(The passenger or soul is being led by the uncontrolled mind, intelligence and five senses)
"The modern scientist or philosophers, they are engaged in studying this inferior nature. They have no information of the superior nature. But Kṛṣṇa says that these five elements..., eight elements: five gross and three subtle. The mind is also material. Khaṁ mano buddhir. These are material. People think this mental speculation, poetry, philosophy, that is spiritual. No. So long the subject matter is material, the concoction of the mind, speculation of the mind, the so-called philosophy, is also material."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Aligarh, October 9, 1976)
"So mind is also considered as one of the senses, the chief senses. You see? So because it is sense, it is imperfect. So by mental speculation we cannot have a conclusion, by mental speculation. Those are simply speculating on mind, they can make some progress to a certain extent, but they cannot reach the ultimate goal. It is not possible by mental speculation; neither it is possible by direct evidence. The only, only possible evidence is authority, authority.
Just like yesterday also I gave you that example. Just like if a child asks his mother that 'Who is my father?' now the mother says, 'Here is your father.' Now, if the child says, 'I don't believe it,' so he has no other source of knowledge. Except the mother's version, that 'Here is your father,' he has no other alternative to know who is father. It is such a thing that neither he can imagine, speculate, 'Oh, he may be my father, he may be my father, he may be my father.' Lots of father he can gather. That is not possible. And neither it is possible for direct perception. The only possibility is the mother's evidence.
Similarly, as the mother is authority for the child, similarly, the śruti, the Vedas, they are called mother, mother of knowledge.
So for such spiritual knowledge we have to accept the authority. Now, here, the Bhagavad-gītā is authority. It is accepted. Don't think that it is a scripture of the Hindus. No. It is for all human beings. There is reason. There is science. There is philosophy. It is not dogmatic. So it is to be understood simply. And not only that, actually it is accepted by all countries. Not only in your country, but in other countries also, Bhagavad-gītā is accepted as one of the greatest book of authority. So this is the process."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, March 11, 1966)
"The frog is perpetually within the well, and if somebody informs him that there is another big span of water, Atlantic Ocean, he simply calculates that 'It may be a little more than this well, little more than this well.' But he cannot understand how great He is.
So God is great. We cannot understand how great He is. That is our folly. We are simply calculating, 'He may be one inch greater than me. Or one foot greater than me.' That is mental speculation. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3): 'Out of many millions of men, one may try to make his life successful, understanding the Absolute Truth.' And yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścin me vetti tattvataḥ (BG 7.3).
So we cannot understand God by our mental speculation. Neither we can understand what is the measurement of the soul. That is not possible. Therefore we have to take information from the highest authority, Kṛṣṇa, what is the nature of God, what is the nature of Absolute Truth, what is the nature of the soul. We have to hear.
We have to hear. Therefore the Vedic literature is called śruti. You cannot make experiment. That is not possible."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Hyderabad, November 27, 1972)
"So by mental speculation we cannot understand what is our position. Generally, people, they indulge in mental speculation. Different philosophy of the world, they are established on the principle of mental speculation, especially in Europe, Aristotle, Schopenhauer, Kant. They're more or less... And, imitating the Western philosophers, in India also, recently, the persons who are very well known... Perhaps you know Śrī Aurobindo. He's, he's also speculated very nicely on the mental platform. Mental platform cannot give us the actual freedom or the happiness. Therefore Lord says, 'One should give up all mental speculation and should be satisfied in the understanding that I am consciousness, and there is Supreme Consciousness, and I am subordinate to the Supreme Consciousness. Therefore let me dovetail my consciousness with the Supreme Consciousness.' Last day also, we discussed on this point. And the point is very clearly manifested in the teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā, that Arjuna mentally speculated in the beginning that 'Whether I should take up this fighting or not?' But at the ultimate issue he gave up his mental speculation and agreed with the Lord that 'Yes, I shall fight.'
Now, this 'Yes, I shall fight', this 'I', and the former 'I'—'I shall not fight'—so there is vast difference. The former 'I' is the representative of mental speculation, when Arjuna decided that 'I shall not fight. They are my relatives, they are my brothers; I cannot fight with them for the matter of kingdom. Rather, I shall forego; I shall become a beggar. I shall... I don't want this kingdom.' He argued like that. But after reading Bhagavad-gītā, he said that 'My illusion is now removed.' Naṣṭo mohaḥ smṛtir labdhā: 'My illusion is now removed, and I have got my consciousness by Your mercy. By Your mercy.'
So here is the point, that without Lord's mercy, we cannot stand up on the pure consciousness platform. Therefore we have to pray to the Supreme Lord always. That is the instruction of Lord Caitanya. He, He has put up His prayers. I have got this paper. I'll distribute you, to you, after the meeting is over. That He says that 'My dear Lord, Kṛṣṇa, somehow or other, I am fallen into this ocean of misunderstanding. Ocean of misunderstanding.' The prayer is just like this. I'll utter the whole Sanskrit structure: ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau, kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja-sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya. He's addressing the Lord, 'Oh, Lord, the son of Nanda Mahārāja...' This Nanda Mahārāja, son of Nanda Mahārāja, it is very significant. I shall describe it later on. 'O My Lord, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, I am Your eternal servitor, and, somehow or other, I am now fallen in this ocean of misconception. Kindly pick me up and fix me up as one of the atoms of the dust of Your lotus feet.' That is the prayer."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, April 15, 1966)
"In another place Kṛṣṇa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Kṛṣṇa never says that 'By mental speculation or yogic mystic practice, one can understand the Supreme Lord.' Never says that. It is clearly said that bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Tattvataḥ means in truth. To understand Kṛṣṇa in truth, that requires bhakti or bhakti-yoga, not the jñāna-yoga or karma-yoga, haṭha-yoga or any other yoga system."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Geneva, June 1, 1974)
"So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching people to become submissive to the authority. That is the beginning of knowledge. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). If you want to learn the transcendental subject matter which is beyond the scope of your thinking, feeling and willing... Mental speculation means thinking, feeling and willing, psychology. But subject matter which is beyond your thinking. So God or anything about God is beyond the limit of our thinking, speculation. Therefore, we have to learn it submissively. Tad viddhi praṇipātena, praṇipāta means submission."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Miami, February 25, 1975)
So this mental speculation will not help us. And therefore sthāne sthitāḥ: you remain in your position. It doesn't matter, good or bad. The mental speculator's verdict that 'This is good; this is bad. This is intelligent; this is fool,' they are all mental speculation. That will not help.
So you remain in your position. Either in good or bad, it doesn't matter. But you do one thing. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ (SB 10.14.3). You use your ear. That ear is bestowed upon everyone, either fool or learned. So use that ear, sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ, and hear attentively, and mold your life as you hear from the realized soul. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-mano... One who remains like this, although he is imperfect fool, whatever he may be, he can conquer the ajita. Ajita means God. Nobody can conquer Him, but a devotee who sincerely hears about Him from the realized soul, he can conquer even Ajita, Kṛṣṇa."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Atlanta, February 28, 1975)
.
