Väsudevaù sarvam iti

sa mahätmä sudurlabhaù

"After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me [Kåñëa], knowing Me to be the cause of all causes, and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare."

If one has not yet come to this conclusion of knowledge and simply indulges in dry speculation without Kåñëa, then his hard speculative labor is something like beating empty husks of grain. The unhulled rice and the empty husks of rice look very much the same. One who knows how to get the grain out of the unhulled rice is wise, but one who beats on the empty husk, thinking to get some result, is simply wasting his labor uselessly. Similarly, if one studies the Vedas without finding the goal of the Vedas, Kåñëa, he simply wastes his valuable time.

So to cultivate knowledge for worshiping Kåñëa culminates after many, many births and deaths when one actually becomes wise. When one becomes wise in this way, he surrenders to Kåñëa, recognizing Him at last to be the cause of all causes and all that is. That sort of great soul is very rare. So those who have surrendered to Kåñëa life and soul are rare sudurlabha mahätmäs. They are not ordinary mahätmäs.

(The Exchange Between Çréla Prabhupäda and Dr. Staal[SSR]

Mantra 12

SB 3.9.10 Purport

The principles of religion are not open to any ordinary living entity. They are just to bring the human being onto the platform of morality. Nonviolence, etc., are necessary for misguided persons because unless one is moral and nonviolent one cannot understand the principles of religion. To understand what is actually religion is very difficult even if one is situated in the principles of morality and nonviolence. It is very confidential because as soon as one is conversant with the real principles of religion, he is at once liberated to the eternal life of bliss and knowledge. Therefore, one who is not situated in the principles of devotional service to the Lord should not pose himself as a religious leader of the innocent public. The Éçopaniñad emphatically forbids this nonsense in the following mantra:

andhaà tamaù praviçanti

ye 'sambhütim upäsate

tato bhüya iva te tamo

ya u sambhütyäà ratäù

(Éçopaniñad 12)

A person in ignorance of the principles of religion who therefore does nothing in the matter of religion is far better than a person who misguides others in the name of religion without reference to the factual religious principles of devotional service. Such so-called leaders of religion are sure to be condemned by Brahmä and other great authorities.

Room Conversation

December 21, 1970, Surat

Devotee (2): In this mantra of Çré Upaniñad, Mantra Twelve,

andhaà tamaù praviçanti

ye 'sambhütim upäsate

tato bhüya iva te tamo

ya u sambhütyäà ratäù

It says, "Those engaged in worship of the demigods enter the darkest region of ignorance, and still more do the worshipers of the Absolute." But this means that the impersonalists, "those who are worshiping Absolute"?

Prabhupäda: Yes.

Devotee (2): Then why is it seen that they are making spiritual advancement?

Prabhupäda: No, they don't make any spiritual advancement. They come down. Don't you see this impersonalist, Vivekananda? He took sannyäsa; he came to hospital-making, came back. They are not advancing. They are coming back, falling down. While they have no engagement in devotional service, they say, "Oh, why you are finding God anywhere? Here is God, daridra-näräyaëa, these poor men." That's it. That is not advancement. They are coming down. Now, they come down and they defame Näräyaëa, that "Näräyaëa has become daridra." He has found Näräyaëa is daridra.

Revatinandana: What is that word?

Prabhupäda: Daridra. Daridra means poor, poor. Daridra-näräyaëa. This is manufactured word by Vivekananda. They are so proud that "When a beggar comes at your door, you should treat him as Näräyaëa, daridra." These are simply high-sounding words. What they are doing actually for the daridras?

Revatinandana: So that is service in the mode of ignorance.

Prabhupäda: Huh?

Revatinandana: That is service in the mode of ignorance?

Prabhupäda: Yes. Yes. They cannot serve. All these welfare activities of the world, what they are serving? That I explained this morning. They are trying to give help to the poor, but the number of poor is increasing. They are trying to give medicine or relief to the suffering patients. The patients are increasing. Hospitals are increasing. But if our number of temples, Kåñëa temples is increase, that is something sound. But they are increasing hospitals. What do you think? If we increase number of hospitals, does it mean that we are making progress? But they think that they are making progress. Just like in your country there is welfare department? The expenditure increasing.

Prabhupada: That is the world. Therefore the whole world is the society of cheater and cheated. That is the version of my Guru Maharaja. The whole so-called human society means a bunch of cheaters and cheated. That's all.

Panca-dravida: Isopanisad says, asurya nama te lokah. He is going to hell even though he knows that he is cheating. He is also going to hell even if he is consciously cheating.

Prabhupada: So don't be cheater; don't be cheated. That is intelligence.

Panca-dravida: Srila Prabhupada, what is our fortune that we've come in contact with a qualified guru? What have we done to qualify to come in contact with you?

Revatinandana: In other words, why do some come and others not come?

Prabhupada: It is the ajnata-sukrti, say. Ajnata-sukrti. You might have done something, very pious activities, which you do not know, but on the effect of...

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