Prabhupada once asked this question to his diciples in Vrandavan(I think). They were all sitting there in front of him and were expecting a lecture. But instead, Prabhupada, innocently ask them "How they can be sure that Krsna is what he say He is -- i.e The Supreme Personality of God. How can we be sure?? I mean other then writings in the Srimad Bhagavatam and other scriptures, and what the Guru tells you, how can you be sure that Krsna is God. What if Prabhupada lied, how can they be sure he was telling the truth?
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Thank you for your interest to this question. What you have explained is quite true. That we learn through faith and acceptence of authority.
But my question is how do you know Krsna is The Personality of Godhead. By learning we accept something others have told us. Fare enough that we come to understand what they have told us is generally true. Even what they have discribed and explained come out to be true. The Bhagavatam has on numerous times said that Krsna is The Supreme Personality of Godhead. But how can you be 100% sure the Krsna is God?
For instance, take science, it also tells us some truths about the material existence. We also learn from a superior authority that "this will happen if you do this", and it comes out true. But we all know that science is materialistic truth (relative truth), so it does not explain the Supreme Absolute Truth.
My question is, "How will we know Krsna is really God?"
The priciple to "KNOW" is to experience or realise the subject. For instance, if I tell you that honey is sweet and write hundreds of books about honey, will u understand what honey taste like?? No. Why?? because you have not experienced honey yet. When u open a jar of honey and actually taste honey, only then u will actually understand the subject : HONEY. Similarly, until u experiance (or realise) Krsna , how can you honestly say He is The Supreme Personality of Godhead??
Pls try to understand, I am not saying that the Guru, Sastra and Sadhu are wrong or unimportant. But mere words dont fill me with understanding. I have to realise(experience) the subject to truly understand it.
What you have nice explained is the process (way, road) to understand a subject. But it is not the subject itself. I know Krsna is God, because I realise (experienced) Him within my heart. That is what prabhupada also accepted. When all the disciples failed to answer to his satisfaction, one Indian devotee said "I know Krsna is God, because I feel Him in my heart" ................. then Prabhupada said "Yes, that is the process to understand"
Hare Krishna Jitesh Joshi Prabhu, please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
From birth to death we accept everything by the faith first. Then try it ourselves and become sure that it is truth.
For example, Srila Prabhupada gives the example of a teacher who teach us the letter "A". He says that it is the letter "A" and we accept it.
Authority.
We learn the person who is giving to us knowledge. And Krishna explains the qualities of a liberated person. the qualities of a real Guru. That He is goswami etc.
Then only we accept his words with faith. Then start to practice.
He says to chant and be happy. Then we chant and become happy and our faith is fortified. We read Bhagavatam and find those things which we really see in our lives. Our experiences fortified with the words of Bhagavatam.
But some things may seem to us as an imaginary, for example the construction of the universe, but the same Bhagavatam can not lie in one place and say truth in other place. Because of that we fully accept Bhagavatam. When time comes we will see that everything which is in Bhagavatam is truth.
Your servant,
Replies
Thank you for your interest to this question. What you have explained is quite true. That we learn through faith and acceptence of authority.
But my question is how do you know Krsna is The Personality of Godhead. By learning we accept something others have told us. Fare enough that we come to understand what they have told us is generally true. Even what they have discribed and explained come out to be true. The Bhagavatam has on numerous times said that Krsna is The Supreme Personality of Godhead. But how can you be 100% sure the Krsna is God?
For instance, take science, it also tells us some truths about the material existence. We also learn from a superior authority that "this will happen if you do this", and it comes out true. But we all know that science is materialistic truth (relative truth), so it does not explain the Supreme Absolute Truth.
My question is, "How will we know Krsna is really God?"
The priciple to "KNOW" is to experience or realise the subject. For instance, if I tell you that honey is sweet and write hundreds of books about honey, will u understand what honey taste like?? No. Why?? because you have not experienced honey yet. When u open a jar of honey and actually taste honey, only then u will actually understand the subject : HONEY. Similarly, until u experiance (or realise) Krsna , how can you honestly say He is The Supreme Personality of Godhead??
Pls try to understand, I am not saying that the Guru, Sastra and Sadhu are wrong or unimportant. But mere words dont fill me with understanding. I have to realise(experience) the subject to truly understand it.
What you have nice explained is the process (way, road) to understand a subject. But it is not the subject itself. I know Krsna is God, because I realise (experienced) Him within my heart. That is what prabhupada also accepted. When all the disciples failed to answer to his satisfaction, one Indian devotee said "I know Krsna is God, because I feel Him in my heart" ................. then Prabhupada said "Yes, that is the process to understand"
Hare Krsna
From birth to death we accept everything by the faith first. Then try it ourselves and become sure that it is truth.
For example, Srila Prabhupada gives the example of a teacher who teach us the letter "A". He says that it is the letter "A" and we accept it.
Authority.
We learn the person who is giving to us knowledge. And Krishna explains the qualities of a liberated person. the qualities of a real Guru. That He is goswami etc.
Then only we accept his words with faith. Then start to practice.
He says to chant and be happy. Then we chant and become happy and our faith is fortified. We read Bhagavatam and find those things which we really see in our lives. Our experiences fortified with the words of Bhagavatam.
But some things may seem to us as an imaginary, for example the construction of the universe, but the same Bhagavatam can not lie in one place and say truth in other place. Because of that we fully accept Bhagavatam. When time comes we will see that everything which is in Bhagavatam is truth.
Your servant,
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