Ajnana means

Expressions researched:
"Ajnana means"

General Lectures

Ajñāna means ignorance, darkness.

Lecture -- Detroit, July 16, 1971:

Ajñāna-timirāndhasya. Ajñāna means ignorance, darkness. Timi. Timi means darkness. So ajñāna-timirāndhasya: one who is in ignorance and in the darkness, such a person, every one of us... This material advancement of civilization is not knowledge. People may not agree with us, but actually this is the fact. This is ignorance. Suppose I have come here in your city. I have got some business. So if I forget my business and I become busy with my apartment, is that very sound knowledge? I have come here to execute some business. I have got my temple here. There are devotees. They want to see me. I want to see them. They want to take something, spiritual knowledge, from me, and my duty is to impart. This is the business. But if I simply become engaged how to decorate the apartment where I shall live and forget my business, does it mean that I am very intelligent? No. Therefore that is called ignorance. I forget my real business; I become engaged in some business which is very temporary. I am here for two days. I shall live in an apartment. It may be very nice or not very nice—that is not very important thing. For two days I can live anywhere, even underneath a tree. That does not hamper my business. But I must be very serious about my business. That is intelligence. If I forget my business and simply engage myself how to decorate the apartment, or simply thinking how I shall live here comfortably... Just like I saw one advertisement while coming: "Comfortably living in (indistinct) begins here." I saw.

So we are contemplating to live in this material world very comfortably. That has become our business. That is very much manifest in your Western countries. They are always busy how to live comfortably in this world. But they forget that one day will come, however secure and comfortable we may make our country or home, we will be kicked out: "Please get out immediately." You cannot say that "I have not finished my decoration of the apartment. Let me stay here for some days." No. The death is so cruel that one day, all of a sudden, it will come and say, "Please get out immediately." So if I could not finish my business during that time, and if I am kicked out, then just imagine how much loss we suffer and what kind of fool we are. The modern civilization, they do not know this. They think that "This body has come out all of a sudden by accident"—and the body means the senses—"and let us enjoy the senses to the best capacity. That is perfection of life." The whole world, especially the Western country, their ideology, philosophy, is this, hedonism. "Enjoy this life very comfortably, as nicely as possible." But that is a great defect and great mistake. Those who are in gross sense enjoyment platform, it is very difficult for them to understand.

Ajñāna means that we living entities, being part and parcel of God, our position is as good as God.

Lecture -- Detroit, July 16, 1971:

Every one of us suffering more or less, because this is a place where suffering is the condition of life. But we forget. That is called ajñāna. Ajñāna-timirāndhasya. Ajñāna means that we living entities, being part and parcel of God, our position is as good as God. We may be little God, but our position qualitatively is as good as God. The Māyāvādī philosopher, they take it that we are as good as God in full strength. No. That is not. Just like part and parcel, anyone can understand, a little part of any good thing... Suppose gold. A little particle of gold, it is gold. That's a fact. But it is not as valuable as the lump of gold. The lump of gold is more valuable. The mine of gold and a particle of gold: particle of gold is also gold, but not equal to the gold mine. So the Absolute Truth, God, is just like gold mine, and we, every one of us, everything—a part and parcel of that gold mine. We are also gold. But the quality being the same, the propensities should be also the same. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Here Kṛṣṇa is enjoying with gopīs. So because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we also want to enjoy life with young girls, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. This propensity to enjoy life with young girls or young boys, that is natural. Yuvatīnāṁ yathā yunoḥ yunaṁ yatati yathā yuvatī (?). Young girl, young boy, they have got natural tendency to mix, to love. That is not unnatural. Why? Because this propensity is there in the Supreme. Just like you see Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa picture.

Ajñāna means ignorance, without knowledge. That is called ajñāna.

Lecture What is a Guru? -- London, August 22, 1973:

Just like in darkness, ajñāna-timirāndhasya. Ajñāna means ignorance, without knowledge. That is called ajñāna. So ajñāna is compared..., ignorance, stupidity, is compared with darkness. Just like if you are, if this room, immediately, all lights are off, then it becomes dark. We cannot see where I am sitting, where others are sitting. It becomes a confusion. Similarly, in this material world, we are all in the darkness. This material world is called darkness. It is called tamaḥ. Tamaḥ means darkness. Or timir. Timir means darkness. And actually, it is darkness. Because, because this material world is dark, there is need of sunlight, there is need of moonlight, there is need of electricity. (aside:) This child disturbing. But there is another world. We get description from the Vedic literature, na yatra bhāsayate sūryo na śaśaṅko na pāvakaḥ. There is another world, spiritual world, where there is no darkness, and therefore, there is no need of sunlight, there is no need of moonlight, there is no need of electricity.