Thinking power
Bhagavad-gita As It Is
BG Preface and Introduction
BG Chapters 7 - 12
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 1
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Adi-lila
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
- yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
- mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
- śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
- sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
- [Bg. 6.47]
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Conversations and Morning Walks
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: No, argument you can go on, but if you want to know the truth it will not be attained by argument because argument is also within your thinking power: thinking, feeling, willing. So if your thinking, feeling, willing is imperfect, what is the use of your argument? What is the use of your so-called advancement of knowledge? Basically, if the senses, knowledge acquiring senses, are imperfect, then how you can get perfect knowledge?
Professor: Well, then what do we with all techniques, all systems, that have been developed? I am thinking only India, I am not thinking other places, and all the old tradition, since Śaṅkara onwards, of different ways to think, to study, to go deeply to all these relations between...
Prabhupāda: Śaṅkara has interpreted. Śaṅkara has interpreted by his limited knowledge. So that is not perfect knowledge. Therefore we don't accept Śaṅkara's philosophy.
Professor: But I said if he belongs to the same tradition, and you belong to the other...
Prabhupāda: That tradition is nothing. Tradition is just temporary. You make your tradition; he makes your tradition. That is another thing. But the, fact is fact. That is not dependent on tradition. Tradition we can make, tradition. "We believe." Just like somebody says, "We believe." What is the use of such saying, "We believe"? You may believe something which is not fact.Ravīndra-svarūpa: [break] ...the cells because they say that the cells are the fundamental unit of life and if they can understand even a very simple cell, then they think perhaps they can find the principles to understand everything living.
Prabhupāda: Well, this "perhaps..."
Ravīndra-svarūpa: But they can't understand the cell.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So their "perhaps," "maybe," is going on. And that will continue.
Ravīndra-svarūpa: Why does the living entity wish to speculate in this way?
Prabhupāda: He has been given a special advantage to think of God, but instead of thinking God, he is thinking all these rubbish things, which he will never be able to fulfill. Misusing. The thinking power he is misusing.
Ravīndra-svarūpa: So this mental speculation or this "perhaps" and "maybe" is a misuse of his specific power to understand God.
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. The life, human life, is meant for enquiring about God, and God is explaining Himself about God. Instead of studying Bhagavad-gītā very scrutinizingly, they are wasting time. "The cells, this, that, atom." That's all, wasting time Just like we are driving this car. So we can utilize it for going from one place to another. So there is no need of studying how the car is moving, how many parts are there.
Ravīndra-svarūpa: But still, people seem to have always a curiosity about these things.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That curiosity is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā that it is a machine and there are many subtle parts of the machine. So you have been given this machine. You utilize it properly. Why you are busy in studying the different parts? The different parts are there undoubtedly. But you cannot actually understand.Correspondence
1947 to 1965 Correspondence
The Ramakrishna mission although it does not come out of the above six schools of philosophers—generally they prefer to call themselves as Sankarites or belonging to the Mayavada school. Interpretations of Vedanta made by them are neither Mayavada nor Satvatta. They have their own interpretation different from the Vyasa school of philosophers.
Other Acaryas such as Ramanuja, Madhva etc and lately Sri Caitanya—all belong to the original Vedantist school by direct disciplic succession.Page Title: | Thinking power |
Compiler: | Rati, Madhavananda |
Created: | 22 of Nov, 2008 |
Totals by Section: | BG=2, SB=2, CC=1, OB=1, Lec=7, Con=2, Let=1 |
No. of Quotes: | 16 |