So we are after knowledge, but so many things are unknown to us. Therefore Sanatana Gosvami is teaching us by his practical behavior to approach the spiritual master, and putting his case that "I am suffering in this way." He was minister, there was no question of suffering. He was very well situated. That he has already explained, that gramya-vyavahare pandita, tai satya kari mani. "There are so many questions I cannot answer. There is no solution. Still, people say that I am very learned man -- I accept it foolishly." Nobody is learned man unless he goes to the guru. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Therefore Vedic injunction is that if you want to be learned, then go to guru, bona fide guru, not the so-called guru.
- tad viddhi pranipatena
- pariprasnena sevaya
- upadeksyanti te jnanam
- jnaninas tattva-darsinah
- (BG 4.34)
Guru means one who has seen the Absolute Truth. That is guru. Tattva-darsinah, tattva means the Absolute Truth, and darsinah, one who has seen. So this movement, our Krsna consciousness movement, is for this purpose, to see the Absolute Truth, to understand the Absolute Truth, to know the problems of life and how to make a solution. These things are our subject matter. Our subject matter is not material things, that somehow or other you get a car and a good apartment and a good wife, then all your problems solved. No. That is not solution of problems. The real problem is how to stop your death. That is the real problem. But because it is very difficult subject matter, nobody touches it. "Oh, death -- we shall peacefully die." But nobody peacefully dies. If I take a dagger and I say, "Now die peacefully," (laughter) the whole peaceful condition finished immediately. He will cry. So these are nonsense, if somebody says, "I will die peacefully." Nobody dies peacefully, that is not possible. Therefore death is a problem. Birth is also a problem. Nobody is peaceful while within the womb of the mother. It is packed-up, airtight condition, and nowadays there is risk of being killed also. So there is no question of peacefulness, birth and death. And then old age. Just like I am old man, so many troubles I have got. So old age. And disease, everyone has got experience, even headache is sufficient to give you trouble. The real problem is this: birth, death, old age and disease. That is the statement given by Krsna, that janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi duhkha-dosanudarsanam (BG 13.9). If you are intelligent, you should take up these four problems of life as very dangerous.
So they have no knowledge; therefore they avoid these questions. But we take up these questions very seriously. That is the difference between other movement and Krsna consciousness movement. Our movement is how to solve these problems.