There are sense objects. Just like you have got eyes, you have to see something objective, rūpa, form. The knowledge acquired by the eyes is to understand the form. Similarly, the knowledge acquired by the ears is to acquire knowledge from the sound. Because physical means the sound, light, form. These things are physical things. So we have got senses to acquire knowledge. So five knowledge-acquiring senses, five working senses, and five sense objects, and I am there. This is called sixteen elements. And then a five material elements—earth, water, fire, air—and five subtle elements, er, three—eight. So in this way the whole world, this universe, cosmic manifestation, is a composition of these eight elements, er, twenty-four elements. And beyond these twenty-four elements, I am the soul, and beyond myself, there is the Supersoul. This is knowledge. This is knowledge.
So without this knowledge, nobody is perfect, and without being perfect, if we hear from somebody who is not perfect, it is simply waste of time. And that is the symptoms of Kali-yuga. Therefore it is said, kalinā adharma-mitreṇa. Adharma-mitreṇa. And the adharma-mitra, this is the composition of ignorance. Now, the friends . . . which friend helps me to keep me in this perpetual ignorance? These are illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling, these four friends. You associate with these four friends, you will be very easily advancing under the influence of Kali-yuga. This is the fact. Kalinādharmeṇa. So formerly the kings, the government men . . . king means the supreme executive head of government. They could understand that, "These things are now coming." Dṛṣṭvā, "seeing practically." Because as soon as people are addicted to these four principles—illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling—where everyone can see, that means Kali-yuga. Dṛṣṭvā.
So how they saw? They saw the practical. They know how to see. Just like in the chemical laboratory they see the characteristic of a certain thing analyzed, and they say, "Yes, it is perfect," "It is not perfect. Because these things are wanting, so it is not pure. It is adulterated." Chemical examina . . . and if these characteristics are there . . . in every chemical book, every chemical has got some characteristic. Just like potassium cyanide. The chemical examiners have not experienced what is the taste. Because as soon as you taste, you finish, (laughter) potassium cyanide. You know this. So therefore in the chemical there is no mention, "The taste of the potassium cyanide." Nobody has still tasted. So there is a Hindi word in India, delhi ka lāḍḍu jo khaya abhi pachtaya, jo na khaya wo bhi pachtaya . . . there is a delhi ka lāḍḍu. You make lāḍḍu. So delhi ka lāḍḍu—it is a very slang language. Delhi ka lāḍḍu jo khaya abhi pachtaya. Delhi ka lāḍḍu is so made that one who has tasted it, he laments, and who has not tasted, he laments. Both of them. So this potassium cyanide is like that, a chemical. The chemists, because they do not know what is the taste, so they say that "We do not know. It is . . . analysis is imperfect." And those who have tasted, they cannot say. They are finished. (laughter) So this is the position.