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Actual education

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

The supreme gain in life is devotional service to Me, and actual education is nullifying the false perception of duality within the soul.
SB 11.19.40-45, Translation: Actual opulence is My own nature as the Personality of Godhead, through which I exhibit the six unlimited opulences. The supreme gain in life is devotional service to Me, and actual education is nullifying the false perception of duality within the soul. Real modesty is to be disgusted with improper activities, and beauty is to possess good qualities such as detachment. Real happiness is to transcend material happiness and unhappiness, and real misery is to be implicated in searching for sex pleasure. A wise man is one who knows the process of freedom from bondage, and a fool is one who identifies with his material body and mind. The real path in life is that which leads to Me, and the wrong path is sense gratification, by which consciousness is bewildered. Actual heaven is the predominance of the mode of goodness, whereas hell is the predominance of ignorance. I am everyone's true friend, acting as the spiritual master of the entire universe, and one's home is the human body. My dear friend Uddhava, one who is enriched with good qualities is actually said to be rich, and one who is unsatisfied in life is actually poor. A wretched person is one who cannot control his senses, whereas one who is not attached to sense gratification is a real controller. One who attaches himself to sense gratification is the opposite, a slave. Thus, Uddhava, I have elucidated all of the matters about which you inquired. There is no need for a more elaborate description of these good and bad qualities, since to constantly see good and bad is itself a bad quality. The best quality is to transcend material good and evil.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Sri Isopanisad

Modern politicians who pose themselves as dhīras are actually adhīras, and one cannot expect perfect knowledge from them. Thus one must hear submissively from a dhīra in order to attain actual education.
Sri Isopanisad 10, Purport: To follow the regulative principles, one must take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master. The transcendental message and regulative principles come down from the spiritual master to the disciple. Such knowledge does not come in the hazardous way of nescient education. One can become a dhīra only by submissively hearing from a bona fide spiritual master. Arjuna, for example, became a dhīra by submissively hearing from Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead Himself. Thus the perfect disciple must be like Arjuna, and the spiritual master must be as good as the Lord Himself. This is the process of learning vidyā (knowledge) from the dhīra (the undisturbed). An adhīra (one who has not undergone the training of a dhīra) cannot be an instructive leader. Modern politicians who pose themselves as dhīras are actually adhīras, and one cannot expect perfect knowledge from them. They are simply busy seeing to their own remuneration in dollars and cents. How, then, can they lead the mass of people to the right path of self-realization? Thus one must hear submissively from a dhīra in order to attain actual education.

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

This intoxication is not only in the human society. In the animal society, in bird society, in beast society, they are there everywhere. Now the actual knowledge, actual education, means to detach them, not to increase that.
Lecture on SB 1.1.3 -- London, August 20, 1971: The ants, perhaps you know it, they love very much intoxicants. And therefore they are after sugar. Sugar has got properties intoxication. Wine is made from sugar, from molasses. So the ants, they want to be very much intoxicated. So this intoxication is not only in the human society. In the animal society, in bird society, in beast society. Loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityā hi jantor na hi tatra codanā. Vyava, vyavāya, sex intercourse, vyavāya; āmiṣa, meat eating; madya-sevā, intoxication—they are there everywhere, not only in human society. This is the pravṛtti. Now the actual knowledge, actual education, means to detach them, not to increase that. But at the present moment the civilization is, they are increasing this desire. Everyone has got this desire. But... That is called civilization, "Eat, drink, be merry and enjoy." No. The human life is meant for being trained up to be detached. Just like we are training our students. They are not... If not cent percent, major portion, major percentage, they're detached. That is perfection. Gradually detached... Just like if you have got fever, 105 degrees, you should not increase it. You should decrease it. If you increase, "Oh, fever is very nice thing. Let us increase it," then death. As soon as it is 107 degrees, then death.
This life is meant for understanding what is the Supreme Lord, where does He live, what does He do, what is my relationship with Him. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. That is actual education.
Lecture on SB 6.1.30 -- Philadelphia, July 14, 1975: So we are fallen in this material condition in different forms. So long we are in this bodily concept, "I am this car," that is ignorance. I am not this car, but I have to utilize this car for going to my destination. That is wanted. So I am not this body. I am spirit soul. My destination is how to go to the spiritual world, how to meet the supreme spirit, God, and live with Him in His association. So this life is meant for understanding what is the Supreme Lord, where does He live, what does He do, what is my relationship with Him. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. That is actual education. And I am given this machine. If we simply study the machine, then what is the use of it? The śāstra says that machine is working, and it will work until it is rotten. So you don't bother with the machine, but you simply appreciate that you have got now a good machine. The dog has got also a machine, and a human being has got a machine. Everyone has got a machine, living entity, but the śāstra says, "This machine should not be utilized like the dog's machine." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ... Everyone has got machine. Even an ant, it has got machine, because according to his desire, he has been given a body. That is also machine. An elephant has got a machine. I am also. I have got also machine. Every one of us, we are spirit soul, and relatively we have got different machine. So that machine is required for going from here. But we should not waste our time simply studying the machine, forgetting our destination. This is human intelligence. God has already given you a type of machine. Now utilize it to go to the destination.
Education begins, that is the Indian system, from five years. Up to five years, the children are not bothered with any kind of education. But as soon as he is five years old, he's sent to the school. And actual education begins from tenth year.
Lecture on SB 7.6.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973: You cannot manufacture your own religion. Religion means the codes given by God. Just like law means the order given by the state. Just like the law is "keep to the right." That is given, the order is given by the state. You cannot say, that "Now I have made a law, keep to the left." That is not possible. Nobody will be pleased or nobody will accept that. So dharma you cannot change. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha [SB 7.6.1]. "My dear friends, from the beginning of your kaumāra age, as soon as you are on the age of ten years,"... Of course, he was preaching when he was five years old. Actually, education begins, that is the Indian system, from five years. Up to five years, the children are not bothered with any kind of education. They play and become free. But as soon as he is five years old, he's sent to the school. And actual education begins from tenth year. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "My dear friends, that, you try to be educated in religion, especially in the Bhāgavata religion." Bhāgavata religion means the Science of God, to understand what is God. So why it is so urgent? That is replied here. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. This human form of life is very rarely obtained.

General Lectures

You cannot protect yourself from death, however you may become very strong, stout. Therefore actual education, actual spiritual knowledge begins, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Lecture on Teachings of Lord Caitanya -- Seattle, September 25, 1968: As soon as you are born, the death is also born along with you. Suppose one man is twenty-five years old. That means he has already died twenty-five years. So you cannot protect yourself from death, however you may become very strong, stout. Therefore actual education, actual spiritual knowledge begins, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā... The Bhagavad-gītā, the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā is that when Arjuna surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, He immediately said that "My dear Arjuna, you are posing yourself as very learned man but you are fool number one." Why? "Because you are identifying yourself with this body." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase [Bg. 2.11]. "My dear Arjuna, you are talking just like very learned man, but you are lamenting on the subject matter of your body." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Actually one who is learned, he has no necessity for lamenting on the subject, on the body, either living or dead. So the whole process of education in the materialistic way of civilization is on the body, how to keep the body fit, how to avoid death, how to avoid disease. Simply concentration on the body. So this bodily concept of life is immediately discouraged in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Cāṇakya Paṇḍita advises that "If there is education, actual education, even he is a lower class man, śūdra or caṇḍāla, take it. Accept him as master."
Morning Walk -- June 25, 1975, Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Wherever knowledge is available, we should take it. That is the real position of seeker of knowledge. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, nīcād apy uttamā vidyā strī-ratnaṁ duṣkulād api. He says, viṣād apy amṛtaṁ grāhyam. Viṣa, viṣa means poison. "In the pot of poison, if there is little nectar in, take it." Viṣād apy amṛtaṁ grāhyam. Poison is not to be touched, but if there is little nectar in, take it. And amedhyād api kāñcanam: "And in a filthy place there is gold. Take it." Not that gold has been polluted because it is in the filthy place. If there is gold in the filthy place, don't hesitate. Take it. And nīcād apy uttamā vidyā. Generally, people used to take education from brāhmaṇa. So Cāṇakya Paṇḍita advises that "If there is education, actual education, even he is a lower class man, śūdra or caṇḍāla, take it. Accept him as master." And nīcād apy uttamā vidyā. Nīcād apy uttamā vidyā strī-ratnaṁ duṣkulād api. And in India, according to Vedic civilization, the marriage is done after seeing the family tradition very scrutinizingly. So here it is advised that duṣkulād api, "In a abominable family, if there is nice girl, educated, beautiful, accept her. Accept her." Nīcād apy uttamā vidyā strī-ratnam. Ratnam means jewel. Wife, she is like jewel although born of a low family, accept. So anything very good, even it is available from a place which is not desirable, one should accept it. So if you are actually seeking after God, so here is God available from Vedic literature. Why don't you take it? Why you should refuse it? That is not very good sign.

Correspondence

1976 Correspondence

The actual education of a child doesn't begin until five years. Before that the child is free. Thereafter, the child may be sent to Gurukula in Dallas. This is the Vedic system.
Letter to Kirtiraja -- Bombay 11 January, 1976: You ask what you should do about your wife and child. What can I advise if your wife doesn't want to take inconvenience. Preaching means some inconvenience. There is no reason why you have to be settled in one place. The actual education of a child doesn't begin until five years. Before that the child is free. Thereafter, the child may be sent to Gurukula in Dallas. This is the Vedic system. The most important aspect of our preaching is Kirtana. Induce the people to chant, that is the only thing. Then everything else will follow. The goal is to make devotees and books; both are required. Distributing the books will make devotees. To make a devotee means to make someone purified. Reading the books will purify the intelligence. A purified heart and mind means Krishna Consciousness.
Page Title:Actual education
Compiler:Rati, Serene
Created:25 of Nov, 2008
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=1, CC=0, OB=1, Lec=4, Con=1, Let=1
No. of Quotes:8