Liberation from Material Planets 33

minuscule knowledge, and one who arrives at this
conclusion is considered intelligent by Vedic litera-
ture. One should come to understand, submissively,
that he is a very insignificant segment of the universe.
Abandoning the endeavor to understand the Supreme
by limited knowledge or mental speculation, we
should become submissive and hear of the Supreme
through authoritative sources such as Bhagavad-gita
or through the lips of a realized soul.

In Bhagavaa-gita, Arjuna is hearing about God
from the lips of Sri Krsna Himself. In this way Arjuna
set the criteria for understanding the Supreme by sub-
missive hearing. It is our position to hear Bhagavad-
gita from the lips of Arjuna or his bona fide rep-
resentative, the spiritual master. After hearing, it is
necessary to practice this acquired knowledge in
daily life. ““My dear Lord, You are unconquerable,”
the devotee prays, “but by this process, by hearing,
You are conquered,”’ God is unconquerable, but He
is conquered by the devotee who abandons mental
speculations and listens to authoritative sources,

According to Brahma-samhita, there are two ways
of acquiring knowledge—the ascending process and
descending process. By the ascending process, one is
elevated by knowledge acquired by himself. In this
way one thinks, “I don’t care for any authorities or
books. I will attain knowledge myself by meditation,
philosophy, etc. In this way I will understand God.”
The other process, the descending process, involves
receiving knowledge from higher authorities, Brahma-
samhita states that if one takes to the ascending
