Go to Vanipedia | Go to Vanisource | Go to Vanimedia


Vaniquotes - the compiled essence of Vedic knowledge


Veda means knowledge, and anta means last stage, or end. Everything has got some end. So you are being educated. You are taking education. Where it shall end? That is called Vedanta. Where the ultimate point

Expressions researched:
"Veda means knowledge, and anta means last stage, or end. Everything has got some end. So you are being educated. You are taking education. Where it shall end? That is called Vedanta. Where the ultimate point"

This page has been translated in many languages.

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

That proper utilization is indicated in the Vedānta philosophy. Vedānta philosophy, perhaps you have heard the name. Veda means knowledge, and anta means last stage, or end. Everything has got some end. So you are being educated. You are taking education. Where it shall end? That is called Vedānta. Where the ultimate point.


We are under the nature's law. You cannot say that you are independent. Nature's law is very strict. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Nature's law... Just like fire. If you touch fire, it will burn. And even a child, who is innocent, if the child touches the fire, it will burn. There is no excuse. You cannot say that "The child is innocent. It does not know the effect of touching fire, so he should be excused." No. Ignorance is no excuse. Especially... That is the state laws. You cannot say... Suppose you have committed some criminal act. If you plead, "My lord, I did not know that the..., after doing this act, I had to suffer imprisonment. So you excuse me," no, that will be no excuse. You know or not know the law, if you have acted like that you must suffer. This is going on.

So we don't believe in the next life just to avoid this consequence. But that will not excuse us. We have to accept a type of body. Otherwise how there are so many different types of bodies? What is the explanation? Why different forms of body, different stages of body, different standard of body? That is nature's law. Therefore this human form of life should be properly utilized, not simply engaged in sense gratification like cats and dogs. That is not very responsible life. Responsible life is that "I have got this improved form of life than the cats and dogs, and I have got more intelligence than the cats and dogs. If I simply utilize it for four bodily necessities of life..." Four bodily necessities of life means we require some eating. The cats, dogs, human being or high-court judge or anyone, they require some eating. They require sleeping, apartment. So that is... The cats and dogs can sleep without apartment, but the sleeping required. That is fact. Eating required, that is fact. And sex life, that is also fact. And defense, that is also fact. But these things are common to the cats and dogs and man, human being.

So what is the special feature of the human being? The special feature of the human being is that a human being can consider that "I have got this nice American or Australian or Indian body. Then what I am going to get next? What kind of body?" That is utilized for human intelligence. A cat and dog cannot think like that. Therefore our business should be, "Now, by the nature's way, I have come to this form of life by evolutionary process. Now I have got good intelligence. How I shall utilize it?"

That proper utilization is indicated in the Vedānta philosophy. Vedānta philosophy, perhaps you have heard the name. Veda means knowledge, and anta means last stage, or end. Everything has got some end. So you are being educated. You are taking education. Where it shall end? That is called Vedānta. Where the ultimate point.

So Vedānta philosophy says... That is Vedānta philosophy, ultimate knowledge. The ultimate knowledge, that is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, what is that ultimate knowledge. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15).

You are cultivating knowledge. "The ultimate goal of knowledge," Kṛṣṇa says, "is to know Me." Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam. The whole knowledge is meant for understanding God. That is the end of knowledge. By progressive knowledge you can make progress, but unless you do not come to the point to understand what is God, then your knowledge is imperfect. That is called Vedānta. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human form of life, nice facility, intelligence... Just like Australia was undeveloped. Since the Europeans came here, it is now very developed, resourceful, because the intelligence has been utilized.

Similarly, America, many other places. So this intelligence should be utilized. But if we simply utilize this intelligence for the same purpose as the cats and dogs are engaged, then it is not proper utilization. The proper utilization is Vedānta. Athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now you should inquire about Brahman, the Absolute." That is intelligence.