John Lennon, September 11, 1969, London, Tittenhurst: If all mantras are… All mantras just the name of God. Whether it’s a secret mantra or an open mantra, it’s all the name of God. So it doesn’t really make much difference, does it, which one you sing?
Prabhupada: No. Just like in drug shop they sell all medicine for disease, curing disease. But still, you have to take doctor’s prescription to take a particular type of medicine. They will not supply you. If you go to a drug shop and you say, “I am diseased. You give me any medicine,” that is not… He’ll ask you, “Where is your prescription?”
So similarly, in this age, in Kali-yuga age, this mantra, Hare Krishna mantra, is recommended in the sastras, and great stalwart—we consider Him the incarnation of Krishna—Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He preached this. Therefore our principle is everyone should follow. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah. We should follow the footprints of great authorities. That is our business. The Vedic mantra says, tarko ’pratisthah.
If you simply try to argue and try to approach the Absolute, it is very difficult, simply by argument and reasoning, because our arguments and reason are limited because our senses are imperfect. [break] So tarko ’pratisthah srutayo vibhinnah. And scriptures, there are different kinds of scriptures. Nasau munir yasya matam na bhinnam.
Philosophers, every philosopher has got a different opinion, and unless a philosopher defeats other philosopher, he cannot become a big philosopher. So therefore philosophical speculation also will not make a solution. Dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam. So it is very secret. Then how to get that secret thing?
Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah. You simply follow great personalities, how they have achieved success. So our, this Vaisnava philosophy is to follow the great personality, just like Krishna or Caitanya Mahaprabhu or acaryas of His succession, to take shelter of authority and follow. That is recommended in Vedas, that you follow great authorities.
That will take you to the ultimate goal. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah. So… Krishna also recommends in the Bhagavad-gita, Fourth Chapter, evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2] This science of Krishna consciousness was understood by disciplic succession.
Parampara-praptam. Imam vivasvavate yogam proktavan aham avyayam: “My dear Arjuna, don’t think that this Krishna consciousness science I am speaking to you is something new. No.” Imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam: [Bg. 4.1] “It is eternal, and first I spoke to sun-god.” Vivasvate. Vivasvan manave prahuh: “And Vivasvan said to his son, Manu.” Manur iksvakave ’bravit: “And Manu also transferred this knowledge to his son, Iksvaku.”
Evam parampara-praptam: “In this way, by disciplic succession, it is coming on.” Sa kaleneha yogo nastah parantapa: “But in due course of time it is now broken. Therefore I am speaking to you again.” So a mantra should be captured from the disciplic succession.
According to Vedic injunction, sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te nisphala matah: “If the mantra does not come through disciplic succession, then it will not be active.” Viphala. Mantras te viphalah. Viphala means “will not produce result.” Mantras te viphalah matah. So mantra has to be received through the channel; then it will act.
Mantra cannot be manufactured. Mantra must be from the original Supreme Absolute, coming down through disciplic succession, channel. It has to be captured in that way, and then it will act. Sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te nisphala matah. So according to our Vaisnava sampradaya, the mantra is coming down through four channels.
One is coming through Lord Siva, one is coming through goddess Laksmi. Not one, different. One thing is coming in different channel. One through the channel of Brahma, one through the channel of Lord Siva, one through the channel of Laksmi, and one through the channel of Kumaras.
So they are called four sampradayas. So one has to take mantra, either of these four sampradayas. Then that mantra is active, and if we perform that mantra in that way, it will act. Sampradaya-vihina ye. And if one does not receive this mantra in either of these sampradaya, channels, then viphala, it will not act. It will not give fruit. Full Conversation
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