The same Bhagavad-gita as it was first spoken forty millions of years ago to the sun-god and again it was repeated five thousand years ago to Arjuna. The same thing is coming down by disciplic succession, and the same thing is presented before you. There is no change.
[Posted
August 20, 2009]The Ultimate Authorized Standard
Faithful, authorized representation of the original
NPR Aug 20, 2009
- GEOFF BRUMFIEL
This Kilogram Has A Weight-Loss Problem
Since 1889, the year the Eiffel Tower opened, that cylinder has been the standard against which every other kilogram on the planet has been judged. But that's creating problems. According to scientists, the cylinder's mass appears to be changing.
The solution is a new kilogram, one that is based on a constant number instead of a physical object. To get that number, scientists have had to build a special kind of scale, one that measures the kilogram without balancing it against another mass. It has been a long, slow process, but today they are close to redefining the kilogram once and for all. go to story
The Bhaktivedantas World Sankirtan Party and Inside Nam Hatta are hosted by Hansadutta das, a senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada and trustee of The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Participate or learn more about World Sankirtan Party.
Volumes of books have been written since time immemorial by philosophers and thinkers to understand: What I am? Where did I come from? What am I doing here? Why do I have to suffer? So many books, but only in the authorized books of knowledge, shastras, we can get the answer, the truth—Bible, Koran, Bhagavad-gita. We have accepted the Bhagavad-gita, the words of Krishna, God Himself, Bhagavan Sri Krishna. Bhagavat means from Bhagavan, or of Bhagavan, spoken by Krishna. God Himself is speaking. God Himself is teaching us what we are, what to do, what not to do, how to come back: "Bow down to Me, worship Me, give your love to Me. Surely you will come to Me." (Bhagavad-gita 9.34) Krishna is Himself personally teaching how to get out of the temporary, miserable existence of material life. more
No change
excerpt from lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.13, Pittsburgh, September 8, 1972
Our this Krishna consciousness movement is to propagate that "You hear from the authority, Krishna." Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is accepted in the present age and in the past age. In the past age, great sages like Narada, Vyasa, Asita, Devala, very, very great stalwart scholars and sages, they accepted. In the Middle Age, say 1,500 years ago, all the acharyas like Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Nimbarka... Practically, Indian Vedic civilization, it is still existing on the authority of these acharyas. And it is recommended in the Bhagavad-gita: acharyopasanam. If you want to learn factually things, then you should approach ahcarya. Acharyavan purusho veda, "One who has accepted acharya, he knows things as they are." Acharyavan purusho veda. So we are receiving knowledge through the acharyas. Krishna spoke to Arjuna, Arjuna spoke to Vyasadeva. Arjuna actually did not speak to Vyasadeva, but Vyasadeva heard it, Krishna speaking, and he noted down in his book Mahabharata. This Bhagavad-gita is found in Mahabharata. So we accept the authorities of Vyasa. And from Vyasa, Madhvacharya; from Madhvacharya, so many disciplic succession, up to Madhavendra Puri. Then Madhavendra Puri to Ishvara Puri; from Ishvara Puri to Lord Chaitanyadeva; from Lord Chaitanyadeva to six Gosvamis; from six Gosvamis to Krishnadasa Kaviraja; from him, Shrinivasa Acharya; from him, Vishvanatha Chakravarti; from him, Jagannatha dasa Babaji; then Gaura Kishora dasa Babaji; Bhaktivinoda Thakura; my spiritual master [Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur]. The same thing, we are preaching. That is Krishna consciousness movement. It is nothing new. It is coming down from the original speaker, Krishna, by disciplic succession. So we are reading this Bhagavad-gita. Not that I have manufactured some book and I am preaching. No. I am preaching Bhagavad-gita. The same Bhagavad-gita as it was first spoken forty millions of years ago to the sun-god and again it was repeated five thousand years ago to Arjuna. The same thing is coming down by disciplic succession, and the same thing is presented before you. There is no change.
So we request simply people that you accept this authoritative knowledge and try to assimilate it by your intelligence. It is not that you stop your argument and intelligence, simply blindly accept something. No. We are human beings, we have got intelligence. We are not animals that we shall be forced to accept something. No. Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprashnena sevaya [Bhagavad-gita 4.34]. In this Bhagavad-gita you'll find. You try to understand, tad viddhi. Viddhi means try to understand. Pranipata. Pranipatena means surrendering, not by challenge. A student should be very submissive to the spiritual master. Otherwise, he will be, I mean to say, bewildered. Submissive reception. Our process is...
tasmad gurum prapadyeta
jijñasuh shreya uttamam
shabde pare cha nishnatam
brahmany upashamashrayam
[SB 11.3.21]
This is the injunction, Vedic. If you want to know things which is beyond your conception, beyond your sense perception, then you must approach a bona fide spiritual master.
1. - Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.3.21: "Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters."
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