By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Lecture given in Los Angeles, May 15, 1970
To be a qualified teacher of Vedic knowledge, one must have control over six urges of the body and mind.
—Sri Ishopanishad, Mantra 10
This verse is very important. Sushruma means “it is heard.” In the Vedic disciplic succession, it is never said, “It is experienced.” Rather, one learns by hearing from authority. That is the secret of Vedic understanding.
People are now engaged in researching what is on the moon. That is the materialist way?to try to understand things by one’s own experience. That is called pratyaksha, direct, experimental knowledge. The Vedic way of understanding is different. It is shruti. Sruti means to hear from an authoritative source. Knowledge gained in that way is real knowledge.
I have often given the example that if you want to know who your father is by experimental knowledge, will that be possible? No. Then how can you know who your father is? By hearing from the authority, your mother. Similarly, with your imperfect senses you should not try to understand things beyond your experimental knowledge.
If you cannot know your material father by experimental knowledge, how can you know the Supreme Father-your original father-by experimental knowledge?
People are searching for God. But after searching, searching, searching, they fail. They say, “Oh, there is no God. I am God.” Their search is finished because they do not know how to find God.
Here it is said, iti shushruma: “it is heard.” That is how one receives Vedic knowledge. From whom does one hear? From the storekeeper? No.Dhiranam: from sober persons. Dhira means one whose senses are not agitated by material influence. Such a person is also called a svami or gosvami. There are different kinds of agitation. The first agitating agent is the mind. Another is the tongue. Another is our speaking power. Another is anger. When we become angry, we forget. We do any nonsense due to the agitation of anger. When we speak in anger, we speak so many nonsense things.
In Sri Upadeshamrita (1), Srila Rupa Goswami list six kinds of agitation:
“A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind’s demands, the actions of anger, and the urges of the tongue, belly, and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.”
Jihva-vegam refers to the agitation of the tongue. To agitate the tongue there are so many advertisements. “Here is liquor.” “Here is chicken.” “Here is beef.” What for? To satisfy the urges of the tongue. Is it a fact that without beef, without chicken, without liquor, we cannot live? It is not a fact. For living, we have so many nice things that God, Krishna, has given for human beings. You can take grains, fruits, milk.
The cow produces so much milk, not for itself but for human beings. That is our allotment from God: “Mrs. Cow, although you are producing milk, you cannot drink it. It is for human beings, better animals. What will you do by drinking milk?”
Of course, in infancy every animal lives on mother’s milk. That is nature’s arrangement. But cow’s milk is specifically meant for human beings. We can take what is ordained by Krishna, or God. But we have the agitation of the tongue, so we think, “Why shall I be satisfied simply taking grains, milk, vegetables, and fruits? Let me maintain hundreds of slaughterhouses and kill these animals. Although by giving me milk they have become my mother, let them be killed because of the agitation of my tongue.” You see?
You haven’t got to hear from such nonsense persons, but you have to hear from the dhiranam, those who have controlled their senses, the gosvamis or svamis. You must hear from one who has control over six kinds of agitating agents: control of the mind, control of the tongue, control of anger, control of speaking, control of the genitals, and control of the belly. One who has control over these six things is called dhira.
There is a poem by the great poet Kalidasa called Kumara-sambhava. The poem describes how Parvati killed herself in the Daksha-yajna, or the sacrifice conducted by Daksha, her father. Because of the circumstances surrounding Parvati’s death, Lord Shiva, her husband, was very angry. He left to engage in meditation. Later, when there was a fight between the demons and the demigods, the demigods wanted a general. They concluded that only a son born of Lord Shiva would be able to lead them in the battle. Lord Shiva was meditating naked. The demigods sent Parvati, reincarnated, to worship the Shiva-linga just to agitate him for sex. But he was not agitated. He was silent.
Kalidasa says that this event shows that Shiva is the perfect example of dhira. Shiva is naked, and a young girl is worshiping and touching his genitals, but he is not agitated.
Dhira means there may be causes for agitation, but one does not become agitated. There may be very nice food, but still, my tongue shall not be agitated. There is a very nice girl or boy, but I shall not be agitated sexually. In this way, when you are able to control the six agitating elements, then you become dhira. Not that Lord Shiva had no sexual potency but was dhira. He had potency, but he was not agitated. That is the example. Similarly, Krishna danced with so many girls, but there was no sexual arousal. That is called dhira.
Here it is stated, iti shushruma dhiranam. You have to hear from such a person, a dhira. Then your knowledge will be perfect. If you hear from adhiranam, those who are not controlled, then it is useless knowledge. Here in the Ishopanishad, the Vedic method-hearing from self-controlled persons-is given: iti shushruma dhiranam ye nas tad vicacakshire.
The student approaches the spiritual master and says, “I have heard knowledge from the Vedic authority. Now kindly explain it to me.” The teacher or the spiritual master does not invent something. He gives the same old thing as heard from Vedic authority. In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna is again explaining the old thing to Arjuna.
So we have nothing to research. Everything is there. We simply have to hear from a person who is dhira, who is not agitated by the six agitating agents. That is the process of Vedic knowledge.
“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth. [Bhagavad-gita 4.34]
Always remember that we have to learn from a person who is dhira, who has control over these agitating agents.
Thank you.