Introduction 23

The Lord continued: “Srila Vyasadeva has summarized the direct
meanings of the mantras in the Upanisads in the Veddnta-siitra. Unfor-
tunately you do not take their direct meaning. Indirectly you interpret
them in a different way.

“The authority of the Vedas is unchallengeable and stands without any
question of doubt. And whatever is stated in the Vedas must be accepted
completely, otherwise one challenges the authority of the Vedas.

“The conchshell and cowdung are bone and stool of two living beings.
But because they have been recommended by the Vedas as pure, people
accept them as such because of the authority of the Vedas.”

The idea is that one cannot set his imperfect reason above the authority
of the Vedas. The orders of the Vedas must be obeyed as they stand
without any mundane reasoning. The so-called followers of the Vedic
injunction make their own interpretations of the Vedic injunctions, and
thus they establish different parties and sects of the Vedic religion. Lord
Buddha directly denied the authority of the Vedas, and he established his
own religion. Only for this reason the Buddhist religion was not accepted
by the strict followers of the Vedas. But those who are so-called followers
of the Vedas are more harmful than the Buddhists. The Buddhists have the
courage to deny the Vedas directly, but the so-called followers of the
Vedas have no courage to deny the Vedas, although indirectly they disobey
all the injunctions of the Vedas. Lord Caitanya condemned this.

The example of the conchshell and that of the cowdung given by the
Lord are very much appropriate in this connection. If one argues that since
cowdung is pure, the stool of a learned brahmana is still more pure, his
argument will not be accepted. Cowdung is accepted, and the stool of a
highly posted brahmana is rejected. The Lord continued:

“The Vedic injunctions are self-authorized, and if some mundane
creature adjusts the interpretations of the Vedas, he defies their authority.
It isfoolish to think of oneself as more intelligent than Srila Vyasadeva. He
has already expressed himself in his siitras, and there is no need of help
from personalities of lesser importance. His work, the Veddanta-siit ra, is as
dazzling as the midday sun, and when someone tries to give his own
interpretations on the self-effulgent sunlike Vedanta-siitra, he attempts to
cover this sun with the cloud of his imagination.

“The purpose of the Vedas and Puranas are one and the same. They
ascertain the Absolute Truth, which is greater than everything else. The
Absolute Truth is ultimately realized as the Absolute Personality of
Godhead with absolute controlling power. As such, the Absolute Person-
