Understanding Krsna Is A Labor Of Love

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Understanding Krsna Is A Labor Of Love

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BY MAHANANDA DASA

 

A thousand obeisances to the assembled devotees.

The true meaning to the Vedic literature is hidden to the academics scholars,

therefore we can not change Srila Prabhupada's books to suit our ideas of what

is academically correct. One has to hear the transcendental message from a

pure devotee only, through disciplic succession, as is enjoined in the

scriptures. That is the importance of disciplic succession. The acaryas are

pure, perfectly liberated souls, whose very instructions are identical with

those of Supersoul. So there is no mistake.

 

Besides some simple editing for obvious resons, there is no scope whatsoever

to improve on his writings because of some material analysis on the part of

his conditioned disciples or nondevotees. As disciples of Srila Prabhupada, we

accept whatever he wrote in his translations to be exact and perfectly correct

because he is, as explained in the shastras, the external manifestation of

Supersoul, and therefore he is beyond error.

 

Srila Prabhupada is writing only what Krsna is dictating. So these phrases to

which some are referring to as sexists are correct also. Because Srila

Prabhupada is the confidential servant of Krsna, whatever he has written as

Krsna's words are in fact Krsna's words. That is the faith of the devotee and

disciple who understands the relationship between Krsna and the pure devotee

who is speaking on His behalf. As explained before, "For one who has explicit

faith in the pure devotee spiritual master and in Krsna, all the purports to

the Vedic literature are revealed". If we think otherwise about Srila

Prabhupada, that he can make mistakes and we should correct them, then we are

not understanding the process of hearing thru disciplic succession, and may be

seeing him as an ordinary man. I do not need to elaborate on that mistake.

Srila Prabhupada is not writing the Bhagavad-gita as a scholar, but he is the

transparent via media for Krsna to speak to us through him.

 

So we can be confident that just by submissively hearing the verses exactly as

he has given us in his Bhagavad-gita As It Is , or in other scriptures, or

lectures, or everything--all of his speaking, we can understand them

perfectly, without any need for further academic or scholarly study or

exercise. Param para is not like the academic study of the materialists. It is

through submissive hearing that our realizations come--not by speculation,

analysis, or academics. It is a labor of love. Out of Love for Krsna, we

continously want to hear His instructions in the Bhagavad-gita. And out of His

love for His devotee and his causless mercy, He sends his representative to

us, and then He kindly reveals the understanding of everything from within our

heart, being pleased with the sincere devotee.

 

Our philosophy is that we can only understand Krsna by pleasing and serving

the pure devotee guru. That is from where our success comes, our success in

developing love of God. Other kinds of success like liberation, etc., may come

from other methods of spiritual endeavor, but in our line of Bhakti we do not

follow these other processes. The ultimate success is Krsna consciousness,

love of Krsna. And Krsna is the property of the pure devotee. So only if we

approach the pure devotee guru with great submission, in the mood of great

fools, and render humble, menial service, and hope for his blessing upon us by

our teeny but sincere efforts to serve him--only then can we ever hope to

approach the highest goal, pure Krsna consciousness. So, if others do not

accept our beloved spirtual masters words as perfectly bonefide, that is ok.

Our job is to educate the submissive inquirer, to pass along this perfect

teaching to the next generation, to those who also want to develop their

devotional service and who accept Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

It is stated in the purports of the First Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam that

in order for there to be successful transmission of transcendental knowledge,

there are required two things. The first is that the speaker must be

qualified. That means that he must be in disciplic succession and he is

passing the message along intact, with no omissions or adding anything. But

the second requirement must be met as well, according to Srila Prabhupada in

the book mentioned above, and that is the hearer must be submissive. So what

is the point of trying to prove everything to those who are not actually

interested in developing a better understanding of Krsna? We are not

interested in debates and arguments only. We are interested in giving Krsna to

others, to the innocent.

 

Hoping this finds you well, Mahananda dasa