Faith Precedes Knowledge: The Full Essay

(written on June 7, 2020)

“Faith always precedes knowledge” is actually a material philosophical assertion that to really know something, you first must have firm faith and belief in it. The material philosophers use this assertion as a part of their Tripartite Theory to define knowledge. However, the material philosophy does not refer to the Lord in any aspect and is therefore incomplete. The class of rationalists, who are a specific section of philosophers believe that whatever you think is correct. They believe that faith is whimsical and that you can believe something without any basis and it will be true. The rationalists have come up with this definition because they believe that empirical knowledge cannot be the means of understanding knowledge. They have a so-called universal assertion: “you can only know what you believe.” These rationalists are correct that empiricism is an untrustworthy process, but they do not understand that there is a Vedic means of acquiring real knowledge which starts with faith in the Vedic injunctions, which are unwavering truths. They decide to follow anumana pramana, placing their faith on random thoughts or ideas, rather than following shabda pramana, placing their faith on the Vedas, and living life by those injunctions.

Actually, the Vedas explain what faith means perfectly. Shraddha is the Sanskrit word for faith. According to Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakur’s Madhurya Kadambini, there are two categories of faith “faith in the injunctions of the Vedic scriptures (śāstrīya-śraddhā) and ordinary, temporal materialistic faith (laukika-śraddhā).” Faith is such an important topic, because it is required in every step in life. Whether it is spiritual or mundane, faith is necessary. Even those who blatantly oppose faith in God have faith. Their faith is that God is not present. Thus faith is a very important factor in everyones’ lives. Faith is important in the practices of karma and jnana yoga also. Without faith, perfection in any practice cannot be achieved. Therefore, the concept of faith is really important.

Laukika means ordinary or worldly; this faith is ordinary material faith by which one performs all actions in the material world. Factually, every action requires faith. Srila Prabhupada explains this in his morning walk on July 21, 1975 in San Francisco: “Just like I do not know where this pathway goes. But you show me, "This way." So without faith, how can I go? If I have no faith, then I cannot move even an inch. I believe, "Yes, he is all right. Let me go." This is faith. I do not know whether it is going..., which way it is going. So without faith, you cannot move an inch. So faith must be there, either it is true or blind.” This type of faith is the moving force in the material world. If you want to execute a plan, you must have faith in it before you can even attempt to accomplish something. This is laukika shraddha. Laukika shraddha can cause the living entity to become tainted by the modes of material nature, unless the living entity has awakened shastriya shraddha.

Shastriya shraddha means highest or most supreme faith in the Absolute Truth. This is the higher faith in the Supreme Lord and the scriptures. According the the Madhurya Kadambini, there are two effects of shastriya shraddha: “Once the first symptom of śraddhā – unflinching faith in the imports of the scriptures – is awakened, then the second symptom – the effect of such faith – is bound to manifest.” By gaining even a little bit of this shraddha, one can begin their path of devotional service and eventually reach the highest stage of realization and perfection: krsna-prema. In such a stage, the living entity is firmly fixed on the service to the Lotus feet of the Lord, and is free from the entanglement of the modes of material nature. According to the Madhurya Kadambini, at this stage, shraddha becomes “the firm conviction that by rendering transcendental loving service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, all one’s obligations are automatically accomplished.”

Comparison chart between the two categories of faith according to Madhurya Kadambini:

Laukika shraddha	Sastriya shraddha
Described as bala-pūrvaka-utpādita, or forcibly awakened Arisen from falsely imitating others, associating with unexalted persons Such shraddha is useless is terms of performing pure devotional service Is ritualistic Stagnant: does not grow past a certain point Mundane, regarding the material world only	Described as svābhāvikī, or naturally occuring Arisen from the association of exalted devotees Such shraddha is necessary for transcending in path of bhakti Is scriptural and spiritual Ever-increasing: having no end, exponentially increases Spiritual, regarding the constitutional position of the living entity

The Vedic perspective of faith is always correct due to its direct correlation with the Supreme Lord. There are many Vedas, all entailing vast concepts for different people in different modes of material nature. However, as the devotees of Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, our faith should specifically be based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. Srila Prabhupada states in his letter to Satswarupa das Goswami, “So far we are concerned in the Krishna consciousness movement, we are preaching the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita. Krishna is the Supreme Person even before all demigods including Lord Visnu even, and of course Lord Siva. Our fundamental principle is the teaching of the Bhagavad-gita.” Those who are in the lower modes such as passion and ignorance are unable to understand this truth and therefore, for them, there are certain Puranas which state that certain demigods are the Supreme Person, although factually they are not. Actually, if one studies the Vedas in total and fully understands their contents, one will realize that Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality. Therefore, one should surrender to the teachings of Bhagavad Gita and thus improve their devotional service. When it is said shastriya-shraddha, that specifically means faith in the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita as the foremost scripture.

Overall, the Vedas explain the importance of faith (specifically sastriya-shraddha) over knowledge. The faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the scriptures, specifically Bhagavad Gita, is actually more favorable to bhakti than is any amount of knowledge. Here are certain examples from Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, and more which explain faith’s importance over knowledge:

Śvetāśvatara Upanishad 6.23	“The real import of the scriptures is revealed to one who has unflinching faith in both the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the spiritual master.”
Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya 22.62	“Śraddhā is confident, firm faith that by rendering transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa one automatically performs all subsidiary activities. Such faith is favorable to the discharge of devotional service.”
Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya 22.64	“A faithful devotee is a truly eligible candidate for the loving service of the Lord. According to one’s faith, one is classified as a topmost devotee, an intermediate devotee or an inferior devotee.”
Bhagavad Gita 6.47	“And of all yogīs, the one with great faith who always abides in Me, thinks of Me within himself and renders transcendental loving service to Me – he is the most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all. That is My opinion.”
Bhagavad Gita 4.39	“A faithful man who is dedicated to transcendental knowledge and who subdues his senses is eligible to achieve such knowledge, and having achieved it he quickly attains the supreme spiritual peace.”
Śrimad Bhagavatam 1.2.7	“By rendering devotional service [with faith] unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.”
Śrimad Bhagavatam 7.7.17	“Prahlāda Mahārāja continued: My dear friends, if you can place your faith in my words, simply by that faith you can also understand transcendental knowledge, just like me, although you are small children. Similarly, a woman can also understand transcendental knowledge and know what is spirit and what is matter.”
Śrimad Bhagavatam 6.16.64	“O King [Chitraketu], if you accept this conclusion of Mine, being unattached to material enjoyment, adhering to Me with great faith and thus becoming proficient and fully aware of knowledge and its practical application in life, you will achieve the highest perfection by attaining Me.”
Śrimad Bhagavatam 11.18.39	“Until a devotee has clearly realized spiritual knowledge, he should continue with great faith and respect and without envy to render personal service to the guru, who is non different from Me.”
Srila Prabhupada’s Lectures: Morning Walk July 21, 1975 San Francisco	“Just like I do not know where this pathway goes. But you show me, "This way." So without faith, how can I go? If I have no faith, then I cannot move even an inch. I believe, "Yes, he is all right. Let me go." This is faith. I do not know whether it is going..., which way it is going. So without faith, you cannot move an inch. So faith must be there, either it is true or blind.” Faith is the moving force. Only with faith can you do anything. “That is faith---means on knowledge. So faith with knowledge is very good. But beginning must be faith---with knowledge or without knowledge.” Prabhupada is directly saying that faith comes before knowledge.

All these examples show how “faith always precedes knowledge”. You may not have knowledge, or it may not be available to you, but by placing faith in the Lord, then you can progress and that knowledge will be revealed to you (this is stated in Svetasvatara Upanishad 6.2). Actually, the whole process of developing prema, or love of Godhead, begins with adau sraddha, or meager faith. (This is stated in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.4.15–16)). When one gets this little faith in the devotees, this ultimately begins their spiritual journey. Therefore, as it is seen, faith is ultimately more important than knowledge.

Unfortunately, the material world seems to continue to progress in the path of laukika-shraddha and forget the process of placing real faith on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The general people, due to being under the influence of the modes of material nature, are subject to two attacks on shastriya-shraddha which are two classes of thought called modernity and postmodernism.

Modernity is the view that many people have begun to adapt that religion is dogma, and that whatever can be defined by empirical methods is correct. Modernity is sort of a modern adaptation of empiricism. Unfortunately, the modern schooling system is the largest threat to shastriya-shraddha, because it teaches children that modernism is the way of the world. It teaches children that material science comes before faith in the scriptures and in God. Postmodernism, on the other hand, is the growing concept that everything is relative and whatever you think is true. This is basically the concept of the rationalists, which has been explained at the beginning of this passage. Such people believe that you can have your own bogus concepts of faith and that is okay. These movements have been grasping the world, and not allowing people to correctly understand what is faith, and who should be the object of faith, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.