Tri-Kala-Jna does not mean Omniscient for the Liberated Jivatma
BY: SHIVA DASA
Jul 25, CALIFORNIA (SUN) — Bhagavat Das has written on the concept of the pure devotee being tri-kala-jna in the sense of knowing everything. That is not a proper understanding. Narada Muni's pastimes within Krishna lila is also not an appropriate comparison with Srila Prabhupada's management of ISKCON. Narada Muni warning Kamsa is part of Krishna Lila. Child abuse in ISKCON is not. Preaching the concept that pure devotees know everything in terms of tri-kala-jna is philosophically untenable. What kind of information does the concept of tri-kala-jna mean to someone with the views of Bhagavat das? Does a pure devotee know everything about everyone throughout all time in all places? Or does the pure devotee only know everything about his disciples? If so does the pure devotee know everything that every disciple has ever done in his life or will ever do? It's an absurd proposition to put forth the ideology that a jiva can do such a thing. In fact jivas cannot do anything by themselves.
sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto
mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca
Everything we do is dependent on memory and knowledge. Anything we do we are being supplied the memory on how to do it. We know where we are, who we are, when we are, how to speak, how to comprehend language, etc. All of these things are supplied to us as memory, either consciously (e.g what was the book about which we read the other day) or subconsciously (e.g understanding who we are, how to walk, how to eat, how to speak etc). Without memory being supplied to us at all times we would know nothing. This is because we have no ability to access memory. If we want to know where we are or what we did earlier we cannot look within our mind for a memory, there is nowhere to look. The memory is simply supplied to us. Likewise memory can be withheld. Either way we cannot control memory because we don’t know where that information is stored nor how to access it. Krishna says he is in control of memory, memory is required to understand and use knowledge.
Knowledge on how to do anything or understand anything is based upon our memory. We have no direct access to our memories nor do we know where they are nor how to access them. But without memory we would be like infants. So in order for memory to work and for knowledge to be understandable Sri Paramatma has to do the work of supplying us with all of the memories we need at every second. Otherwise we would have no ability to comprehend anything. We need to know how to understand language and grammar, word meanings, conceptual meanings, abstract meanings, just to be able to communicate. We need a whole slew of different types of memory imparted to us at every second in order to be able to function as intelligent people. Without memories being supplied we would be like infants. How we function as intelligent beings is not of our own doing. It is an amazingly complex thing which Krishna is accomplishing as Sri Paramatma in order to make us able to function the way we do.
So whatever we do or whatever anyone else does is completely controlled by Krishna because everything we do is based upon memory and knowledge being supplied to us by Krishna, neither of which we have any control over. So therefore anything any jiva knows about anything, that knowledge is being supplied by Krishna.
We cannot even know the simplest thing without Krishna supplying us with memory and knowledge.
Hyderabad, April 7, 1975:
Prabhupada: Yes. Pure devotee does not aspire
anything, simply to be engaged in loving service of
the Lord, wherever it may be. It doesn't matter.
[break]
Jayadvaita: ...they know everything and they're
perfect in everything. But sometimes, from our
material viewpoint, we see some discrepancies. Just
like we think that...
Prabhupada: Because material viewpoint. The viewpoint
is wrong; therefore you find discrepancies.
Jayadvaita: So we should think that we have the
defect.
Prabhupada: Yes. Acarya is explained, bhakti-samsanah:
"One who's preaching the cult of devotional service,
he's acarya." Then why should you find any
discrepancy?
Jayadvaita: Because we see... For instance, sometimes
the acarya may seem to forget something or not to know
something, so from our point of view, if someone has
forgotten, that is...
Prabhupada: No, no, no. Then...
Jayadvaita: ...an imperfection.
Prabhupada: That is not the... Then you do not
understand. Acarya is not God, omniscient. He is
servant of God. His business is to preach bhakti cult.
That is acarya.
Jayadvaita: And that is the perfection.
Prabhupada: That is the perfection. Hare Krsna.
Jayadvaita: So we have a misunderstanding about what
perfection is?
Prabhupada: Yes. Perfection is here, how he is
preaching bhakti cult. That's all.
So yes a devotee can be tri-kala-jna, but it is at the discretion of Krishna. If Krishna wants the devotee to know something about the past present or future then Krishna will inform the jiva. There is absolutely no other way for a jiva to know anything about anything. The liberated soul is not tri-kala-jna in the way that Krishna is. Krishna exists everywhere and is controlling everything so of course he knows past present and future. A jiva can only know be tri-kala-jna in a limited sense and he can only see and know what Krishna wants him to know, he is not an independent seer of everyone's past present or future. So it is a mistake to claim that a maha muni guru can see what his disciples are going to do in the future. Only God can see the future, the guru can only see what Krishna wants to show him.
