Hayagriva: […] For Johann Gottlieb Fichte, faith is innate in all men. He says, “So has it been with all men who have ever seen the light of the world. Without being conscious of it, they apprehend all the reality which has an existence for them through faith alone.”
Prabhupada: Yes.
Hayagriva: “This faith forces itself on them simultaneously with their existence.”
Prabhupada: Yes.
Hayagriva: “It is born with them. How could it be otherwise?”
Prabhupada: Yes. Therefore we should have faith by experience that everything has got some proprietor, so why not the whole cosmic manifestation has proprietor? This is faith. You may not have seen the, who is the proprietor, but it is a question of faith. Everything I see has got a proprietor or owner, so who is the owner of this whole cosmic manifestation?
This depends on faith. You may not have seen it. One says, “Who is that God? I don’t see any proprietor.” Then wherefrom it comes? “Ah, by accident.” Is that any explanation?
That is faith, that as everything has got some proprietor or some manufacturer, so why not this whole cosmic manifestation a proprietor? But you cannot say that “I am proprietor.” There is some proprietor. That is faith. Just like we go, strolling in the morning, by the path. The (indistinct) park is part of high government. You know it is the property of the government.
That just three yards after there is sea, now who is the proprietor of this sea? If this land is…, proprietor is the high government, now who is the proprietor of the water? There must be somebody. I may not know. That is faith. It is common sense. If the land is the property of somebody, so whose property is the sea? But there must be somebody. That is faith. Common sense. But they have no common sense even.
Hayagriva: Getting back to conscience, that was…, we said was vague, he says, “This voice of my conscience announces to me precisely what I ought to do and what leave undone, in every particular situation of life. It accompanies me, if I but will listen to it with attention, through all the events of my life, and never refuses me my reward when I am called upon to act. To listen to it, to obey it honestly…”
Prabhupada: Yes.
Hayagriva: “…and unob…”
Prabhupada: So that means he wants to listen somebody’s dictation. That is, as soon as you say “listen,” then somebody is speaking, you listen. So that is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, isvarah sarva- bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61] God is situated in everyone’s heart, and He is dictating. Even He is dictating to the thief that “You are going to steal. It is not good.
If you are arrested you will be punished.” That dictation is there, but he disobeys the dictation and he steals, commits sin. That is sin. So the dictator is there, we admit that. Krishna, or God, is there within the heart, and He is giving dictation, but you disobey. But if we accept that dictation, then you become devotee. Dictation is already there; otherwise this thief is going to steal at night?
Dictation is there that “You don’t go at the daytime. You will be captured and be punished.” “All right, I shall go at night, when everyone is sleep.” So dictation is there. Dictation is there in two ways—from the heart and from the representative. God’s representative, saintly person, spiritual master, is dictating, “My dear boy, do not do this; you do this.” Outside dictation. And inside dictation. But he is disobeying. Regularly he is disobeying. Then how he can be happy?
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