Bhakti Shastri (001) – Sri Isopanisad – Introduction

Podcast

Disclaimer: This transcript was generated using AI and may contain occasional errors or inaccuracies.

Hare Krishna So I welcome all of you to this online Bhakti Shastri course. In this course we will be discussing the four books that Srila Prabhupada has given us as a part of Bhakti Shastri. The Isopanishad, Nectar of Instruction, Bhagavad Gita and Nectar of Devotion.

We will discuss these books in this sequence itself. So roughly it will be a 200 hour module with 25 hours for Isopanishad, 25 hours for Nectar of Instruction, 100 hours for Bhagavad Gita and 50 hours for Nectar of Instruction. Before I start with the Isopanishad, I would like to talk briefly about the importance of these four books.

As the slide is titled, four books are enough. So what is the significance of these four books within the broad Vedic canon? Canon refers to the set of literature that are considered to be sacred or vital in a particular tradition. So in the tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, as Srila Prabhupada has presented it to us, he considered the devotees who joined the movement should have a clear understanding of these four books.

So we will try to understand the importance of these four books within the Vedic canon. So let's look at a broad overview of the various schools of thought that have been present in India under the Vedic fold. So there are six systems of philosophy.

There is Nyaya which is propounded by Gautama, Gautama Rishi. Vaisheshika was propounded by Kannada Rishi. Sankhya is propounded by Kapila Muni.

That is described in the third canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam also. Yoga was propounded by Padanjali. In Mimamsa there are two Mimamsas.

There is Purva Mimamsa or Karma Mimamsa that is propounded by Jaimini. And this is what Krishna talks about in the tenth canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam while persuading Nanda Maharaj to stop doing Indra Puja. And there is Uttar Mimamsa which is actually Vedanta that is propounded by Vyasadeva himself.

So among all these six systems of philosophy, the Uttar Mimamsa, Vedanta is the conclusion. Let's look at this diagrammatically here. So going one step backwards from Vedic thought to overall Indian thought.

Because it is not that in India all the thought systems that emerged were Vedic. So the thought systems can be classified into two, Astic and Gnostic. So in today's terminology often Astic is used to refer to one who has faith in God and Gnostic as one who does not have faith in God.

In the Vedic context, Astic refers to one who has faith in the Vedic scriptures and Gnostic, one who does not have that faith. So among the Gnostic schools of thought were three prominently, Buddhism, Jainism and Charvakism. Charvakism refers to materialism which is a prominent, even predominant school of thought today.

Now apart from the Gnostic schools of thought, there were the Astic schools of thought. We just saw the list of six. So all these six schools of thought, they accept the authority of the Vedas.

But they say that the Vedas give particular teachings which actually are in accordance with their own philosophy. That means they interpret the Vedas in a way that supports their own philosophy. So the Astic schools of thought are considered to be Vedic in the sense that they derive their authority from the Vedas but they are not considered Vedantic because they do not teach the conclusion of the Vedic literature.

Vedanta, anta refers to end or conclusion. Vedanta refers to that which is the conclusion of the Vedic thought. So the other five systems of philosophy, they do teach the Vedic principles but not completely and so not entirely correctly.

So now in Vedanta, there have been two major schools of knowledge, schools of thought we could say. There is Advaita and Dvaita. So Shankaracharya was a prominent proponent of Advaita.

Advaita is non-dualism. Non-dualism means that there is no duality between the soul and the supreme reality, that is Brahman. Dvaita is the idea that there is difference between soul and Brahman.

And Dvaita's most prominent proponent was Madhvacharya. So Advaita and Dvaita are the two branches of Vedanta. And reconciling these two branches is the teaching of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu which is called Achintya Bheda Abhed, simultaneous, inconceivable, oneness and difference.

So is the Atma the same as Brahman? Yes and no. So we will discuss about Achintya Bheda Abhed in detail later. But right now, if you see all these names, don't get overwhelmed by it.

We will come to the Isopanishad soon. But this is just a background to understand how the Vedantic thought and ultimately the Achintya Bheda Abhed is the conclusion of the various systems of thoughts that have emerged in the Vedic context. So now, in Vedanta, so now we proceeded from Indian schools of thought to six systems of philosophy which are Astic.

Then we progressed to the Vedanta and now we are focusing within Vedanta. So in Vedanta, there are three primary sources of authority. They are called as the Prasthanatraya.

So Prasthanatraya, three foundations. What are they? Shruti, Smriti and Nyaya. So Shruti refers to the Vedas primarily.

So the Vedas in themselves have three parts. Samhitas, Aranyakas and Upanishads. So Rig Veda Samhita, for example, contains verses which glorify the Vedas Devatas and seek their propitiation to get their blessings.

Aranyakas are treatises which begin philosophical discussions. The Samhitas primarily focus on Karmakanda rituals, on performing religion for the sake of material gratification, religious material gratification. Whereas the Aranyakas start talking about renunciation.

Upanishads focus on philosophy. Solid philosophy they discuss. So all these are Shruti.

Then Smriti, the word Shruti refers to that which is heard. So the Vedas are considered to be sound vibration that has been received from God and that has been actually assimilated by the great sages who then transmitted it as it is. Whereas the Smritis are also divine.

At the same time the Smritis are not in the same category as the Shrutis. Shrutis are actually the elaboration of the Shrutis based on the way the great sages have internalized, assimilated and elaborated the essential teachings of the Shrutis. So the Smriti word refers to that which is remembered.

Shruti refers to that which is heard. So the sound vibration that is heard from God that is called a Shruti. Whereas after hearing when it is recollected and then explained that is called a Smriti.

So this actually refers to a traditional family context where when a child is growing up, the child has a mother who teaches things and then has a sister, older sister who revises those things and elaborates those things. So the mother is compared to the Shruti and the Smriti is the older sister. So two of them together educate the child.

It's not that the two of them teach separate things. The mother teaches in brief but the mother has many other duties to do. The sister explains it further so that the child understands.

So Shruti and Smriti are not contradictory, they are complementary. And in the Smritis there are Puranas, Itihasas and Pancharatras. So Puranas refers to the 18 Puranas and there are many other Puranas and of course beyond that there are Sthala Puranas.

So the 18 Puranas are the primary then Upa Puranas are the minor Puranas like Devi Bhagwat, Upa Puranas and beyond that there are the Sthala Puranas. Sthala Puranas means actually they are the Mahatmas of various places. For example, Jagannath Puri, Tirupati and all these.

Now Itihasas refer to the histories. They are the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The difference between the Rama Itihasas and the Puranas is that the Itihasas primarily focus on historical narration of one particular person or one particular group of persons, one particular lineage.

For example, the Mahabharata focuses primarily on the Pandavas. The Ramayana focuses primarily on Lord Ram. The Puranas on the other hand are also historical but they are compilations, anthologies which are centered not on a particular person but on a particular conversation.

So for example, the Srimad Bhagavatam is centered on the conversation between Suta Goswami and the sages of Naimisharanya. And during the conversation, the histories of various persons who have lived at various times in this or other universes, in this or other ages is all compiled together for a devotional exposition of eternal principles. So that is the Srimad Bhagavatam.

Now beyond that, in the Smriti there are the Pancharatras also. The Pancharatras primarily focus on deity worship. So for example, Srila Prabhupada often quotes from the Narada Pancharatra.

Now Shruti, Smriti and then there is Nyaya. So Nyaya primarily is Vedanta Sutra. Now the word Nyaya was used earlier also.

I have not gone into the systems of philosophy in detail. We may go into it later. But earlier the word Nyaya was used to refer to one of the six systems of philosophy.

Whereas here, the word Nyaya is not referring to that one of the six systems of philosophy. Here it is referring to one of the authorities within Vedanta. So in the six systems of philosophy, one of them is Nyaya.

But within the six systems of philosophy, within them, within Vedanta, there are three primary sources of authority. And one of them is Nyaya. So here we see something which we will come across repeatedly during our study of the Vedic scriptures.

That is the multivalence of words. Words have different meanings depending on their context. So Nyaya uses the Vedanta Sutra, which is the primary book of Nyaya, in the Prasthanatraya, uses the same logical principles that are talked about in the Nyaya school of thought.

The word Nyaya refers to primary logic. So logic itself can be an independent school of thought or logic can be a method used to establish the teachings of a school of thought. So in the six systems of philosophy, Nyaya or logic is an independent school of thought.

Whereas within the Prasthanatraya, the Vedanta Sutra is a book of Nyaya in the sense that it uses the method of logic to establish the teachings of Vedanta. So now for us, how are the four books enough? How do they relate with this whole system of Shruti, Smriti and Nyaya? So Srila Prabhupada told that for the Bhakti Shastra, we study these four books Bhagavad Gita, Isopanishad, Nectar of Devotion, Nectar of Instruction. And overall for life, he wanted devotees to repeatedly and deeply study the Bhagavad Gita, the Srimad Bhagavatam, the Chaitanya Charita Amrit and the Nectar of Devotion.

So we will discuss the significance of these books. But primarily now, with the background discussion of Shruti, Smriti and Nyaya, in our context, the Shruti that we study is the Isopanishad. The Smriti that we study is the Bhagavad Gita.

And the Nyaya that we study is the Bhagavatam. Now, as I told earlier, the Vedas have three parts. There are the Samhitas, there are the Aranyakas and there are the Upanishads.

So among the Upanishads, a very prominent Upanishad is the Isopanishad. So Srila Prabhupada has given us one of the prominent Shrutis, the Isopanishad, as a part of the literary legacy that he has given us and as a part of the Bhakti Shastri course that he wanted us to study. Now the Bhagavad Gita is actually not just a Smriti, it is a Shruti within a Smriti.

So as I said, Shruti refers to the direct revelation of God. Whereas Smriti refers to the recollection and the elaboration by the great sages. So from a literary point of view, Bhagavad Gita belongs to Smriti because the Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Mahabharata and the Mahabharata is a conversation.

So it is a conversation between Vaishampayan and Janmejaya. So because it is a conversation, it is a Smriti and because the Bhagavad Gita is placed within it, so it is a Smriti. And Baldev Vidya Bhushan in his Vedanta Sutra often quotes the Bhagavad Gita as a Smriti.

At the same time, because the Bhagavad Gita is the direct word of God and whatever is the direct word of God is considered to be Shruti, so in a sense the Bhagavad Gita is Shruti also. So the Bhagavad Gita's position is very special and we will discuss about this when we study the Bhagavad Gita. So for this classification, we will consider the Bhagavad Gita to be a part of Smriti but it is also a Shruti.

Now, from the Nyaya scriptures, the Vedanta Sutra is a very abstruse body of thought. Abstruse means extremely difficult to understand and that's why the Vedanta Sutra doesn't really explain clearly what is the ultimate truth. Vedanta Sutra uses complex systems of logic and it is not that it is intrinsically incomprehensible, rather its system of logic is so intricate that our Kali Yuga mind cannot understand it.

So, the Acharyas have commented on the Vedanta Sutra. So, Ramachari has commented, Asampradaya, Baldevidya Bhushan has commented, but we know that originally, after Vyasadeva compiled all the literature, even after he compiled Vedanta Sutra, which gave the conclusion of the Veda as the very name suggests, still he was not satisfied. And that's why he wrote the commentary on the Vedanta Sutra, that is the Srimad Bhagavatam.

So, the Bhagavatam itself declares, as well as other Puranas mention, that the Bhagavatam is a commentary on the Vedanta Sutra. So, for us, we study Nyaya, not by directly studying the Vedanta Sutra, but by studying the Srimad Bhagavatam. So, the Shruti, Smriti, Nyaya are all included within the set of books that Srila Prabhupada has given us.

Shruti is Ishopanishad, Smriti is Bhagavad Gita, and Nyaya is the Bhagavatam. Now, let's look further to understand how Shrila Prabhupada's books give us the complete legacy. So, if you see this pyramid, it's building up to the highest thoughts.

So, we discussed earlier how among the six systems of philosophy, Vedanta is highest, and the conclusion of Vedanta is given in the Achintya Vedabhed. So, in this diagram, we see this in a different way, through the perspective of the books that Shrila Prabhupada has given us. So, the Bhagavad Gita is a Vedic book, in the sense that the Gita is valued, quoted, and respected by everybody within the Vedic fold.

So, it is a broad Vedic book. Now, the Srimad Bhagavatam is a Vaishnava book, in the sense that the Srimad Bhagavatam is one of the Sattvic Puranas, although it is transcendental, being the supreme of all the Puranas, Amala Purana, but at the same time, in the categorization given in the Matsya Purana, of the 18 Puranas, it is one of the Sattvic Puranas, and therefore, it is considered to be a Vaishnava book, and the Bhagavatam does focus on Lord Vishnu in His various incarnations, and ultimately on Krishna. So, now the Vedas give teachings of worship of various demigods, but ultimately conclude in the worship of Vishnu, and of course, Vishnu in His highest manifestation, as Krishna.

So, at the top of the pyramid of Vedic knowledge is the Gaudiya-Vishnu Siddhanta, and Shrila Prabhupada has given us the Gaudiya-Vishnu Siddhanta through two of His primary books, Chaitanya Charita Amrit and Nectar of Devotion. So, in this way, Shrila Prabhupada has given us the Gaudiya-Vishnu legacy, in a progressively ascending way. So, Shrila Prabhupada has given the Bhagavad Gita, which is a broad Vedic book, for everybody within the Vedic fold, and also for people in general, all over the world, because the Bhagavad Gita is widely respected by thinkers all over the world, as one of the world's greatest philosophical masterpieces.

Along with that, Shrila Prabhupada has given us the Srimad Bhagavatam, which is a Vaishnav book, which builds on what Bhagavad Gita has given, and then He has given us the Gaudiya-Vishnu Siddhanta books, namely Chaitanya Charita Amrit and Nectar of Devotion. So, in this way, there is a progression in Shrila Prabhupada's books, and as we go from Bhakti Shastri to Bhakti Vaibhava, into higher courses, we reach deeper and deeper into our tradition, and the legacy that Shrila Prabhupada has given us. So, now, in any spiritual path, there are two primary tenets of central importance.

One is Sadhya, and the other is Sadhana. So, the Sadhya that is ultimately taught by the Vedic literature is Krishna. The word Sadhya refers to the goal.

What is it that is to be achieved? So, what is to be achieved? In 15.15, in the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says, By all the Vedas, I am to be known. And Sadhana is the means. So, the Vedic literature talks about various means.

There is Jnana Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Karma Yoga, but beyond them, the topmost among all the Sadhanas is Bhakti. So, for example, if I have to travel from one place to another, then I need to know where I want to go, and I need to know how I am going to go there. If I am going to go from Mumbai to New York, then, okay, first is to know the destination.

Okay, I have to go to New York. And second is, how am I going? Am I going by flight? Am I going by ship? I have to decide that. Similarly, we need to know Sadhya and Sadhana.

So, in the four books that Srila Prabhupada has given us, the Sadhya and Sadhana are established through Bhagavad Gita and Ishopanishad. So, the Ishopanishad establishes that the Absolute Truth is a person. The Ishopanishad does not use the word Krishna directly, and we will discuss about it later, but the Ishopanishad establishes that the Absolute Truth is a person.

And the Bhagavad Gita clearly establishes the Absolute Truth to not just be a person, but to be a person who is Krishna. So, in this way, now the Ishopanishad establishes Sadhya, his personality, and the Bhagavad Gita establishes Sadhya's identity. As far as the Sadhana is concerned, the Ishopanishad points towards Bhakti, and the Bhagavad Gita establishes Bhakti.

So now, after Sadhana is established, once we know that Krishna is the goal, Bhakti is the means, but how do we practice this? How do we actually practice Bhakti, and how can we come to know more about Krishna? So, Sadhya and Sadhana are explained through Nectar of Devotion and Nectar of Instruction. So, the Nectar of Devotion, for example, gives us the 64 qualities of Krishna. That's how we come to know about Krishna more and more.

And then, it gives us the 64 limbs of devotional service. The many limbs of devotional service that are talked about in the Nectar of Devotion, they help us to know how to practice Bhakti better. So, the Nectar of Instruction, similarly, tells us how to practice Bhakti.

So, in this way, what we need for our spiritual path is given to us in its foundation through the four books of Bhakti Shastra. Sadhya and Sadhana are established. That means we come to know that this is the means, this is the goal.

And then, how to go along the means, and what is so attractive about the goal, that we come to know through Nectar of Devotion and Nectar of Instruction. So, in this way, the four books that we have been given in the Bhakti Shastra, they give us the foundational knowledge that we need for our spiritual advancement. And the four books that we are given as a part of our life study, the Bhagavad Gita, the Chaitanya Charita Amrit, the Srimad Bhagavatam, and the Nectar of Devotion, as we discussed earlier, they are a life study for us to be able to relish the Gaudiya Vaishya Siddhanta in its fullness.

Now, we will start with the introduction of the Ishopanishad. Now, the introduction is actually not a part of the Ishopanishad. This is a lecture that Srila Prabhupada gave in London, and that talked about the Vedas in general, and the publishers, Bhakta Vedanta Book Trust, used that lecture as an introduction for the Ishopanishad.

So, the way we will be studying the Ishopanishad and the Nectar of Instruction will be that we will be dividing the purports into themes, and then we will not read the full purport, but we will elaborate on those themes. So, for example, if you see in this introduction overview, here, P1 to 5 is mentioned, that refers to paragraphs 1 to 5. So, the theme that is primarily covered in these paragraphs is, as we have four defects, we need the Vedas. Similarly, the next paragraph, next two paragraphs, 6 and 7 as I mentioned in the brackets, that covers the theme, Vedas give universal and axiomatic wisdom.

Now, each of these sections, which I have highlighted, identified, named, they may also cover some small other themes, but they have one thrust of thought, and we will be discussing these topics as we cover the purports. So, let's start with the first theme now. As we have four defects, we need the Vedas.

So, many people feel that there is no need for us to actually refer to scripture, because scripture in and of itself is just some body of knowledge that was written by some sages long ago, and we don't need that right now. However, the scriptures are the word of God, and as the word of God, they are eternally relevant. Just as, whether it is the modern times, the ancient times, the medieval times, or the postmodern times.

We need the sun for illumination. Similarly, we need scripture for illumination, whatever be the times that we live in. So, that's why the scriptures give us eternal knowledge, which we need at all times.

Now, the need for the scriptures can be understood in various ways. One of the ways is by recognizing the limitation of our own sources of knowledge. So, what are our sources of knowledge? That we will try to see how they are flawed.

So, let's go back to our discussion. So, we have four defects, that's why we can't acquire knowledge properly. So, here we are showing these four defects.

So, on the rightmost of the screen, on your leftmost, you see reality. So, what this means is, there is an external world, and in that external world, we try to perceive it with our senses. Now, there are four progressive limitations to our knowledge, which make it more and more difficult for us to understand things.

So, the first problem is that our senses are limited. So, because our senses are limited, we can't perceive things clearly. So, to understand these four defects, we can envision, say, four sets of doors in front of us.

Now, if all the four doors are open, we can see clearly what is ahead. If one of the doors is closed, then we can see less. Now, if like that, the second door is also partially closed.

So, actually, much of what is outside is obscured by the partially closed first door, and whatever is still revealed is obscured by the partially closed second door. What is limitedly revealed beyond that, if a third door is also partially closed, then what we will see will be even lesser. And if the fourth door is also partially closed, what we will be seeing will be even lesser.

So, like that, the four defects that we have, they progressively and increasingly limit the knowledge that we can acquire. So, what are these four defects? These are generally understood and accepted in the Vedic literature, and Chetan Charita Amrit also quotes them, Brahma, Pramad, Vipralipsa, and Karanapatav. So, let's look at these four.

The first is, in the sequence in which we are acquiring knowledge from outside, there is Karanapatav. Karanapatav is, Karana is the senses. Apatav means defective or limited.

So, limited senses. So, our senses are limited. Now, from the scientific perspective, we can perceive with our eyes only a limited range within the whole electromagnetic spectrum.

We can see only the visible range. So, that is limited senses. Then, within the limited things that we perceive with our senses, the further problem is that we commit mistakes.

So, how do we commit mistakes? We may be counting notes, and if we are counting currency notes, there may be 100 notes, but we may count them to be 101. So, we are using our fingers, and we are counting, but we don't see properly. We don't count properly.

So, we all commit mistakes in various ways. That means, beyond the limitedness of the senses, adding to the limitedness of the senses, is that we commit mistakes. That's the second defect.

Then, after that, there is a tendency to be illusioned. That means, we are unconsciously error-prone. So, when we talk about mistakes, it is conscious.

But illusion, the tendency to be illusioned, is actually the pramada, the brahma, pramada, vipralipsa, and karnapada. So, brahma is the tendency to commit mistakes, pramada is the tendency to be illusioned. So, what is illusioned? For example, if I come from a cold room, out, then suddenly that external atmosphere will seem to be much hotter than what it actually is.

Now, if I have just eaten delicious gulab jamun, and after that I eat something which is slightly sweet, that will not seem like sweet to me. So, although there is some sugar in it, there is some sweetness in it, I can't perceive it, because I have tasted something much more sweet. So, tendency to be illusioned refers to something which happens subconsciously, unconsciously, without our realizing it.

Now, beyond that is the tendency to cheat, vipralipsa, so cheating propensity. So, why do we have the cheating propensity? Because often we want to twist reality to suit our preconceived notions. So, that means, because we want to believe something, so we cheat, we doctor the fact so that we can believe what we want to believe.

So, there was an American comedian who said that, actually, don't, I have already made up my mind, don't confuse me with the facts. So, don't confuse me with the facts, and the question begs itself, how have you made up your mind? If you don't want to know the facts, on what basis have you made up the mind? So, of course, he is in a lighter vein, pointing out the hypocrisy that sometimes ruins human opinion, and he is openly highlighting it, but many people conceal it, and they subvert, pervert, distort facts so that they can hold on to their opinions. So, cheating propensity means that we deny or conceal the reality so that we can maintain our beliefs and propagate our beliefs to others.

So, let's look at this from another perspective, these four defects, to see how they progressively limit us and how they lead to illusions and delusions. So, for example, if we could say that we have limited senses, so if you want to look at the world and say, where did this come from? This whole world is so complex, from where did it come? So, with our limited senses, we can't see the creator, we can't see God. So, because we can't see God, so, at the first level, with our limited senses we say, there is no God, I can't see him.

Then there is mistakes, we all commit mistakes, so then what is the mistake that we commit? We see with our senses, we say, okay, humans and monkeys look similar. So, probably, they are related. You know, maybe one came from the other monkey, humans came from monkeys, or both came from some ancestor.

So, basically, we start speculating. Now, what is the mistake over here? The mistake is based on external perceptions. If we just look at the externals, and it has similarities, but internally, anatomically, there is such difference.

Intellectually, there is such difference. So, we conclude, because we don't see any designer, there is no designer. And after concluding that there is no designer, the next step that we do is, we assume that it has come about by chance, by natural selection.

And what is the illusion? Illusion is, we go further, and we start thinking, okay, humans look like monkeys. So, you know, monkeys scratch their head, we humans scratch our head, monkeys wink, we humans wink, monkeys make faces, we make faces. Oh, probably, humans must have come from monkeys.

Monkeys are walking on all fours. Monkeys came up, the tail disappeared, and homo sapiens came out. So, this is a fairy tale.

But, what happens is, we are put into illusion, and we believe the fairy tale. And after that, there is a cheating propensity. What is the cheating propensity? That even when there is evidence that contradicts such fairy tales, we deny that evidence.

And even when there is evidence of the antiquity of the human race, we conceal that evidence. And that's how we maintain our faith in our pet beliefs. So, one of Shilpa Prabhupada's scholar disciples, has written about the extensive evidence that counters the theory of evolution that has been subverted and concealed just so that the theory could be believed.

So, this is cheating propensity at work. So, in this way, we see that there are these four defects which progressively limit our knowledge. So, first of all, the totality of reality, our senses can allow us to perceive only a little of it.

And that little which we perceive, within that we commit mistakes. Within that, whatever we are able to perceive without committing mistakes, we go into illusion. We inadvertently, unconsciously commit mistakes.

And within what we are able to see, within that also, we succumb to the cheating propensity. So now, in his purport, Shilpa Prabhupada gives the example of say, Gandhiji. He was told not to go for a particular prayer meeting, and still he went, and he was shot over there.

And Shilpa Prabhupada gives us an example of committing mistakes. Now, some people may say that this is not a mistake. Now, from the point of view that he could have saved his life if he had just not gone for that prayer meeting that day, it is a mistake.

So the point which we look over here is that there are examples that are contextual. There are principles that are eternal. So, the principle is that we all commit mistakes.

Now, something is a mistake that is very clearly understood. If a student takes a wrong alternative in an exam, then that is clearly understood that it is a wrong one. It was a mistake that the person committed.

So, whenever we study the purports, we have to, we cannot always stick to the literal examples because the examples are contextual. We will discuss this further in the purport of Isha Vasyamitam Sarvam verse, that Shilpa Prabhupada talks of the conflict between the communists and the capitalists. So, now, with more or less communism having collapsed, that particular conflict is not relevant, that example is not relevant.

So, the principles are eternal, the examples are contextual. So, we need to focus on the principles and take the examples to the extent that they help us understand the principle. The context may change and therefore the examples may not be so suitable.

So, the important point is that everybody commits mistakes and because all of us have these four defects, so, we, by ourselves, cannot acquire perfect knowledge. We need some other source of knowledge. So, what is that source of knowledge? That is the Vedas.

So, now, Shilpa Prabhupada goes on and gives an explanation of what is the Vedas. So, the word, the term Veda can be understood at multiple levels. So, the word Veda, Shilpa Prabhupada uses in his purport, in the most expansive sense.

He uses it to refer to all knowledge. So, the word Veda literally means knowledge. So, in fact, all knowledge that anybody has, that can be said to be Veda.

So, in the expansive sense of the word, it refers to all knowledge. In the average sense of the word, we use Vedic and non-Vedic. So, for example, we may say Islam, Christianity, these are non-Vedic religions because they do not accept the authority of the Vedas.

So, in the average sense, we refer to the Veda as the Vedic literature. And there are some scholars who use the term Veda in a very restrictive, narrow sense, and they say Veda refers to only the four Vedas. So, they consider even the Smritis, the Puranas, the Tihasas to be non-Vedic.

So, that is the use of the word Veda in a very restrictive sense. The term can be used in broad senses. In general, Srila Prabhupada uses it, Veda in the average sense to refer to the Vedic literature.

Here, he uses it to refer to the Vedic Vedas referring to all knowledge. Now, let's go back to the overview. So, Srila Prabhupada talks about Vedas give universal and axiomatic wisdom.

So, what do we mean by universal and axiomatic? Universal means that which is applicable at all times. As I discussed, the sun illuminates at all times. And axiomatic means it is implicitly true.

So, because it is the word of God, it is true. Now, in some cases, we may not be able to understand exactly how it is true with our current level of knowledge. That is because our current level of knowledge is limited.

Not because that knowledge itself is wrong. So, the Vedas give universal and axiomatic wisdom. And then after that, Srila Prabhupada elaborates, Vedic knowledge is superior to Pratyaksha and Hanuman.

So, Pratyaksha refers to direct sense perception. So, we look at the sky, we look at the water, we look at the desert and sometimes we see mirage in the desert. That is Pratyaksha knowledge, which is having its limitation.

Hanuman refers to mental speculation. Pratyaksha is sense perception. Hanuman is mental inference of speculation.

So, both of these are defective. Why? Because both of them are ultimately subject to the fold effects. Pratyaksha is directly limited in what we can perceive.

And the fold effects are there which limit both the systems of knowledge. Now, this does not mean that Pratyaksha and Hanuman are useless. They have their utility but they have their limitations which have to be recognized.

So, in western schools of thought, Pratyaksha and Hanuman are sometimes referred to as empiricism and rationalism. So, empiricism refers to that which is empirically perceived. So, that which is a reality which we perceive with our senses, that is called empirical.

And the school of thought which considers empirical sense perception to be the primary, if not the only source of knowledge, that is called as empiricism. And rationalism refers to Hanuman. So, rationalism means that school of knowledge, a school of thought, which considers logical inference to be the primary source of knowledge.

So, Pratyaksha and Hanuman. And Srila Prabhupada explains that both of these are defective. So, Vedic knowledge is superior to Pratyaksha and Hanuman.

Now, why is it superior? Because both Pratyaksha and Hanuman are human intelligence based. And human intelligence itself is finite and fallible. Whereas the divine intelligence, the intelligence of God is infinite and infallible.

Because of that, the Vedic knowledge is superior to Pratyaksha and Hanuman. Now, Srila Prabhupada is talking about Vedic knowledge first in terms of its inherent quality of being perfect. But now Srila Prabhupada in the paragraphs 10 to 12 goes forward and talks of another theme.

That there is beyond this world, the transcendental realm. And when we come to the transcendental realm, the only way to know about transcendental knowledge is through scripture. Because the very word transcend means to go beyond.

Srila Prabhupada writes the Vedas and ultimately Krishna, who is the ultimate revelation of the Vedas, are the only way to know about the transcendental realm, about Krishna. So, we have knowledge that we can perceive with our senses, but the spiritual world is something which we can never perceive with our senses directly. No matter how sophisticated a microscope we have, if we put the microscope in the area of the heart, we will not be able to see the soul.

Not because the microscope's resolution is not high enough, but because the microscope perceives only matter. And the soul is not material. Therefore, we need a different kind of perception, spiritual perception.

And that spiritual perception happens through purification and awakening of the soul's spiritual faculties. But before that, it happens through scripture. Scripture is revealed to us by God, who is perceiving the spiritual reality, and He gives that revelation and explanation to us.

So, the Vedas are the only way to know about the transcendental realm. So, we can talk about the Vedic knowledge in three terms. So, there is Vedic knowledge that agrees with Praktakshana Naman.

There is Vedic knowledge that may sometimes appear to disagree with Praktakshana Naman. And there is Vedic knowledge that is transcendental. So, for example, we have Vedic mathematics which gives many principles of mathematics that give the same results as modern mathematics, but they get faster and easier in many ways.

So here, there is agreement between Praktakshana Naman, but agreement of the Vedic knowledge with Praktakshana Naman, but this is material knowledge. Now, sometimes our material knowledge may disagree with Vedas. Why is that? Because our material knowledge is, as I said, fallible.

So, we may pursue something in a particular way and later on, 50 years, 100 years down the line, we will understand that oh, what we pursued earlier was wrong. So, either way, our focus is not on that which agrees or that which disagrees. Our focus is on that Vedic knowledge which transcends.

This is our focus because we are interested ultimately in going beyond the material world to the spiritual world. So, for that transcendental realm which is beyond material sense perception, the only way to acquire knowledge is through scripture. The only way to actually know about Krishna who lives in the transcendental realm is through scripture.

So, it is just beyond material proof and material disproof that there is a spiritual world beyond the material world and in that there are multiple planets. In that the topmost planet is Krishna Loka. In that, God in His highest manifestation is a bluish black cowherd boy, exists playing a flute and wearing a peacock feather and herding cows and dancing with cowherd girls.

Now, this is something which is just beyond the scope of any microscope or telescope. So, this is the knowledge that transcends and it can neither be proven nor disproven by science, by Pratiksha or Hanuman. So, our ultimate goal is to focus on that knowledge.

And how do we focus on that knowledge? By actually studying about that knowledge through scriptures. So, sometimes the part of scripture that contradicts Pratiksha and Hanuman may cause some doubts within us. So, there are ways in which by asking questions to expert devotees we can get those doubts clarified.

But essentially we need to focus on scriptural knowledge that is transcending the material sources of knowledge because that is the essential revelation of the Vedic scriptures. What the ultimate goal of life is. Aishwarya Prabhupada makes that clear in the next paragraph that Krishna is the ultimate goal of the Vedas.

That Krishna is the person who is to be known through all the Vedas. How is that? As we discussed earlier in this class, Vedaisya Sarvairahame Vavedhyam that Bhagavad Gita clearly says that by all the Vedas I am to be known. In fact, Krishna goes on further in that same train of thought in the 15th chapter.

This verse is 15.15. Krishna goes forward and he says that one who understands this truth about me is a person who knows everything. In 15.19 he says Yoma meva samudho Janati purushottama Sarvavid bhajati mam Sarvabhavena Bharata Such a person one who studies and understands the Vedas and knows through them that I am the ultimate goal, I am the supreme person, it is I who am to be known such a person is Sarvavid, knows everything. So, how is Krishna the ultimate goal of the Vedas? From the external perspective somebody may say that the name Krishna is not mentioned itself in the Vedas.

That is not entirely true. Actually, there is a whole Gopala Tapani Upanishad, one of the important Upanishads, which is devoted to Lord Gopala. And there are, even in the Vedas themselves, there is Devaki Pitra Vasudeva mentioned over there.

So, it's not that the Vedas do not have any reference to Krishna but we have to understand that each book has a particular purpose and that purpose is served by that book's focus. So, when we want to study a particular book we have to understand what is its focus. Then we will be able to get a clear understanding of where it stands in the Vedic context.

So, there is in the broad body of Vedic knowledge can be divided into three sections. It's Karma Kanda, Jnana Kanda and Bhakti. So, Karma Kanda talks about primarily Dharma Artha Kama.

It hints towards Moksha but not much about Moksha. So, Karma Kanda the word is Karma. Karma refers to action.

Now, of course the Vedic scriptures do talk about action in a religious context. So, the Vedas primarily talk about Karma Kanda. They talk about material religiosity which will give materially good results.

That means if a person practices religiosity, Dharma, then what will that person get by that? Artha and Kama. So, that's what everybody wants in life. People want Artha, people want sense gratification that is Kama.

Money will help one to get sense gratification. People want Artha and Kama. So, the Vedas tell us that yes, you want that, practice religion and by that you will get Artha and Kama.

So, now when the four Vedas have focused on this particular tripartite goals of life, Dharma, Artha and Kama, then naturally the characters that they will describe and glorify will be accordingly given. So, that's why the Vedas glorify Indra a lot. Why? Because Indra is the model for those who want to do Dharma, Artha, Kama.

The Vedas describe that Indra did a lot of Yagyas when he was on Earth and by doing all those Yagyas he became qualified to become Indra. So, we will discuss what is the purpose of Karma Kanda later. But the point is that every book, even within the Vedic canon has a particular purpose.

So, for example, if we have a jail manual within the Indian country. Now, the jail manual may not mention the name of the Prime Minister of India. Why? Because that is not relevant for the people who are living in the jail.

And certainly, if the Prime Minister of India has a nickname say, he is called by his mother or his brother as Mannu, as a shortened name, then that name will obviously not be found in any official book. A book which is the literature for the prisoners which gives guidance for them. Similarly, Krishna is a very intimate name of God.

That is not found within the Vedas directly. Although there are hints towards it, there are good pointers towards it. But the focus of the Vedas is Karma Kanda and for that purpose they focus on Dharmartha Kama.

Of course, Vishnu is mentioned there in the Vedas. Why? Because Vishnu is more or less God in an official mode. Vishnu is God as administrator.

Vishnu is God who accepts the sacrifices of Yajna. Vishnu is the God who is invoked by all the Devatas when they are in danger. So, in this way the Vedas do talk about Vishnu but ultimately the Vedas lead towards Krishna.

How? Through this progression. So, if you imagine an axis there is x-axis and there is y-axis. So, along the y-axis, the negative side is material things and the positive side is spiritual things.

So, Karma Kanda is on the negative side moving towards upwards, towards the positive side. That means people want to do materialist activities. Many people do sinful materialist activities.

But the scriptures say, whatever material results you want, you can get them by doing pious activities. By doing activities that are meant for getting material results but in a pious way. So, that's what is the focus of the Karma Kanda.

Now, after that Karma Kanda, there is Jnana Kanda. In the Jnana Kanda, the Upanishads are the primary literature and here the need of philosophy is recognized. Okay, even if I do the Yajna and go to heaven, what will I attain by that? The heavens are also temporary.

Those who are in the heavens will also die. I have to understand my spiritual nature and that spiritual nature is talked about in Jnana Kanda. The Upanishads primarily talk of the absolute truth in negative terms.

That means everything that was attractive for the Karma Kandis, that is negated, rejected and subordinated in the Upanishads. That means you are attracted to forms, you are attracted to names, you are attracted to people, you are attracted to big planets and worlds and kingdoms. What is the use of all this? It's all temporary.

It's all ultimately going to be lost. The Upanishads focus on attachment and they slowly create the foundation by which people can eventually understand spiritual knowledge in its positive aspect. Its aspect of Krishna.

God as a living, loving person who conceals his godhood so that he can reciprocate love. That is the vision of God that is given in the Bhakti literature. So the third part of course is Upasana Kanda and in Upasana Kanda, the ultimate is Bhakti, is pure and devotion to the Supreme Lord.

And that is talked about in the Srimad Bhagavatam. So when Srila Prabhupada says all the Vedas are meant for Krishna, the Vedas may not directly talk about Krishna, but they are progressively leading everyone towards Krishna. And that is the purpose and perfection of the Vedic literature.

So this is the progression. First people are atheistic, they are told you want material things, you will get them through the Vedas. Do Karma Kanda.

Then when they start developing faith in the Vedas, then they are introduced to the next stage, that is the Upanishads. What is the use of getting material things? They will all be lost. Even if you go to heaven that will be tempering.

Enquire about spiritual things. That is what the Upanishads do. Reject the material, turn towards the spiritual.

And then in Upasana Kanda culminating in Bhakti, in the Srimad Bhagavatam, spiritual things are not just the opposite of material things. They are not just a rejection of material things. Spiritual things also have variety, beauty, their own wonderful reality.

And there is a reciprocity between the souls and the all attractive Supreme Lord. And that entering into the reciprocations is the ultimate goal of life. This is the progression.

So in this way, the Vedas ultimately take us towards Krishna. And that is what Srila Prabhupada is saying in his purport. And then Srila Prabhupada concludes his lecture over here which is the introduction to the Upanishads by giving a brief overview of the history of the Vedas and how their essence is the Srimad Bhagavatam.

So that is what I was talking about here. That essentially when we talk about spiritual knowledge we are talking about knowledge that is beyond material. So the scriptures do give us material knowledge so that we develop faith that this works even at a material level.

So when somebody has some sickness and the scriptures say do this yajna, do this puja and the sickness gets cured and the person develops faith. Oh, this works. So when the person develops that faith, then the person starts inquiring further.

Now in the first canto of Srimad Bhagavatam in chapters 4, 5, 6 there is one of the most foundational discussions in the Bhagavatam. That is the discussion between Narada and Vyasa. And there Narada just tells his disciple Vyasa saying that you have written all the Vedic literature but you have forgotten to give the most essential message that is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

You just talked about material things. Therefore now glorify the Supreme Lord and that's what he does in the Srimad Bhagavatam. And then he becomes fully satisfied.

So the Vedas are given, they are eternal books of knowledge which are put in written form by Vyasa Dev but he was not satisfied by putting all the other literature in written form. He became satisfied only when he was able to exclusively and purely glorify the Supreme Lord through the Srimad Bhagavatam. That's why it's the Amal Purana and the essence of the of all the Vedic knowledge.

So I'll summarize what we discussed today. We started first by talking about how the four books are enough. So we discussed within the Indian schools of thought there are Aasthik and Aasthik.

Within the Aasthik we discussed the six systems of philosophy within which there is Vedanta is the highest and they have two divisions Tvaita and Advaita. The Gaudiya Vaishnava understanding is the culmination. Then we discussed about how within the Vedanta there are three primary sources of knowledge.

Shruti, Smriti and Nyaya. So in the literature which is given us, Shruti is available to us through Bhagavad Gita and of course the Bhagavatam and Nyaya is available to us through the commentary on the Vedanta Sutra by the same author that is Bhagavatam which is written by Vyas Deva in his spiritual maturity. Then we discussed about how the four books of the Bhakti Shastra the Isopanishad and the Bhagavad Gita enable us to understand the what is Sadhya and what is Sadhana.

Sadhya ultimately is Krishna, Sadhana ultimately is Bhakti. And then NOD and NOI, they explain the Sadhya and Sadhana further to us. And then we discussed the introduction in which we discussed the four defects, the four progressively closed doors which decrease our perception and capacity of perception more and more.

And then we discussed how the Vedas give three kinds of knowledge in the sense that something which is agreeing with Praptiksha and Anuman, disagreeing with and transcending. Our focus is primarily on that knowledge which transcends and Prabhupada says there is no other source for this knowledge. And then we discussed the progression within the Vedic body of knowledge, from Karma Kanda, Gyana Kanda to ultimately Bhakti culminating in Krishna.

Thank you very much. Shri Prabhupada ki Jai.