@neologist,
How to get the knowledge of God, of our nature, of the Spiritual
World and Planets
We don't need any material qualifications in
order to attain the Supreme. All we have to do is
hear from authoritative sources and repeat accurately
what we hear.
Formerly, the Vedas (all branches of knowledge) were heard by the student from the spiritual master, and thus the Vedas became
known as sruti, meaning "that which is heard."
There are similar known proofs of hearing from God
or His representatives (eg Moses, Jesus)
When the Lord saw that Moses was coming closer, he called to him from the middle of the bush and said, “Moses! Moses!”
He answered, “Yes, here I am.”
One of the women in the crowd raised her voice to Jesus and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed." But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
We can hear from the Supreme Authority in any place,
even in the battlefield (like Arjuna heard from Supreme God Krsna). The knowledge is received, not manufactured. Some people think, "Why should I listen to Him? I can think for myself. I can manufacture
something new."
This is not the Vedic process of descending knowledge. By ascending
knowledge, one tries to elevate himself by his own
effort, but by descending knowledge one receives
the knowledge from a superior source.
Submissive hearing is so powerful that simply by hearing
from authoritative sources we can become completely
perfect. In becoming submissive, we become aware
of our own imperfections. As long as we are conditioned,
we are subject to four kinds of imperfections:
we are sure to commit mistakes, to become illusioned,
to have imperfect senses and to cheat.