What university education? They give some technical education, to earn money and eat and sleep and have sex life and die. This is the education.

FAIL: Universities missing the point of education

The education of a human being

In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, bahunam janmanam ante [Bg. 7.19: "After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare."]. Here it is also said like that: tasya tvam tamasah andhasya dushparasyadya paragam, sach-chakshur janmanam ante. Janmanam ante. Janmanam. Janma is singular number, and janmanam is plural number. Many, many janma—many, many births we are spoiling in this darkness. We do not know that. The university education is blind, andha. They cannot give you this information that we are going to the university, we are spoiling our time simply. Spoiling, actually spoiling. What university education? They give some technical education, that shilpa-vidya, to earn money and eat and sleep and have sex life and die. This is the education. This education is described here that dushparasya, andhasya dushparasya [difficult to cross over this darkness of ignorance]. This kind of education will not help us because our sufferings are different. Janma-mrityu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-doshanudarshanam [Bg. 13.9: "Observe the distress and fault of birth, death, old age and disease"].

So this Sanatana Gosvami was minister. He had enough money. When he retired, he came home bringing money with him, one big boat full with golden coins. Just imagine. Big, big coins in those days. At that time it was eighty rupees worth. Now there is no gold. Where is money? It is paper only. One-rupee note. Even we have seen in our childhood in India, there were gold coins available, any number you want. People used to purchase this guinea gold for making ornament. We have seen it. There was no paper money. Now you cannot get this guinea gold. So that is all finished. So Sanatana Gosvami was very rich man. Still, he's asking Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, gramya-vyavahare pandita tai satya mani: "These foolish villagers, or my neighbor men, they call me 'Panditji [highly learned].'" He was brahmana. Actually he was panditji. You know, in India, the brahmana is addressed as "pandit." Because a brahmana is expected to become very learned. A foolish man cannot be a brahmana. Learned means Vedic knowledge. Veda-pathad bhaved viprah. How one becomes brahmana? By studying thoroughly the Vedic literature. When one can understand Brahman, he realizes himself, hridayananda, then he becomes brahmana. Therefore a brahmana means naturally pandit. But nowadays simply by birth—that is another thing. But Sanatana Gosvami was a great learned scholar in Urdu, Farsi, Sanskrit. And he was a very rich man, minister. Everything honorable. Coming of a very respectable, aristocratic family, Sarasvata brahmana. But still, he says to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that gramya-vyavahare pandita tai satya mani: "These, my neighborhood men, they call me 'Panditji',and I am very much satisfied that I am pandit." "Why you are dissatisfied?" Now, he says, apanara hitahita kichui na jani: "I am such a pandit that I do not know what is the goal of my life and what is real benefit for me. I am such a pandit." That means, "I do not know my own self-interest. I am simply being carried away by the sense gratificatory means." Therefore he came to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He did not come to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to get some gold or some medicine for curing some disease. As people go, Bhagavan: "Bhagavan will give me some gold. Bhagavan will..." If you want to have gold, you can have. You can get a gold mine and get, as much as you like. Why you should go to a Bhagavan? But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's disciple, this Sanatana Gosvami, he had enough gold. But he was not satisfied. He went to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to take from Him that apanara hitahita kichui na jani: "I do not know actually what is my self-interest. You please tell me." This is the real approach of guru. "So I have got you after many, many births. I have got your contact. Kindly enlighten me because I am thinking I am very learned, I am very rich, but actually I do not know my self-interest. I have therefore come to you."

So here also, Devahuti, the same principle. She says, tasya tvam tamaso 'ndhasya dushparasyadya paragam, sach-chakshur janmanam ante: "My dear Kapila, You have come as my son. But You are my guru. You are guru because You can give me information how I can cross over the nescience of darkness, of this material life." So one who is feeling the necessity of going across the dark nescience of material existence, he requires a guru. Not for curing some disease or getting a little portion of gold. That, that does not require that one should go to guru. Guru is required for whom? Just like Devahuti or Sanatana Gosvami. Those who are inquisitive. Athato brahma jijñasa. Those who are interested in the matter of Brahman. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijñasuh shreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21: "One should therefore take shelter of the spiritual master, inquiring about the highest good"]. If one is interested to understand things which is beyond this darkness, he requires a guru. To keep guru is not a fashion. Just like you keep a dog or a cat as a fashion. So things should not be done like that, that "I have got a guru. I don't care for him. That's all. I give him some money; therefore he must be my servant." That kind of keeping guru is no use. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijñasuh shreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21]. If you can transcend this tamah, this darkness, that is called uttama. We use this word, uttama... Uttama means very good. How it is very good? When it is transcendental, above this darkness, that is called uttama. So one who is inquisitive to inquire about that portion of God's creation which is beyond this darkness—na tad bhasayate suryah. There is description in the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-gita. Uttama means there is another world, another nature. Paras tasmat tu bhavah anyah [Bg. 8.20: "There is another unmanifest nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter."].

na tad bhasayate suryo
na shashanko na pavakah
yad gatva na nivartante
tad dhama paramam mama

"That supreme abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire or electricity. Those who reach it never return to this material world." [Bg. 15.6]

There is another world, but what the scientists have got information? They have no information, sufficient information of this material world. But there is another world, another nature. This nature, we can, although we cannot reach, there are millions and trillions of stars glittering in the evening. We can see simply. Simply we can see. We cannot go even to the moon star. Moon is also a star, nearest star. That's all. Similarly, all these stars, they are like moon. Nakshatranam aham shashi. Krishna says, nakshatranam. They are nakshatra, stars. The modern science, they say the stars are all suns. No. They are like moon, glittering, if we have to believe our shastra. Nakshatranam aham shashi. So we cannot even go to the nearest planet, nearest star, and what to speak of going beyond? Paras tasmat tu bhavah anyah [Bg. 8.20]. There is spiritual sky, paravyoma. That is called paravyoma.

So dushparasya... Dushparasya, this material world is dushparasya, very, very difficult to cross over it. Therefore unless one understands what is God, what is Krishna, what is His position, where does He live, why our relation should be revived, then he's in darkness. He's darkness. But one can be enlightened by the mercy of God. Because Krishna comes Himself to inform. He sends His devotee door to door. He leaves behind Him Bhagavad-gita, but we are so foolish, we do not take advantage of it. We do not take advantage of Bhagavad-gita. We do not take advantage of His devotees who are hankering after giving this knowledge, sacrificing everything. But we are so stubborn, dogs' obstinacy, that we'll not take advantage of them. Therefore Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said,

ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krishna-kripaya paya bhakti-lata-bija

“According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Krishna. By the mercy of both Krishna and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service." [Cc. Madhya 19.151]

The bhakti-lata-bija, the seed of devotional service, is gotten by the most fortunate person. So those who are cultivating bhakti, devotion to God, in this institution, they are the most fortunate persons in the world. That is the statement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Bhramite. Therefore it is said, sach-chakshur janmanam ante. This knowledge, this clue of bhakti-lata, is not so easily available. How it is available? It is... Labdham me tvad-anugrahat: "By Your mercy." By Krishna's mercy, you can get the bhakti-lata-bija. Not ordinarily.

yesham tv anta-gatam papam
jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante mam dridha-vratah

"Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination." [Bg. 7.28]

Unless you are free from the reaction of all sinful life, you cannot understand what is bhakti, what is Bhagavan. Therefore punya-karmanam. Jananam punya-karmanam. We should act piously. Piously means we must first of all give up impious activities: illicit sex life, meat-eating, drinking and gambling. Then you can lead pious life. Then you can understand what is God. Krishna consciousness movement means training people to become pious to understand Krishna and make his life successful.