Vedic literature says, tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Abhigacchet. This word is used when the sense is "You must." This is vidhi-lin form of verb, gacchet, abhigacchet. You must. There is no excuse. You cannot learn. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). If you want to know uttamam subject matter . . . ut, ut means udgatam, transcending. Tamam means this material world. This material world is tama, darkness. But if you are interested in the matter which is transcendental to this material world, that means spiritual world, then tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta, you must surrender to a guru. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Not ordinary jijñāsuḥ. Just like we go to the market, "What is the rate of this share?" "What is the rate of rice?" "What is the rate of ḍāl?" Not that kind of jij . . . brahma jijñāsuḥ. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human life is meant for inquiring about Brahman, not this rice, ḍāl, share market. No.
So jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam, what is the highest perfection of life, he requires to approach a guru. It is not a fashion. It is not a fashion that, "I have made my guru, such-and-such svāmī." But what you have learned? You cannot learn, because you are not at all jijñāsuḥ. You do not know how to inquire, neither a guru you have met, he does know how to reply. Such kind of guru and disciple will not help. The disciple must be also serious to understand about the spiritual subject matter. That is knowledge, brahma-jijñāsā. One who is inquisitive to know about the Absolute Truth, he requires to approach a guru. That is jñāna.
Jnana means brahma-jñāna. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is jñāna. And if "I am American," that is not jñāna. That is ajñāna. "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am this," "I am that," "I am black," "I am white," "I am fat," "I am thin," these are all ajñāna, ignorance. You are neither fat nor thin nor black nor white nor American, but you are spirit soul. You have to know that. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am spirit soul. I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa." That is knowledge. And for this knowledge you must approach, ācāryopāsanam.
Śaucam, cleanliness. That is very essential. This morning I was talking with Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Gosvāmī about. Cleanliness is . . . as soon as you give up cleanliness, you become mleccha and yavana. Mleccha, yavana, these two names have come into Vedic śāstras, "One who is unclean." Why there was always misunderstanding between the Hindus and the Muslim? I am talking of practical life. Because the Muslims were very unclean, and the Hindus are supposed . . . now Hindus are less than Muslim, less than Muslim, and still they are claiming śaucam. They are most unclean at the present moment, so deteriorated. Publicly it is being advertised, "Here is beef shop. Come on." Equality. Equality by eating beef, drinking wine. Now this is coming. Śaucam. Śaucam, cleanliness. "Cleanliness is next to godliness." You must take twice bath at least. It is required. And in tropical countries like India, there is no difficulty taking bath three times. Of course, if your body does not permit . . . but that is śaucam, to clean.