Prabhupāda Teaches His Disciples How to Study His Books
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not based on blind faith or empty sentiment; it is grounded in a vast, logical, and highly scientific philosophical tradition. To ensure his followers could properly digest and distribute this knowledge, Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed his disciples to rigorously study his translations of the Vedic literatures. By making this study a core daily practice, his followers developed the spiritual intelligence needed to conquer the illusions of the material world and expertly preach the absolute truth to human society.
The Necessity of Daily Study
Reading the transcendental literatures is not an optional hobby for a serious practitioner. Śrīla Prabhupāda established studying as a mandatory, daily requirement alongside chanting and observing the regulative principles. By maintaining a strict routine that incorporates reading every morning and evening, the disciple ensures their consciousness remains securely anchored in the spiritual atmosphere.
- All our students must carry out these daily duties of regular chanting without offense of ten kinds, following the regulations, and studying our literatures.
- These regulative functions of chanting the rounds sixteen daily, rising early in the morning to attend Mangala Arati, holding classes for studying our scripture and gong on Sankirtana, these items must not be neglected.
- I simply request you to chant 16 rounds daily without fail and follow all the regulative principles. Rise early, attend temple functions and study my books carefully.
- Please study my books intensely and do not fail to chant 16 rounds daily following the four regulative principles strictly. This will make everything perfect.
- Please always follow the four regulative principles and chant minimum sixteen rounds per day. Study my books very carefully and prepare yourself fully for going back to home, back to Godhead.
Gaining Spiritual Strength to Defeat Illusion
The material energy is relentless in its attempt to drag the living entity down into the modes of passion and ignorance. However, deep and consistent study provides an impenetrable shield. When a devotee regularly absorbs their mind in the philosophy of the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they gain the necessary spiritual strength, gravity, and steadiness to effortlessly repel the attacks of māyā.
- Maya will never touch you if you are cent percent serving Krishna. Follow the rules carefully, chant at least 16 rounds, read and study my books deeply, and in this way be enthusiastic about going back to Godhead in this life.
- By remaining steady in chanting and studying our books carefully, along with chanting Sanskrit mantras in Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita, automatically you will become freed from the modes of passion and ignorance, and gravity and steadiness will come.
- It is most essential that all the initiated devotees study our books and learn this philosophy very well. And to get the strength for understanding these, everyone must chant sixteen rounds of beads daily without fail.
- Please keep yourself fixed up in Krishna Consciousness by strictly adhering to all the rule and regulations. Always be sure to chant 16 rounds and study my books daily. This will keep you strong in spiritual life.
- If you follow this simple process (chanting sixteen rounds and avoiding ten offenses) faithfully under the direction of your Spiritual Master and try to understand our philosophy by regular study, you will continue to progress your lives in Krsna consciousness.
Equipping the Preachers
Preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a serious battle against ignorance, requiring sharp intelligence and precise arguments. Śrīla Prabhupāda warned his followers that they would inevitably encounter challengers, atheists, and bogus philosophers. Therefore, to become a potent and effective preacher, a disciple must thoroughly study the literature so they can expertly answer any question and confidently dismantle opposing views.
- Every one of you should study the philosophy, try to understand it and spread it. That is good for you and good for others.
- I am pleased that you are making serious study of our Krishna philosophy, so I want that you go on like this until you will able to defeat any challenge from atheists and rascals, then your preaching work will have real potency.
- Preaching shouldn't depend on me only. My disciples should become all good preachers, and that depends on studying the books nicely so that you can arrive at the right conclusion.
- The books are there, your intelligence is there, the guidance is there. Because you are preaching, sometimes we have to meet opposing elements. So if you cannot answer properly, that will be disqualification.
- When you study very carefully all of the literature which is available, especially Bhagavad Gita As It Is, you will have in your grasp answers to all questions that may be put to you.
Understanding the Absolute Truth
The Vedic literatures are not ordinary storybooks; they are the ultimate science of Theism. By attentively reading the purports, disciples are introduced to the highest siddhānta (perfect philosophical conclusions). Śrīla Prabhupāda explained that if one deeply studies these texts, they will gain a comprehensive understanding of the Absolute Truth and learn how to apply this perfect knowledge to every sphere of practical life.
- We now have published several books which delve deeply into the topic of the Absolute Truth, so you should read them very carefully, and gradually the knowledge will become revealed to you.
- There are so many things to understand from Srimad-Bhagavatam, full knowledge, all knowledge, as it is required by the human society. So we have to study from all angles of vision, not simply by sentiment. This is Srimad-Bhagavatam.
- If you study my books very carefully, then I am sure you will find out the means for applying this Krsna Consciousness philosophy in all spheres of life. There is no limitation. Simply it requires a little common sense practicality.
- Siddhantic conclusions are being mentioned in all my books, and the boys and girls in our Krsna Society should now give more attention for studying the books very attentively.
- If you study according to the Vedic conclusion, don't manufacture ideas and whims and sentiments. If you go through siddhanta, then you'll be more and more firmly fixed up.
Becoming Authorized Teachers
To be a genuine spiritual teacher, one must never manufacture new ideas or alter the meaning of the scriptures. A disciple's perfection lies in their ability to assimilate the knowledge from the books and present it accurately. By carefully memorizing the principles and reproducing them in their own words, the devotees automatically become highly successful, authorized representatives of the disciplic succession.
- There is no need to concoct anything new. You simply have to study carefully our books and then in your own words try to express what you have read. This will automatically make you a very successful preacher.
- You have to understand our philosophy perfectly, follow the regulative principles, and then in fact you can edit our books and papers.
- So long I have been receiving different questions from the students, now I think all these questions should be answered by the presidents locally. So you study all our books very nicely, and all the doubts and questions may be answered by you locally.
- Please study carefully my books to be enlightened. You have presented our philosophy very nicely. This engladdens me that our students are presenting so convincingly. This is the way to become future preacher.
- Your study aids that you are using to help the children learn the meaning of Bhagavad-gita slokas fully seem to be alright. You must see that the meaning of the verse is in no way altered or changed. Simplification is alright but do not change anything.
The Depth of the Scriptures
The Vedic texts translated by Śrīla Prabhupāda are vast oceans of spiritual realization. Rather than rushing through the pages, disciples are encouraged to study them critically and scrutinizingly. He noted that works like the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are so profoundly rich that even if a devotee studied just one verse a day for fifty years, they would continually uncover fresh, refreshing layers of transcendental understanding.
- The Srimad-Bhagavatam is one Purana. And in one Purana you find eighteen thousand verses, and each and every word is so meaningful that you study throughout your whole life, oh, still you'll find refreshed.
- Srimad-Bhagavatam. Vyasadeva has given us. We should study very carefully, and we have tried to give each and every word's meaning and the translation and the purport, consulting all the big, big acaryas.
- Srimad-Bhagavatam you should study very scrutinizingly, critically.
- As you begin to study the Sanskrit words, in each word you will find a treasure house of different understanding.
- We can avoid idle conversation and utilize our time in the spare moments for studying slokas from the Gita and Bhagavatam. Practically I have given you more than enough for 50 years at one sloka daily.
Avoiding Superficial Reading
Spiritual study is vastly different from academic research. A devotee who simply memorizes quotes to show off like a mundane scholar will never grasp the true essence of the philosophy. Śrīla Prabhupāda taught that genuine realization does not come from being a "bookworm," but from combining patient, focused reading with unflinching faith in the Supreme Lord and the spiritual master. Only then is the knowledge truly revealed from within.
- Study one line, that is sufficient. It does not mean to go like a storm and do not understand.
- We don't want men giving some quotation from a book just like these so-called scholars do. He has not gone through the book, but take some suitable passage and note, and then he advertises himself that he has studied so many book.
- Simply by studying, becoming bookworm, you cannot advance. The real secret is... That is stated in the Vedas. Unflinching faith in God and spiritual master. Then things will be revealed from within. How much strength we have got to study all these books?
- To a sincere student, all of the contents of these books become revealed from within, even if he has not thoroughly studied them all.
- Study of Vedanta is not a question of hobby. It is a question of realization.
Passing the Bhakti-śāstrī Examination
To formalize the philosophical training of his disciples, Śrīla Prabhupāda instituted systematic examinations within the society. Devotees seeking to prove their grasp of the basic literatures were required to study specific texts and pass the Bhakti-śāstrī test. This academic requirement ensured that the initiated members of the movement possessed a robust, verifiable understanding of the Vaiṣṇava philosophy.
- Brahmanas should study carefully, especially Gita, Isopanisad, Nectar of Devotion and Nectar of Instruction as well as all the small paperbacks. Soon we will have yearly examinations for brahmanas based on these books and those who pass will be awarded Bhakti-sastri titles.
- All of the leaders should study my books very carefully, since now everyone will have to appear for the examination.
- Soon we shall be instituting Bhakti-sastri examinations and all brahmanas will have to pass. So utilize whatever time you find to make a thorough study of my books. Then all your questions will be answered.
- If you don't practice, then at the time of examination, certainly you'll fail. (chuckles) If you say, "All right. I shall see in the examination hall. I shall write everything nice," that is nonsense. You have to study nicely before the examination.
- It is very important (The Nectar of Instruction) and must be immediately read by all devotees. In the near future we shall introduce the Bhakti-sastri examination for second initiation and this shall be one of the required books of study.
Group Study and Discussing Together
While individual reading is essential, studying within the association of other devotees deeply enhances realization. Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed the temples to hold regular classes where the disciples could read, hear, and thoroughly discuss the philosophy together. This interactive process, known as īṣṭhagoṣṭhī, allows the devotees to clarify doubts, inspire one another, and solidify their cooperative preaching efforts.
- First hearing, then chanting. Hear from the right source and discuss amongst yourselves. Istagosthi. Then the perfection.
- Hold classes at least five hours. As in the schools and colleges there are regular classes, forty-five minutes' class, then five or ten minutes' recess, again forty-five minutes' class, in this way, so we have got enough subject matter to study.
- So especially you must encourage the students to read our books throughout the day as much as possible, and give them all good advice how to understand the books, and inspire them to study the things from every point of view.
- Study our literatures attentively and try to understand the philosophy nicely with the help of your God-brothers. Always work cooperatively to spread Krsna consciousness movement and chant Hare Krsna and your life will be sublime.
- Please study very carefully all our books and learn our philosophy with the help of our many experienced students there in Boston, and remain happy in Krsna Consciousness.
Limiting the Scope of Study
The human lifespan is incredibly short, and attempting to study every mundane science or unauthorized religious text is a tremendous waste of time. To keep his disciples focused and protected from philosophical confusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda purposefully limited the scope of their study. He advised them to bypass superficial histories and atheistic literature, concentrating their entire energy strictly on the core, authorized Vaiṣṇava texts.
- In our Krsna consciousness movement we have therefore limited our study of the Vedic literatures to the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrta and Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. These four works are sufficient for preaching purposes.
- These Christian and Buddhist scriptures were delivered for a different class of men, and we needn't spend our time in studying their doctrines.
- Simply read our Sanskrit wherever it appears in our books and teach these slokas to the devotees, do not waste time by studying Sanskrit independently of our books.
- What you will learn about that, by studying the human species? You study Krsna. This is sufficient. There are 400,000 species of life. What will you benefit by studying? The botanist, the geologist, the biologist, they are doing that.
- Whatever books we have got, it should be studied. Bhakti-sastri means Nectar of Devotion, Bhagavad-gita, Nectar of Instruction, Beyond Death -- in this way we select some ten books. That is bhakti-sastri.
Conclusion
Studying the authorized scriptures is not merely an intellectual exercise; it is the vital, life-sustaining practice of hearing directly from the Supreme Lord and His pure devotees. By making the deep, daily study of his books a central pillar of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, Śrīla Prabhupāda ensured that his disciples would remain spiritually protected and philosophically sharp. As long as his followers continue to read, discuss, and perfectly assimilate these literatures, they will possess all the tools necessary to deliver the absolute truth to the entire world.
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 Our Studying (Disciples of SP). We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.