04/18/2024
The 14th verse (of chapter X of the Bhagavad Gita) explains that neither those who are godlike nor those who are demonic have any knowledge of the Lord. The words godlike and demonic are used respectively for students of good and bad character. In ancient times all kinds of students possessing various qualities used to study together in the gurukulas, ashrams, or places of learning where spiritual knowledge was imparted . Here the student would sit at the feet of his guru in order to learn the paths of spirituality and receive teachings on divine knowledge. It is said that Indra, the king of gods, and Virochana, the king of demons, stayed at the gurukul of Prajapati for many years to master the science and knowledge of the Self. But neither of the two could grasp that profound knowledge. The god's aim was the attainment of Self-realizatin, whereas the goal of the demon was the enjoyment of sense pleasures. Indra, being of a divine nature, stayed in the gurukul for one hundred years to accomplish his goal of Self-realization, but Virochana, the demon king, abandoned his studies and went back to the world to enjoy its pleasures. Swami Rama, Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita, Pp. 320.
