Conversations and Morning Walks
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
730227 - Conversation A - Jakarta:
Scholar: What is the place of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam here, in this movement?
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Scholar: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam?
Prabhupāda: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is . . . the Bhagavad-gītā is the preliminary study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Just like before learning any literature, one has to read the first book, A-B-C-D. The Bhagavad-gītā is the A-B-C-D. It is just beginning of understanding of what is God. A-B-C-D. When one has passed the entrance examination, then he gets the opportunity of studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In the Bhagavad-gītā the last instruction is, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, is explaining Himself, and at last He says that, "You surrender unto Me." That is the most confidential part of knowledge.
So if one has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, then he is admitted in the college of studying Bhāgavata. Before that, he has no place. Just like without passing entrance examination, nobody's admitted in the college course. Similarly, without understanding Bhagavad-gītā perfectly well, one cannot understand what is Bhāgavata. Bhāgavata is the graduate study. So this Vedānta-sūtra, the Vedānta-sūtra is the summarized study of all Vedic knowledge. And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the explanation of Vedānta-sūtra.
So people are in darkness about this great knowledge of the science of God all over the world. They are misled. They're being misled. Misled in this way: that this human form of life is specially meant for understanding God. The animals are not meant for this . . . (indistinct) . . . but the present leaders, they're keeping all human being in the animal condition of life. Their chance of becoming conscious about God is being sacrificed, being misled, by so-called economic development, plans. All this economic development means they're meant for this bodily comforts. Any department of knowledge at the present moment, they're simply aiming at giving some artificial comfort to this body. But these rascals, they do not care to know that however I keep this body comfortably, I'll have to give it up. And after giving up this body, what is my next position they do not know. They do not know. This is darkness.
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