Knowledge acquired by studying

Expressions researched:
"Student means to acquire knowledge" |"acquiring knowledge is to study" |"knowledge acquired by studying" |"knowledge can be acquired by studying" |"student life to acquire knowledge" |"studied all the Vedic literatures and has acquired knowledge" |"study of the Vedas to acquire actual knowledge" |"studying Vedas and acquiring knowledge" |"studying the Vedas and acquire the knowledge"

SB Canto 5

Theoretical knowledge acquired by studying the Vedas is insufficient to protect one from the clutches of māyā. One must strongly adhere to the lotus feet of the Lord in devotional service.

SB 5.18.4, Purport:

Everyone should very cautiously execute devotional service by rigidly following regulative principles. Thus he will remain fixed at the lotus feet of the Lord. Otherwise, a little inattention will create havoc. We have already seen an example of this in the case of Mahārāja Bharata. Mahārāja Bharata was undoubtedly a great devotee, but because he turned his attention slightly toward a small deer, he had to suffer two more births, one as a deer and another as the brāhmaṇa Jaḍa Bharata. Afterward he was liberated and went back home, back to Godhead.

The Lord is always prepared to excuse His devotee, but if a devotee takes advantage of the Lord's leniency and purposefully commits mistakes again and again, the Lord will certainly punish him by letting him fall down into the clutches of the illusory energy. In other words, theoretical knowledge acquired by studying the Vedas is insufficient to protect one from the clutches of māyā. One must strongly adhere to the lotus feet of the Lord in devotional service. Then one's position is secure.

CC Preface and Introduction

Illuminating knowledge can be acquired by studying the teachings of Lord Caitanya, and by such knowledge one can advance in spiritual existence.

CC Preface:

The conditioned soul, engrossed in the material body, increases the pages of history by all kinds of material activities. The teachings of Lord Caitanya can help the members of human society stop such unnecessary and temporary activities and be elevated to the topmost platform of spiritual activities, which begin after liberation from material bondage. Such liberated activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness constitute the goal of human perfection. The false prestige one acquires by attempting to dominate material nature is illusory. Illuminating knowledge can be acquired by studying the teachings of Lord Caitanya, and by such knowledge one can advance in spiritual existence.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Everyone is sleeping in the darkness of Kali-yuga, but when there is a great ācārya, by his calling only, everyone takes to the study of the Vedas to acquire actual knowledge.

Krsna Book 20:

After the first rainfall, when there is a thundering sound in the clouds, all the frogs begin to croak, like students suddenly engaged in reading their studies. Students are generally supposed to rise early in the morning. They do not usually arise of their own accord, however, but only when there is a bell sounded in the temple or other spiritual institution. By the order of the spiritual master they immediately rise, and after finishing their morning duties they sit down to study the Vedas or chant Vedic mantras. Everyone is sleeping in the darkness of Kali-yuga, but when there is a great ācārya, by his calling only, everyone takes to the study of the Vedas to acquire actual knowledge.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

One who has learned, studied all the Vedic literatures and has acquired knowledge, he is called vipra.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Bombay, September 26, 1973:

Everyone is lamenting because he's a śūdra. Śūdra's business is to lament. But when one understands, brāhmaṇa, brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ, he does not lament. We have seen many brāhmaṇas. They are not very materially opulent, but they are happy. They are happy with Kṛṣṇa. That is brāhmaṇa's business. Brāhmaṇa-vaiṣṇava. Brāhmaṇa must be a Vaiṣṇava, Kṛṣṇa conscious. If a brāhmaṇa is not Vaiṣṇava, then he cannot become guru. That is the injunction of the śāstra. Ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. A vipra, a brāhmaṇa, a learned... Vipra means a learned brāhmaṇa. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipraḥ. One who has learned, studied all the Vedic literatures and has acquired knowledge, he is called vipra. So simply studying Vedic literature will not do. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. He must realize what is Brahman. Then he becomes brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa is a qualification. It is not by birth. Brāhmaṇa...

Brahmacārī means student life, student life to acquire knowledge.

Lecture on BG 13.6-7 -- Montreal, October 25, 1968:

In India, of course, these classes are named as the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and the śūdras. But in many places I was asked that "Why in India there is caste system?" So this caste system is not only in India. In everywhere the caste system is there. And enviousness between one community to another, that is also existing everywhere. This is human nature.

So this is the classification of a society. And there is another classification which is called spiritual developmental classification. The brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsī. Brahmacārī means student life, student life to acquire knowledge. And gṛhastha life is householder. After acquiring knowledge, one may get himself married with a suitable girl and live peacefully in the society—for spiritual cultivation. Everything for spiritual cultivation. And then vānaprastha, retired life; then sannyāsa, renounced order of life.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

The process of acquiring knowledge is to study and to inquire.

Lecture on SB 1.5.2 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1968:

So it is the... Śāstra means that you cannot throw it away. Nobody has thrown Bhagavad-gītā at any time, anywhere, because it is perfect. Nobody has thrown Bible—because they are perfect in knowledge. Jijñāsitam adhītaṁ ca. Jijñāsitaṁ susampannam api te mahad-adbhutam: "You have done wonderful work." And kṛtavān bhārataṁ yas tvaṁ sarvārtha-paribṛṁhitam: "And you have created the great literature Mahābhārata, in which everything is there." Eh? Jijñāsitam adhītaṁ ca. "And not only simply you have inquired, but you have studied fully." There are many inquisitive persons, inquire so many things, but do not study. Reciprocation, there must be study and inquiry. Just like a nice scholar in the college, he inquires from the professor, at the same time studies. So the process of acquiring knowledge is to study and to inquire.

General Lectures

Brāhmaṇa means intellectual class of men—one who devotes his life only in studying Vedas and acquiring knowledge and distributing that.

Lecture at Harvard University -- Boston, December 24, 1969:

There are four kinds of social orders and four kinds of spiritual orders. The social orders are the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas, and the śūdras; or the intellectual class of men... Brāhmaṇa means intellectual class of men—one who devotes his life only in studying Vedas and acquiring knowledge and distributing that. Every time, in every age, there is a class of men who are intellectual class. So this intellectual class of men is called brāhmaṇa. And the next class, the administrative class. Those who takes part in politics for administration of the state, government, they are called kṣatriyas. The actual meaning of kṣatriya is "one who protects a man from being hurt by others." That is called kṣatriya. That means, that is the business of the administrators, government. So brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, then vaiśyas. Vaiśyas means productive class who are interested in producing things for consumption by the people. Mercantile class, industrialists, they are called vaiśyas. And the last class, fourth class, they are called śūdras. Śūdras means that they are neither intellectual, nor they're administrator, nor industrial or mercantile, but they can serve others. That's all.

The most intellectual class of men, they should be engaged in studying the Vedas and acquire the knowledge and spread it to the human society so that they may be guided and do the needful for peaceful situation of the society.

Lecture at World Health Organization -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:

The Vedic civilization is varṇāśrama-dharma. If the varṇāśrama-dharma is not properly protected, then there will be population who are called varṇa-saṅkara, mixed population. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—that is the natural division. The society must be divided... Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). (aside:) There is no need. The natural division... Just like you have got natural division in your body: the head, the arms, the belly and the legs, similarly, social divisions, there is. Some of them are very intelligent men, class of men, and some of them are martial-spirited persons, and some of them are interested in trades and industry, and some of them are interested only for filling up the belly. So this is natural division. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam. If this cātur-varṇyaṁ, this division... The most intelligent class of men, they should be trained up as brāhmaṇa. Śamo damo titikṣa ārjava jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). The social division must be there. The most intellectual class of men, they should be engaged in studying the Vedas and acquire the knowledge and spread it to the human society so that they may be guided and do the needful for peaceful situation of the society. That is the guidance.

1969 Conversations and Morning Walks

Student means to acquire knowledge. Serious student means to acquire knowledge.

Room Conversation With John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and George Harrison -- September 11, 1969, London, At Tittenhurst:

Yoko Ono: But you said about if the milk goes through a serpent's mouth it will produce poison, and, for instance, George just told us about a week ago a very interesting story about a man who had a face of Christ, and in twenty years' time he had a face of Judah. And the Catholic Church and all those churches first probably had good words, and now it's deteriorating. Now, how would you decide, really, that brāhmaṇas are always in a pure state that you speak of, that they would never turn into serpents?

Prabhupāda: That you have to become a serious student.

Yoko Ono: Well, I mean, what do you mean by serious student? Maybe everybody, all of us are serious anyway. I mean, we're born serious or born, you know, unserious.

Prabhupāda: Then you must know what is distinction between Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān, if you are serious student.

Yoko Ono: But does it depend on knowledge? I mean, the final judgement that you make?

Prabhupāda: Everything depends on knowledge. Without knowledge how can we make progress? Student means to acquire knowledge. Serious student means to acquire knowledge.