- yasya deve parā bhaktir
- yathā-deve tathā gurau
- tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ
- prakaśante
- (ŚU 6.23)
It is a different science. The more you are inclined to render service, the more the spiritual truth becomes revealed. And two things: if you are not inquisitive, don't bother yourself to have a guru. Useless. There is no need. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21). Tasmād, "therefore." What is that? Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. If you are inquisitive about transcendental science, śreya uttamam . . . Śreya and preya—two things are there. Śreya means ultimate good, and preya means immediate sense gratification, it is preya. And śreya means ultimate good. So if one is inquisitive to know what is the ultimate goal of life, for him, a guru is required. But if he wants immediate some sense gratification, he doesn't require a guru. For sense gratification there is no need of guru. Even these birds and beasts, they know how to gratify senses. There is no need of university or teacher. Say for sex life, nobody requires to go to the university. They know. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. These four things, there is no need of university education. But at the present moment to go to university means how to gratify the senses very scientifically. Scientifically. How to steal scientifically. Does it require any scientific knowledge how to cut throat and how to steal? No. They require education for spiritual understanding, tad-vijñānārtham, not this vijñānārtham, this material knowledge. It doesn't require. It is simply a waste of time. This modern university education is simply a waste of time.
There was no education for even the vaiśyas. There are four divisions: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. But vaiśya and śūdra, there is no need of education. The brāhmaṇas, because they will guide the society, they require education. And the kṣatriya, they will give protection to the society; therefore there was education guided by the brāhmaṇa. And for the vaiśyas, kṛṣi-gorakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma . . . (BG 18.44). Where is the education? He can see, learn from his father how the field is to be cultivated with a plow. He doesn't require. He can see. And fifty years ago we have seen that those who were in the lower status of life, they never sent their children to school. I have seen it. Never sent. "Oh, what is the use of wasting time? Better admit him in some working shop or in some business." The Marwaris still do that: "Please keep my son in your firm."