Knowledge Through Disciplic Succession 55
ed from higher authorities. Everyone accepts this, but
no one has experienced that all men are mortal. By
tradition, we have to accept this. If someone asks,
“Who found this truth first? Did you discover it?”
it is very difficult to say. All we can say is that the
knowledge is coming down and that we accept it.
Out of the three methods of acquiring knowledge,
the Vedas say that the third method, that of receiv-
ing knowledge from higher authorities, is the most
perfect. Direct perception is always imperfect, espe-
cially in the conditional stage of life. By direct per-
ception we can see that the sun is just like a disc, no
larger than the plate we eat on. From scientists,
however, we come to understand that the sun is
many thousands of times larger than the earth. So
what are we to accept? Are we to accept the
scientific proclamation, the proclamation of authori-
ties, or our own experience? Although we cannot
ourselves prove how large the sun is, we accept the
verdict of astronomers. In this way we are accepting
the statements of authorities in every field of our
activities. From newspapers and radio we also under-
stand that such and such events are taking place in
China and India and other places all around the
earth. We’re not experiencing these events directly,
and we don’t know that such events are actually
taking place, but we accept the authority of the
newspapers and radio. We have no choice but to be-
lieve authorities in order to get knowledge. And when
the authority is perfect, our knowledge is perfect.

According to the Vedic sources, of all authorities
Krsna is the greatest and most perfect (mattah
