by purujit dasa
THE PROOF OF THE VEDAS
The gurus might be in agreement, but how do we know that the scriptures are bona fide? Although very proud of their so-called knowledge people in general do not know anything about the Complete Whole. If we ask a regular person what is the form of God, what is His name, what is He doing, what kind of foodstuff He likes, and what is our relationship with Him, he cannot answer any of these. For this kind of info, we have to approach the authorized Vedic literatures such as the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. These are the only scriptures on the subject matter. It is not that there are many options to choose from. It comes back to the same point: if you’re truly looking for answers, why don’t you hear them out when they are presented to you?
Dr. Judah: We know about God, but we do not know God. I would agree.
Prabhupāda: Then that is theosophist. Theosophists, they are thinking there is something superior. But who is that superior, they are searching out. The same thing: a boy, he knows, "I have a father," but "Who is my father? That I do not know." Oh, that, you have to ask your mother. That's all." Alone he cannot understand. So our proposition is that if you do not know God and here is God, Kṛṣṇa, why don't you accept Him? You do not know first of all. And if I present, "Here is God," then why don't you accept? What is the answer? We are presenting God, "Here is God." And big, big ācāryas have accepted. Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Lord Caitanya, in our disciplic succession my Guru Mahārāja, and I am preaching, "This is God." I am not presenting a God whimsically. I am presenting a God who is recognized. So why don't you accept? What is the difficulty?
Dr. Judah: I suppose one of the difficulties for certainly many in the older generation is that we follow certain patterns of life and the... It is difficult to change. This is the great problem.
Prabhupāda: Then you are not serious about God. Then you are not serious. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityaja mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ: "You have to give up."
Dr. Judah: That's right.
Prabhupāda: Because if you are not prepared to give up, then you cannot accept God.
Dr. Pore: I think you're being a little unfair to Dr. Crossley. I think what you say is true, that the most important thing we can do is to seek and know God, but I don't think it's right to say that it's a bad thing to study how other people or how man has...
Prabhupāda: No, I don't say bad thing. I say if you are serious about God, now, here is God.
Dr. Pore: That's what a university in part is for, to study about how people have thought on different matters.
Prabhupāda: No, that's all right. I have already said. If you are seeking after something, if you get that something, why don't you accept it?
Garden Conversation with Professors -- June 24, 1975, Los Angeles
Just like scientists who superficially research matter without going deep and asking who the creator is, similarly there are people who perform various religious rituals but do not understand that the essence of religion is to actually find who God is and how to love Him. Faith in God is a good beginning, but in order to achieve perfection of human form, they should now approach the subject matter of God scientifically.
(to be continued)
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