SRILA PRABHUPADA ON
THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY

So Krishna consciousness means to have all kinds of knowledge. Not that we Krishna conscious people are being carried away by some sentiment. No. We have got philosophy, science, theology, ethics, morality, everything—everything that is required to be known in human form of life. (From a lecture on BG 7.2, San Francisco, September 11, 1968)

This is to be understood, that however expert logician you may be, this is not possible, by your reasons, by your knowledge, to approach the Supreme Absolute. That is not possible. This process that when God descends Himself and He speaks about Himself, He demonstrates about His pastimes, then it is possible. So the Bhagavata is the record of God's descents. The whole Bhagavata is philosophy about God, theology about God, and practical demonstration of God. Therefore anyone who takes to Srimad-Bhagavatam or the process of understanding God through Bhagavad-gita, therefore it is called Bhagavata, and it is simply about God. Bhagavad-gita, God speaks Himself about His activities, and Bhagavata is the record of God's activities, pastimes, and when He appeared on this earth, just like the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Ninth Canto. Nine cantos are devoted for understanding the transcendental nature of God, and the Tenth Canto is practical demonstration of God's activities before the eyes of the people of the world. (From Srila Prabhupada's book Dialectic Spiritualism, discussion on Immanuel Kant)

As for your training in theology, if you simply present some of the popular western points of view of theology and then point by point you may defeat them or expose them as speculators who are simply misleading the innocent public, and that will be a very nice service, because when intelligent people begin to understand our philosophy and theology, that it is the Absolute Truth and that if anyone become Krishna Conscious, that is the highest perfection of understanding philosophy, then our Krishna Consciousness Movement will advance very quickly because everyone like the common people respect the opinions of intelligent scholars. So if you work in this way to convince the intelligent class of men, that will be very great service and also the proper use of your educational training. Thank you very much for helping me in this way. (From a letter to Prajapati, Mayapur 25 February, 1972)