We Cannot Come to Truth Without Kṛṣṇa and the Guru's Guidance
The conditioned soul cannot reach spiritual truth merely by force, argument, or personal interpretation. In these teachings, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the path to truth requires guidance from Kṛṣṇa, guru, and authorized spiritual understanding. Material life keeps the living being trapped through attachment, lust, greed, and false ownership, while Kṛṣṇa's order governs even the movements of nature. To come to truth, one must give up independent speculation and accept the shelter that leads beyond material limitation.
Argument Alone Cannot Reach the Conclusion
Spiritual truth is too deep to be captured by argument, speculation, or isolated reading. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that one logician may defeat another, and the scriptures may appear varied when read without proper guidance. Therefore the final conclusion cannot be reached by intellectual competition alone. The truth is confidential and must be approached through the proper spiritual path, under the guidance of Kṛṣṇa and His representatives.
- By argument you cannot come to the conclusion. By simply reading scriptures you cannot come to the conclusion. By following the philosophers you cannot come to the conclusion. Therefore the truth is very confidential. Dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam.
- The scripture says the same thing, but it is adjusted according to time, circumstances, audience. So if you simply read scripture, srutayo vibhinna - there are Rg Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, so many - you cannot come to conclusion. Neither by argument.
- You cannot come to the right conclusion simply by arguing. You may be a very good logician and you can argue very nicely, but another man, he may be a greater logician than you. He can nullify all your arguments.
Attachment Keeps the Soul From Coming Out
The conditioned living being is often trapped by the very attachments created for comfort and security. Śrīla Prabhupāda compares the materialistic householder to a silkworm caught in its own cocoon, unable to come out because family attraction has become too tight. Lust, greed, and desire for material happiness also prevent one from understanding the Absolute Truth. Kṛṣṇa consciousness loosens these bonds by redirecting attachment toward Kṛṣṇa.
- Although he (a person is too much entangled in family life) is always disturbed by the threefold miseries of materialistic life, still, because of strong family affection, he cannot come out.
- If a person does not come to the conclusion that he has nothing to do with any kind of material happiness, he cannot come to the platform of understanding the Absolute Truth, or tattva jnana. Karmis, jnanis and yogis are after some material elevation.
- The purpose of this Krsna consciousness movement is to teach people how to understand Krsna. If one is fortunate in understanding Him, one's life is successful. As long as we have lusty desires and greed, we cannot come to this understanding.
- The silkworm wraps itself in a cocoon made of its own saliva, until he is in a prison from which he cannot escape. In the same way, a materialistic householder's entanglement becomes so tight that he cannot come out of the cocoon of family attraction.
Kṛṣṇa's Order Governs All Access and Movement
The living being is not independent, even in ordinary movement. Śrīla Prabhupāda uses the examples of visas, national borders, and the ocean's boundary to show that access requires authority. If movement within this world depends on permission, then entrance into higher planets or spiritual understanding cannot be achieved by force or imagination. Even the vast ocean obeys Kṛṣṇa's order and cannot come beyond its appointed limit.
- Any man outside America, he cannot come here by force. He must take the permission of the American government, visa; then he can come. So how you can go to the moon planet without taking the visa? Simply by your bodily strength? That will not be allowed.
- Krsna orders, - My dear Pacific Ocean, you may be very big and powerful, but you cannot come beyond this line.
- We have walked on the sea beach. So just at ten, one, three feet, away the big ocean, Pacific Ocean is . . . but we are certain that this Pacific Ocean cannot come beyond this limit. How we are certain? Because there is the order of Krsna.
- Your Australia. So much land, but you won't allow anybody to come. It is yours. Africa: so much land vacant, and "No, you cannot come. It is mine." And nobody is thinking that, - It is God's, and we are children of God. Let us.
Kṛṣṇa Can Come by His Own Freedom
No one can place limits on the Supreme Lord. Some may argue that God cannot appear in this world or enter the womb of Devakī, but Śrīla Prabhupāda rejects that limitation. If Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful, then He is free to come wherever and however He desires. To say that God cannot come is to place Him under human rules, which contradicts His independence.
- Sometimes people question that, "Why God should come?" So our answer is, "Why God should not come?" If He is all-powerful, who can check Him to come here? If we say that God cannot come, that means God becomes under our rules and regulation.
- One may argue that the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Krsna), who creates the whole cosmic manifestation simply by His glance, cannot come within the womb of Devaki, the wife of Vasudeva.
- One may argue that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who creates the whole cosmic manifestation simply by His glance, cannot come within the womb of Devaki, the wife of Vasudeva.
- Yes, He (Lord Krsna) does not need come here, but if He comes here, we cannot object. We cannot object. We cannot say that He cannot come here. He is free. He is svayambhu; He is fully independent.
Conclusion
The conditioned soul cannot come to truth by independent speculation, argument, or material attachment. Śrīla Prabhupāda says guidance from Kṛṣṇa and guru is essential because truth is confidential and must be received through proper authority. Material life traps the soul, while Kṛṣṇa's order governs all movement and access. The Supreme Lord, however, is fully independent, and by His mercy the living being can come out of illusion and come to the real conclusion of spiritual life.
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 Cannot Come. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.