There are two kinds of knowledge mundane knowledge and transcendental knowledge. Mundane knowledge means how to maintain this body, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam (Hitopadeśa 25).
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.