Without understanding God, one cannot understand religion or the nature of consciousness itself.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Hayagrīva: ...and on Sigmund Freud, you discussed with ymasundara Prabhu the sexual aspects, but not the theological aspects. Freud wrote two basic books on religion, Future of an Illusion, and there was a great deal in Leonardo da Vinci, A Study in Psycho-sexuality. He writes, "Psychoanalysis, which has taught us the intimate connection between the father complex and belief in God, has shown us that the personal God is psychologically nothing but an exalted father. Youthful persons..., youth..., youthful persons lose their religious belief as soon as the authority of the father breaks down." So he sees God as basically a father complex arising out of the need of help of the little child.
Prabhupāda: That little child, how he can give up the idea of father? And how Mr. Freud can give up the idea? Was he not born by a father?
Hayagrīva: He feels that this is childish.
Prabhupāda: That childish, what is that childish? He had no father?
Hayagrīva: He had a father, but he believed in ultimate emancipation.
Prabhupāda: No, no, ultimate we shall go later on. First of all, he has to think whether he had his father or not. Or his father's father was not there, and go-on searching out. So without father, how one can exist or one can coming into being? So that if he cannot understand this simple philosophy, what kind of philosopher he is? He had his father. His father had his father. So this is fact. Even though he might not have seen his great-grandfather, but he was there. That is a fact. So if you go-on researching, father's father's father, where you come there is no father? Which..., which is that point when you can say, "Now here there is no father"? And if you actually come to that point that, "Here is a person of whom there is no father," that is God.
Hayagrīva: He says, "After all, is not the destiny of childishness to be overcome? Man cannot remain a child forever."