In the Īśopaniṣad you'll find that it is said that: "Please wind up Your effulgence so that I can see the actual face." The same example, that the sunshine is light. There is no doubt about it. This is different from darkness. This material world is darkness. Tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ. The jyoti, the brahma-jyoti . . . it is recommended in the Vedas that you try to approach the jyoti, don't remain in this darkness of material world. That is the injunction of Vedas. And the whole process of emancipation is to . . . how to approach that Brahman effulgence.
So those who are jñānīs, those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth, jñānī . . .
- catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
- (janāḥ) sukṛtino 'rjuna
- ārto arthārthī jijñāsur
- jñānī ca bharatarṣabha
- (BG 7.16)
So jñānī, there are two kinds of jñānīs. One jñānī is trying to understand what is the Absolute Truth, and one jñānī is trying not only to understand the Absolute Truth, but merge into the existence of the Absolute. So according to Bhagavad-gītā, they are also sukṛtinaḥ.
Catur-vidhā bhajante mām. The beginning of bhajana, bhagavad-bhajana . . . if they are, if persons are pious, they can begin bhagavad-bhajana in four ways. Sukṛtinaḥ. Sukṛtinaḥ means whose background is pious activities. They can take to bhagavad-bhajana in four stages in life. Ārtaḥ . . . Ārtaḥ means those who are distressed; arthārthī, those who are poor, need of money; jijñāsuḥ, inquisitive; and jñānī.
So the ārtaḥ and arthārthī, they are lower than the jñānī and the jijñāsuḥ. Because sometimes we go to worship Bhagavān in the temple in distressed condition, but as soon as my distress is over, I forget. Or if I get some money, I forget. There is chance. Not that always we forget. But because māyā is very powerful, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī (BG 7.14), sometimes we forget. Very rich men, opulent, they don't care for what is God. Generally, we see at . . . in Europe and America, they don't talk of anything about God. They are busy only how to acquire money and enjoy sense gratification.
So jñānī, those who are actually searching after the Absolute Truth, they are very much appreciated in the Bhagavad-gītā. And there are other four classes of men, they are called duṣkṛtinaḥ. Duṣkṛtina means miscreants. They're simply busy in sinful activities: "Any way, bring money; never mind what is the process." Or not that always they get money. But they aspire after material happiness by so many . . . Just like in Calcutta, the party, Naxalite, they are committing so many sinful activities thinking that by that way they will be happy and they will get the political supremacy. They are called duṣkṛtina.
Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Four class, the four classes of men who are pious, whose background is piety, they go to worship Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, there are four classes of men who are called duṣkṛtina, very sinful, simply miscreants, and mūḍha, rascals, no knowledge, completely in ignorance, almost like animals, mūḍha. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ, and narādhamāḥ, lowest of the mankind.
Because lowest of the mankind and highest of the mankind, what is the difference? The highest of the mankind means one who knows what is the value of life. And the lowest of the mankind is one who does not know the value of life. Na mam duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. And there are so-called learned scholars also, whose knowledge has been taken away by the influence of māyā. They're supposed to be very learned scholar, but they do not know that what is the aim of knowledge. They are called māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. And these classes of men are called āsuriṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ.
Asuric bhāva means denying the existence of God, or defying the supremacy of God. That is āsuri bhāva. Just like example . . . we have got many examples in our śāstras—Hiraṇyakaśipu, Kaṁsa, Rāvaṇa. They were very powerful materially, but their only fault was that they denied the supremacy of God. Therefore they are called asuras, rākṣasas. Āsuriṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. So four classes this way, four classes that way.
So jñānī . . . jñānī is accepted . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that koṭi-karmī-madhye eka 'jñānī' śreṣṭha. There are karmīs, innumerable, millions and millions, all karmīs. Karmīs means they are working hard simply for sense gratification. And according to Bhagavad-gītā, they are called mūḍhas. These are the statement in the śāstras. So we have to explain the śāstras.