What Prabhupada said about Fools 1 of 4

Bg 2.7 Purport . . . Arjuna is the first disciple for understanding the Gétä. How Arjuna understands the Bhagavad-gétä is stated in the Gétä itself. And yet foolish mundane scholars explain that one need not submit to Kåñëa as a person, but to “the unborn within Kåñëa.” There is no difference between Kåñëa’s within and without. And one who has no sense of this understanding is the greatest fool in trying to understand Bhagavad-gétä.

Bg 2.11 The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: “While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead.”

The Lord at once took the position of the teacher and chastised the student, calling him, indirectly, a fool. . . .

Bg 2.54 Arjuna said: “O Kåñëa, what are the symptoms of one whose consciousness is thus merged in transcendence? How does he speak, and what is his language? How does he sit, and how does he walk?”

As there are symptoms for each and every man, . . . talking, walking, thinking, feeling, etc. . . . so a man in transcendental consciousness of Kåñëa has specific symptoms in various dealings. One can know his specific symptoms from the Bhagavad-gétä. Most important is how the man in Kåñëa consciousness speaks; for speech is the most important quality of any man. It is said that a fool is undiscovered as long as he does not speak, and certainly a well-dressed fool cannot be identified unless he speaks, but as soon as he speaks, he reveals himself at once. The immediate symptom of a Kåñëa conscious man is that he speaks only of Kåñëa and of matters relating to Him. Other symptoms then automatically follow, as stated below.

Bg 3.32 Sanskrit word: “Vimüòhän”—perfectly befooled

Bg 3.32 “But those who, out of envy, disregard these teachings and do not follow them are to be considered bereft of all knowledge, befooled, and ruined in their endeavors for perfection.”

Bg 3.40 Purport . . . false identification of the spirit soul is very nicely explained in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.84.13):

“A human being who identifies this body made of three elements with his self, who considers the by-products of the body to be his kinsmen, who considers the land of birth worshipable, and who goes to the place of pilgrimage simply to take a bath rather than meet men of transcendental knowledge there, is to be considered like an ass or a cow.

Bg 4.40 Sanskrit word: “ajïaù”—a fool who has no knowledge in standard scriptures;”

Bg 4.42 Purport . . . One who does not understand the instructions of the Gétä is faithless, and is to be considered to be misusing the fragmental independence awarded to him by the Lord. In spite of such instructions, one who does not understand the real nature of the Lord as the eternal, blissful, all-knowing Personality of Godhead is certainly fool number one. Ignorance can be removed by gradual acceptance of the principles of Kåñëa consciousness. Kåñëa consciousness is awakened by different types of sacrifices . . .

Bg 7.15 Purport . . . The müòhas are those who are grossly foolish, like hardworking beasts of burden. They want to enjoy the fruits of their labor by themselves, and so do not want to part with them for the Supreme. The typical example of the beast of burden is the ass. This humble beast is made to work very hard by his master. The ass does not really know for whom he works so hard day and night. He remains satisfied by filling his stomach with a bundle of grass, sleeping for a while under fear of being beaten by his master, and satisfying his sex appetite at the risk of being repeatedly kicked by the opposite party. The ass sings poetry and philosophy sometimes, but this braying sound only disturbs others. This is the position of the foolish fruitive worker who does not know for whom he should work. He does not know that karma (action) is meant for yajïa (sacrifice).

Most often, those who work very hard day and night to clear the burden of self-created duties say that they have no time to hear of the immortality of the living being. To such müòhas, material gains, which are destructible, are life’s all in all—despite the fact that the müòhas enjoy only a very small fraction of the fruit of labor. Sometimes they spend sleepless days and nights for fruitive gain, and although they may have ulcers or indigestion, they are satisfied with practically no food; they are simply absorbed in working hard day and night for the benefit of illusory masters. Ignorant of their real master, the foolish workers waste their valuable time serving mammon. Unfortunately, they never surrender to the supreme master of all masters, nor do they take time to hear of Him from the proper sources. The swine who eat the night soil do not care to accept sweetmeats made of sugar and ghee. Similarly, the foolish worker will untiringly continue to hear of the sense-enjoyable tidings of the flickering mundane world, but will have very little time to hear about the eternal living force that moves the material world.

Bg 10.8 Purport . . . There is no supreme controller other than Kåñëa. One who understands Kåñëa in such a way from a bona fide spiritual master, with references from Vedic literature, engages all his energy in Kåñëa consciousness and becomes a truly learned man. In comparison to him, all others, who do not know Kåñëa properly, are but fools. Only a fool would consider Kåñëa to be an ordinary man. A Kåñëa conscious person should not be bewildered by fools; he should avoid all unauthorized commentaries and interpretations on Bhagavad-gétä and proceed in Kåñëa consciousness with determination and firmness.

Bg 9.1 Purport . . . Even the most erudite scholars write on Bhagavad-gétä very inaccurately. Because they are envious of Kåñëa, their commentaries are useless. The commentaries given by devotees of the Lord are bona fide. No one can explain Bhagavad-gétä or give perfect knowledge of Kåñëa if he is envious. One who criticizes the character of Kåñëa without knowing Him is a fool. So such commentaries should be very carefully avoided. For one who understands that Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the pure and transcendental Personality, these chapters will be very beneficial.

Bg 9.26 Purport . . . For the intelligent person, it is essential to be in Kåñëa consciousness, engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord,

. . . and can be attempted even by the poorest of the poor, without any kind of qualification.

. . . The process is so easy that even a leaf or a little water or fruit can be offered to the Supreme Lord in genuine love and the Lord will be pleased to accept it.

. . . it is so easy and universal. Who is such a fool that he does not want to be Kåñëa conscious by this simple method and thus attain the highest perfectional life of eternity, bliss and knowledge?

Bg 10.8 Purport . . . One who understands Kåñëa in such a way from a bona fide spiritual master, with references from Vedic literature, engages all his energy in Kåñëa consciousness and becomes a truly learned man. In comparison to him, all others, who do not know Kåñëa properly, are but fools. Only a fool would consider Kåñëa to be an ordinary man. A Kåñëa conscious person should not be bewildered by fools; he should avoid all unauthorized commentaries and interpretations on Bhagavad-gétä and proceed in Kåñëa consciousness with determination and firmness.

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SB Introduction . . . The great Mäyävädé sannyäsé Prakäçänanda inquired from the Lord as to the reason for His preferring the saìkértana movement to the study of the Vedänta-sütra. Prakäçänanda said that it is the duty of a sannyäsé to read the Vedänta-sütra. What caused the Lord to indulge in saìkértana?

After this inquiry, the Lord submissively replied: “I have taken to the saìkértana movement instead of the study of Vedänta because I am a great fool.”

The Lord thus represented Himself as one of the numberless fools of this age who are absolutely incapable of studying the Vedänta philosophy. The fools’ indulgence in the study of Vedänta has caused so much havoc in society.

The Lord thus continued: “And because I am a great fool, My spiritual master forbade Me to play with Vedänta philosophy. He said that it is better that I chant the holy name of the Lord, for that would deliver Me from material bondage. . . .

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SB 1.2.7 Purport . . . The principles of knowledge and detachment are two important factors on the path of transcendental realization. The whole spiritual process leads to perfect knowledge of everything material and spiritual, and the results of such perfect knowledge are that one becomes detached from material affection and becomes attached to spiritual activities. Becoming detached from material things does not mean becoming inert altogether, as men with a poor fund of knowledge think.

. . . one naturally becomes detached from inferior things, and he becomes attached to superior things. Similarly, the bhakti cult, being the supermost occupation of the living being, leads him out of material sense enjoyment. That is the sign of a pure devotee. He is not a fool, nor is he engaged in the inferior energies, nor does he have material values.

. . . one who is a pure devotee has all other good qualities, namely knowledge, detachment, etc., but one who has only knowledge or detachment is not necessarily well acquainted with the principles of the bhakti cult. Bhakti is the supermost occupation of the human being.

SB 1.16.1 Purport . . . Kings like Mahäräja Parékñit had their council of advisers, and all the members of that council were either great sages or brähmaëas of the first order.

. . . They would not advise the king to give protection to man and instruct him to kill the poor animals. Such council members were not fools or representatives to compose a fool’s paradise. They were all self-realized souls, and they knew perfectly well how all living beings in the state would be happy, both in this life and in the next.

SB 2.3.19 "Men who are like dogs, hogs, camels and asses praise those men who never listen to the transcendental pastimes of Lord Çré Kåñëa, the deliverer from evils."

. . . The ass is an animal who is celebrated as the greatest fool, even amongst the animals. The ass works very hard and carries burdens of the maximum weight without making profit for itself. The ass is generally engaged by the washerman, whose social position is not very respectable. And the special qualification of the ass is that it is very much accustomed to being kicked by the opposite sex. When the ass begs for sexual intercourse, he is kicked by the fair sex, yet he still follows the female for such sexual pleasure. A henpecked man is compared, therefore, to the ass. The general mass of people work very hard, especially in the age of Kali. In this age the human being is actually engaged in the work of an ass, carrying heavy burdens and driving öhelä and rickshaws. The so-called advancement of human civilization has engaged a human being in the work of an ass. The laborers in great factories and workshops are also engaged in such burdensome work, and after working hard during the day, the poor laborer has to be again kicked by the fair sex, not only for sex enjoyment but also for so many household affairs. . . .

SB 2.4.20 Purport . . . Living beings are proportionately endowed with intelligence in terms of their previous activities. All living beings are not equally endowed with the same quality of intelligence because behind such development of intelligence is the control of the Lord, as declared in the Bhagavad-gétä (15.15). As Paramätmä, Supersoul, the Lord is living in everyone’s heart, and from Him only does one’s power of remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness follow (mattaù småtir jïänam apohanaà ca). One person can sharply remember past activities by the grace of the Lord while others cannot. One is highly intelligent by the grace of the Lord, and one is a fool by the same control. Therefore the Lord is Dhiyäm-pati, or the Lord of intelligence. . . .

SB 2.9.23 Purport . . . One cannot enjoy material illusory prosperity if he desires to return home, back to Godhead. One who has no information of the transcendental bliss in the association of the Lord foolishly desires to enjoy this temporary material happiness. In the Caitanya-caritämåta it is said that if someone sincerely wants to see the Lord and at the same time wants to enjoy this material world, he is considered to be a fool only. One who wants to remain here in the material world for material enjoyment has no business entering into the eternal of <ST1:PGod. The Lord favors such a foolish devotee by snatching all that he may possess in the material world. If such a foolish devotee of the Lord tries to recoup his position, then the merciful Lord again snatches away all that he may have possessed. By such repeated failures in material prosperity he becomes very unpopular with his family members and friends. In the material world the family members and friends honor persons who are very successful in accumulating wealth by any means. The foolish devotee of the Lord is thus put into forcible penance by the grace of the Lord, and at the end the devotee becomes perfectly happy, being engaged in the service of the Lord. Therefore penance in devotional service of the Lord, either by voluntary submission or by being forced by the Lord, is necessary for attaining perfection, and thus such penance is the internal potency of the Lord. . . .

SB 3.1.14 Purport . . . It is said that giving good counsel to a foolish person causes the fool to become angry, just as feeding milk to a snake only increases its venomous poison. Saint Vidura was so honorable that his character was looked up to by all respectable persons. But Duryodhana was so foolish that he dared to insult Vidura. This was due to his bad association with Çakuni, his maternal uncle, as well as with his friend Karëa, who always encouraged Duryodhana in his nefarious acts. . . .

SB 3.3.5 “Just to please His dear wife, the Lord brought back the pärijäta tree from heaven, just as an ordinary husband would do. But Indra, the King of heaven, induced by his wives (henpecked as he was), ran after the Lord with full force to fight Him.”

PURPORT

The Lord once went to the heavenly planet to present an earring to Aditi, the mother of the demigods, and His wife Satyabhämä also went with Him. There is a special flowering tree called the pärijäta, which grows only in the heavenly planets, and Satyabhämä wanted this tree. Just to please His wife, like an ordinary husband, the Lord brought back the tree, and this enraged Vajré, or the controller of the thunderbolt. cause he was a henpecked husband and also a fool, listened to them and dared to fight with Kåñëa. He was a fool on this occasion because he forgot that everything belongs to the Lord.

There was no fault on the part of the Lord, even though He took away the tree from the heavenly kingdom, but because Indra was henpecked, dominated by his beautiful wives like Çacé, he became a fool, just as all persons who are dominated by their wives are generally foolish.

SB 3.5.9 Purport . . . Pious acts lead one to take birth in a good and highly placed family, to become rich, to become learned, and to acquire beautiful bodily features. Impious acts lead one to become poor by parentage, to be always in want, to become a fool or illiterate and to acquire ugly bodily features. Vidura requested Maitreya to explain these differences between all the living creatures made by Näräyaëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB 3.5.11 Purport . . . Bhagavad-gétä, which is direct kåñëa-kathä, gives humanity the elementary lesson that the body is perishable and that the consciousness which is spread throughout the body is imperishable.

The conscious being, the imperishable self, is eternally existent and cannot be killed under any circumstances, even after the dissolution of the body. Anyone who misunderstands this perishable body to be the self and who works for it in the name of sociology, politics, philanthropy, altruism, nationalism or internationalism, under the false plea of the bodily conception of life, is certainly a fool and does not know the implications of reality and unreality.

Some of them are above the modes of ignorance and passion and are situated in the mode of goodness, but mundane goodness is always contaminated by tinges of ignorance and passion.

Mundane goodness can enlighten one that the body and the self are different, and one in goodness is concerned with the self and not the body.

But due to being contaminated, those in mundane goodness cannot understand the real nature of the self as a person.

Their impersonal conception of the self as distinct from the body keeps them in the mode of goodness within material nature, and unless they are attracted by kåñëa-kathä, they will never be liberated from the bondage of material existence.

Kåñëa-kathä is the only remedy for all people of the world because it can situate one in pure consciousness of the self and liberate one from material bondage. . . .

SB 3.10.17 “The fifth creation is that of the controlling deities by the interaction of the mode of goodness, of which the mind is the sum total. The sixth creation is the ignorant darkness of the living entity, by which the master acts as a fool.”

PURPORT

After the creation of the demigods, all entities are covered by the darkness of ignorance. Each and every living being in the material world is conditioned by his mentality of lording it over the resources of material nature.

Although a living entity is the master of the material world, he is conditioned by ignorance, by the false impression of being the proprietor of material things.

The energy of the Lord called avidyä is the bewildering factor of the conditioned souls. The material nature is called avidyä, or ignorance, but to the devotees of the Lord engaged in pure devotional service, this energy becomes vidyä, or pure knowledge.

This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gétä. The energy of the Lord transforms from mahämäyä to yogamäyä . . . The conditioned souls are not originally fools, but by the influence of the avidyä function of material nature they are made fools, and thus they are unable to utilize knowledge in the proper channel.

By the influence of darkness, the conditioned soul forgets his relationship with the Supreme Lord and is overwhelmed by attachment, hatred, pride, ignorance and false identification, the five kinds of illusion that cause material bondage.

SB 3.18.3 Sanskrit word: “ajïa”—O fool

SB 3.18.4 Sanskrit word: “müòha” —fool

SB 3.20.37 "The asuras, clouded in their understanding, took the evening twilight to be a beautiful woman showing herself in her alluring form, and they seized her."

The asuras are described here as müòha-dhiyaù, meaning that they are captivated by ignorance, just like the ass. The demons were captivated by the false, glaring beauty of this material form, and thus they embraced her.

SB 3.21.14 Purport . . . Hellish and demoniac persons do not actually know what is the ultimate attainment in perfection, and therefore they think that sense gratification is the highest goal of life. They advise that one can satisfy the senses and at the same time, by reciting some mantra and by some practice, can cheaply aspire for perfection. Such persons are described here as hata-medhasaù, which means “those whose brains are spoiled.” They aspire for material enjoyment by perfection of yoga or meditation. In Bhagavad-gétä it is stated by the Lord that the intelligence of those who worship the demigods has been spoiled. Similarly, here too it is stated by Kardama Muni that one who aspires after material enjoyment by practice of yoga has spoiled his brain substance and is fool number one. . . .

SB 3.23.3 Purport . . . Cäëakya Paëòita has described four kinds of enemies at home. If the father is in debt he is considered to be an enemy; if the mother has selected another husband in the presence of her grown-up children, she is considered to be an enemy; if a wife does not live well with her husband but deals very roughly, then she is an enemy; and if a son is a fool, he is also an enemy.

SB 4.3.11 Purport . . . One who has attraction for his birthplace, for his body, and for other such items mentioned in the Bhägavatam is considered to be like an ass or a cow. Saté might have heard all this many times from her husband, Lord Çiva, but because she was a woman, yoñit, she still hankered after the same material objects of affection. The word yoñit means “one who is enjoyed.” Therefore woman is called yoñit. In spiritual advancement, association with yoñit is always restricted because if one is like a play doll in the hands of yoñit, then all his spiritual advancement is at once stopped. It is said, “Those who are just like playthings in the hands of a woman (yoñit-kréòä-mågeñu) cannot make any advancement in spiritual realization.”

SB 4.25.14 "That city was surrounded by walls and parks, and within it were towers, canals, windows and outlets. The houses there were decorated with domes made of gold, silver and iron."

The body is protected by walls of skin. The hairs on the body are compared to parks, and the highest parts of the body, like the nose and head, are compared to towers. The wrinkles and depressions on different parts of the body are compared to trenches or canals, the eyes are compared to windows, and the eyelids are compared to protective gates. The three types of metal—gold, silver and iron—represent the three modes of material nature. Gold represents goodness; silver, passion; and iron, ignorance. The body is also sometimes considered to be a bag containing three elements (tri-dhätu): mucus, bile and air (kapha, pitta and väyu). Yasyätma-buddhiù kuëape tri-dhätuke. According to Bhägavatam (10.84.13), one who considers this bag of mucus, bile and air to be the self is considered no better than a cow or an ass.

SB 4.27.11 Purport . . . Actually, those who are in knowledge of everything are determined to execute Kåñëa consciousness, but those who are rascals (müòhäù), sinners (duñkåtinaù) and the lowest of mankind (narädhamäù), who are bereft of all intelligence (mäyayäpahåta jïänäù) and who take shelter of the demoniac way of life (äsuraà bhävam äçritäù), are disinterested in Kåñëa consciousness. As such they become implicated and take on so many activities. Most of these activities center around the killing of animals. Modern civilization is centered around animal-killing. Karmés are advertising that without eating meat, their vitamin value or vitality will be reduced; so to keep oneself fit to work hard, one must eat meat, and to digest meat, one must drink liquor, and to keep the balance of drinking wine and eating meat, one must have sufficient sexual intercourse to keep fit to work very hard like an ass.

SB 4.28.24 Purport . . . It is a foolish person who engages in improving the condition of a city without caring for the citizens or inhabitants. Similarly, a living entity who is not properly enlightened in spiritual knowledge simply takes care of the external body, not knowing that the spirit soul is the principal factor within the body. When one is advanced in spiritual knowledge, the spirit soul is saved from eternal transmigration. The Bhägavatam considers those who are attached to their bodies to be like cows and asses (sa eva go-kharaù). The cow is a very innocent animal, and the ass is a beast of burden. One who labors under the bodily conception simply works like an ass and does not know his self-interest. It is therefore said:

“A human being who identifies this body made of three elements with his self, who considers the by-products of the body to be his kinsmen, who considers the land of birth worshipable, and who goes to a place of pilgrimage simply to take a bath rather than meet men of transcendental knowledge there, is to be considered like an ass or a cow.” (Bhäg. 10.84.13)

Human civilization devoid of Kåñëa consciousness is simply a civilization of lower animals. Sometimes such a civilization may study the dead body and consider the brain or the heart. However, no part of the body is important unless the spirit soul is present. In a modern civilization of cows and asses, scientists try to search out some value in the brain or heart of a dead man.

SB 10.84.13 "One who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and air, who assumes his wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the land of his birth is worshipable, or who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never identifies himself with, feels kinship with, worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth—such a person is no better than a cow or an ass."

True intelligence is shown by one’s freedom from false identification of the self. As stated in the Båhaspati-saàhitä,

“Men who do not know the principles of devotional service to the Supreme Lord should be known as cows and asses, even if they are expert in technically analyzing Vedic mantras and are adored by world leaders.”

An imperfect Vaiñëava advancing toward the second-class platform identifies himself with the sages who have established the true spiritual path, even while he still may have some inferior material attachments to body, family and so on.

Such a devotee of the Lord is not a foolish cow or stubborn ass like the majority of materialists. But most excellent is the Vaiñëava who has gained the special mercy of the Lord and broken free from the bondage of illusory attachments altogether.

]

According to Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté, the words bhauma ijya-dhéù,

“who thinks an image made of earth is worshipable,”

refer not to the Deity form of the Supreme Lord in His temple but to deities of demigods, and the words yat-tértha-buddhiù salile,

“who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely the water there,”

refer not to sacred rivers like the </B>

SB 11.8.10 "Just as the honeybee takes nectar from all flowers, big and small, an intelligent human being should take the essence from all religious scriptures."

In human society the original knowledge is called Veda, and the essential part of veda, or knowledge, is Kåñëa consciousness. As stated in Bhagavad-gétä (15.15), vedaiç ca sarvair aham eva vedyaù. From the honeybee, an intelligent human being should learn to take the essence, or nectar, of all knowledge. A honeybee does not waste its time trying to carry away an entire bush or garden, but rather takes the essential nectar. We may thus study the difference between the honeybee and the ass, who carries heavy loads. Education does not mean to become an intellectual ass carrying heavy loads of useless knowledge; rather, one should accept the essential knowledge that leads to an eternal life of bliss and understanding.

At the present time people generally have a sectarian concept of religion, and yet there is no scientific understanding of the Absolute Truth. Such complacent, dogmatic, sectarian religionists can certainly learn something from the example of the honeybee given in this verse.

SB 11.9.4 “In this world two types of people are free from all anxiety and merged in great happiness: one who is a retarded and childish fool and one who has approached the Supreme Lord, who is beyond the three modes of material nature.”

Those who fervently seek material sense gratification are gradually pushed down into a miserable condition of life because as soon as one even slightly violates the laws of nature, one must suffer sinful reactions. Thus even materially alert and ambitious persons are constantly in anxiety, and from time to time they are plunged into great misery. Those who are nonsensical and retarded, however, live in a fool’s paradise, and those who have surrendered to Lord Kåñëa are filled with transcendental bliss. Therefore both the fool and the devotee may be said to be peaceful, in the sense that they are free from the ordinary anxiety of the materially ambitious person. However, this does not mean that the devotee and the retarded fool are on the same platform. A fool’s peace is like that of a dead stone, whereas a devotee’s satisfaction is based on perfect knowledge.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila Introduction: It is a fact that we are constantly being kicked by mäyä, just as the male ass is kicked in the face by the she-ass when he comes for sex. Similarly, cats and dogs are always fighting and whining when they have sex. Even an elephant in the jungle is caught by the use of a trained she-elephant who leads him into a pit. We should learn by observing these tricks of nature.

Mäyä has many ways to entrap us, and her strongest shackle is the female. Of course, in actuality we are neither male nor female, for these designations refer only to the outer dress, the body. We are all actually Kåñëa’s servants. But in conditioned life we are shackled by iron chains in the form of beautiful women. Thus every male is bound by sex, and therefore one who wishes to gain liberation from the material clutches must first learn to control the sex urge. Unrestricted sex puts one fully in the clutches of illusion.

Life comes from Life:

Çréla Prabhupäda: Darwin and his followers are rascals. If originally there were no higher species, why do they exist now? Also, why do the lower species still exist? For example, at the present moment we see both the intellectual person and the foolish ass. Why do both these entities exist simultaneously? Why hasn’t the ass form evolved upward and disappeared? Why do we never see a monkey giving birth to a human? The Darwinists’ theory that human life began in such and such an era is nonsense. Bhagavad-gétä says that you can directly transmigrate to any species of life you like, according to your efforts.

JSD 7:

Çyämasundara: Marx says that God does not create man; rather, man creates God.

Çréla Prabhupäda: That is more nonsense. From what he says, I can tell he is a nonsensical rascal and a fool. One cannot understand that someone is a fool unless he talks. A fool may dress very nicely and sit like a gentleman amongst gentlemen, but we can tell the fools from the learned men by their speech.

Sri Isopanisad Mantra 10 "The wise have explained that one result is derived from the culture of knowledge and that a different result is obtained from the culture of nescience."

As advised in Chapter Thirteen of the Bhagavad-gétä (13.8–12), one should culture knowledge in the following [18] way:

. . . These eighteen items combine to form a gradual process by which real knowledge can be developed. Except for these, all other methods are considered to be in the category of nescience. Çréla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura, a great äcärya, maintained that all forms of material knowledge are merely external features of the illusory energy and that by culturing them one becomes no better than an ass. This same principle is found here in Çré Éçopaniñad. By advancement of material knowledge, modern man is simply being converted into an ass. . . .

Am I supposed to read all this?

All he is telling you is to be careful. Use a little discrimination when choosing leadership on the path.

Now, wasn't that SIMPLE?

x

1) Yes. You must read it all –that would be best for you.

2) No. wasn't that SIMPLE --it's lifetime consuming.

3) No. He's not telling us to be 'careful' --He's telling us not to be fools but to be gentlemen and to get out of the material world. Discrimination is for discerning subtle differences between things [ie:correct judgements] ie: Which is butter which is cheese?

4) Leadership on the path? --"Lead, Follow, or get out of the way, Hurrah"

Krishna is "Absolute Truth" and Ignorance is also an "Absolutely Real Existence".

Because there is a state of existence that is called ''absolute" so there is stupidity that is 'absolute' --real life accidents transpire in absolutely reality --the true lessons of life take us from ignorance to Knowledge.

To learn the intricacies of vidya and avidya one needs study:

The proper path is towards knowledge that fullfills the guidelines of Sri Isopanisad Verse #11:

"Only one who can learn the process of nescience and that of transcendental knowledge side by Side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality"

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xenon,

What I already did for your quick perusal was:

1--the complilation of excerpts of the texts;

2--included the text number for reference;

3--considered the short interest spans of the reader.

<FONT color=black>yours in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com<font color=" /><st1:place w:st="on">Krishna</st1:place>'s servants' service,

<FONT color=black>Bhaktajan

<FONT color=black>

<FONT color=black>Please add don't detract, it does not become you.

1) Yes. You must read it all –that would be best for you.

2) No. wasn't that SIMPLE --it's lifetime consuming.

3) No. He's not telling us to be careful --not to be fools but to be gentlemen and to get out of the material world. Discrimination is for discerning subtle differences between things [ie:correct judgements] ie: Which is butter which is cheese?

4) Leadership on the path? --"Lead Follow or get out of the way, Hurrah"

 

<st1:place w:st="<font" color="black">Krishna</st1:place> is "Absolute Truth" and Ignorance is also an "Absolutely Real Existence".

Because there is a state of existence that is called ''absolute" so there is stupidity that is 'absolute' --real life accidents transpire in absolutely reality --the true lessons of life take us from ignorance to

To learn the intricacies of vidya and avidya one needs study:

The proper path is towards knowledge that fullfills the guidelines of Sri Isopanisad Verse #11:

"Only one who can learn the process of nescience and that of transcendental knowledge side by Side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality"

...........................................................................................

xenon,

What I already did for your quick perusal was:

1--the complilation of excerpts of the texts;

2--included the text number for reference;

3--considered the short interest spans of the reader.

yours in <st1:place w:st="on">Krishna</st1:place>'s servants' service,

Bhaktajan

Please add don't detract, it does not become you.

Actually, it does become me. To add is to create. To detract is to reduce down to a singularity. Religion, all religion, has flowered like a field of weeds in the garden of humanity.

Only the healthy will continue to grow in the garden afterward.

x

Actually, it does become me. [to detract]

To add is to

create.

To detract is to

reduce down to a

singularity.

Religion, all religion, has flowered like a

field of weeds in the

garden of humanity.

 

Only the healthy will

continue to grow in the

garden afterward.

I know Shiva, I know Shiva's father, brothers, sisters, I know what's in Shiva's heart and you Sir are no Shiva devotee you are a hashish afficinado--AND I bet you get the best, fer sure!

Smoking Hash out a hookah overlooking the southern Himalayas, playing Ravi Shankar or the Mahavishnu Orchestra or Carlos Santana. Counting Papa's Trust Account receipts-- ahh, that's the life --to be young and blissfully ignorant --and while a world war wages into the bargain --must make it all so romantic like an old Black & White movie . . .

Oh, But could you acknowledge point for point the trenchant points I write to you --they are all so heart felt statements for your ears.

The gift of my words to you are priceless-- I know this well.

Boddhisattvas always know what to say to the most fallen especially after so much practice.

Singularity = definitive axioms; ergo absolute maxims; ergo xenon is a Krsna-bhakta covered by mayadevi's cloak crying out for assistance by passerbys who ironically are carriers of the Sanatana-Dharma.

. . . YZ. ABC . . .

Where is the reference to Shiva, and who keeps editing my posts? x

Krishna is "Absolute Truth" and Ignorance is also an "Absolutely Real Existence".

Because there is a state of existence that is called ''absolute" so there is stupidity that is 'absolute' --real life accidents transpire in absolutely reality --the true lessons of life take us from ignorance to Knowledge.

To learn the intricacies of vidya and avidya one needs study:

The proper path is towards knowledge that fullfills the guidelines of Sri Isopanisad Verse #11:

"Only one who can learn the process of nescience and that of transcendental knowledge side by Side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of immortality"

Il status quo.