Approaching A Person Who Knows the Science of Kṛṣṇa
The journey to spiritual enlightenment requires proper guidance, just as any material science requires an expert teacher. The Vedic literature strongly advises against mental speculation, emphasizing that one must approach a realized soul to understand the Absolute Truth. Through his vast teachings, Śrīla Prabhupāda outlines the paramount importance of finding a bona fide spiritual master who is fully conversant with the science of Kṛṣṇa, and the necessity of submitting to such an authority to achieve liberation.
Understanding the Absolute Truth
The term tattva-vit refers to someone who is fully aware of the ultimate reality, free from the defects of conditional life. This knowledge is not a product of theoretical academic study, but a profound spiritual realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the cause of all causes. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that only a rare, fortunate soul fully comprehends the intrinsic nature of the material world and its relationship to the Supreme Lord.
- Tattva means truth and vit means one who knows. So a person who knows all these things he's called tattva-vit.
- A person in Krsna consciousness is the rare good soul who knows perfectly that Vasudeva, or Krsna, is the root of all manifested causes.
- A person who knows the science of God, is to be understood as already situated in Transcendence.
- The science of soul is necessity - it does not mean that everyone will be the transcendentalist or the scientist about soul. But at least one section of people must be there who knows perfectly well about the science of soul.
The Qualifications of a Guru
The position of a spiritual master is not determined by birthright, social caste, or institutional appointment. Rather, the sole criterion for being a guru is the complete, unadulterated knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda strictly relies on the injunctions of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, confirming that anyone who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa is fit to take on the responsibility of guiding the entire world.
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends, yei krsna-tattva-vetta sei 'guru' haya. Any person who knows about Krsna perfectly well, he is guru. That's all. He is guru. So we have to learn this science.
- A person who knows the science of Krsna is factually a bona fide spiritual master.
- The Krsna science is not so easy. It is not so easy. So therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has advised, yei krsna-tattva-vetta sei guru haya. Yei krsna-tattva-vetta. Any person who knows the science of Krsna, he is guru; not others.
- A person who knows what is spiritual and what is material and who is firmly fixed in the spiritual position can be jagad-guru, the spiritual master of the entire world.
Finding the Right Association
The path of spiritual realization begins with a sincere desire to learn, which must be followed by seeking out the association of pure devotees. Constant interaction with realized souls naturally cleanses the heart and dispels the darkness of ignorance. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that such great personalities exist within the authorized disciplic succession, and serving them is the direct pathway to receiving the Lord's mercy.
- If you are inquisitive to understand that is your first stage of faith. That is called sraddha. Adau sraddha. In the beginning your inquisitiveness that "I want to understand," that is faith. Then next stage is association of persons who know, sadhu-sanga.
- Mahat-seva means if you, by chance, you get in contact of a great personality, great soul who knows Krsna science, you just try to please him. Therefore we, every day in the morning, we sing yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah.
- Maitreya Rsi belongs to that disciplic succession, so he also is avyakta-marga-vit. Anyone in the bona fide line of disciplic succession is avyakta-marga-vit, a personality who knows that which is beyond ordinary perception.
- Vidura was purified of all passion by wandering in sacred places, and at last he reached Hardwar, where he met the great sage (Maitreya) who knew the science of spiritual life, and he inquired from him.
The Necessity of Submission
The arrogant and challenging spirit of modern materialistic philosophers completely blocks their ability to understand the Supreme Lord. Spiritual knowledge cannot be violently extracted or guessed through mundane intellectualism; it descends through a process of humble hearing and service. Śrīla Prabhupāda makes it clear that one must voluntarily surrender their false ego at the lotus feet of a genuine spiritual master to unlock the mysteries of the soul.
- Although bewildered, so-called scientists and philosophers are not ready to surrender themselves to the lotus feet of a person who knows things in their proper perspective.
- If you learn science and philosophy, you will have to approach some person who knows the science, knows the philosophy. But the greatest scientist, the greatest philosopher, is Krsna. He is within your heart.
- You must approach to a person who knows by surrender, not by challenge. You cannot know about soul and God by this challenging spirit. You have to become a submissive, submissive. You have to accept a spiritual master who knows.
- One has to be freed from all contamination, and at the same time he has to find a person who knows the science of Krsna. Krsna helps a sincere person.
Receiving Authorized Vedic Knowledge
Relying on direct sensory experience to gather knowledge is fundamentally flawed due to the inherent imperfections of the human senses. Perfect knowledge must be acquired through the deductive process—hearing from an infallible source. Śrīla Prabhupāda heavily criticizes the speculative method and insists that true wisdom is transferred only by hearing from authorized representatives who know the past, present, and future as revealed in the scriptures.
- The rascals, they cannot see. They simply believe in the direct experience. Direct experience is not first-class experience. The first-class experience is to receive knowledge from the person who knows. That is first-class experience.
- Such knowledge must come down through the disciplic succession, through authorized persons who know the real purpose of the sastra.
- We accept knowledge from such person who knows past, present and future. Persons who do not know even present what is going on, how we can accept knowledge from him? This is not our process.
- Such a person, who knows the purpose of the Vedic injunctions, who can employ the principles laid down in the Vedic literatures and who teaches his disciples in that way, is called an acarya.
Knowing Kṛṣṇa as He Is
Speculating about the nature of God leads only to faulty imagination and gross misinterpretation of the scriptures. To know Kṛṣṇa, one must hear from Kṛṣṇa directly or from His pure devotee, who presents the Lord exactly as He is without alteration. Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that any attempt to understand the Absolute Truth outside of this authorized framework will inevitably end in failure and continued bondage.
- If you want to know Krsna, then you must approach a person who knows Krsna. Don't try to know Krsna by your own imagination. People are trying to know Krsna by his faulty imagination. In that way Krsna cannot be known.
- You have to understand about God from the authorized person who knows things as they are. Then you can also know.
- Ciram means perpetually you can speculate, but you cannot understand what is God. That is not possible. You have to know God from a person who knows God or God personally.
- O Partha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, unborn, eternal and immutable, kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?
The True Aim of Life
A person fully situated in the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness understands the proper utilization of the material world in the service of the Lord. Unattached to temporary fame and bodily comforts, such a realized soul achieves supreme tranquility. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that this genuine peace cannot be found by mundane workers, philosophers, or mystics, but only by the pure devotee who completely grasps the ultimate goal of existence.
- A person who knows the intrinsic value of this material world for the service of the Lord, who is not attached to the material world, and who renounces the material world by not accepting it for sense gratification is situated in real renunciation.
- Krsna-bhakta-niskama, ataeva 'santa.' Only a Krsna conscious person, who knows the aim and object of life, is peaceful. All others, whether karmis, jnanis or yogis, are restless and cannot enjoy real peace.
- Ramananda Roy has explained that there is nothing so glorious or worth of fame in this world for a person who knows the true value of life other than to be famed as a devotee of Krsna.
- Actually, the intelligent person who knows his real position, his constitutional position, and his relationship with Krsna, then he takes directly this Krsna consciousness.
Conclusion
The supreme necessity of human life is to break free from the cycle of material illusion by acquiring perfect transcendental knowledge. As Śrīla Prabhupāda has unequivocally taught, this requires casting aside personal speculation and submissively approaching a realized spiritual master. By faithfully serving and hearing from a person who truly knows the science of Kṛṣṇa, the sincere soul is safely guided back home, back to Godhead.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category A Person Who Knows. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.