View source for Faithless nonbelievers may be highly educated in the material sense of the term, but they are the greatest fools of the world because by the influence of the external, material nature all their so-called acquisition of knowledge has been made null & void

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"Such faithless nonbelievers may be highly educated in the material sense of the term, but factually they are the greatest fools of the world because by the influence of the external, material nature all their so-called acquisition of knowledge has been made null and void"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Iswaraj}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2020-07-05T08:43:07Z}}
{{last|2020-07-05T08:43:07Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=1|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Faithless]]
[[Category:God and the Nonbelievers]]
[[Category:Highly]]
[[Category:Material Education]]
[[Category:Sense]]
[[Category:Term]]
[[Category:Greatest]]
[[Category:Fool]]
[[Category:World]]
[[Category:Because]]
[[Category:External]]
[[Category:Influence of Material Nature]]
[[Category:So-called]]
[[Category:Acquisition]]
[[Category:Knowledge]]
[[Category:Null and Void]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 02 Chapter 09 Purports - Answers by Citing the Lord's Version]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 02 Purports]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>SB Canto 2</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
Because the so-called great leaders of human society are ignorant of this great knowledge of bhakti-yoga and are always engaged in ignoble acts of sense gratification, bewildered by the external energy of the Lord, they are stubborn rebels against the supremacy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and they never agree to surrender unto Him because they are fools, miscreants and the lowest type of human beings. Such faithless nonbelievers may be highly educated in the material sense of the term, but factually they are the greatest fools of the world because by the influence of the external, material nature all their so-called acquisition of knowledge has been made null and void.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:SB 2.9.36|SB 2.9.36, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
A person who is searching after the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, must certainly search for it up to this, in all circumstances, in all space and time, and both directly and indirectly.
</div>
<div class="text">
Indirectly it is said that the whole Vedic social construction of human society is so made that everyone acts as a part and parcel of the complete body of the Lord. The intelligent class of men, or the brāhmaṇas, are situated on the face of the Lord; the administrative class of men, the kṣatriyas, are situated on the arms of the Lord; the productive class of men, the vaiśyas, are situated on the belt of the Lord; and the laborer class of men, the śūdras, are situated on the legs of the Lord. Therefore the complete social construction is the body of the Lord, and all the parts of the body, namely the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas and the śūdras, are meant to serve the Lord's whole body conjointly; otherwise the parts become unfit to be coordinated with the supreme consciousness of oneness. Universal consciousness is factually achieved by coordinated service of all concerned to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that alone can insure total perfection. Therefore even the great scientists, the great philosophers, the great mental speculators, the great politicians, the great industrialists, the great social reformers, etc., cannot give any relief to the restless society of the material world because they do not know the secret of success as mentioned in this verse of the Bhāgavatam, namely that one must know the mystery of bhakti-yoga. In the Bhagavad-gītā ([[Vanisource:BG 7.15 (1972)|BG 7.15]]) also it is said:

<div class="quote_verse">
:na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ</dd><dd>prapadyante narādhamāḥ</dd><dd>māyayāpahṛta-jñānā</dd><dd>āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
</div>

Because the so-called great leaders of human society are ignorant of this great knowledge of bhakti-yoga and are always engaged in ignoble acts of sense gratification, bewildered by the external energy of the Lord, they are stubborn rebels against the supremacy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and they never agree to surrender unto Him because they are fools, miscreants and the lowest type of human beings. Such faithless nonbelievers may be highly educated in the material sense of the term, but factually they are the greatest fools of the world because by the influence of the external, material nature all their so-called acquisition of knowledge has been made null and void. Therefore all advancement of knowledge in the present context of things is being misused by cats and dogs fighting with one another for sense gratification, and all acquisition of knowledge in science, philosophy, fine arts, nationalism, economic development, religion and great activities are being spoiled by being used as dresses for dead men. There is no utility in the dresses used for covering a coffin of a dead body save getting false applause from the ignorant public. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam therefore says again and again that without attainment of the status of bhakti-yoga, all the activities of human society are to be considered absolute failures only. It is said:

<div class="quote_verse">
:parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto</dd><dd>yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam</dd><dd>yāvat kriyās tāvad idaṁ mano vai</dd><dd>karmātmakaṁ yena śarīra-bandhaḥ</dd><dd>([[Vanisource:SB 5.5.5|SB 5.5.5]])
</div>

As long as one is blind to inquiring after self-realization, all material activities, however great they may be, are all different kinds of defeat because the aim of human life is not fulfilled by such unwanted and profitless activities. The function of the human body is to attain freedom from material bondage, but as long as one is fully absorbed in material activities, his mind will be overwhelmed in the whirlpool of matter, and thus he will continue to be encaged in material bodies life after life.
</div>
</div>
</div>