The spiritual knowledge must be distributed. That is the system of our Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23). The śravaṇam is paṭhana, to learn from the spiritual master. That is called śravaṇam. And then kīrtanam, then distribute the knowledge. Whatever you have learned from your spiritual master, you must distribute. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam.
So paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana. Yajana means worshiping the Lord, the Deity. And yājana, and inducing others to engage in that worshiping. This is going on. You kindly mark in this Society, we are allowing the students . . . giving them volumes of books for reading, paṭhana. Then pāṭhana, then teach others. And they are worshiping the Lord, and they are inviting others to come here and learn how to worship Lord.
Paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana dāna-pratigraha (SB 5.17.11 puport). They are exacting money, "Give us some money. Become our member." But what is that membership fee? That is not being utilized for their sense gratification. For dāna, for distributing knowledge. "You give us some money as membership fee. We give you whatever we have got. We have got this book. Take it." Dāna-pratigraha.
So this is brahminical business. Paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana dāna-pratigraha. Again . . .
(aside) You can . . .
Again, in the śāstra it is said that ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ (Padma Purāṇa): "If a Brahmin has become very much expert in this six kinds of business," and mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ, "and he knows also all the mantras and tantras, but he is impersonalist or voidist, then he cannot become guru." Avaiṣṇavo gurur na syāt (Padma Purāṇa).
In spite of having all these qualities, if he is impersonalist and voidist, he cannot become spiritual master. Avaiṣṇavo gurur . . . syād vaiṣṇavaḥ śvapaco guruḥ: "On the other hand, if a person is Vaiṣṇava, devotee of the Lord, even if he is born in the family of caṇḍāla, less than the śūdra, he can become the spiritual master." These are the injunctions of the śāstra.
So guṇa-nāma-kriyā-rūpair vibhāvyante yathā-tatham (SB 6.1.41). Sūryaḥ agniḥ. Now, the creation, the God's creation, is going on, and we are acting under the influence of the material qualities. As such, when we act in tamo-guṇa, we become entangled with so many sinful activities. Tamo-guṇa. Tamo-guṇa means ignorance. We have to act, because in the material world sometimes we are under the influence of goodness, sometimes we are under the influence of passion, sometimes we are under the influence of ignorance.
So when we are in ignorance . . . everyone commits sin or criminal activities simply by ignorance. Ignorance. Just like by ignorance a child touches a fire. The fire will not excuse. Because it is a child, he does not know, therefore the fire excuses? It does not burn his hand? No. Even it is child, the fire must act. It burns. Similarly, ignorance is no excuse of law. If you commit some sin and go to the law court, and if you plead, "Sir, I did not know this law," that is no excuse. You have committed this criminal activity; even though you did not know the law, that does not mean you will be excused.
Therefore all sinful activities are done in ignorance or in mixed-up passion and ignorance. Therefore one has to raise himself to the quality of goodness. He must be good, very good man. And if you want to become very good man, then you have to follow these regulative principles: no illicit sex life, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. These are the four pillars of sinful life. If you indulge in these four principles of sinful life, you cannot become a good man.
And if there is want of good men, how you can expect peace and prosperity in the world? If everyone is full of rascaldom, how you can expect? You are . . . why you are accusing the government? The government is your representative. You are rascals, fools, you select some rascal and fool, how you can expect good government? Democracy. You become good man. You will see government is good.
So therefore the mass education should be how to become good man. And how one can become good man? That is also stated in the śāstras: yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). If one is simply made a devotee and he has got unflinching faith in God, Kṛṣṇa, then all the good qualities automatically develop.
So therefore this is the duty. This is duty of this Society, to make everyone a devotee, a sincere, a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If you make the people all good, you will have good society, you will have good government. You will have everything good. And if you create rascals and fools, how you can expect good government? That is not possible. Therefore all serious, thoughtful men should take it that Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very, very essential in this world.