# Vedic Knowledge *On the authority and purpose of the Vedas* --- ### Knowledge by Hearing > You have to hear from the right source. Therefore Vedic literature is called śruti, "by hearing." Śravaṇam. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam. These are the rules and regulations. Everything is there. If you kindly accept this authority, then your life is successful. — [[spoken/1970/701225sb.sur|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.44, Surat, 1970]] --- ### Not Speculative Knowledge > Real knowledge is the Vedic knowledge and the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. That is real knowledge. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyante: Therefore one who is in real knowledge, after many, many births, he comes to Kṛṣṇa and surrenders unto Him. — [[spoken/1975/750310bg.lon|Bhagavad-gītā 7.2, London, 1975]] --- ### Not Made by Man > The Vedic knowledge is received from the transcendental sources, because the first word was spoken by the Lord Himself. The words spoken by the Lord is called apauruṣeya, or not delivered by any person of the mundane world, who is infected with four principles of imperfectness. — [[spoken/1966/660711bg.ny|Bhagavad-gītā 4.1 and Review, New York, 1966]] --- ### From Lord to Brahmā > The Vedic knowledge was imparted in the heart of Brahmā, the first created living being. And Brahmā in his turn disseminated the knowledge to his sons and disciples as they were originally received from the Lord. The Lord, being pūrṇam, or all-perfect, there is no chance of His becoming subjected to the laws of material nature. — [[spoken/1966/660711bg.ny|Bhagavad-gītā 4.1 and Review, New York, 1966]] --- ### India's Civilization > That was India's civilization. In every village, in every town, there was arrangement for sat-saṅga, and the brāhmaṇas, they were meant for disseminating this Vedic knowledge. And people used to take knowledge. The kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas, they used to take knowledge from these learned brāhmaṇas; they used to act accordingly. Therefore they were happy. — [[spoken/1970/701225sb.sur|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.44, Surat, 1970]] --- ### Great Opportunity in India > These things are there. We have to simply learn. Just like a boy, uneducated, when he goes to the school everything becomes clear. He becomes M.A., Ph.D. That's all. So we have got this advantage. In our India especially, so many literatures, they are available, but we are not taking advantage of them. They are misguided. — [[spoken/1970/701225sb.sur|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.44, Surat, 1970]] --- ### Dharma from the Lord > Nobody can create religious principle. A man cannot create. That is not possible. Any religious system which is created by man, that is not religion. Religion means what is created by God. That is religion. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣāt. Sākṣāt mean directly. So this Bhagavad-gītā is real religion, because it is directly spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. — [[spoken/1973/730113bg.bom|Bhagavad-gītā 7.1, Bombay, 1973]] --- ### First-Class Knowledge > Third-class knowledge means animal knowledge: how to eat, how to sleep. How to make arrangement for eating, how to make arrangement for sleeping, that is third-class knowledge. And second-class knowledge is "What I am?" Athāto brahma-jijñāsā. And first-class knowledge, when he actually understands what he is—he is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa—and engages himself in the service of the Lord, that is first-class knowledge. — [[spoken/1971/710903ba.lon|Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's Appearance Day Lecture, London, 1971]] --- ### Perfect Knowledge from Perfect Source > The perfect knowledge is coming down, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. We have to receive the knowledge from the right source in disciplic succession of spiritual masters beginning from the Lord Himself. So Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by the Lord Himself. — [[spoken/1966/660711bg.ny|Bhagavad-gītā 4.1 and Review, New York, 1966]] --- ### Cannot Reach by Speculation > It is said that you cannot reach to the right conclusion of the Vedic literature simply by your arguments, by your force of argument or logic. That is not possible. Tarko 'pratiṣṭhaḥ. There are many things which do not come within our arguments, within our sense of logic. — [[spoken/1966/660711bg.ny|Bhagavad-gītā 4.1 and Review, New York, 1966]] --- *10 quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on Vedic knowledge* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]