Knowledge Through Humility - Prabhupada 0253

731003 - Lecture BG 13.08-12 - Bombay

Brāhmaṇa means vidyā-vinaya-sampanne, and very humble. Vidyā-vinaya-sampanne. Vidyā means . . . vidyā dadāti namratā. Vidyā means he must be very gentle, namra. That is vidyā. Education does not mean unnecessarily to become proud. Just like we hear that even a great scientist, Sir Isaac Newton, he used to say: ""What knowledge I have got? I have simply collected a few grains' sand from the big beach." Yes. That is humbleness.

So Kṛṣṇa says that in the process of acquiring knowledge, one must be very humble and meek. This is the first qualification. This is sattva-guṇa. But those who are situated in the rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, they cannot become humble. That is not possible. Passion and ignorance. Knowledge means one has to come to the platform of goodness, sattva-guṇa, the brahminical qualification.