Any man, try if you can
Get out of ignorance of being some man
Because at death you’ll be a dead man!
Not even fit for the trash can!
In Bhagavad-gita (2.27) it is stated, “For one who is born it is certain he will die.” Therefore Vedic knowledge is essential for every human being, regardless of his nationality, his color or his social background, because death is sure for everyone. Vedic knowledge teaches a human being how to die. We have hundreds and thousands of universities throughout the world, but not a single one of them teaches the student how to prepare himself to die. Although death is most sure and certain, everything else is uncertain. You may study to become a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer or businessman, but there is no guarantee that you’ll actually get a position once you get your degree. However, it is sure and certain that you will die.
Unless we are educated in the science of the soul, we won’t be prepared to die when the time comes. Thus Bhagavad-gita (8.6) says, “Wherever and whatever a man’s mind is fixed upon at the time of leaving this body, that nature he attains without fail.” We foolishly assume that death means relief and rest from the turmoils of material existence, and therefore sometimes people commit suicide, thinking thereby they will get relief from their material problems, frustration and confusion. But Krishna says, “No.” Death does not mean that one becomes a zero and vanishes into the air of oblivion. Death is nothing but giving up this dress, which we call the body, made of flesh and bones, mucus, bile, blood, and so on. The living force, which animates this combination of flesh and bones, continues to exist even after the destruction of this body. Therefore it is important and most essential that every human being learn the science of the soul. That is called buddhi-yoga or bhakti-yoga. Buddhi means intelligence, and yoga means the process of linking with the Supreme.