(Click to enlarge photo of Srila Prabhupada)
Prabhupāda: A Kṛṣṇa conscious person, he never thinks that "I am doing something." Even if you ask him that "Are you going to such and such place?" Suppose it is settled that he's going to such and such place. If you ask him, "When you are going?" He'll say that "I do not know when I shall go, but when Kṛṣṇa will ask me or allow me to go, I shall go." I am saying this from my practical experience from my Guru Mahārāja, from my spiritual master. He would never say that "I am going," "I am doing," no. "If Kṛṣṇa desires, then I shall do it." "If Kṛṣṇa desires, then I shall go." Like that. Always depending on Kṛṣṇa. This is called viśuddhātmā.
Naiva kiñcit karomīti yukto manyeta tattva-vit. Tattva-vit. Tattva-vit means one who knows the truth. One who knows the truth. The truth is that unless Kṛṣṇa allows me to go, oh, I may not go. There may be so many obstacles on my path. I have made my whole program. Just like last year, there was air crash on the Switzerland, one Indian aircraft. And there were all respectable gentleman, and there was... Perhaps you know it. There was one Indian chemist, Dr. Bhabha(?). He was going to attend some nuclear meeting in some European country, but there was a crash and all of them died in a second. So unless Kṛṣṇa desires, unless He allows, we cannot do anything. We cannot do any... This is the fact. So tattva-vit... Tattva-vit means one who knows the truth. He thinks like that, that "I cannot do anything. I am always dependent on Kṛṣṇa. I cannot..." Mahatma Gandhi he used to say that "Not a blade of grass moves without the sanction of God." It is a fact. It is a fact. Nothing can be done without His sanction.
Then you can ask, "Then why somebody is doing bad work and why somebody is doing good work? In both ways Kṛṣṇa has sanctioned?" Yes, in both ways Kṛṣṇa has sanctioned. Without sanction he cannot do it. But how both ways Kṛṣṇa has sanctioned? Now Kṛṣṇa has sanctioned in this way. He has given you liberty. He has given you independence. Not full independence, but... You cannot become full independent. But you have got independence. He does not touch on your independence. That is there. Because otherwise, if you, if you are bereft of your independence, if you are without independence, then you have no meaning as living entity. Every living entity has got his minute share of independence. So Kṛṣṇa has given every one of you independence to make your choice. Now why you are...? Somebody is doing bad work or somebody is doing good work, and Kṛṣṇa giving sanction? How is that? That sanction is like that, that when I want to do something and I desire, I pray, "Oh, this thing may be done." It may be bad or good, that is a different thing. It may be... I am very much anxious. So when he's bent upon doing so, Kṛṣṇa gives him sanction, "Yes, you do it. You do it." He gives him facility. But one who has dovetailed himself into Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Kṛṣṇa gives him better consult, that "You do like this. Then you come to Me."
So sanction is always there. Sanction is always there. Without sanction, nothing can be done. So one who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness he knows. He's tattva-vit. Tattva-vit means one who knows the truth, that "I cannot do anything without Kṛṣṇa's sanction." Therefore he does not do anything. Whatever is sanctioned by Kṛṣṇa he does; otherwise not. So paśyañ śṛṇvan spṛśañ jighrann aśnan gacchan svapan śvasan. These are our activities. Paśyan, we act by seeing. We act by hearing. We act by touching. We act by smelling. We act by going. We act by dreaming. We act by breathing. So many our activities are... So in all these, going on. But a tattva-vit, one who is in the perfect knowledge and is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he, although he is doing all these things he knows, "I'm not doing." This is tattva-vit. Although he's doing all these things he knows that "I am not doing. Kṛṣṇa is doing. I am simply instrumental. I am simply instrument." That is the perfection.
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, August 27, 1966)
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