True knowledge means understanding one's eternal relationship with Krishna through authorized scripture and divine guidance.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Prabhupāda: Māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṃ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Last day we have been discussing four classes of men who come to God and four classes of men who do not come to God. The four classes of men who do not come to God, they are impious, foolish, lowest of the mankind, and their knowledge is taken away by the illusory energy and they are atheist. na māṃ duṣkṛtino mūòhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṃ bhāvam āśritāḥ [Bg 7.15] [Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.] We have discussed this point in detail. The next, that four classes of men, ārto arthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha... Ārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣa...
[Bg 7.16]. [O best among the Bhāratas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.] Four classes of men who are pious but at the same time distressed, poverty-stricken, and inquirous—and inquisitive of transcendental knowledge; and jñānī, and philosopher; jijñāsu, inquisitive; and philosopher—these four classes of men, they come to God. Now, so far the four classes of men who do not come to God... That means the impious, the foolish, the lowest of the mankind, whose knowledge has been taken away by the illusory energy, and the atheist. Apart from these classes of men, the four classes of men who come to God, just like ārta, distressed; inquisitive; arthārthī—arthārthī means poverty-stricken; and jñānī, means philosopher. Now, out of these four classes, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, teṣāṃ jñānī nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir viśiṣyate: "Out of these four classes men, one who is philosophically trying to understand the nature of God with devotion, with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is viśiṣyate." Viśiṣyate means he's specially qualified.
He's specially qualified. Priyo hi jñānino 'tyartham ahaṃ sa ca mama priyaḥ [Bg 7.17]. [Of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge in union with Me through pure devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and he is dear to Me.] The... "For a person who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, at the same time philosophically trying to understand what is the nature of God, so he is very dear to Me," Kṛṣṇa says. "He is very dear to Me because he has no other business than to understand what is God." Others, just like a distressed man, he is in distress, but because he's pious, therefore he believes in God, he goes to the churches or to the temple or to the mosque and prays, "My dear Lord, I am very much distressed.
Kindly help me." But the difficulty of this person is that God does not require to be prayed for, asking anything. He is... He is pious, he is distressed, but at the same time, he is foolish. Why he is foolish?
Because he does not know that "God is with me, within my heart. He's sitting along with me. The soul and the Supersoul, both of them are sitting together. And God knows everything about me.
So I did not require to pray from God to get me out of this distress. He knows everything. Why shall I pray?" He leaves everything to God. He does not pray.
He prays..., he prays to glorify the God, "How great You are," not for his personal interest—"O God, give me my bread. Give me my dress. Give me my shelter." That is also good. He is better than the person, that mūòha, the foolish, the atheist and the lowest of the mankind.