Srila Prabhupada’s Books are Interactive
April 10, 2015 in Articles by Yasoda nandana dasa
Srila Prabhupada’s Books are Interactive
By Narasimha das
Many times when I become absorbed in thinking of a specific question, shortly thereafter in the course of my regular reading of Srila Prabhupada’s books, the answer is revealed. Sometimes while I am thinking of a specific question and randomly opening one of Srila Prabhupada’s books, the answer suddenly appears on the page. Someone may suggest this can happen because Srila Prabhupada’s books are full of repetitions of the same points. But this doesn’t explain it.
For instance, the other day I had a technical question about the etymological meaning of the word “sankhy. I was wondering how Lord Kapila taught this, and to whom, other than His mother. Specifically I was trying to remember how many creative elements there were—was it 24 or 25?—and whether sankhya could be called “metaphysics.” That same evening just before going to bed, I opened the Srimad-Bhagavatam at random (as I often do last thing at night) and read:“The fifth incarnation, named Lord Kapila, is foremost among perfected beings. He gave an explanation of the creative elements and metaphysics to Asuri Brahmana, for in the course of time this knowledge had been lost.” (SB. 1.3.10) In the first line of the purport to this verse, Srila Prabhupada explains: “The sum total of creative elements is twenty-fourin all. Each and every one of them is explicitly explained in the system of Sankhya philosophy. Sankhya philosophy is generally called metaphysics by the European scholars. The etymological meaning of sankhya is ‘that which explains very lucidly by analysis of material elements.’“ In these short statements above, Srila Prabhupada precisely answered my four very specific questions. All I needed to do was sincerely inquire by reading his books.
As often as such happens (to me and other devotees I’ve heard from), I would need to be a staunch believer in “chance”– in other words, an avowed atheist–to believe mere coincidence was making me feel as if Srila Prabhupada is still personally answering our inquires. My practical experiences completely nullify a claim made years ago by a false pundit who misled the entire gbc and much of iskcon. This fellow argued that Srila Prabhupada, being “posthumous,” or dead, cannot or will not initiate and guide devotees who joined Iskcon after 1977 and in fact is no longer the real authority in Iskcon. Trying to prove his point, he publicly challenged devotees at a meeting to write to Srila Prabhupada and see if he replied, as he always used to. Although nowadays it may be impossible for insincere persons to bother Srila Prabhupada with ridiculous or useless inquiries, for sincere seekers of truth, Srila Prabhupada is still available. “I will never die. I shall live from my books and you will utilize.” (Interview, July 16, 1975, Berkeley, California)
Other persons known as “ritviks” have also created doubts. For instance, recently some “ritviks” informed me that there is no need to preach in one’s own words. They say that nowadays we should just read Srila Prabhupada’s books, parrot his words precisely, and only hear glorifications or humble statements about Srila Prabhupada by Srila Prabhupada himself. They say there is no need to write because Srila Prabhupada already wrote everything and no need to speak because we have 3,000 recorded lectures and conversations of Srila Prabhupada.
All this may sound like staunch loyalty, but is it really? I had been wondering lately. Then yesterday I read the following:“To hear and explain is more important than reading them. One can assimilate the knowledge of the revealed scriptures only by hearing and explaining.” (SB. 1.1.6, Purport) This simple statement put any lingering doubts I had to rest. Srila Prabhupada’s books are repetitive of basic points of siddhanta but also contain a wealth of very specific and detailed knowledge. Such knowledge is best assimilated in context by careful, regular reading and explaining rather than merely by Vedabase copy-and-paste.
To help devotees fully understand siddhanta for the sake of preaching and devotional service, Srila Prabhupada wanted devotees to attend Bhagavatam and Gita classes, which included an initiated speaker. Sometimes even Srila Prabhupada would sit in class and hear one of his disciples speak. Srila Prabhupada also wanted his disciples to write books, and articles for BTG. For both preaching and self-purification, Srila Prabhupada wanted his disciples to not only thoroughly study his books in the association of devotees but to also explain points of siddhanta. Unless we try to do so, we may not learn how to properly answer various challenges and doubts that arise or resolve seemingly contradictory statements. We may not be able to understand or quote Srila Prabhupada’s words in the right context. In other words, copy-and-paste Vedabase punditry, although laudable, may not be enough for self-purification and effective preaching.
