Mukta-puruṣa means one who is not affected by the material incompetency. There are material incompetencies. We commit mistake. We are illusioned. Our senses are imperfect. And sometimes—sometimes, not; always—we want to cheat. These are the defects of material knowledge. And one who is above these material incompetencies, he's called mukta-puruṣa. So one has to become mukta-puruṣa. That is called Vedic knowledge, and that is called Vedānta. Vedānta-sūtra. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. So Vedānta means the . . . the ultimate platform of acquiring knowledge, up to this. So that "up to this" is Kṛṣṇa, that if you talk of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you talk of all the Vedas. Sarva-śruti-mano-haraḥ (SB 1.10.20). You talk of Vedic knowledge, but if you simply talk of Vedic knowledge, it becomes dry, speculative. But if you talk of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's līlā, Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, then it becomes simultaneously discussion of Vedic knowledge, at the same time very beautiful. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is described here, uttama-śloka. Kṛṣṇa is never described by ordinary verses. Uttama-śloka. Uttama-śloka means . . . uttama means also liberated. Ut. Ut means transcendental, one who has crossed, ud-gata. Ut. Ut means one who has gone the other side. Tama. Tama means this darkness.
This world, this material world . . . just like it is dark now. Therefore the country or the part of the world which is always covered by darkness . . . already there is darkness, and if again that country does not get the facility of sunshine, it is considered that that country is condemned. It is śāstric injunction. Any country which does not get the full facility of sunshine, it is to be considered condemned. I think I remarked this long ago, when I first came, in the television. They asked me in London that, "What is your conception of hell?" And "This is hell, London." Not conception; practically. Always dark, moist, drizzly. No sunshine. Cloudy, misty. Simply big, big building. That's all. So there must be clear sunshine.
So why this material world . . .
(aside) . . . (indistinct)
Devotee: . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: Why this material world is called tama? Because everyone is in ignorance. He does not know what is the value of life. Everyone. In other words, all fools and rascals. Just like big, big scientists, they are theorizing that life is made out of matter. How much ignorance it is. All these Darwin's theory, chemical evolution, simply they are basing that from matter life has come. But where is the . . . one gentleman in California University, he's Noble Prize holder. He came to lecture. So our disciple, Svarūpa Dāmodara, he's also Doctor of Chemistry.
So when the professor explained that from such-and-such chemicals combination life starts, he said: "If I give you the chemicals, can you make life?" In that big assembly. So he has to reply: "That I cannot say." (laughter) So what is the use of such knowledge? You are taking Nobel Prize, holding Nobel Prize on the basis of certain theorizing knowledge, and when you are challenged, "Now you produce with these chemicals," you say: "That I cannot say." So this is going on.
Anyway, human life is meant for knowledge. That's a fact. Therefore athāto brahma jijñāsā. And what knowledge? Knowledge does not mean how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex life and how to defend. That is not knowledge. These things are there in the animals. The animals also know very well how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex life and how to defend. No. That is not. Human life is meant for different business, and that is brahma-jijñāsā.
So brahma-jijñāsā, if one begins the life of brahma-jijñāsā, brahma-jñāna, and when it ends in understanding Kṛṣṇa, that is perfection of life. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). The, the one who is actually jñānavān, in knowledge, such person. Not so-called. There are two classes of men: one class of men is called jñānavān, and another class of men is called māyayā apahṛta-jñāna (BG 7.15). All these words you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā. This is not my manufacture.
So māyayā apahṛta-jñāna means he's rascal number one, but he's thinking that he's vastly learned. He has advanced his knowledge so much. Simply he is puffed up falsely. That is called māyayā apahṛta-jñāna. Or jñānavān means one who has actually knowledge. So what is the difference between the two—one who has got actually the knowledge, and one who's simply falsely puffed up that he has got knowledge? What is the . . .? How you'll find difference, that here is a man who has got real knowledge, and here is a man, rascal, but he's very much puffed up?
So it is very easy to find out, at least for us. That is a fact. This is our criterion. Just like you can find out the currency note, which one is genuine and which one is not genuine. There are some signs. This is an example. Similarly, our criterion is, from the Bhagavad-gītā, from śāstra, that we find these two verses in the Bhagavad-gītā. What is this? So one thing is:
- na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
- prapadyante narādhamāḥ
- māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
- āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
- (BG 7.15)
The rākṣasa, āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritaḥ . . . āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritaḥ means one who does not accept the supremacy of God. "What is God? I am God. I am God." Such . . . these rascals are called māyayā apahṛta-jñānāḥ. Na māṁ prapadyante. They do not surrender to God, or Kṛṣṇa. They pose themself as God. So as soon as you find anyone does not surrender to Kṛṣṇa, does not understand Kṛṣṇa, he is rascal.
Anyone. It doesn't matter. That is the first test. Then you come to the details. As soon as you find someone, somebody, that he does not understand what is God or his relationship with God, or, and what is the ultimate object of life, he's a rascal. And as soon as you find somebody that he has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa . . . bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). How he has surrendered? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19): "Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is everything."
Actually, He's everything. The whole world is combination of two energies: material energy and spiritual energy. And Kṛṣṇa is the source of two energies. Therefore ultimate, Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes. This is the summary statement.