The Art Of Asking Questions And The Purpose Of True Inquiry

Why do some people ask questions without really knowing what they want to ask? In this candid and insightful talk, Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji explores the deeper psychology behind how we ask questions and why learning to question properly is the foundation of all genuine learning.
Babaji observes that many questions are asked not for knowledge but for attention — a subtle form of seeking connection that the questioner themselves may not recognise. A truly useful question requires clarity of purpose: knowing what you want to understand and why. Using Arjuna's example from the Bhagavad Gita, he shows what an ideal question looks like — honest, direct, free from ego, and rooted in genuine confusion. Arjuna said I am confused, please instruct me. That clarity is what made real knowledge transfer possible. Whether you are a student, teacher, or simply someone who wants to communicate more effectively, this talk offers a refreshingly honest look at how knowledge actually flows.

Transcript

You write an article very specific about the questions, Like question the question, And you put several type of questions, Et cetera. But I was wondering if there is also types of answers. Because there is true that, For example, There are straight questions, But there can be also rambling answers, Or the person don't want to answer, Or make some. So what about that part of the answers, And what can we do when we are doing questions? For check it out like in one situation of answers we are or things like that. First you have to learn how to ask questions. If you don't know that, Then you cannot check. So the most important thing for the questioner is to question properly. Cannot question properly, What will you check? If your question is improper, The person you don't know whether he is really trying to answer you or why do you. . . All right. Yes. Say something to get you off his head. But it's also true that when we have to answer, We can answer in different ways. Because some questions may be improper. So the person may say, No, I don't want to answer. Or you may avoid, Go around, Not touch. I have quoted one thing there. Amaran Prasad Kovidara Nachaste. Somebody asked about mangoes and he's talking about banana plant. So it is possible or if he does not know then. He may not say, I don't know. But has to say something. Also, If he does not know, Then one way of getting rid of it is getting angry. There is a saying in Sanskrit for that. When you cannot answer, Just get angry. In that sense, The proper question and the proper answer comes by the proper relationship between the two people that are exposing some particular subject, Right? Not necessarily. If you are meeting somebody who is new, They don't have any relationship, You can still ask question in a proper way. If you want to study, Then you have to establish a relationship. In the front. But we meet all types of people, We ask questions. You are going somewhere, You want, Now of course you have GPS, You want just to ask a direction. You can ask straight forward, You can go round about. The other person can also go round about, In India especially. The main thing is that one has to be clear what is one trying to ask. And why is one asking? Are we trying to make proper understanding of the subject being asked? Because many times I see, I am frankly telling now, That people are asking questions just to get attention. Just to get attention. I am telling this. They may not know it. They may not know this. But this is the reason. There are some people who are just lonely. And they feel some sort of emptiness, Loneliness, So then wherever they are in group they have to get attention because they are basically crying for attention. Like a child. Who is with parents and parents go away and then child cries to get the attention of the whole family. And child can cry a lot. Right? They have a lot of shakti for that. They can cry for six, Seven hours and then fall asleep. So I see this, That question, That's why I keep on, I listen and I ask, So what is actually the question? Because the person who is asking is not very clear why he or she is asking this question. Or the question is not at all related. With what is being told. Even if the question is clear, It's not related. So this has to, At least a person should learn this. I mean I have given so many hints, I have written articles, I have said point blanks. Whenever I am saying, So what is the question, This should give a hint to the person that he is not clear enough. It's amazing. Thank you. Next time you ask, We have to learn. If you want to learn, I am saying so many times that I am also trying to teach how to be precise in your statements. In your communication. Especially those people who are social engineers. They should know it better than others. Otherwise what kind of social engineering is it? So it is very important in our life as human beings. So when Arjuna is asking question to Krishna, He is not going around. Although he said so many things, But when he came to question, He said, I am confused. He said it. It's very difficult for someone to say I'm confused or I don't know. Please give me instruction because we try to hide our. . . Lower side. Um. . . Defects. These are Dharam Samud Cheta. And then he asked questions. He was not afraid of this. He was not thinking, Because sometimes people don't ask questions. That is another thing. If I ask questions, Then people will think I am ignorant. That is another side. These are the two extremes. One is that person is always asking questions. Is ready. I cannot even finish my sentence. And the other is that he does not ask. So read, This is a very nice talk that Professor Ponder gave the other day in Sanwad. Somewhat in Bhagavad Gita. So we have to learn that. So if we learn that then education can happen, Then knowledge can transfer, Can be transferred. Otherwise it doesn't happen.