How can we consider the consequences of our actions without becoming speculative?

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So, we are told we should not speculate, but at the same time we have to consider consequences of our actions. So, how can we consider the consequences without speculating? Certain words have certain connotations and the word speculate in our context, in our movement has acquired negative connotation. Say for example, the word motivation, in the outside world motivational speaker, it is kind of a good thing, a person goes on motivates people, but in our context we say that we should practice unmotivated devotional service.
So, if somebody is motivated, we say when we are motivated means selfishly motivated, do not be motivated like that. So, in our context some words may acquire some negative connotations. So, I would say that the word speculation is a word which is tinged with negativity.
So, rather than focusing so much on the word, let us focus on the concept. Word is like if we consider suitcase, if the suitcase is a object which we want to carry and the handle is the object with which we carry the suitcase. So, the handle is like the term and the concept is like the suitcase.
So, currently the word suit speculation has become very negatively tinged. So, let us put the word aside for the time being and look at the concept. The concept is that we all have been given intelligence by God and we are meant to use our intelligence in properly.
Properly means first of all the Bhagavad Gita as I said is appeal to human intelligence. So, it is not that the Bhagavad Gita asks us to reject our intelligence, rather it asks us to use our intelligence to surrender to Krishna. Now, when we use our intelligence, the very nature of life is that we, some situations are clear to us and some situations are not clear to us.
Now, when the situations are unclear, sometimes it is possible for us to consult someone who knows things clearly and then we take a decision. So, but sometimes it is just that the life is so dynamic and we have to take certain decisions, we may not be able to consult someone. So, then based on our gut feeling, based on our hunch, based on our intelligence, based on our instinct, we may take certain decisions.
So, in that case, is that speculation? Not necessarily, it can be, but sometimes we don’t know the answer to a particular question. Then it is good, we can say that, okay, I don’t know the answer, I will consult my seniors and I will tell the answer. But sometimes we may not know the answer, but we can give some pointers to the answer.
This is what my understanding is. So, there are many, many situations in life where we will not get a direct Shastric injunction to make a decision. So, then we have to use Shastra and understand the principles of Shastra and apply those principles in our life.
When we talk about we should always follow Dharma. Now, Dharma is not like some infinite set of law codes. In every situation that we face in our life, then we Google in our head, okay, this situation, this situation, this situation, what should I do in this situation? No, Dharma is not like that.
It is basically we understand the principle that I am meant to serve Krishna and how best can I serve Krishna in this situation. If we consider the song that Shri Prabhupada wrote when he came to America, on the Boston Pyre, when he was looking at the American skyline, he wrote the Markini Bhagavat Dharma, preaching the Bhagavatam. And there he says, अच्छे किछु कार्जे तबे एही अनुमाने, नाहे केनो आनी बेना एही उगरस्ताने.
My dear lord, you must have some purpose because of which you have brought me here. Otherwise, why would you bring me here? It is interesting when he is saying this, अच्छे किछु कार्जे तबे एही अनुमाने, the word अनुमान means this is my guess. Now you could give a negative spin to this and say this is my speculation.
Now we don’t use the negative word, but the point is, it is not that Prabhupada when he came to America, he knew everything about everything. Oh, I am going to go here and I am going to meet this person and this person is going to become a devotee. I am going to go there and we are going to open a center.
Prabhupada tried various things. Some things worked, some things didn’t work, he tried something else. So he, when he is using the word अनुमान, he is not saying that in the sense of speculation.
He is saying that, okay, there is a certain amount of uncertainty when we are functioning in this world. So there is practical uncertainty about what I am going to do. But Prabhupada, the philosophical certainty he has, there is a purpose of Krishna.
That is why he has brought me here. So for us to use our intelligence in Krishna’s service is vital. And using our intelligence to try to understand things, using our intelligence to try to figure out a course of action that we can take forwards, that is not speculation.
If our purpose is to serve Krishna, then using our intelligence to further that purpose is not speculation. When we use our intelligence to question that purpose itself, when we use our intelligence to question the purpose of serving Krishna itself, then that becomes speculation. Prabhupada talks about the difference between philosophical speculation and mental speculation.
So mental speculation is that we question the conclusion of scripture itself. Philosophical speculation is we accept the conclusion of scripture, but we try to analyze to make sense. How does it make sense to me? So that sort of philosophical speculation is encouraged.
I think in the 14th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Prabhupada says, if we study this chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, then by philosophical conclusion, by philosophical speculation, we conclude the conclusion of devotional service. So we don’t have to become paranoid about not speculating. If speculation means that we stop using our intelligence, that is not good.
But what it means, no speculation means we don’t use our intelligence to challenge the conclusion of scripture. Challenge the conclusion that Krishna is my lord, I am meant to serve him. But specifically how to serve Krishna in what situation, for that we need to use our intelligence.
And that is not speculation, that is simply intelligence used in Krishna’s service. So there is, there is anuman, anuman is just guessing. But when anuman is directed towards shastra, then it is called as vichar.
Vichar is philosophical contemplation or what is philosophical speculation. And that is vital for us to internalize the philosophy. When I hear the philosophy, how do I make sense of it? For that we have to use our intelligence, we have to use our experience, we have to use our analytical skills.
And that’s why sometimes when we hear a class, we may have a particular question and one devotee may answer the question in one way, another devotee may answer in a different way. So third devotee may answer in a different way. And then third devotee answers, that makes sense to me.
So it is not that the previous two devotees’ questions and answers were wrong. This is what makes sense to us. So if we use the intelligence to defy the purpose of serving Krishna, then that is speculation.
But if we use the intelligence to further the purpose of serving Krishna, then that is harmonizing of the intelligence with devotion. That is not speculation. Does it answer your question?