Mantra Nine 45

MANTRA NINE

aq aa: osfaa asiaguad |
at aad wt ao Rae a il

andham tamah pravisanti
ye’vidyam upasate

tato bhitya iva te tamo
yau vidyayam ratah.

andham—gross ignorance; tamah—darkness; praviganti—enter into; ye—
those; avidyam—nescience; updsate—worship; tatah—further; bhityah—
considered; iva—like; te—those; tamah—darkness; ye—those; u—also;
vidyayam—in the culture of knowledge; ratah—engaged in.

TRANSLATION

Those who are engaged in the culture of nescient activities shall
enter into the darkest region of ignorance. Worse still are those
engaged in the so-called culture of knowledge.

PURPORT

In this mantra there is a comparative study of vidya and avidya.
Avidyd, or ignorance, is undoubtably dangerous, but vidya, or
knowledge, when mistaken or misguided, is even more dangerous.
In modern human civilization this explanation of Sri [sopanisad
is more applicable than at any other time in the past. Modern
civilization has advanced considerably in the matter of mass
education, and yet the result is that people are more unhappy
than before on account of too much stress on material advance-
ment, wilhoul any taste for the most important aspect of life,
the spiritual aspect.

As far as vidya is concerned, the first mantra of Sri Isopanisad
has explained very clearly that the Supreme Lord is_ the
Proprietor of everything, and forgetfulness of this fact is
