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Divinity and Divine Service
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good learned  brāhmaṇas  or in the families of rich merchants in order to execute the unfinished task of  Vāsudeva  realization. If such fortunate  brāhmaṇas  and sons of rich men properly utilize the chance, they can easily realize  Vāsudeva  by good association with saintly persons. Unfortunately, such preferential persons are captivated again by material wealth and honor and practically forget the aim of life.
This is also so for the culture of knowledge. According to  Bhagavad-gītā  there are eighteen items in culturing knowledge. And by such culture of knowledge one becomes gradually prideless, devoid of vanity, nonviolent, forbearing, simple, devoted to the great spiritual master and self-controlled. By culture of knowledge one becomes unattached to hearth and home and becomes conscious of the miseries due to death, birth, old age and disease. And all culture of knowledge culminates in devotional service to the Personality of Godhead,  Vāsudeva . Therefore,  Vāsudeva  is the ultimate aim in culturing all different branches of knowledge. Culture of knowledge leading one to the transcendental plane of meeting  Vāsudeva  is real knowledge. Physical knowledge in its various branches is condemned in the  Bhagavad-gītā  as  ajñāna , or the opposite of real knowledge. The ultimate aim of physical knowledge is to satisfy the senses, which means prolongation of the term of material existence and thereby continuance of the threefold miseries. So prolonging the miserable life of material existence is nescience. But the same physical knowledge leading to the way of spiritual understanding helps one to end the miserable life of physical existence and to begin the life of spiritual existence on the plane of  Vāsudeva .
The same applies to all kinds of austerities.  Tapasya  means voluntary acceptance of bodily pains to achieve some higher end of life.  Rāvaṇa  and  Hiraṇyakaśipu  underwent a severe type of bodily torture to achieve the end of sense gratification. Sometimes modern politicians also undergo severe types of austerities to achieve some political end. This is not actually  tapasya . One should accept voluntary bodily inconvenience for the sake of knowing  Vāsudeva  because that is the way of real austerities. Otherwise all forms of austerities are classified as modes of passion and ignorance. Passion and ignorance cannot end the miseries of life. Only the mode of goodness can mitigate the threefold-miseries of life.  Vasudeva  and  Devakī , the so-called father and mother of Lord  Krṣṇa , underwent penances to get  Vāsudeva  as their son. Lord  Śrī Krṣṇa  is the father of all living beings (Bg. 14.4). Therefore He is the original living being of all other living beings. He is the original eternal enjoyer amongst all other enjoyers. Therefore no one can be His begetting father, as the ignorant may think.