Principle of the Heart

[ancient_paztriot]

Hayagriva dasa: Whereas Descartes emphasized the importance of reason, Pascal believed that the principles that are understood by the heart are absolutely certain and adequate to overcome all skepticism and doubt. It is because the Supersoul speaks within the heart?

 

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita:

 

tesam satata-yuktanam

bhajatam priti-purvakam

dadami buddhi-yogam tam

yena mam upayanti te

 

“To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” (Bg. 10.10) Every living entity is living with God, but out of ignorance he does not know this. As we have stated before, there are two birds situated in the tree of the body. One bird is enjoying the fruits of the tree, while the other bird is witnessing. God gives instructions whereby we can return home, but nondevotees will not accept these instructions. A devotee strictly follows the orders of God, but the demoniac act according to their own whims, even though knowing God’s desires. There is no doubt that God is giving instructions. Instructions are given externally through God’s agent, the spiritual master, and through the scriptures. Instructions are given internally through the conscience, the Supersoul.

 

Syamasundara dasa: Pascal was a mystic who believed very deeply in God, but he was also a skeptic in the sense that he believed that we cannot prove the existence of God by our reason or any other way. Therefore he emphasized that we have to believe in God with our heart.

 

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, that is a fact. You cannot prove the existence of God by your material senses.

 

atah sri-krsna-namadi

na bhaved grahyam indriyaih

sevonmukhe hi jihvadau

svayam eva sphuraty adah

 

“Material senses cannot appreciate Krsna’s holy name, form qualities and pastimes. when a conditioned soul is awakened to Krsna consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the Lord’s holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord’s food, the tongue is purified, and one gradually come to understand who Krsna really is.” (Padma Purana) The senses are incompetent to appreciate God, but if you are anxious to know God, you should render Him service. Then He will let you know what He is. The more we engage in God’s service, the more He reveals. He cannot be perceived by our senses; therefore His name is adhoksaja, which means that he is beyond our sense perception. We worship the Deity of God in the temple, but the gross materialist with his sense perception can never understand that hte Deity is God. He will say that it is simply a stone carving. Therefore we have to believe in God with our heart. Because the atheist does not believe in God with his heart, he sees only a piece of stone.