Culture of knowledge
Prabhupāda: (chuckles) Hare Kṛṣṇa. Chant. Oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ. (chants with
devotees) Loudly. (chants Mantras 1-10) "The wise have explained to us
that one result is derived from the culture of knowledge, and it is said that a
different result is obtained from the culture of nescience."
So yesterday we have explained to some extent what is the culture of nes-
cience and what is the culture of knowledge. Culture of knowledge means
spiritual knowledge. That is real knowledge. And advancement of knowled-
ge for comforts or to protect this material body, that is the culture of nes-
cience. Because however you may try to protect this body, its natural course
will take place. What is that? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi [Bg. 13.9]. You can-
not relieve this body from repeated birth and death, and while manifested,
disease and old age. So people are very much busy for culturing knowledge
of this body, although they are seeing every moment that this body is deca-
ying. The death of the body was registered when it was born. That's a fact.
So you cannot stop the natural course of this body. You must meet the pro-
cess of the body, namely, birth, death, old age, and disease.
So Bhāgavata says, therefore, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke [SB
10.84.13]. This body is made of three primary elements: mucus, bile, and
air. That is the Vedic version and Āyurvedic treatment. This body is a bag of
mucus, bile, and air. In old age the air circulation becomes disturbed; there-
fore old man becomes rheumatic, so many bodily ailments. So Bhāgava-
ta says, "One who has accepted this combination of bile, mucus, and air as
self, he is an ass." Yes. Actually, this is the fact. If we accept this combina-
tion of bile, mucus, and air as myself... So intelligent person, a very great
philosopher, very great scientist, does it mean that he's a combination of bi-
le, mucus and air? No. This is the mistake. He's different from this bile or
mucus or air. He's soul. And according to his karma, he's exhibiting, mani-
festing his talent. So they do not understand this karma, the law of kar-
ma. Why we find so many different personalities? If it is a combination
of bile, mucus, and air, why they are not similar? So they do not cultivate
this knowledge. Why there are dissimilarities? One man is born millionai-
res; another man is born, he cannot even have full meals twice a day, alt-
hough he's struggling very hard. Why this discrimination? Why one is put
into such favorable condition? Why the other is not? So there is law of kar-
ma, the individuality.
So this is knowledge. Therefore the Īśopaniṣad says that anyad
evāhur vidyayā anyad āhur avidyayā. Those who are in ignorance, they are
cultivating a different type of advancement of knowledge, and those who
are actually in knowledge, they are cultivating in a different way. Ordinary
people, they do not like our activities, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are surpri-
sed. Gargamuni was telling me yesterday evening that people ask, "Where
do you get so much money? You are purchasing so many cars and big
church property and maintaining fifty, sixty men daily and enjoying. What
is this?" (laughter) So they are surprised. And we are surprised why these
rascals are working so hard simply for filling the belly. So Bhagavad-
gītā says, yā niśā sarva-bhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgrati saṁyamī. We are seeing
that these people are sleeping, and they are seeing we are wasting our time.
This is opposite view. Why? Because their line of action is different, our line
of action are different. Now, it is to be decided by an intelligent man whose
actions are actually right.
These things are very nicely discussed in Vedic literature. There is ano-
ther... Just like this is Īśopaniṣad. Similarly, there is another Upaniṣad, Gar-
ga Upaniṣad. So that is the talk between husband and wife, very learned.
The husband is teaching the wife. Etad viditvā yaḥ prayā-
ti sa eva brāhmaṇa gargi. Etad aviditvā yaḥ prayāti sa eva kṛpanā. This real
culture of knowledge, one who... Everyone takes birth and everyone will
die. There is no difference of opinion about it. We shall die and they shall
die. They can say that "You are thinking of birth, death, old age and disease.
So do you mean to say that because you are cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness
knowledge, you will be free from these four principles of nature's ons-
laught?" No. That is not the fact. The fact is, the Gar-
ga Upaniṣad says, etad viditvā yaḥ prayāti. One who quits this body after
knowing what he is, sa eva brāhmaṇa, he is brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa... We are
offering you the sacred thread. Why? Just you try to understand what is the
mystery of life. That is brāhmaṇa. Vijānataḥ. We have read in this ver-
se, vijānataḥ. One who quits this body after knowing things as they are, he
is brāhmaṇa. And etad aviditvā yaḥ prayāti... And one who quits this body
without knowing the mystery of life, he's a kṛpaṇā. Kṛpaṇā means miser.
Just like if you get one million dollars and you could not utilize it, simply
you see that "Oh, I have got this bank balance," you are happy simply by
seeing it, then you are kṛpaṇā. You do not know how to utilize. And one
who has got one million dollars and utilizing it and making millions and mi-
llions dollars, he is intelligent. Similarly, this body is invaluable. One who is
utilizing it for culture of spiritual knowledge, he is brāhmaṇa. That is the
difference between brāhmaṇa and kṛpaṇā. And one who is utilizing this
body like cats and dogs for sense gratification, he is miser. He does not
know how to utilize one million dollars. Everyone does not know. But it is
the duty of the father, duty of the state, duty of the teachers to educate from
the very beginning. Bhāgavata says that one should not become a father,
one should not become a mother, one should not become a teacher, one
should not become a king unless they are able to elevate their dependents
to this spiritual knowledge, which can save him from repeated birth and
death.
Thank you. (end)
