There Is No Culture And Education
Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.10
Honolulu, May 11, 1976
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Take a testHonolulu, May 11, 1976
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Prabhupada: (devotees repeat) Om namo
bhagavate vasudevaya. Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sixth Canto, First Chapter, verse
number ten. (devotees repeat)
kvacin nivartate 'bhadrat
kvacic carati tat punah
prayascittam atho 'partham
manye kunjara-saucavat
[SB 6.1.10]
So Pariksit Maharaja, he said that everyone in this material world know what is, to some extent at least, or to his capacity, knows "This is right" or "This is wrong." May not be very advanced in knowledge, but something they know, "This is right; this is wrong."
So criminality we have described. Everyone knows "This is not good," but he is punished. Again he does that. So Pariksit Maharaja said, "What is the use of this atonement?" He further explains in this verse that kvacin nivartate abhadrat. Abhadra means unclean, wrong things. Bhadra means right thing. Bhadra and abhadra. In India bhadra means gentleman and abhadra means uncivilized man. So sometimes he does like gentlemen and sometimes like foolish rascal. Kvacin nivartate 'bhadrat kvacic carati tat punah [SB 6.1.10]. After coming from the prison house, jail, he decides, "No more I shall commit. I shall now become gentleman." But as soon as his friends, criminals, again mix with them, he again commits the same sinful activity. So in this condition, atonement, if he cannot change his character, so what is the use of this atonement? Prayascittam atho 'partham [SB 6.1.10]. Apartham means useless. If he cannot change his character, change his mind, then the punishment or prayascittam is apartha, useless. How useless? Manye, "I think it is as useless as kunjara-saucavat."
Kunjara means elephant. Elephants taking bath. Perhaps you have not seen. In India we had some opportunity. They wash the body very nicely, repeatedly throwing water with the trunk, and as soon as come on the shore of the tank, again take some dust and throws over the body. We have to study from nature that how is that. This rascal washed so nicely his body, and immediately, coming out of the tank, he throws dust. Saucye manye kunjara-saucavat. Very appropriate. It is that hasti-snana. In Sanskrit it is called hasti-snana. Snana means bathing and hasti means elephant. So if we are not changing our character, then what is the use of advancement of knowledge, education? That I told you yesterday, that in spite of so-called advancement of education, culture, science, philosophy, the result is when you go to the airport you are proved you are a dishonest man. Everyone is checked means everyone is dishonest, it is to be supposed. Maybe some honest men, but the majority are dishonest. Even there is somebody honest he also... Gardulika pravaha(?) Majority... Nowadays it is democratic days, majority. So as this Krsna consciousness movement is also taken as one of the sentimental movements... It is the most scientific movement, but because there are so many gurus, rascals, they imagine something and cheat people. People want to be cheated. They take advantage. So we are also one of them, because majority is this. "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." When everyone is rascal, to become intelligent is rascaldom. Otherwise you say, "I am also a rascal." Then it is all right. If you say, "No, you are rascal," then there is fight.
So this is going on. Actually it will be explained in the next verse. Pariksit Maharaja puts a very intelligent question, that "What is the use of this kind of prayascitta, atonement? It has no use." So as the student is intelligent, the spiritual master is also gradually giving him more intelligence. First of all, for ordinary man the atonement, punishment, he proposed. But when the student, intelligent student, Maharaja Pariksit said, "It is useless," then next proposal is,
karmana karma-nirharo
na hy atyantika isyate
avidvad-adhikaritvat
prayascittam vimarsanam
Avidya. If somebody is kept into darkness, then there is no use of this punishment or prayascitta. So he proposes that the man in darkness should be educated. Vimarsanam. Vimarsanam means cultivation of knowledge, culture. So where is that culture? There is no culture. We propose that the beginning of culture is no illicit sex. This is the beginning. Who is accepting that? "Illicit sex? Why illicit sex? Sex is sex." No, that is the beginning of culture because in the dog society there is no marriage, and why in the human society there is marriage? They could avoid it. Nowadays they are being avoided. In the Kali-yuga there will be no more marriage. That is stated in the Bhagavata. It is stated. Five thousand years ago it was foretold that during Kali-yuga, svikaram eva hi udvahe. Just see. This is called sastra. Five thousand years ago it was foretold that marriage means agreement. It will be in Kali-yuga. Svikaram eva hi udvahe. This is called sastra. Bhur bhavisyat vartamana, everything. That is sastra and that is perfect knowledge. And dam-patye ratir eva hi. Rati means sex satisfaction. So husband and wife means sex satisfaction. It will be the standard of man and woman's relationship. Dam-patye ratim eva hi. Vipratve sutram eva hi. To become a brahmana means a thread, a two-cent worth, one thread. That's all. This is going on. These are all foretold. So that is being explained.
So,
karmana karma-nirharo
na hy atyantika isyate
avidvad-adhikaritvat
prayascittam vimarsanam
So the guru, Sukadeva Gosvami, has examined Pariksit Maharaja, and it appears that the king has passed one phase of examination by rejecting the process of atonement. This is intelligence. lmmediately said, "Guru, what is this?" He has rejected. Rejecting the process of atonement because it involves fruitive activities, karma. Karma. I have committed some sinful activity, then other, another karma to punish me. So here it is said by... One karma cannot be nullified by another karma. Karma means activity. They are going on, passing resolution after resolution and laws after laws, but things are in the same position. They are not changing. Therefore it cannot be checked in that way. Karmana karma-nirhara. Now Sukadeva Gosvami is suggesting the platform of speculative knowledge. When it has failed that a thief repeatedly committing criminal activities, repeatedly he is being punished but he is not corrected, then what is the remedy? That is vimarsanam, speculative knowledge. Progressing from karma-kanda to jnana-kanda, he is proposing prayascittam vimarsanam: real atonement is full knowledge. One should be given knowledge. Unless one comes to the knowledge...
So modern education there is no real knowledge. Real knowledge begins in the Bhagavad-gita. Those who have read Bhagavad-gita, the first understanding, Arjuna was given lesson. When he was perplexed and he became a disciple of Krsna, sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam: [Bg. 2.7] "Krsna, let us stop this friendly talking. Let us stop this friendly talking. Now I agree to become Your disciple. Now You teach me." So the first teaching was chastisment. Asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase: [Bg. 2.11] "You have no knowledge." Gatasun agatasums ca nanusocanti panditah: "You are talking like a pandita but you are not pandita." He indirectly said, "You are a fool," because nanusocanti, "This kind of thinking is not maintained by learned scholars." That means "You are not a learned man." That is going on at the present moment. Everyone is thinking that he is very highly elevated, learned, but he is fool number one. That is going on because there is no standard knowledge. Sanatana Gosvami also, when he approached Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he also said the same thing. He was in the sense. He was prime minister. He was very learned scholar in Sanskrit and Urdu -- in those days Urdu because it was Muhammadan government. But he thought it wise that "They call me learned scholar, but what kind of scholar I am?" He put this question before Caitanya. Gramya vyavahare kahaye pandita satya kari mani, apanara hitahita kichui nahi jani: "My dear Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, these common men, they say that I am M.A., Ph.D., D.A.C. and so on, so on. I am very learned scholar. But I am so big scholar that I do not know what I am and what is my aim of life. Just see." Ask any so-called scholar that "What is the aim of life?" He cannot say. The aim of life is the same like the dog: eat, drink, be merry, and enjoy, and die. That's all.
So where is education? There is no education. Real education is different, that one must know his own position and act accordingly. That you can get from Vedic knowledge.
tad vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet
samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham
[MU 1.2.12]
Brahma-nistham. If one has no sense to understand Krsna consciousness, or God consciousness, he is no better than the dog and cat. No credit. According to Vedic civilization anyone who is thinking, "I am this body," and doing accordingly -- for the bodily pleasure he is working so hard -- so that is not knowledge. Here it is suggested that prayascittam vimarsanam. If you want to be saved from the tribulation offered by the material nature, then you have to very thoughtful, thinking that what is the actual position. That is the beginning of Vedanta-sutra, that "You inquire about Brahman, the Absolute Truth." Athato brahma jijnasa. This human form of life, don't spoil it like cats and dogs, eating, sleeping, mating and dancing. No. So, so same dancing, same eating can be utilized when it is in Krsna consciousness. Then he will be... Simply by dancing and chanting and taking prasadam you'll be learned scholar.
Thank you very much. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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