Human life is a rare ship to cross the ocean of material existence; waste it not on temporary pursuits.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Bhagavad-gītā 10.4 — January 4, 1967, New York 670104BG-NEW YORK [30:15 Minutes] Prabhupāda: buddhir jñānam asammohaḥ kṣamā satyaṁ damaḥ śamaḥ sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ bhavo 'bhāvo bhayaṁ cābhayam eva ca [Bg. 10.4] [Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from doubt and delusion, forgiveness, truthfulness, self-control and calmness, pleasure and pain, birth, death, fear, fearlessness, nonviolence, equanimity, satisfaction, austerity, charity, fame and infamy are created by Me alone.] So what is knowledge? Knowledge means distinguishing the spirit from matter. That is knowledge. We should understand what is spirit and what is matter.
We are combination of matter and spirit. Actually I am a spirit, but I am now covered, embodied by matter. When we make and complete analytical study what is matter, what is spirit, that is called knowledge. Material knowledge, any subject matter you can take, but that is temporary. Just like this body is temporary, similarly, any material knowledge you acquire, either you become a chemist or physicist or a medical man or an engineer, whatever you may acquire knowledge, all this knowledge will finish as soon as this body is finished.
You forget. Death means forgetfulness. Because the spirit does not die—eternal—so spiritual knowledge continues. If you develop spiritual knowledge... Suppose cent percent spiritual knowledge you acquire in this body.
Then that will continue with you. Even after destruction of this body that spiritual knowledge will continue with you, and when you get next body, you begin... You finished your ten percent; you will begin again from eleven percent. That knowledge will not be lost.
That is the law of nature. Spiritual knowledge... In the Bhagavad-gītā we have studied already, svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt [Bg. 2.40]. [In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.] If you cultivate this spiritual knowledge even one percent, two percent, that can render you greatest service, because it will continue. Once spiritual knowledge begun, it will not be stopped.
The best thing is to finish it cent percent in this life, because this human form of life is meant for cultivating spiritual knowledge. It is not meant for material enjoyment. Material enjoyment means eating, sleeping, and defending and mating. These four principles, they are called material enjoyment. Just like we see advertisement.
The other day I was seeing the New York Times magazine. So all advertisements are based on mating. That's all. So because mating is most attractive, therefore the shopkeepers, they advertise their dress, putting before one very nice girl.