Aug 14 1971
Prabhupāda: Yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ [Bg. 7.28]. One who has finished sinful activities, he can be engaged in God consciousness. One who is engaged in sinful activities, he cannot. Devil citing scripture. A devīl cannot cite scripture. Angel can cite scripture. And according to our ācāryas, Sanātana Gosvāmī, he says that "Don't hear scriptures from the devīl." Avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁhari-kathāmṛtaṁ śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyam." If a devīl's preaching about God, don't hear." If you say, "God is pure, so let me hear about God. It doesn't matter whether he is devīl or angel. It doesn't matter." No. The argument is sarpocchiṣṭaṁ payo yathā. Just like milk is very nourishing food, but if it is touched by the lips, by the tongue of a serpent, it becomes poison. Sarpocchiṣṭaṁ payo yathā. You cannot bring the milk which is touched by the serpent's tongue. So we should receive knowledge of God, message of God, from a person who is not a devīl. Then it will be effective. Otherwise, it will act as poison. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's principle is āpaniācari prabhu jīveri śikṣāya. He first of all behaves himself, and then he preaches. So if the preacher is sinful, how he can deliver other sinful men by his so-called preaching. That is not possible. He must be pure, he must be sinless. Then his preaching will be effective. But in all conditions, if we, with faith and love we chant the holy name of God, we shall become gradually purified. There is no, I mean to say, cause of anxiety. Anyone who will chant this holy name, he'll be purified.
Some Conclusions--This statement about not listening to somebody who is devil like is quite appropriate in this age of hypocrisy and quarrel. This is the general instruction. One also has to take this instruction as not just black and white, but at the same time acknowledging that sometimes some people will say things that are actually useful to the Vaisnavas. Even if they are not Vaisnavas. Canakya pandit tells us that an intelligent man can take gold, if its present-from a stool filled place. In other words, sometimes Krsna arranges valuable things to be said by somebody,maybe somebody we do not even know, and they will say something which can benefit us-if we are listening. How will we know it is useful? By using Srila Prabhupadas books and all the previous Acaryas books as the yardstick of approval.That means we have to actually read and re read these books, in order to understand what is the benchmark or yardstick of Vaisnava siddhanta. Otherwise we will be cheated.
Hare Krsna
Damaghosa das