Actually we must know what we are and what is my real business. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. You should carefully note it, that when I understand that I am not this material body, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, I am spirit soul, I am Brahman . . . Kṛṣṇa is Para-brahman, and we are Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel. We are also Brahman. Not that by knowledge I become Brahman. I am already Brahman. By ignorance I am thinking not Brahman. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am spirit soul. I am spirit." That is my actual position. And when you understand your actual position and act accordingly, that is called mukti. Muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6). When you understand that we are not this body . . . We are working whole day and night like cats and dogs, the hogs. The hog is also working day and night. Hog, what is his business? "Where is stool?" That's all. "Where is stool? Where is stool?" And as soon as he gets stool, he eats it, become fatty, because stool contains all the vitamins. That is the essence of all good food that you take, and the essence is rejected. But it is scientifically true—perhaps doctor will admit—stool contains all hypophosphates. Is it not? Then who is going to eat stool? Hypophosphates is very good for brain, but now eat. Therefore these hogs very easily become fat. You see? So does it mean that we shall work very hard where to find out where is stool and then become fat and somebody will eat me? This is not civilization.
Civilization is that you must know what is your real position and act accordingly, and then you become liberated, sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. That is perfection of your life. Don't be misled by the bodily concept of life. That is condemned. The whole Vedic civilization is based on this point.
- yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
- sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ
- yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij
- janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ
- (SB 10.84.13)
Anyone who is acting on the bodily concept of life, sa eva go-kharaḥ, they are no better than the cats and dogs. So that is going on all over the world. "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am African," "I am this"—bodily, all bodily. "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am black," "I am white," "I am fat," "I am thin." That's all.
So that jñānam, theoretical, and vijñānam, sa-vijñānaṁ vakṣyāmi, Kṛṣṇa will teach, "Take this jñānam." The most perfect personality. So this is our business. But do we . . .? We don't care for Kṛṣṇa. We do not know Kṛṣṇa, and what to speak of taking knowledge from Him. The knowledge is there, but we are so fool that we do not take knowledge from Bhagavad-gītā. We manufacture our own knowledge. This is called māyā. Māyā is so strong that she'll not allow to take real knowledge from the real person, but we shall read volumes of books who are defective with their four kinds of imperfectness, namely they commit mistake, they are illusioned, they are cheater and their senses are imperfect.
So this is the first business, that "Where we shall take knowledge?" Tad-vijñānārtham. Vedic lesson is that tad-vijñānārthaṁ gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12): "You should go to guru." Just like Arjuna has accepted Kṛṣṇa as guru. When Arjuna was puzzled, he surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7): "I am kṣatriya. It is my duty to fight, but I am declining. Although You are requesting me to fight, still I am declining. So I am puzzled. Anyway, I can understand You can drive away my . . . this puzzling position. Therefore I am becoming Your śiṣya." Śiṣyas te 'ham. "I become Your disciple. I am not going to argue with You on equal footing." Śiṣya means he is always subordinate. Whatever the guru will say, he will accept. That is the guru and śiṣya. So Kṛṣṇa became guru and Arjuna became a śiṣya, disciple, not friend. Of course, he knew what is Kṛṣṇa, that śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam. So similarly, we have to find out guru for perfect instruction. That is the only way. Otherwise we shall keep ourself in ignorance, in mistake, in illusion, in imperfectness and so many other things.