Prabhupada 0359 - One has to Learn this Science from the Parampara System
Lecture on BG 4.2 -- Bombay, March 22, 1974
To pursue Vedic knowledge means to understand Kṛṣṇa. But if you do not understand Kṛṣṇa and if you speak as, like so many nonsense things, and if you pose yourself as paṇḍita, that is śrama eva hi kevalam. That is stated. Śrama eva hi. Simply wasting time and laboring for nothing. Vāsudeve bhagavati...
- dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
- viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ
- notpādayed yadi ratiṁ
- śrama eva hi kevalam
- (SB 1.2.8)
Now, dharma, everyone is executing his particular occupational duty very nicely. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. I am speaking the organized society, not this animal society as at present. Even organized society, a brāhmaṇa is discharging his duties just like a brāhmaṇa. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). Still... Dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ, he is very nicely executing his duty as a brāhmaṇa, but by executing such duties, if he does not develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then śrama eva hi kevalam. This is the verdict. Then he has wasted time. Because to become brāhmaṇa, perfect brāhmaṇa, means to know Brahman. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. And the Para-brahman, Supreme Brahman, is Kṛṣṇa. So if he does not understand Kṛṣṇa, then what is the use of his executing this brāhmaṇa's duty? That is the verdict of the śāstra. Śrama eva hi kevalam, simply wasting time.
Therefore one has to learn this science from the paramparā system. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2). You have to go to the right person who knows Kṛṣṇa. Evaṁ paramparā... Just like Sūrya, the Vivasvān, he was instructed by Kṛṣṇa. So if you take instruction from Vivasvān, from the sun-god, then you get the perfect knowledge. But you cannot go to the sun planet and ask Vivasvān, "What Kṛṣṇa spoke to you?" Therefore Vivasvān transferred the knowledge to his son, Manu. This age is called Vaivasvata Manu, this age. Now, Vivasvān, because he's the son of Vivasvān, therefore this Manu is called Vaivasvata Manu. Vaivasvata Manu. Now the age is going of Vaivasvata Manu. Manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt. So Manu also spoke to his son. So in this way, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2), He's giving some examples, but the knowledge has to be received by the paramparā. But some way or other, the paramparā being lost... Just like I have spoken something to my disciple. He says the same thing to his disciple. He says the same thing to his disciple. But some way or other, if it is distorted at a certain point, then the knowledge is lost. As soon as any of the disciples in the succession distort the knowledge, then it is lost. That is being explained.
Sa kālena mahatā. The time is very powerful. It changes. That is the... Time means it changes, kills the original position. You have got experience. You purchase one anything. It is very fresh, new. But time will kill it. It will become shabby. It will be useless at a time, in due course of time. So time is fighting. This material time, it is called kāla. Kāla means death. Or kāla means the black snake. So black snake destroys. As soon as touches anything, it is destroyed. Similarly, kāla... This kāla is also another form of Kṛṣṇa. So kālena mahatā. Therefore it is called mahatā. It is very powerful. It is not ordinary thing. Mahatā. Its business is to destroy. Sa kālena iha naṣṭa. So by due course of time... Because how the kāla can destroy? As soon as kāla sees that you are distorting, then it will be lost. So don't try to understand Bhagavad-gītā from persons who are under the influence of kāla—past, present, future. Don't try to understand Bhagavad-gītā from so-called rascal philosophers, commentators, and... They will write Bhagavad-gītā in a distorted way. Somebody will say, "There was no Kṛṣṇa. There was no Mahābhārata." Somebody says, "Kṛṣṇa stressed on this point," "Kṛṣṇa stressed on that point." Somebody will say, "Kṛṣṇa stressed on karma, karma-kāṇḍa." Somebody will say on jñāna, and somebody will say yoga. There are so many editions of Bhagavad-gītā. Yogī cārtha, jñāna artha, Gītār gān artha...
So the real Gītār Gān is spoken by the Supreme Person, we have to accept that. That is Gītār Gān.