senses are imperfect. For example, just like we are very much proud of our eyes. We say, "Can you show me God?" But our eyes are so long perfect as long the light is. It is conditional. Therefore every sense now we are possessing, they are not perfect.
Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Delhi, November 13, 1973:
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, everyone accepts Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And these rascals are searching out what is God. Just see their rascaldom! God is here, and he is searching. So those who are searching after God, and they are, if they are making some proposition, thesis, these are all nonsense, cheating. You do not know God. You admit. That is very good. But why you are making thesis? God is not subjected to your mental speculation.
Lecture on SB 1.5.2 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1968:
Our question by Nārada Muni to Vyāsadeva, asking that "My dear Vyāsadeva, the author of all Vedic literature, you are such a learned scholar. You have produced such vastly, scholarly, and philosophical theses, books, and still you are not happy. So did you try to find out what is the cause?" The similar position is of the present world. There is so much advancement of scientific research, result, economic.
Lecture on SB 1.5.22 -- Vrndavana, August 3, 1974:
Five years. After five years hard work and placing the theses among the learned scholars, they admitted, "Yes, it is very nice research work." Now they have offered him a Ph.D. So it is tapasya. Tapasya. Without tapasya, you cannot get any credit. That is not possible. If one wants to get credit immediately, without tapasya, that is bogus. Therefore it is said, tapasaḥ, and śrutasya. Śrutasya means hearing from the authorities. By attending lectures of the professors, of the scientific scholars, hearing. Or Vedic knowledge.
Lecture on SB 1.15.34 -- Los Angeles, December 12, 1973:
And dharma means obedience to God. That is dharma. Religion means..., religion does not mean anything else. You can manufacture so many formulas and theses. The real meaning is obedience to God. That is religion. Simple definition. If a man is obedient to God, it doesn't matter to which religion he belongs. He may be a Christian, he may be Hindu, he may be Mussulman. It doesn't matter. Religion means... This is the... I have given.
Lecture on SB 2.9.14 -- Melbourne, April 13, 1972:
That is advised by Nārada Muni to his disciple Vyāsadeva: "What you are writing, all these nonsense books? You..." What is called? Jugupsitam. Jugupsitam. He instructed Vyāsadeva that "Whatever literatures you have produced..." Means up to that time he produced Vedānta-sūtra. He wrote up to Vedānta-sūtra, which is considered to be the topmost philosophical thesis in the world, Vedānta-sūtra, all over the world, the Vedānta philosophy. So he finished that Vedānta-sūtra. Still, he was not happy. And his spiritual master Nārada chastised him, "What nonsense books you have written?" First of all he was not happy, so Nārada came, and he asked him that "Why you are not happy? You know everything, but why you are not happy?" So he submitted, "Yes, my master, I know everything, and I think I have done everything, writing all these books. But still, I am not happy. So why I am not happy, that you can tell because you are my master."
Lecture on SB 3.25.36 -- Bombay, December 5, 1974:
So what is that faith? That Kṛṣṇa says that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You give up all other engagements. You just surrender to Me, and I shall give you protection." So if we have got faith, if we believe in the words of Kṛṣṇa, that is called faith. If we don't believe in the words of Kṛṣṇa, if we study as a literary thesis and then throw it away, that is not faith.
Lecture on SB 3.26.42 -- Bombay, January 17, 1975:
If you can explain the activities of Kṛṣṇa, Uttamaśloka, how He is acting, how is the chemical process is going on under His direction, if you can write a thesis on this subject matter, that ultimately Kṛṣṇa is behind that, then your this study of chemistry is perfect. Avicyutaḥ arthaḥ kavibhir nirūpitaḥ. Nirūpita means it is concluded. No more argument. That is the purpose. That means if you are intelligent enough actually, then through any source of knowledge you come ultimately to Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 5.5.5 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973:
So those who are fortunate, they will accept this offer of Kṛṣṇa and... Atha yāvad vāsudeve mayi prītir prīti rūpa bhakti.(?) Prīti means bhakti. Prīti means love. So there is Prīti-sandarbha by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, how one can become lover of Kṛṣṇa. Ṣaṭ-sandarbha. He has written six theses. One of them is the Prīti-sandarbha, Bhāgavata-sandarbha, six sandarbha, very highly philosophical books. So this prīti means bhakti. Bhakti is not official transaction. Bhakti means prīti, real love. When I actually love Kṛṣṇa, that is called prīti.
Lecture on SB 7.7.29-31 -- San Francisco, March 15, 1967, (incomplete lecture):
Now he's describing what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, how to practice it. The practice is, the first thing is, Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends guru-śuśrūṣayā. Guru-śuśrūṣayā. Guru-śuśrū... means that you have to first of all select a spiritual master. Without a teacher, without guidance, nobody can make any process. Even if you have passed M.A., and if you want to put some theses and if you want to get yourself doctorate degree, then it is the system that the theses should be guided by three expert Ph.D.'s. This is the system. So similarly, if you want to be purely Kṛṣṇa conscious person, then you must select a person who can give you instruction, who can guide you in the matter of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So Bhagavad-gītā also teaches us the same thing: tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34).
Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 9, 1968:
That is due to circumstances. So Śrutayor vibhinnā nāsau munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam. So far philosophers, great thinkers, muni... Muni means great thinker. They have got their different theses. One muni, thinker, or philosopher, is trying to defeat another philosopher. This is going on. So that is also not the way to understand the Absolute Truth; neither by argument nor by study of scriptures, nor by following different kinds of thinkers and philosophers. Why? Dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitam guhāyāṁ. The essence of spiritual realization is very secret and confidential.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.5 -- Mayapur, March 7, 1974:
Without varieties, although everything is spiritual... In Vṛndāvana everything is spiritual. Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi, yebā jāne cintāmaṇi. Just like this place, Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's place of pastimes, and the Vṛndāvana-dhāma, the place of pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa, they are one and the same. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi, yebā jāne cintāmaṇi, tā 'ra haya vraja-bhūmi vāsa. These are the theses given by great ācāryas.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.121-124 -- New York, November 25, 1966:
Nowadays there are atheists, not that... Atheist class of men there are always. Maybe number of the atheists are now greater than before, but there was a great atheist in India. There are six kinds of philosophical theses. Out of those, atheism is one of them. So that atheism... Cārvāka Muni. He was, Cārvāka, the leader of the atheists. His theory was that ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet: "Just beg, borrow or steal. You must eat butter. Never mind." Ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet, yāvan jīvet sukhaṁ jīvet: "So long you shall live, you must live very comfortably." Then one may say, "Oh, beg, borrow, steal, and who'll suffer the sins? If I borrow, if I cannot pay? If I commit sins? If I commit burglary? Oh."
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.125 -- New York, November 27, 1966:
They do not get the source of knowledge from higher authorities; they manufacture their own way. So apart from that, those who are bona fide thinkers, they are called jñānī. Jñānī means that this process of karma cannot make solution of life. They push some philosophical thesis that "This is the solution of life." They are called jñānī. The others, yogis, they meditate. So what they meditate? Not they meditate falsely; they meditate, they concentrate the whole senses and put the focus on the soul and the Supersoul.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.14-20 -- New York, January 10, 1967:
So these are worldly, great men. Who? One who performs great penance, one who is very charitably disposed, one who is very famous, one who is very mentally advanced, he can think nice things, writes philosophical thesis, write nice poetry. Manasvinaḥ. These are the products of great mind. Manasvino mantra-vidaḥ. Mantra-vidaḥ means the chanters of Vedic hymns. Mantra-vidaḥ sumaṅgalāḥ. These things are all nice, auspicious. These things are all... But kṣemaṁ na vindanti vinā yad-arpaṇam.
Initiation Lectures
Talk, Initiation Lecture, and Ten Offenses Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1968:
Nothing can be done without surrender because our, this conditional life is rebellious life. We have rebelled against the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead. That is conditioned life. There are so many theses to support this rebellious condition. Somebody is thinking that "I am one with God"; somebody is thinking, "God is dead"; somebody is thinking, "There is no God"; somebody is thinking, "Why you are searching God? There are so many Gods loitering in the street." So in this way many theses are there. All of them are different symptoms of rebellious condition. The sum and substance... Just like atheists, they are boldly saying, "There is no God." Now..., but the impersonalists saying, "There may be God, but He has no head, He has no tail. That's all." So in this way our condition is rebellious condition.
General Lectures
Lecture to College Students -- Seattle, October 20, 1968, Introduction by Tamala Krsna:
The differences in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in the Bhagavad-gītā and the Vedic scriptures which we study in our courses at our temple, is that the Bhagavad-gītā is like this: If there is a young boy who is in the sixth grade and he wants to find out about birds, he'll open a dictionary, a pocket dictionary, and he'll read about birds, and the definition will state that it's an entity which flies through the air. There might be a picture there of a bird. Whereas a person who's studying for a graduate course and doing a thesis perhaps on the different kinds of birds, he needs something more for finding out about birds than just that they fly through the air. He opens an international dictionary. He opens an encyclopedia. He finds out all the varieties of birds, where they fly to, where they nest. He gets all the details about birds. Similarly, for those who are interested in finding out all the details about how God is great, how He is mighty, that is "What does He look like?" "What does He do?" "Who is He?"—you go through the Vedic scriptures.
Recorded Speech to Members of ISKCON London -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1968:
The materialists are trying to solve the problems by achievement of scientific knowledge, education, philosophy, morality, ethics, poetic thoughts, etc., and the spiritualists are trying to solve the problems by different theses like discerning matter from spirit in various ways. And some of them are trying as mystic yogis to arrive at the right conclusion. But all of them must know it for certain that in this age of Kali, or the age of quarrel and dissension, there is no possibility of success without accepting the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Engagement Lecture -- Buffalo, April 23, 1969:
In business you go to a storekeeper. He'll say, "Oh, you are my great friend. I am not taking a farthing profit from you." But you must know that he is taking profit, at least fifty percent. So this is called cheating propensity. One who is not in the knowledge, but he puts forward his theories and theses and so many by the words "perhaps," "it may be," like that—this is called cheating. So to commit mistake, to be illusioned, and cheating propensity, and at last, imperfectness of the senses. Our senses are limited. We cannot see far distant place. We cannot see nearest. Just like our eyes cannot see the eyelids because it is the nearest.
Lecture -- Boston, April 25, 1969:
The Vedic process is not personal opinion. Our process is simply to carry the transcendental message to the people. Our system is so nice that we haven't got to manufacture daily a new thesis. The difficulty of modern age is... Not modern age.
Lecture -- San Francisco, June 28, 1971:
He learned there Sanskrit very nicely, became a very great scholar, and then joined their uncles in Vṛndāvana. Of course, at that time Caitanya Mahāprabhu had passed. So Jīva Gosvāmī, he is also very learned scholar. His books are still adored by all spiritual sections. Sandarbas, six sandarbas, philosophical theses. And then vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, he was also learned scholar. So all rich men, rich politicians, scholars, great brāhmaṇas, they joined Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is so nice movement. It attracted thousands of people, just (as) it is attracting you, American boys and girls.
Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976:
Therefore our request is... This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is specially meant for this purpose, that do not try to be overlord of Kṛṣṇa. Don't speak anything manufactured by you on the plea of Kṛṣṇa speaking. If you want to speak something, good or nonsense, you can speak. Everyone has got the freedom to speak about his philosophy, about his thesis. But why through Kṛṣṇa? Why through Bhagavad-gītā? This is our protest. Let Kṛṣṇa speak Himself as He is and as He wants. Why should you speak by malinterpretation? That is the practice now, that everyone can interpret Bhagavad-gītā as he likes.
Morning Lecture -- Allahabad, January 15, 1977:
And to pin our staunch faith in Viṣṇu, we should discuss about Viṣṇu-tattva and not Viṣṇu-tattva (?). That is called siddhānta. Siddhānta boliyā citte nā kara alasa: "Don't be lazy to discuss about siddhānta." Ihā haite kṛṣṇe lāge sudṛḍha mānasa: "The more you discuss the thesis—not thesis; the factual presentation of Viṣṇu-tattva, māyā, and jīva-tattva, śakti-tattva—then it will be clear what is Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything.
Philosophy Discussions
Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:
Śyāmasundara: He says logically these are not fallacious; both sides are true. For instance, his first antimony is, "The world has a beginning in time and is enclosed in limits of space." This is the thesis. Then the antithesis is, "The world has no beginning in time and no limits in space, but is infinite with regard to both time and space." So he says reasonably both conclusions are true.
Prabhupāda: So how to adjust? How to adjust is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. It says this material phenomenal world is coming into existence and again annihilated. Again coming. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). So this material nature, coming in manifestation and again vanquished, this process, coming into existence and then vanquished, this is also true. Just like day and night, it is coming and going. This is true. But night is not day; day is not night.
Śyāmasundara: The first antimony describes the quantity of the world. The second antimony deals with the quality of the world. The thesis is, "Every composite substance in the world is made up of simple parts, and nothing whatever exists but the simple, or that which is composed out of the simple." And the antithesis is, "No composite thing in the world is made up of simple parts, nor does anything simple exist anywhere in the world." On the one hand, everything is simple, made up of simple parts. On the other hand, nothing is simple; everything is complex.
Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:
Prabhupāda: Yes. The simple is, we say, the whole world is made of material energy. This is simple. Now, the component parts of material energy, there are so many things—mahat-tattva, then pradhāna, then puruṣa, then twenty-four elements, the five gross elements, eight subtle elements, the five senses, the objects of the senses—and in this way there are so many analytical complications.
Śyāmasundara: So his third antimony is the causal, or relation (?) of the world. He says, first of all, thesis: "Causality in conformity with laws of nature is not the only causality from which all the phenomena of the world can be derived. To explain these phenomena it is necessary to suppose that there is also a free causality." And the antithesis is, "There is no freedom, but all that comes to be in the world takes place entirely in accordance with laws of nature." So on the one hand he is saying that sometimes we observe an exception to the laws of causality, that something happens which is completely uncaused or unexplainable, so that there must be no such thing as a strict law of cause and effect.
Prabhupāda: No. There is, strictly. He cannot explain—you do not know—but there must be some cause. Therefore ultimate cause is Kṛṣṇa, or God.
Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant:
Śyāmasundara: His fourth antimony relates to the modality of the world, whether or not the world requires an absolute being. First of all, that is the thesis: "There exists an absolutely necessary being, which belongs to the world either as a part or as a cause of it," and the antithesis is, "There nowhere exists an absolutely necessary being, either in the world or outside of the world, as its cause." So by reason alone one can either say that there is a God or that there is not a God.
Prabhupāda: There is a God. That is reason. And how can one support that there is no God? What is that reason?
Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:
Śyāmasundara: It means the synthesis of two opposing elements, like if you have...
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, I understand.
Śyāmasundara: ...the thesis, the antithesis and the synthesis.
Prabhupāda: Mm. That is means argument. You say something, I say something, and then you come to conclusion.
Śyāmasundara: Reconciliation.
Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:
Prabhupāda: Yes. And there is another process, inductive. Now let us see whether man is mortal or immortal. So go and study. So there are two processes. We say in our Sanskrit language, avaroha panthā, āroha panthā, knowledge coming from up, and knowledge for trying to go up. Ascending process and descending process. So we say that descending process is perfect.
Śyāmasundara: Actually the example you brought out is very good because he says the essential dialectic of all is just this: there is a thesis of being, and an antithesis of nothing. So that, you said man is immortal, that is...
Prabhupāda: Being.
Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:
Prabhupāda: So, but Kṛṣṇa says, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Although the body is not mortal, still the proprietor of the body is immortal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20).
Śyāmasundara: So that's a combination of thesis and antithesis into synthesis.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So when we perfectly come to that position then you become synthesis.
Śyāmasundara: That's what Hegel is trying to find out, that ultimate synthesis.
Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:
Śyāmasundara: So far the social ethics are concerned, he says that these begin with the family, then they go to the society or community, and then finally the state. He says that the family is the single entity and is the thesis. The individual finds his real nature only in the presence of others.
Prabhupāda: What about the family of the animals? They have got family. What does he say? The tiger has got family—he has got his wife, cats.
Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:
Prabhupāda: Then his statement that Christianity is perfect, that is refuted.
Śyāmasundara: Yes. That stands refuted.
Devotee: As Hegel presents Christianity.
Śyāmasundara: He says that the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, is just like his philosophy of thesis, antithesis and synthesis. So he says, "Therefore it is perfect."
Prabhupāda: He may think it. Everyone thinks that way, (that) his philosophy is perfect.
Śyāmasundara: He says that even higher than religion is philosophy because you can approach God through pure concept or thought, pure thought, and reach God.
Prabhupāda: Therefore Bhāgavata, Bhagavad-gītā is combination of religion and philosophical thought.
Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:
Śyāmasundara: The idea in itself is that thesis, the idea for itself is the antithesis. Now the idea...
Prabhupāda: The first thing is that idea, anything... Idea is not God. God is substance.
Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:
Prabhupāda: Yes, he gets idea: "Yes, there is a building like that, you can do that." For man there cannot be anything, invention. He can say "discovered", there is nothing invented.
Śyāmasundara: So he says that these two things are opposing, idea and substance, they are thesis and antithesis but the spirit contains both of them so it is the synthesis.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That we agree. Viruddha (Sanskrit), viruddha, contradictory thing can be adjusted in Kṛṣṇa. Because what is viruddha, opposite, that is also coming from Kṛṣṇa, and what is substance, that is also coming from Kṛṣṇa. We are thinking viruddha. Just like this same example, cooler and heater. They are opposite but they are coming from electricity. Therefore in electricity power, both can be adjusted(?). You can say, "Electricity can be cooler, electricity can be heater." That is called viruddha (Sanskrit). Contradictory things adjusted in Kṛṣṇa. Inconceivable, therefore we say inconceivable. Simultaneously one and different. That is our philosophy. Simultaneously we are all equal, one with God, and different. In our..., this material world, it is impossible to think like that, therefore it is called inconceivable.
Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:
Prabhupāda: That is no reason. Suppose...
Karandhara: Actually they have. There are a number of archaeologists who have made findings like, particularly one, I can't remember his name, but he did an elaborate investigation on the Egyptian culture. And his thesis was that their culture was far more advanced than ours. They had mathematical techniques, they had...
Prabhupāda: Ajanta Caves. Ajanta Caves. Why that is? So artistic. He's unfortunate, he's simply excavated caves...
Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:
Hayagrīva: That is to say he simply presented what material he found—that is the fossils. He investigated certain life forms on these island during this trip and theorized about evolution.
Prabhupāda: That is philosophic; that is not scientific. He found something and he based his thesis on that. He cannot find out all the bodies, because there are, at the end, some section, some sect they burn the body. So how he can get information of their body, burned? So his theory is not at all scientific. It is always defective.
Hayagrīva: He spent the rest of his life writing about the material he gathered during this five-year voyage, which is a very short time. And according to his theory of natural selection, the best and the fittest survived. If this is the case, the race will necessarily steadily improve.
Philosophy Discussion on William James:
Śyāmasundara: Today we are discussing American philosopher William James. His philosophy is called pragmatism, or that which can be practically applied. The central thesis of his philosophy is that the whole function of thought is to produce habits of action. In other words, he was tired of theoretical philosophy, and he wanted to see that philosophy had practical application.
Prabhupāda: So philosophy without practical application is called mental speculation. It has no value. We agree to that. Philosophy must be practically applied in life. That is real philosophy.
Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard:
Prabhupāda: Our process is already guided (?). (indistinct). Just like in university if you want to be a doctorate in philosophy, three other big philosophers are appointed to guide you, and then you present your thesis. But these people are thinking without any guidance, (indistinct).
Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:
Śyāmasundara: Today we are discussing the philosopher and psychologist Sigmund Freud. His thesis was that certain unconscious states must be repressed by a special mental mechanism which serves as a defense for the ego against painful or fragmental memories, emotions and desires.
Prabhupāda: That is our brahmācārya system. The psychology is that everyone has a sex appetite, everyone has a tendency for intoxication, and everyone had a tendency for meat-eating. Vyavāya āmiṣa madya sevā. These tendencies are already there. There is injunction in the śāstras that one can have sexual intercourse by marriage, legal sex. We are prohibiting illicit sex, but we are not prohibiting legal sex.
Philosophy Discussion on Jean-Paul Sartre:
Devotee: Why not take that trait that is so admirable, that courage, and put it into a right decision? That's our philosophy. Our philosophy is not that we should not be determined...
Śyāmasundara: Our philosophy is based first of all that there is a purpose in the universe. If to begin with, his thesis is that there's no purpose in the universe, then he can't say anything is right or wrong.
Devotee: Then what is the point of any philosophy? If there's no purpose, why should I read his philosophy? His philosophy also is meaningless.
Prabhupāda: Just to say there is no purpose?
Philosophy Discussion on Bertrand Russell:
Śyāmasundara: Just like when we were discussing Hegel, Hegel's belief was everything was synthetic, that it..., for every thesis there was an antithesis, and each combining made a synthesis, so that all things were related and all things combined together were the world. But his idea is the opposite—that everything is separated, everything is individual.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Separated, but there is sympathy. It is not separated abrupt. There is sympathy. Just like here, all our students, they are individual, separately, but there is (indistinct) sympathy, that every one of you are learning Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is sympathy. Even though you are all separated, you have got your individual opinions, still there is a sympathy in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise what is the use of this assembly unless there is sympathy? (aside:) What you say, Dr. Rao?
Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner:
Devotee: He isn't saying how we should control people. He is simply putting forth the idea that people should be controlled. He doesn't say... In fact, he admits that he doesn't know what the aim or goal is, or how exactly we should control it. He is simply putting forth that according to the Vedic system, the correct thesis that man can be controlled.
Prabhupāda: Man is already controlled, already controlled. Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that you are already under the dangerous laws, under the control of the stringent laws of material nature. And you are feeling inconvenienced, just like the threefold miserable condition. (indistinct-greeting guests) So there is no doubt about it. We are controlled. Nobody can say "I am free." We are controlled. When we are being controlled, we are feeling some inconvenience. So we are advising that you be under the control of Kṛṣṇa.
Philosophy Discussion on Mao Tse Tung:
Prabhupāda: That is in every sphere. Why communist?
Śyāmasundara: He has another slogan to resolve conflicts within the party of "Unity, criticism, unity." A dialectic. "Unity, criticism... The thesis is unity, the antithesis is criticism..."
Prabhupāda: Then what is his reply to this dialectic proposition, that I say that "You, Mr. Mao, you are not independent. You are controlled."
Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte:
Śyāmasundara: This Fichte actually comes to that conclusion because he borrows from Kant and develops this idea of the dialectic that there's thesis, the antithesis and it becomes combined in synthesis. He puts forward the idea that the ego, the subjective identity that the thesis has given and opposing that is the antithesis or material nature. Just like my body is the antithesis of my ego, so it is non-ego. So he says ego, non-ego, there's a continuous struggle.
Prabhupāda: When I think that I am this body, that is false ego. That is false ego. Because I am not this body. So those who are falsely identifying this body, (indistinct) they're animals. They're (indistinct).
Conversations and Morning Walks
1968 Conversations and Morning Walks
Questions and Answers -- Montreal, August 26, 1968:
Devotee: His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī accepted both Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and Śrīla Gaurakiśora as his spiritual master.
Prabhupāda: Gaurakiśora dasa... Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was his father, and Gaurakiśora dasa Bābājī was treating Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura... Although he was householder and Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī was renounced order, still he used to offer great respect to Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, and Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura saw him a pure devotee; therefore he recommended his son, Bimala Prasāda. His former name was Bimala Prasāda, and he got this title Siddhānta Sarasvatī by writing one thesis on astronomy, astrology, astrological calculation according to solar system. So he got this title Siddhānta Sarasvatī. So this Siddhānta Sarasvatī, Sarasvatī title also accepted by sannyāsa. Sarasvatī, Bhāratī, Puri, Araṇya, Bon, Parvat—there are ten names of sannyāsa according to Māyāvādī school, and according to Vaiṣṇava school there are 108 names. So this "svāmī" and "gosvāmī," they're also included within that 108 names. So he accepted Gaurakiśora dasa Bābājī Maharaja his spiritual master. Yes?
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation -- July 18, 1971, Detroit:
Mohsin Hassan: ...quite, came four weeks ago, and I received the response from you. I think I had a (indistinct) with me, and you indicated that you would like to meet me and give me some hint, a suggestion for my thesis writing. So here I am first to introduce myself to you and hope to learn some more about the objective of the movement. Maybe I could put in the thesis.
Prabhupāda: We require help from personalities like you, because it is very important movement, checking a great mistake in the modern world. Modern civilization is very risky. Risky in this sense: that the human form of life is an opportunity for self-realization, but our leaders, they are miseducating that "You are this body." A basic mistake.
Room Conversation -- August 17, 1971, London:
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is also... Everything is there. But actually, it is Kṛṣṇa, but we cannot see. Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetaraḥ. The whole cosmic manifestation is Kṛṣṇa but it appears it is different from Kṛṣṇa. Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetaraḥ. This is acintya-bhedābheda. So unless we accept the thesis or philosophy expounded by Lord Caitanya, inconceivable one and different... Inconceivable. For us it is inconceivable. You cannot have any clear distinction. Therefore take it as inconceivable, acintya. But from theoretical or by logical conclusion, everything is one: Kṛṣṇa. That's all. And another example is that the finger is myself, but I am not finger. This is the position. The hair I am. I am the hair, but I am not hair, at the same time. This is like that. This is called acintya-bhedābheda, inconceivable.
Room Conversation with Dr. Weir of the Mensa Society -- September 5, 1971, London:
Prabhupāda: A philosopher is not philosopher until he differs from other philosophers. Nāsau munir yasya mataṁ na... Unless you place a different thesis he will not be accepted as a good philosopher.
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation -- April 2, 1972, Sydney:
Prabhupāda: Yes. Next time he may be getting chance. Because he was at heart afraid of God. Because sometimes he was, "Swamiji, you pray for me to God." He told me that. At heart he was. But because he is impersonalist and mundane scholar, he was writing all nonsense.
Śyāmasundara: There's a whole class of scholars now called literary critics who simply take one book, or not even a scripture but any mundane book, and they spend their whole lives making comments what this must mean, what that must mean, "This is my opinion," "this is my thesis."
Prabhupāda: Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30), chewing the chewed.
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course -- May 13, 1973, Los Angeles:
Prabhupāda: ...to stop him for taking another Nobel Prize. Where is? (laughter) I am giving him notes that life is not from matter. Matter is from life. So he is going to write thesis on this.
Paramahaṁsa: Jaya. Vedānta-sūtra.
Prabhupāda: This is the fact. The so-called scientists, they are going on a wrong theory. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: (BG 10.8) "I am the origin of everything." So Kṛṣṇa is life. Kṛṣṇa is not dead stone. Svarūpa Dāmodara?
Room Conversation with Two Buddhist Monks -- July 12, 1973, London:
Prabhupāda: Yes. Simply... I have seen. I was telling that these people take meat, a small slice, not very much. But because they are taking, everyone, so many slaughterhouse are maintained. If they give up little, and we can replace it by other thing, then so many lives are saved. Swamiji, if you, your most philosophical thesis is ahiṁsā, you can teach them and that will help us also.
Morning Walk -- December 12, 1973, Los Angeles:
Prabhupāda: Ah, avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam. (break) ...is correct. We can face any so-called philosopher, any. Any so-called scientist. Any so-called politicians. You must be strong enough to have your firm conviction, that "We can face anyone rascal and defeat him." (break) ...and logic, argumentum vaculum. You know that? In logic there is a thesis or argumentum vaculum. Means no argument, but with stick and gun, you see. "If you don't believe, then here is stick and gun." That is called argumentum vaculum. So we have to make our position so strong that anyone who does not believe in God, he should be finished.
Morning Walk -- December 17, 1973, Los Angeles:
Prabhupāda: The same way. Bodily suffering. Infection. The spiritual master accepts the all infection. So as the infection acts on the body, so there is little suffering. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). Kṛṣṇa says, "All the sinful reaction of the surrendered soul..." So spiritual master is the representative of Kṛṣṇa. So he has also to accept. (break) ...the injunction is one should not accept many disciples. But for preaching work we have to do that. (break)
Svarūpa Dāmodara: ...to finish my thesis, so I won't be able to come every day in the morning.
Prabhupāda: That's all right. You do your duty. (break)
Morning Walk -- December 21, 1973, Los Angeles:
Prajāpati: His name is Harvey Cox, and he's at Harvard University, and his books are read by millions of people. As soon as one of his books comes out, everybody looks. So in this new book, his basic thesis is that God is especially interested to the causes of the poor people, and the poor people are much closer to God than anyone else.
Prabhupāda: Another rascal.
Prajāpati: I was wondering if Your Divine Grace would like to comment on such a thesis.
Prabhupāda: He is a rascal.
Morning Walk -- December 21, 1973, Los Angeles:
Prajāpati: This basic thesis of the leading theologian in our country... He's saying that the poor people are closer to God and God is specifically looking on their cause more than anyone else. He's at Harvard University.
Prabhupāda: But the one thing is, who is poor? Admitting. We admit, of course, that God is specially interested with the fallen or degraded. But first thing is that who is fallen? Who is poor? That is to be ascertained.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Morning Walk -- April 5, 1974, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: No, no. They worship five mūrtis. So they give equal im... Because Śiva is also not ultimate. Śaṅkarācārya's thesis is "Ultimately, the Absolute Truth is nirākāra." Not even Śiva. Therefore, either Śiva or Viṣṇu or Gaṇeśa, the same thing, same thing. They are not sticking with the Śiva form. They worship Viṣṇu form, also Gaṇeśa, as it is recommended in that book. (break) The difference is there. That difference is there. But we have to take which is correct.
Room Conversation with Christian Priest -- June 9, 1974, Paris:
Priest: When I went to India twenty-five years ago, I first studied for four years at this pilgrimage.
Prabhupāda: What was your subject matter studying?
Priest: I was studying for a thesis, a doctorate thesis, this pilgrimage, the story of the pilgrimage and everything of the brāhmaṇa pilgrimage. And as you know, it was one of the main bhakti tradition in Maharastra, Orissa, Jñāneśvara.
Prabhupāda: Tukārāma, Tukārāma.
Priest: Tukārāma.
Prabhupāda: Oh.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran:
Prabhupāda: So we are follower of these ācārya, so we accept, following the footsteps of the ācārya. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. One who has ācārya, guidance... Just like if anyone is going to be doctor of philosophy, he is guided by three ācāryas. That is the system in India. I think the same here, is it not? Anyone who is going to present some thesis, he is guided by three experienced professors, is it not?
Dr. Movebhed: Yes, more or less.
Prabhupāda: That is ācārya. So ācāryavān puruṣo veda. Without following the ācārya, if we simply theorize, that is not good. Just like the same example: if you want to put some thesis, the university regulation is that he must be guided by three experienced professor. You cannot simply put forward your thesis without being guided by the experienced professors. That thesis will not be accepted. Similarly, here Arjuna directly hears from Kṛṣṇa. So he says that "You are Parabrahma. Now I understand." Now people may say that "You are accepting Him Parabrahma. Where is your authority? You are friend. You can say Parabrahma or anything—out of love.
Room Conversation with Yoga Student -- March 14, 1975, Iran:
Prabhupāda: I may not be perfect, but because I have heard it from my father, who is perfect about the knowledge of this fruit, so I have taken that word from my father, and I am preaching, "This is coconut," and this is perfect. So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is like that. We are simply repeating the perfect statement of our predecessor. That's all. So there is no difficulty. We haven't got to write thesis on Kṛṣṇa. The perfect knowledge is already there. And supported by the ācāryas. And we are simply submitting that "This is Kṛṣṇa. This is God." That's all. All over the world we are placing this statement that "Here is Bhagavad-gītā, and Kṛṣṇa spoke. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is like this.
Morning Walk -- June 22, 1975, Los Angeles:
Prabhupāda: (laughs) It proves only that he's a fool. That is the only...
Dharmādhyakṣa: I talked to a very nice Indian gentleman. He's a life member. He's a young Ph.D. in chemistry, Dr. Bhatt. He dedicated his Ph.D. thesis to Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Ācchā?
Dharmādhyakṣa: Yes. And he quoted īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). And I asked him, "What is the practical result of your research?" He said, "Maybe in twenty years they'll find some way to use the research that I am working on."
Room Conversation with Dr. John Mize -- June 23, 1975, Los Angeles:
Dr. John Mize: The question that bothers me in part is then why would the soul... Because I understand your conception that the soul is part of the spiritual sky originally or part of God, and it somehow falls out of this blissful condition due to pride, much like the Christian thesis that the devil fell out of heaven due to pride. And it seems puzzling why the soul would be so silly, so foolish, so insane, as to do such a thing.
Prabhupāda: That is his independence.
Dr. John Mize: Independence.
Prabhupāda: Instead of using independence properly, when he misuses independence he falls.
Room Conversation with Dr. John Mize -- June 23, 1975, Los Angeles:
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is sattva-guṇa. Good character means sattva-guṇa, to become brāhmaṇa and then love God. This is Vedic civilization.
Jayatīrtha: Does he make any description of God? Any explanation?
John Mize: His thesis is that God is an intelligent moral force. But he avoided anthropomorphism by not projecting such properties as anger onto God. But he recognized personality in God. God is a moral intelligence and powerful.
Prabhupāda: So to become angry, that is also qualification of God, to become angry.
John Mize: Is...?
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Prabhupāda: What is the thesis of life?
Harikeśa: According to who?
Prabhupāda: Anyone.
Harikeśa: Anyone. Some people say that life is to be enjoyed. Life is simply there for enjoyment.
Prabhupāda: So the answer is that whether you are actually enjoying life.
Harikeśa: Well, right now I'm not actually enjoying life, so...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Prabhupāda: So then the next question will be that how to become enjoyable, or how to enjoy? The next question is.... There may be different thesis. So our thesis is that we are trying to enjoy life by covering ourself. The crude example.... Just like sometimes before, the.... It may be nowadays also current. The contraceptive method was by using one cover. Do you know that?
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Prabhupāda: Therefore actually when they want to enjoy sex in the private room, they become naked. So they are seeking enjoyment with this material body, but they are not able to enjoy on account of being covered. This is the thesis.
Harikeśa: Hmmm. This is the Kṛṣṇa conscious thesis.
Prabhupāda: Well, why do you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness immediately? From practical point of view. So why they want to enjoy sex life being naked? That means covered enjoyment is not enjoyment. It is hampered enjoyment. Therefore we living entities, or, say, human beings, we want enjoyment. That's all right. But we are not able to enjoy fully because we are covered by something. This is the thesis. This is the thesis. But these rascals, or the ignorant persons, they do not know that "I am covered by something. Therefore my enjoyment is not complete." This is the thesis. So you answer this. Our enjoyment is not being completed on account of being covered by this material body. This is the thesis.
Harikeśa: So the antithesis would be there is no...
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Harikeśa: Dialectical spiritualism.
Prabhupāda: Ye.... Not dia.... Dialectical means keep spiritualism or materialism. It is dialectic. Two sides there are, the material and the spiritual. These ignorant rascals, cats—and dogslike men, they have no information of the thing which is covered. They're simply dealing with the covering. Therefore their knowledge is imperfect, and they're not successful by so many theses. They do not know the real problem. Who is enjoyer? That they do not know. That enjoyer is covered. And they are talking on the cover. That.... In Bengal, it is a proverb, said, that: Sobraniye tanatan.(?) In the.... I think I was talking on this. In the coconut.
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Prabhupāda: Then he remains the same animal, cats and dogs. There is no advancement. Therefore you see despite so many rascal philosophers in the Western countries, they simply fight and bomb and cheat and politics, diplomacy. The same—on the surface of the coconut, not inside. So you have to prove that "All of you are rascals. You do not know where to get pleasure." They're missing that point. All rascals, they're putting new philosophy, thesis. So what is the value of that thesis? He does not know. It requires expert. Just like somebody has told: "In this land, there is gold." So somebody's digging here, somebody's digging there, somebody's digging there. And they are, do not find gold, and struggling. But one expert, what is called, soil expert?
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Prabhupāda: He therefore begins: dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). Within this body, the living force, that is the soul. Because that soul is there, it is changing body, different. Try to understand that active principle. And where is that understanding? They simply putting different theses. They do not, neither do they know antithesis or synthesis. So our.... We know the thesis, antithesis and synthesis, that this soul, living entity, is within this body. Now the body is important so long the soul is there. Otherwise, body is a lump of matter. So the soul is suffering. He's seeking after enjoyment, but he's suffering.
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Prabhupāda: So therefore.... The most prominent suffering is death. That he cannot avoid. Or he's not.... The so-called materialistic scientists, they have not been able, neither they do know, who is the sufferer or enjoyer. They take this body. The same fiber platform. So actually they are rascals. What is the value of the thesis, antithesis?
Harikeśa: So actually everything.... All the arguments they bring up is simply the material thesis. There is no antithesis 'cause.... Just like hot and cold. Hot is...
Prabhupāda: No. They're seeking—the same example—the enjoyable thing, on the platform of shell of the coconut, fibers of the coconut. They do not know that within the shell, within the fiber, there is coconut. That they do not know. You said two sides. But they do not know the other side. They only know the one side, the body. There will be synthesis when there are two. But they have no two.
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Prabhupāda: Such mind is imperfect. What is this satisfaction? If mind is imperfect, so mental satisfaction is never complete satisfaction. That is also another illusion. It will be changed again. Again revolution. This is going on. So in the dialectic process, try to bring this thesis, that within this body there is the real enjoyer, and try to convince them in that way. That will be great service.
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Harikeśa: You've already done it.
Prabhupāda: I've done with a few selected men. Now it has to be spread. We have to face bigger field. Then it will be nice. Hm? Thesis, antithesis and synthesis. This is good. This is scientific method. So, so what is that thesis? That thesis is given by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa gave the thesis: asmin dehe, the proprietor of the body is there. Within this body.... This is thesis.
Harikeśa: Actually though, the, the thesis in Engel's philosophy would start off with the present existence, the present reality.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Prabhupāda: No, no, no. That is their imperfect knowledge. They do not know. What is thesis, what is antithesis, and the synthesis, they do not know. As philosophers, they have found out the three things. But so far the solution of the problem of human society.... You cannot solve the problems of animals' society. That is not possible. So this thesis can be understood by human beings. The animals cannot understand it, that within this body the soul is there. On account of presence of the soul, everything is going on, bodily affair. This thesis cannot be understood by the animals. So if you cannot understand, then you are also animal, although you are two-legged. So what is the value of your thesis, antithesis? You are animal.
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Harikeśa: I think a thesis, it would be described in the dictionary as a proposition.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Who can give proposition unless one is human being? The dog cannot give proposition. The animal cannot give proposition. So who is giving this proposition throughout the Western world, that within this body there is the real person? Who understands this? Therefore they're all animals. What is the value of their so-called philosophy? What do you think? Yasyātmā buddhiḥ kunāpe tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). If he's in the bodily concept of life, then he remains animal. What is the value of his thesis? Now here is the thesis. Now antithesis is also there. Actually we are trying to adjust. Only society. The thesis is the soul. The antithesis is the body. And synthesis is how to adjust the body and soul so that the soul be benefited from this entanglement.
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
apitalists, that much. That much, there is something ideal that the state property should be equally divided. That's a good thesis. But they do not know that it is not the ultimate solution. You do not know who is the proprietor. You do not know the proprietor. These things belong to Him. You are using it. I am thinking that "You are proprietor." But actually you are not proprietor. He is proprietor. If that is the position, then I take it from you that: "You cannot possess. I shall possess." Then what is my possess? The same thing. As you took it, took it out from this man, so I took it, take it from you.
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Prabhupāda: Yes. He does not know that "I was imperfect, thief. Therefore I have put into jail." So we can face any philosopher. But I can give you ideas. You can write some small articles. Let them solve these thesis, antithesis and synthesis. They, they accept this thesis, antithesis?
Harikeśa: Oh, yeah.
Prabhupāda: Put them.
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Harikeśa: And actually it's, it works very nicely because the thesis doesn't have to be accepted as a fact in the beginning.
Prabhupāda: That's all right. But discuss on.... That is dialectic. Complete discussion. That is wanted. That we want.
Harikeśa: So now if they're actually interested in the scientific method, they must accept our thesis for discussion.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Dialectic.
Harikeśa: And then they can put...
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Prabhupāda: But that.... Experimental philosophy means rascaldom. You do not know actually what is the fact. Then you make experiment. That means you are rascal.
Harikeśa: I meant that this thesis, antithesis...
Prabhupāda: Just like Kṛṣṇa does not say, "Make an experiment." He says the fact: asmin dehe dehinaḥ. "The proprietor of the body is within this body." There is no question of experimenting.
Harikeśa: But that's our thesis.
Prabhupāda: Not.... I say "thesis." Kṛṣṇa do.... Kṛṣṇa says the fact.
Harikeśa: But I mean in order to...
Prabhupāda: But if you don't accept Kṛṣṇa's...
Harikeśa: Yeah, they don't accept. So that, that's our thesis.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Then, then take it as thesis.
Harikeśa: Thesis. So therefore it's an experiment.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Not experiment. It is to be subjected to discussion. That is not experiment. Because the fact is there. Now whether it is fact, that you have to discuss.
Harikeśa: So this experimental knowledge should be strictly kept in the scientific realm.
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:
Prabhupāda: So you cannot begin with this sun. The beginning of educating is that put this thesis, as Kṛṣṇa is putting, that, that this body is not all in all. Within the body, there is soul.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Morning Walk -- April 12, 1976, Bombay:
Dr. Patel: That's right. So now they have started reading all these, our books. They will now make amendment on it. As you said, they will thesis, synthesis. The present practice of communism in Russia is much more diluted than what it was twenty, thirty years back.
Prabhupāda: It should be.
Morning Walk -- April 15, 1976, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: No, no. No interpretation. They say that "no killing." So no killing is not possible. That is my point. Then where is the thesis stands, that "We are for not, no killing"?
Interview with Professors O'Connell, Motilal and Shivaram -- June 18, 1976, Toronto:
Viśvakarmā: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Yes. He's interested in Vaiṣṇava philosophy.
Viśvakarmā: Yes, he wrote his thesis on Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism.
Prabhupāda: So he has got his doctorate?
Viśvakarmā: Yes. He's bringing one other professor with him. I can't remember his name. He's rather important. He just got a post at Oxford University, has been granted, er, uh, and from Oxford they've asked him to come from Toronto to there. So he'll also be with Professor O'Connell.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation -- March 31, 1977, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: That's nice. Then it is all right. You belong to Hare Kṛṣṇa. That should be there. That cannot be...
Svarūpa Dāmodara: I would use tilaka many times when I was doing my thesis, also like this, but in giving lectures, especially amongst the scientists, sometimes if we come with head shaved, sometimes they think it very strange. We can do it when...
Prabhupāda: No, no, no. Don't disturb them, that "These are strange people." No, we don't want that. But we must have our position. Tilaka is our position. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's stricture. You will not see one face if there is no tilaka. He used to say it is cremation ground. Yes, without tilaka. Pasanta mukha.(?) Tilaka must be there. And so far dress is concerned, you can dress up to the taste of the modern people. So what is your breakfast time here?
Conversation with Tamala Krsna about Yadubara -- April 22, 1977, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He plans to meet with Svarūpa Dāmodara in Boston when he returns in July to discuss the possible films to make. He says he decided with Svarūpa Dāmodara that it would be best to wait before making a film until they have published their thesis and had some feedback from the material scientists. It's a good point. "Because their theories are always changing, our scientists also have to change their approach. It is for this reason that a film does not seem so suitable for their purposes, because it cannot be so easily changed as with a slide presentation. Also Svarūpa Dāmodara's presentation is highly scientific, and I feel somewhat dry for the film medium, which is more an artistic medium."
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Short Dissertations -- May 24-25, 1977, Vrndavana:
Prabhupāda: This is our thesis.
Jayapatākā: And educated young people, they're very... They're very susceptible to being devotees. When we traveled in one city, two people joined with us and traveled with us and said they'll be shaved and everything. Very easily they give up. Even when I returned in Māyāpur about five or six new young men had joined. In the twenty days I was gone Bhavānanda Mahārāja had enlisted about five or six men and about fifteen gurukula students and two families. And they were all very enthusiastic. They want to go and preach also. Things are improving.
Room Conversations Bangladesh Preaching/Prabhavisnu Articles by Hamsaduta -- August 11, 1977, Vrndavana:
Prabhupāda: Ah!
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Ah. He's exposed now. "...whereas these men have actually qualified themselves in bona fide institutions of learning by submitting their theses for Ph.D. degrees. Dr. Kovoor boasts that for over twenty years he has challenged holy men to show him God or the soul, and no one has ever dared to take up his challenge. But now someone has come forward to challenge him. I have rented the Ramakrishna Mission Hall on the 20th of August, Saturday, 6:30 PM, and invite him to accept my challenge on the stage before the public to produce life from chance biochemical combination. All are invited to attend. Admission free. Bring some chemicals if possible." He rented a hall. He's put out a challenge in the newspaper. Now we'll hear what the public is saying. I think he gave a good reply.
Prabhupāda: Very good. This is preaching.
Correspondence
1947 to 1965 Correspondence
Letter to Raja Mohendra Pratap -- Cawnpore 13 July, 1947:
In continuation of my last post card, I beg to inform you that I have finished the reading of your book Religion of Love. In my opinion the whole thesis is based on the philosophy of pantheism and the approach is made by the services of mankind. Religion of love is the true religious idea but if the approach is made through the service of mankind only, then the process is made imperfect, partial and unscientific.
Letter to Sri Biswambhar Goswami -- Shanti Kutir, Vrindaban 25 December, 1956:
I have come to Vrindaban to consult with you if it is possible to form an association of the Vaisnavas of all Indian Sampradayas to protect the interest and principles of all the Acaryas: Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu amalgamated the views of all the previous Acaryas in His thesis of Acintya-bhedabheda Tattva explicitly explained by Sri Baladeva Vidyabhusana in his Govinda Bhasya of the Vedanta-sutra.
Letter to Ved Prakash -- Bombay 7 July, 1958:
India's vedic knowledge is above all the conditional defects mentioned above but we Indians at the present moment have neglected such wonderful vedic knowledge. It is due to its improper handling now. The whole vedic literatures namely Vedas and Upanisads are summarized in the Vedanta Sutra which includes the purport of the six Indian philosophical thesises of Kanda, Gautama, Kapila, Patanjali, Astavedya and Vedic Rsis.
1968 Correspondence
Letter to Janardana -- Los Angeles 21 January, 1968:
If they are fortunate enough to meet a pure devotee of Krishna and if they are sincere in their search for the absolute truth, they will find Krishna Consciousness as the last resort of their philosophical researches. Try to help these bewildered philosophers by presentation of your nice Krishna Consciousness thesis which you have prepared, and I am sure Krishna will help you in all respects. Simply your sincerity of service is required and He will dictate from within you how to make your thesis. It will be a great service to the humanity, especially to the Western world.
Letter to Satsvarupa -- Montreal 16 June, 1968:
So there was very good discussion and by the Grace of Krishna, I was able to give them some impression of this philosophy, that it is nicer than anything. Professor Abdul is Mohammedan, and is writing a thesis of Sufi religion. And he was also impressed. Unfortunately, I had to eat there, but I accepted a little fruits only, while they were eating all sorts of nonsense, but at least they did not drink. We are the two persons only, Janardana and myself, we avoided all kinds of nonsense.
1969 Correspondence
Letter to Giriraja -- Los Angeles 10 July, 1969:
Krishna Consciousness is the post-graduate study of all religious conceptions of the world. I like the idea that you should make a thorough study of all theological schools, and in the future if you can explain our Krishna Consciousness Movement as the post-graduate presentation of all theological theses, then it will be a great accomplishment. You are a grown-up boy and intelligent also, so you make your position clear and do the needful.
1970 Correspondence
Letter to Jananivasa -- Los Angeles January 26, 1970:
Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letter dated January 21, 1970, and I am so glad to read your thesis on "Krsna Consciousness is the Absolute Necessity for Mankind in this Age." I am very much obliged to you for so nicely presenting our philosophy, and I am also glad to learn that your professor is so pleased upon it that he has kindly given it the grade "A" and also allowed you to work for another paper.
Letter to Jananivasa -- Los Angeles January 26, 1970:
So for the time being you will hand over a copy of this thesis to Hayagriva Prabhu for publication in the BTG in two or three installments.
1973 Correspondence
Letter to Niranjana -- Brooklyn 21 May, 1973:
So, I've asked Swaroop Damodara to invite Ramananda Rao to come and join him to present this revolutionary theory to the learned advanced scientists. We know it certainly that matter comes out of life. Simply we have to present this thesis in chemical, technological words. Svarupa Damodara has already written one small booklet, "Krsna Consciousness, Purely on a Scientific Basis." So this is the business of big, big, chemists and physicists to present the real facts in Krsna Consciousness.
1975 Correspondence
Letter to Pierre Sauvageau -- Honolulu 2 February, 1975:
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Dec. 17, 1974 and have noted the contents. I am very pleased to know that you have taken such a great interest in our Hare Krishna Movement. You are an educated man and you can use your education very nicely in the service of Krishna. I like the idea of yours to continue on for PHD presenting our books and philosophy in your thesis. This will be a great service for you to perform and I shall be very grateful to you if you can do it. Please therefore go ahead with obtaining PHD and become a learned scholar in the science of loving Krishna.* This will be a wonderful credit for you and you will surely get recognition from Krishna for such an attempt.
| Page Title: | Thesis |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, JayaNitaiGaura |
| Created: | 25 of Jun, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=6, CC=16, OB=6, Lec=53, Con=42, Let=10 |
| No. of Quotes: | 133 |