In plain words
He taught him his learning. Who gave Arjuna the Gāṇḍīva? By the teaching of the sage Vyāsa he did tapas and won the bow. It was in this way, through the maharṣis teaching all of them many kinds of spiritual learning, that it became possible to establish Dharma in the world. Today, however learned a man may be, as long as there is selfishness and self-interest, that learning is simply useless. That is why the maharṣis said, vidyā tapobhyāṃ pūtātma. Along with learning, tapas too is essential.
Tapas does not mean doing it head down and feet up; that is not tapas. It is gaining the oneness of the three: mind, speech and body. That is purity in thought, word and deed. To offer to God with this purity in thought, word and deed: that is tapas. All the acts done in thought of the Paramātma and offered to the Paramātma are tapas. All the acts done for selfish ends and self-interest are tamas. This is tamas. That is tapas. This is machine power. That is mantra power. These are all worshippers of machines. Those are all worshippers of mantra. It was through the encouragement of the maharṣis, the seers of the mantras, that the welfare of the world went on in those days. Today, through modern learning, they have come to neglect this mighty power. Through artificial learning man takes on an artificial form. Learning is not only for our livelihood. It is not for supporting life. It is for teaching life. Today we use all our learning for our living.
Students! Life is needed. But we must keep the supreme goal of life in view as well. How many learned men there are in the world! How many rich men there are in the world! How many in all kinds of high positions there are in the world! It is not these. Along with this, we must also gain the greatness of sacrificing selfishness and self-interest. At night, in his sleep, a great king dreams many dreams. In a dream at night that great king takes on the form of a beggar. A beggar has a dream. In that dream he turns into a king. The beggar turning into a king and the king turning into a beggar last only as long as the dream lasts. Once they wake from the dream, neither has happiness, neither has sorrow. Happiness and sorrow last only as long as one is in the sleep called delusion. They keep troubling us. That is why the Veda said, na karmaṇā na prajayā dhanena tyāgenaike amṛtatva mānaśuḥ. What is this immortality? It is feeling the oneness in waking, dream and deep sleep: that is immortality. Amṛta does not mean a drink. The knowledge of the Ātma is amṛta. That is deathlessness. If we wish to gain such deathlessness, which is immortality, we must develop the inner vision. To develop the inner vision, the feeling for God must come to us.