Category:Authorized Sources
Theme Analysis
Srila Prabhupada emphasizes that transcendental knowledge and true religion cannot be manufactured by human speculation; they must be received from authorized sources. He identifies the four Vedas, the Puranas, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana as the standard authorized sources of knowledge, which are delivered without alteration by the bona fide spiritual master. Srila Prabhupada instructs that the process to access this knowledge is sruti, or submissive hearing. By simply using one's ears to hear with a meek and humble attitude, even an uneducated person can understand God perfectly. He warns against relying on rumors, concocted yoga methods, and unauthorized teachers, which mislead modern civilization. Instead, by accepting information from the unbroken disciplic succession—just as Arjuna did—one can understand both the material and spiritual natures. Ultimately, by hearing from these pure sources, the conditioned soul is freed from the cycle of rebirth, develops pure love for Krsna, and can even conquer the Supreme Lord within their heart.
- The Foundation of True Religion: Authentic religion and philosophy are never manufactured by mental speculation; they descend strictly from God or His representatives through texts like the Vedas and Puranas.
- The Process of Submissive Hearing: Accessing transcendental knowledge does not require mundane literacy but rather sruti—the humble, meek, and inquisitive use of the ears to hear from the bona fide guru.
- Rejecting Speculation and Rumor: To understand complex realities, from other planets to spiritual philosophy, one must avoid rumors and concocted methods, relying solely on authorized sources.
- The Perfection of Love and Liberation: Submissively hearing from the disciplic succession awakens love of God, grants liberation from rebirth, and allows the devotee to intimately conquer the Supreme Lord.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Authorized Sources of Transcendental Knowledge.
Pages in category "Authorized Sources"
The following 18 pages are in this category, out of 18 total.
I
- It is especially mentioned here (in SB 3.22.7) that one should be very inquisitive to hear with open ears from the authorized source of the bona fide spiritual master
- It is not possible to manufacture a religion. A true religion must come from an authorized source, and that source is either God or His representative
T
- The four Vedas, with their supplementary Puranas, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and their corollaries, which are known as smrtis, are all authorized sources of knowledge
- The Vedic information is called sruti. Just try to hear. You haven't got to be educated or literate. God has given you these two ears, and you can learn. Simply you have to learn from the authorized sources. Then you will understand God
- 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
- Try to hear about the glories of the Supreme Lord from authorized sources. Such authority is handed over by disciplic succession. If we can understand by the same authority as Arjuna, that is real authority
W
- We have to learn from authorized sources, and we can be informed perfectly about paravara: para and avara. Avara means this inferior nature, and para means superior nature
- We should not take any stock of rumors which may come, that is not our process to act upon rumors. We hear from the authorized sources, and then our hearing is perfect
- We should not take any stock of rumors which may come, that is not our process to act upon rumors. We hear from the authorized sources, and then our hearing is perfect. So you are the leader of big temple, you should know these things and avoid them
- Western people are now becoming more and more interested in yoga practice, but unfortunately because they have no authorized source of information, they are being mislead by unauthorized teachers and concocted methods
- Whatever I have learned from my Guru Maharaja, I am presenting. That's all. It is not mental speculation - this philosophy, that philosophy. We kick out all these things. Unless we get the knowledge from the authorized source, we don't accept