"The sages were known as tri-kāla-jñā. Tri means three. There is almost similarity, tri and three. Tri is Sanskrit, and three is English or Latin, but there is similarity. Tri-kāla-jñā. Tri means three, and kāla means time. Time is experienced by three ways: past, present and future. Time limitation, past, present and... Whenever you speak of time, it is past, present or future. So the sages in those days were tri-kāla-jñā. Tri-kāla-jñā means they could understand, they could know what was in the past, what there shall be in the future, and what is at present. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says, 'My Dear Arjuna, you, Me, I, and all these kings and soldiers who have assembled in this battlefield, they were all individuals, and we are still individual. And in this past, in the future, we shall all remain individuals.' That past, present, and future, he explained. Another place Kṛṣṇa says, vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26. Atītāni, atītāni means past. Vartamānāni ca, 'and present.' So that is yogic power. One can know past, present, and future."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, San Francisco, March 18, 1968)
"This is called tri-kala-jña: past, present and future. So Yamarāja or Lord Brahmā or great personalities, they, even great sages, saintly persons, they know the three features of time."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Detroit, June 14, 1976)
"As an astrologer can see the future fate of a man, or an astronomer can foretell the solar and lunar eclipses, those liberated souls who can see through the scriptures can foretell the future of all mankind. They can see this due to their sharp vision of spiritual attainment.
And all such transcendentalists, who are naturally devotees of the Lord, are always eager to render welfare service to the people in general. They are the real friends of the people in general, not the so-called public leaders who are unable to see what is going to happen five minutes ahead."
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.4.17-18, Purport)
"Those who have reached the highest perfectional stage of mystic power and can see everything in the past, present and future are called tri-kāla-jñas. Similarly, the devotees of the Lord can see everything clearly that is in the revealed scriptures. The devotees of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa can very easily understand the science of Kṛṣṇa, as well as the situation of the material and spiritual creations, without difficulty. Devotees do not have to endeavor for any yoga-siddhi, or perfection in mystic powers. They are competent to understand everything by the grace of the Lord, who is sitting in everyone's heart."
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.11.17, Purport)
"Anyone with a material body cannot remember his past life, nor can he foretell his future life, nor can he predict the outcome of his present life; therefore he cannot know what is happening in past, present and future. Unless one is liberated from material contamination, he cannot know past, present and future."
(Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 7.26, Purport)
"No one can see the entire universe while sitting in one place. Even the most advanced scientist cannot see what is going on in other parts of the universe. But a devotee like Arjuna can see everything that exists in any part of the universe. Kṛṣṇa gives him the power to see anything he wants to see, past, present and future. Thus by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna is able to see everything."
(Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 11.7, Purport)
"Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees alone can know what is what."
(Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 6.39, Purport)
"The descriptions of the Bhāgavatam are so precise and accurate that whatever has been predicted in this great literature about five thousand years ago is now exactly happening. Therefore, the vision of the author comprehends past, present and future. Such liberated persons as Vyāsadeva are perfect not only by the power of vision and wisdom, but also in aural reception, in thinking, feeling and all other sense activities. A liberated person possesses perfect senses, and with perfect senses only can one serve the sense proprietor, Hṛṣīkeśa, Śrī Kṛṣṇa the Personality of Godhead."
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.13, Purport)
"Conditioned souls are under the spell of material energy, or eternal time—past, present and future—but as soon as one engages in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he transcends the limits of past and present and becomes situated in the eternal activities of the soul."
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.21.17, Purport)
"Kṛṣṇa knows everything, but one cannot know Kṛṣṇa without being favored by Him. Thus for Kṛṣṇa and His representative there is no question of a theory of uncertainty. What Kṛṣṇa says is all perfect and certain and is applicable to the past, present and future. Nor is there any uncertainty for one who knows exactly what Kṛṣṇa says. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based on Bhagavad-gītā as it is, as spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa, and for those who are engaged in this movement, there is no question of uncertainty."
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.24.42, Purport)
"Because Śukadeva Gosvāmī was a perfect yogī, nothing was hidden from his power of insight. A perfect yogī like Śukadeva Gosvāmī can see past, present and future in all details. Therefore, from such yogīs or mystics nothing can be concealed."
(Kṛṣṇa Book, Chapter 61)
"One who knows past, present and future perfectly, we should take knowledge from him. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that we don't accept any knowledge from a person who is defective in so many ways. And what is the value of such knowledge?
He is defective. 'Physician heal thyself.' A physician suffering from fever, and if I go there, 'Sir, I am also feverish. Treat,' what is the use of such treatment? His brain is already puzzled. What he can treat? The doctors also, when he become sick, he does not treat himself. He calls another doctor friend to treat him. That is the fashion.
So similarly, one who is imperfect, one who is subjected to so many defects of life, we cannot accept knowledge from them. This is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, London, August 16, 1971)
"They are trying to adjust things by material adjustment. That is not possible. They do not know that. Adānta-gobhir. Andhā yathāndair upanīyamānāḥ. But they are being misled by blind leaders. They are themselves blind, and some blind leaders. Therefore we should not accept blind leaders. We should accept a leader who is not blind. We therefore accept Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, who knows everything, past, present and future. We take His leadership or we take the leadership of His representative. That is our process."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New Vrindaban, September 4, 1972)
"So we accept knowledge from such person who knows past, present, and future. Persons who do not know even present, what is going on, how we can accept knowledge from him? This is not our process. Our process is to receive knowledge from a person who knows past, present and future. Just like Kṛṣṇa and the ācāryas. They know. So our knowledge is perfect because we are receiving knowledge from the perfect as it is."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Los Angeles, September 29, 1972)
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