"You cannot think, you have to learn."
While staying in Allahabad in January 1971, Srila Prabhupada many people and preached as much as possible. One conversation took place on the 17th , wherein he met as one of his guests a Mr Bateriya from Karachi.
Prabhupada began speaking with him by saying
"Mr Bateriya, this process, this transcendental knowledge, super human knowledge, you cannot think first of all. You cannot think. You have to learn."
Three of us, Linda, Palika and I are sitting, reading the transcript of this exchange from Prabhupada's Conversations book. We note that this gentleman is an impersonalist, therefore Srila Prabhupada's words are simple, cutting and deep.
Although committed as devotees, I recommended that the three of us accept the fact that we are also still very impersonal. So long as we are identifying with our false ego, we cannot really escape this disease. If we admit to our helpless condition then we can feel the powerful effectiveness of Prabhupada's arguments. Otherwise it's more like watching football and cheering "our team". We feel a little removed from the arguments as if they apply to others, and that in itself is our impersonal tendency at work.
We listened to Prabhupada challenge the gentleman, first by the demand for surrender before understanding spiritual knowledge, and then by trying to convey the conception that there is more than just a "oneness" in existence . We are not undifferentiated "spirit".
"There are two, not alone. So you cannot alone think of "Tat knowledge".You have to surrender to somebody.That is the process."
How often people face the difficultiy of feeling alone and isolated. But we are never actually alone: just ignorant, like Mr Bateriya.
Then Prabhupada confronts the gentleman's preference for the "abstract" ...
"As soon as you are thinking,YOU are thinking.You are doing that."
"No No." says the gentleman , "you might say my "outer me" is thinking."
And so it goes.
As we read together we all felt mildly embarrassed hearing the gentleman move here and there in his thinking to try and avoid the strong logic being presented. How often we also to the same? How easy it to feel that now [after so many years] I MUST be doing well, so I don't require to be drilled and hammered.
But fortunate for us, Srila Prabhupada's words will not refuse to challenge our lethargy or impersonalistic tendencies.
Let's go foreward to where the gentleman, still struggling, reveals what is actually behind his spiritual understanding. He tells Prabhupad.
"What I mean is that we are accepting anything to bring ourselves to a certain destination which will satisfy us."
Although we may also feel this way, we know this is not the highest level of spiritual understanding. Srila Prabupada's recommending that we progress towards trying to unmotivatedly and continuously try to please Krishna.Then our devotion is pure and unselfish.
Soon the conversation appears to Prabhupada as a waste of time, for the gentleman is unable to accept Krishna, yet Prabhupada continues to give good examples from life as to why Mr Bateria should try and understand through the process of accepting knowledge from authority.
Then he finishes with some points which are meant clearly for us. He speaks of the importance of remaining in good company if one wants to improve.
"Society is very important thing...The businessmen they have got their society to improve.. therefore the standard of this International Society should be kept very carefully. Then whoever comes in touch with this society will be improved automatically by association..it becomes very palatable in the association of devotees and not otherwise."
We are asked to represent Srila Prabhupada and his pure devotional realizations to others. For a reforming - impersonalist that is quite a challenge.
