There is a story that one beautiful woman was hunted by another man. So he was wooing, canvassing, but she was chaste lady. But... She did not agree. But that man was after her. So one day she said, "All right, you come to me three days after. I will accept you." So on the third day he (she) took purgative, a very strong purgative, and passed stools whole day and night, and he (she) kept those all those stools, stools and vomit and everything, kept in a very good preserver. Then third day, when the man came, she was sitting, and he was asking, "Where is that woman?" "No, I am the same woman. You don't recognize me?" "No, no, you are... She... She was so beautiful, and you, you are ugly." (laughter) "No, no, I am the same. You do not know." "Then how you look so ugly?" "Because I have separated my beauty." "You have separated your beauty?" "Yes, I will show you. Come here. Come here. The stool and the vomit are all stocked for you to show you." But actually, it is very knowledge, very good knowledge. Śaṅkarācārya says, etāṁ raktaṁ māṁsa-vikāram. (?) He is teaching renouncement, that "Why you are attracted with this beautiful? What is this beauty? It is a combination of stool, urine and flesh and bone. That's all." So he saw, "Here is my beauty. Now you add it with me. Then again I shall be beautiful."
So these are actually knowledge. People are after something false. That is called māyā. Māyā means which is not actually fact, but we are after that. Similarly, this so-called advancement of civilization is māyā. It will be finished at any second, but they do not know. They do not know. It will be finished at any second. Even though we accept it, all right, Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham: (BG 10.34) "I am the death, and I take away everything at the time of death." Either you take as a philosopher, scientist or rich man, capitalist, as soon as there is death... Just like you see, Hiraṇyakaśipu, he was very powerful, and as soon as Nṛsiṁha-deva appeared, everything finished. Now he is dying. You see? So people do not understand it, that without Kṛṣṇa, without God, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply we are wasting our time, that's all, after false things. Everything will be useless. Today or tomorrow or day after. It will be useless, all useless. Real spirit soul-na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20)—that we do not take care. After finishing this false body, which will exist, the spirit soul, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), which is never vanquished even after the annihilation of this body, we are not taking care of that, wherefrom it has come. People are ignorant, so foolish. They do not know. This is the ignorant, civilization of ignorance. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ (BG 7.15). They do not know therefore. In ignorance they are committing so many sinful life. For the satisfaction of the tongue, they are killing so many animals. Why? There are so many nice foodstuffs. Why you are committing these sinful activities? They do not know what is sinful activities or pious activities. They do not know.
That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, na vidur āsurā janāḥ, pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca janā na vidur āsurāḥ (BG 16.7). Pravṛtti means we have got some inclination to accept something and we have disinclination to reject something. Everyone knows it. But the asuric jana, those who are asuras, demons, they do not know in which way we shall accept and in which way we shall reject. That they do not know. That is called āsura-jana. Just like we are advising our students, "Reject this: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, no meat-eating. Reject. And accept; chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." The demons, they do not know. They do not know it. They do not know why they are rejecting this and why they are accepting this, janā na vidur āsurāḥ. Because they are asuras. If we accept this path, then we are going to be liberated. What is that liberation? Liberation means to get out of this material bondage of body, dehino 'smin. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). This knowledge is wanting. There are so many universities, educational institution, big, big professors, scientists, all rascals. All rascals, we declare. Let them come and argue with us. All rascals. So therefore it is said, harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ.
Here is practical example, Arjuna is giving, that "I have got the same arrow, I have got the same bow. I have got the same chariot, my same horses, but everything is... I am the same Arjuna who was being honored by so many kings, 'Oh, Arjuna is such a great warrior!' Now nobody cares for me." This is example. Here is said, so 'haṁ rathī nṛpatayo yata ānamanti: "I am the same Arjuna, great fighter. People were offering their obeisances to me, 'O Arjuna, you are great friend of Kṛṣṇa. You are great warrior.' Now nobody cares." How it has vanquished? The example is here, "Just like to pour butter in the ashes." This example is... Because in sacrifice the butter is poured into the fire. If it is poured into the fire, then the butter increases the strength of the fire. But if it is put into the ashes, where there is no fire, it is useless waste. And similarly, if you sow the seed in the Arabian desert to get some nice rose flower... The seed is all right, rose seed, but you have to sow it in the proper place, not in the Arabian desert.
Therefore your knowledge, university advancement of civilization, will be perfect when it is properly carried with God consciousness. Otherwise it is all useless. It is all useless, no use. You try to understand it and spread this knowledge. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Don't be misled by the so-called leaders.