Category:Authorities In
Theme Analysis
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Vedic system of acquiring knowledge is based on following the footsteps of previous authorities in the line of disciplic succession. He emphasizes that the Supreme Lord selects His authorities not based on mundane scholarship, Vedantic expertise, or social status, but based on sincerity and devotion. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu established this principle by elevating Haridasa Thakura to the position of namacarya—the authority in chanting—despite his birth in a non-Hindu family. He warns that Vedic statements lose their authority if they are subjected to imperfect, personal interpretations; they must be accepted in toto as they are. Furthermore, he teaches that there are specialized authorities in different fields, such as Vidura and Canakya in political counsel, Vyasadeva in Vedic explanation, and Ramananda Raya in the transcendental loving affairs of Radha and Kṛṣṇa. Ultimately, by associating with those who are authorities in the scriptures and by respecting the elected authorities in the management of the society, a practitioner develops the power of thought and achieves the highest devotional platform.
- Devotion as the Qualification: Arjuna was selected as the first authority in the disciplic succession of Bhagavad-gita specifically because he was a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, not because he was a scholar or renunciate.
- Elevation of the Sincere: Lord Caitanya revived the original Vedic system by appointing Haridasa Thakura as the namacarya, or the authority in preaching the holy name, irrespective of his social background.
- Acceptance of Vedic Authority: To maintain the power of Vedic statements, one must accept them as authority in toto, without the interference of imperfect human interpretation.
- Specialized Authorities: Different historical personalities are recognized as authorities in specific subject matters, such as Bhismadeva in the line of Vedic truths and Vidura in expert political and moral counsel.
- Management and Discipline: Within a spiritual society, the elected authorities in management must be respected as the final authority in complicated cases to ensure departmental discipline and progress.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Following the Footsteps of Authorities in the Line.
Pages in category "Authorities In"
The following 32 pages are in this category, out of 32 total.
A
- Acceptance of authority is not new for us; everyone accepts authority in some form or another. For education we go to a teacher or to a school or simply learn from our father and mother. They are all authorities, and our nature is to learn from them
- Arjuna was not a great scholar, nor a brahmana; he was a family and military man. But still Krsna selected him to be the recipient of Bhagavad-gita and the first authority in the disciplic succession. Why? - Because you are My devotee
- Arjuna was not a great scholar, nor a philosopher; he was a family and military man. But still Krsna selected him to be the recipient of Bhagavad-gita and the first authority in the disciplic succession. Why? - Because you are My devotee
- Arjuna was not a great scholar, nor a renunciate; he was a family and military man. But still Krsna selected him to be the recipient of Bhagavad-gita and the first authority in the disciplic succession. Why? - Because you are My devotee
- Arjuna was not a great scholar, nor a Vedantist; he was a family and military man. But still Krsna selected him to be the recipient of Bhagavad-gita and the first authority in the disciplic succession. Why? - Because you are My devotee
- Authority in preaching
B
S
- Since he (King Kulasekhara) is a maha-jana, an authority in the line of devotional service, it is our prime duty to follow in his footsteps in order to achieve the highest devotional platform
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu found Ramananda Raya to be the best authority in transcendental knowledge of the loving affairs between Radha and Krsna. In this verse (CC Madhya 8.239) the Lord actually states that Ramananda Raya was the limit of this knowledge
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told the brahmana, "Indeed, you are an authority in the reading of the Bhagavad-gita. Whatever you know constitutes the real purport of the Bhagavad-gita"
- Srila Vyasadeva is the authority in Vedic explanations in the Mahabharata, etc
T
- The authorities in the Vedic literature who are known as the sruti-ganas worshiped Lord Krsna in the ecstasy of the gopis and followed in their footsteps
- The followers of the Vedas have a different method of acquiring knowledge. They accept the statements of the Vedic literatures as authority in toto, as we have already discussed in Canto One
- The power of thought should be developed in association with persons who are authorities in the scriptures, saintly persons and spiritual masters and those whose thinking is highly developed. BG 1972 purports
- There are two kinds of transcendental feelings for those engaged in the worship of the Lord. One is called sambhoga, and the other is called viraha. According to authorities in the disciplic line, viraha worship is more palatable than sambhoga worship
- There is no way to understand what is taking place on other planets except to hear from authorized sources. In the modern civilization we accept scientists as authorities in these matters
- This statement (of Sanatana Gosvami in CC Madhya 20.99) about how one can become fallen in this material world is made by the greatest authority in the Gaudiya Vaisnava-sampradaya