Modern civilization is madness because people forget their eternal nature and live for temporary bodily pleasure.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.49 — August 1, 1975, New Orleans Farm 750801SB-NEW ORLEANS [25:47 Minutes] SB-06.01.49_750801SB-NEW ORLEANS Harikeśa: [leads chanting of verse, etc.] yathājñas tamasā yukta upāste vyaktam eva hi na veda pūrvam aparaṁ naṣṭa-janma-smṛtis tathā [SB 6.1.49] [break] [00:31] Translation: "As a person in a dream, while sleeping, acts according to the body manifested in his dream, or accepts the body as himself, similarly, he identifies the present body as himself, which was acquired on account of past religious or irreligious life, and is not able to know of his past or future life." Prabhupāda: yathājñas tamasā [yukta] upāste vyaktam eva hi na veda pūrvam aparaṁ naṣṭa-janma-smṛtis tathā [SB 6.1.49] This is our position. This is our advancement of science, that we do not know what I was before this life and what I shall become after this life. Life is continuation. That is spiritual knowledge.
But they do not know also even that life is continuation. They think, "By chance I have got this life, and it will be finished after death. There is no question of past, present and future. Let us enjoy." This is called ignorance, tamasā, irresponsible life. So ajñaḥ.
Ajñaḥ means one who has no knowledge. And who has no knowledge? Now, tamasā, those who are in the modes of ignorance. There are three kinds of material nature, modes: sattva, raja, tamas.
Sattva-guṇa means everything is clear, prakāśa. Just like now the sky is covered with cloud, the sunshine is not clear. But above the cloud there is sunshine, everything clear. And within the cloud there is not clear.
Similarly, those who are in the sattva-guṇa, for them everything is clear, and those who are in the tamo-guṇa, everything is ignorance, and those who are mixed up, neither rajo-guṇa, neither tamo-guṇa, via media, they are called rajo-guṇa. Three guṇas. Tamasā. So they are simply interested in the present body: does not care what is going to happen, and has no knowledge what he was before.
There is another place it is described, nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma [SB 5.5.4]. Pramattaḥ, just like madman. He does not know why he has become mad. He forgets.
And by his activities, what is going to happen next, he does not know. Madman. So this civilization, modern civilization, is just like madman civilization. They have no knowledge of past life, neither they are interested in the future life. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma [SB 5.5.4].