In plain words
He misuses sound, touch, form, taste, smell and the rest. By misusing these five elements, which God has granted and which are the form of God, he moves far from God's grace and comes near to God's wrath. That is why the five elements loathe man. All the sounds that come out of man today are evil sounds. All the time he spends his days in reviling others and in slandering others. Are these what man ought to speak? No, no. Man must demonstrate that his true form is a most divine, ever-new form of Ānanda.
Today man's sight is wholly impure. It is full of evil feelings. Man's hearing today is not right. What does man's power of hearing say? “O ears! When you are to hear the gossip of the townsfolk to while away the time, why are you ready with such great attention? When someone sweetly tells the sweet talk of God, why do you not stay attentive?” When they want to hear bad words, the two ears come together attentively and listen in unity. But when they want to hear good words, one ear goes one way and the other ear the other way. Because these ears forget their duty and enter the evil path, the whole mind of man becomes impure. The air we breathe, too, is polluted. The atmosphere is turning impure. By breathing impure air, only impure feelings arise in us. So the misuse of these five elements is itself the root cause of our troubles and sorrows.
What kind of learning should we gain?
Today man learns only the kinds of learning that pollute the heart.
“People today seek good positions and a good living, but they do not seek good minds and good conduct. The importance of money has grown great; thought of Dharma has withered away. This is the progress (advancement) that is coming about through today's education.”
“Morality and discipline have become confined to books. Human hearts have turned into houses of impurity. All the actions of men have become filled with selfishness. This is the progress that is coming about through today's education.”
The learning we must gain is not of this kind. Today man studies the kinds of learning that foster selfishness and self-interest. We must learn the learning that is holy and bound up with helping others. We must learn the kinds of learning that achieve oneness among men, the kinds of learning that show forth the divine nature of the Ātma.