Category:Becoming Educated
Theme Analysis
This analysis redefines the concept of education through the lens of Vedic wisdom. Śrīla Prabhupāda acknowledges that 'becoming educated' in the material sense—acquiring academic degrees and intellectual status—is not a random occurrence but the result of past pious activities (good karma), alongside high birth, beauty, and wealth. However, he critiques this material education as insufficient because it fails to address the existential problems of birth, death, old age, and disease. This failure is evident in the frustration of modern youth (the "hippie" phenomenon). True education, the analysis concludes, is the cultivation of spiritual knowledge. By hearing the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, any person—regardless of their academic background—can become the most learned scholar by understanding the ultimate goal of life.
- The Karmic Root: Material education is a specific opulence (śruta) awarded for past good deeds, but it remains "adulterated" by the miseries of material existence.
- The Paradox of Progress: Despite scientific and academic advancement, society is "simply being defeated" because it ignores the soul. This leads to hopelessness among the educated youth.
- Real Education: The standard of education is not the accumulation of information but the realization of Kṛṣṇa. A devotee who knows the Lord is considered the best educated.
- Open Access: Unlike material universities which are exclusive, the school of Kṛṣṇa consciousness allows everyone, even the uneducated, to attain the highest knowledge.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Karma, Knowledge, and Kṛṣṇa - How to Become Truly Educated.
Pages in category "Becoming Educated"
The following 22 pages are in this category, out of 22 total.
A
- According to the law of karma, a man takes his birth in a high family, or becomes rich, or very well educated, or very beautiful because of good work in the past. BG 1972 purports
- As far as education is concerned, one can become recognized in society as a great learned scholar simply by hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita, wherein the pastimes of the Lord and His devotees are described
I
- If one wants to become educated, he worships goddess Sarasvati. In this way Westerners often think that the Hindus are polytheistic, but actually this worship is not to God, but to demigods
- If you become a nice, educated person, good character, you'll be always welcome anywhere, good position. And if you are a thief, rascal, without any education, then your position will be different. So karanam guna-sangah asya
- If you become educated, then your future is very nice. If you are not educated, then your future is not so bright. Similarly, this human form of life, we can make a solution of this repeated birth and death
- In the material world, so-called auspicity, to become very rich, to become very educated, to become very beautiful, high parentage, they are auspicity. But they are also adulterated with threefold miseries: adhyatmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika
- In your country also, why this section of people have become hippies? From university student, they have become hippies. Why? Frustration. They know that "What is this life? If I am become educated, then what is my future?" There is no future
T
- There is no chance. Everything depends on some cause. Not that by chance anyone becomes very rich man. No. One has to work for it. Not that by chance one becomes very educated. These things are not chances
- These (obtain birth in an aristocratic family, become highly educated, become very beautiful or get a sufficient quantity of riches) are symptoms of pious activities performed in one’s past life
- To become educated in the Krsna consciousness movement, this is the beginning - to hear about Krsna, to understand about Krsna
W
- We are happy. We are becoming educated, we are advanced in science. But Bhagavata says, "No, you are not advancing, you are simply being defeated, because you do not know how to get happiness. You are not trying for real happiness"
- Why one goes to college, school? Just to follow the instruction of the teacher, and then he becomes educated. This is the general method. Anything you want to learn, you have to approach a person who knows the thing