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No university or educational institution where the science of the spirit soul is instructed

Expressions researched:
"no university or educational institution where the science of the spirit soul is instructed" |"many universities and educational institutions" |"never seen any university or any department of knowledge" |"educational institution or university" |"no university teaches" |"departments of knowledge, university" |"the institution, university, for educating people of the spirit soul" |"university for imparting transcendental knowledge"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is

BG Chapters 7 - 12

There are so many departments of knowledge all over the world and many huge universities, but there is, unfortunately, no university or educational institution where the science of the spirit soul is instructed.
BG 9.2, Purport: Generally, people are not educated in this confidential knowledge; they are educated in external knowledge. As far as ordinary education is concerned, people are involved with so many departments: politics, sociology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, astronomy, engineering, etc. There are so many departments of knowledge all over the world and many huge universities, but there is, unfortunately, no university or educational institution where the science of the spirit soul is instructed. Yet the soul is the most important part of the body; without the presence of the soul, the body has no value. Still people are placing great stress on the bodily necessities of life, not caring for the vital soul.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Although there is advancement of learning, many universities and educational institutions, but nowhere this subject matter is discussed or taught, "What I am."
Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Edinburgh, July 16, 1972: "The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living or the dead." This Kṛṣṇa philosophy, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is to teach people to understand what is the constitutional position of the living entity. Here it is said that one who is learned, he does not lament either for the living or for the dead body. (aside:) They should be removed from the front range. They should be removed, they should go backwards. (pause) The present civilization is based on the bodily concept of life: "I am this body." "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am black," "I am white," and so on. The whole civilization is going on on this bodily concept of life. Although there is advancement of learning, many universities and educational institutions, but nowhere this subject matter is discussed or taught, "What I am." Rather, they're still more misled by giving them education that "You are born in this land. You must feel for your nation, you must act for your nation," or the so-called nationality is taught. But nobody is taught actually what he is.
We are traveling all over the world. We have never seen any university or any department of knowledge where this technique is instructed. There is no such instruction. So just try to understand, in the name of education, how people are placed in ignorance.
Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 19, 1972: If varṇa-saṅkara population is increased, then the whole society becomes a hell. That's a fact. Actually, that is the position at the present moment. Therefore, according to the Vedic system, marriage is there. Without marriage, the population, increase of population, means varṇa-saṅkara. So these things were discussed, but that was not the main case. The main case was whether Arjuna was to fight and to kill the other party. He was thinking very seriously. So Kṛṣṇa in the beginning said that: "You are lamenting on the point that your brothers, your grandfather, they will die." That is the general impression of the people, that "I die, you die." But Bhagavad-gītā says, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg. 2.20]. Nobody dies, even after the destruction of this body. This is the beginning of that instruction. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre. We are eternal. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg. 2.20]. Now where is the knowledge? We are traveling all over the world. We have never seen any university or any department of knowledge where this technique is instructed, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre. There is no such instruction. So just try to understand, in the name of education, how people are placed in ignorance. They are thinking that hanyamāne śarīre, hanyate. After killing the body, the body's finished, the man is finished. I was talking with a big professor in Moscow, Professor Kotovsky. He said: "Swamijī, after destruction of this body, there is nothing more. Everything is finished." So just see, a big professor, a responsible person, he has no knowledge about the soul, what is soul, what is body. He's superficially, he is studying that after this body is finished, everything's finished. But that is not the fact. And persons who do not know this fact, they are becoming leaders, they are becoming educators, they are becoming spiritual master, and so on. So how these people will be in knowledge? Because those who are teaching them, they are in ignorance. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ [SB 7.5.31]. One blind man is leading so many blind men. So where is the education?
Is there any institution, is there educational institution or university or college where this teaching is given, that how you can become immortal? Is there any institution in the world?
Lecture on BG 2.15 -- London, August 21, 1973: So unless we have got our aim, target of life, then what is the value of life? This is amṛtatvāya. Is there any institution, is there educational institution or university or college where this teaching is given, that how you can become immortal? Is there any institution in the world? Throughout the whole world? No. They are simply teaching that you live like animal and die like animal. That's all. You live like cats and dog and you die like cats and dogs and again become cats and dogs. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām [SB 7.5.30]. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ [SB 7.5.31]. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ.
We have to change this body, transmigrate from this body to another body. That's a subtle way, but no university teaches how the soul is transferred from one body to another, what kind of body you are going to get next. There is no such science.
Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Bombay, March 21, 1974: So one who is wise, one who is learned, he should try to understand how to get out of this cycle of birth and death, repetition of birth and death. Now you have got this American body, very nice—rich nation's body. And we have got Indian body. That's all right. But what is the next life? That the people do not know. Just like you prepare by education for the future life. What you are preparing for the next life? They do not know, there is no..., whether there is life or not. Such a fool we are that we do not know. Therefore we have to hear from the perfect person, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, dehino 'smin yathā dehe [Bg. 2.13]. That is the first instruction. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. So this is the beginning of spiritual education. Dehāntara-prāptiḥ. We have to change this body, transmigrate from this body to another body. That's a subtle way, but no university teaches how the soul is transferred from one body to another, what kind of body you are going to get next. There is no such science. But that is the real problem. Therefore we have to hear from Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān, the Supreme, the person who can give you perfect knowledge. That is the process. If you really want knowledge, you have to hear from Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa is so kind, He came personally.
The modern material civilization is simply based on this mundane knowledge, but there is no arrangement or university for imparting transcendental knowledge.
Lecture on BG 4.1-6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1969:

Prabhupāda: Transcendental knowledge. There are two kinds of knowledges: mundane knowledge and transcendental knowledge. Mundane knowledge means how to maintain this body, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam, to meet the demands of this body. What are the demands of this body? We require to eat something. Eating, sleeping. We require rest after working hard. After eating sumptuously, we require sleeping. Eating, sleeping, and during sleeping we sometimes dream, fearing, or without dream, fearing. So we take protection. While sleeping, we close our doors. So eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating—sense gratification. So to arrange for these necessities of life of the body, the knowledge that we require, that is called mundane knowledge.

Just like in the modern materialistic civilization, we have very good arrangement for eating, for sleeping, for defending, and for sense gratification. The modern material civilization is simply based on this mundane knowledge, but there is no arrangement or university for imparting transcendental knowledge. There is no section in the university, practically, that, what is called brahma-jijñāsā, the science of knowing the spirit soul. That is called transcendental knowledge.
Kṛṣṇa says that this knowledge is rāja-vidyā. We have got different departments of knowledge, university and institutes. But nowhere this subject matter is discussed, or there is any department.
Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Melbourne, April 20, 1976: Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that this knowledge is rāja-vidyā. We have got different departments of knowledge, university and institutes. But nowhere this subject matter is discussed, or there is any department. There are... Suppose medical department. What is the medical department? To give us relief from diseased condition. But there is no department which discusses how to become free from all diseases. That is not found. There is no such department. There is department how to give you relief from disease, there is department how to manufacture very effective medicines, but there is no department where knowledge is given that no more disease. Is there any department? Therefore this knowledge which is given by Kṛṣṇa, it is called rāja-vidyā. Rāja-vidyā means the king of knowledge. If you learn this knowledge, then you become completely freed from the conditioned stage of this material world. Therefore it is called rāja. Rāja means king, and vidyā means knowledge.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

So where is the institution, university, for educating people of the spirit soul? Where is it? Therefore the whole civilization is going in the wrong way.
Room Conversation with Psychiatrist -- February 22, 1975, Caracas:

Psychiatrist (Hṛdayānanda): He says that the spirit is also extremely important for the following reason. He feels that the human being needs to have problems and fight for something. The example he gave was in the Scandinavian countries they've practically solved all material problems. They have so many Social Security and this and that, and there are practically no material problems, but they have the highest suicide rate in the world.

Prabhupāda: Yes, exactly. So where is the institution, university, for educating people of the spirit soul? Where is it? Therefore the whole civilization is going in the wrong way.

Psychiatrist (Hṛdayānanda): He feels there are some people, for example who are teaching the right thing. There are missionaries who go to the Amazon jungles and also to Africa to teach. And he feels they are offering...

Prabhupāda: But we find the great cities are great jungles. A great city is a great forest. (lady begins speaking) Let her come forward.
Page Title:No university or educational institution where the science of the spirit soul is instructed
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Serene
Created:28 of Nov, 2008
Totals by Section:BG=1, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=6, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:8