Sometimes we go to an astrologer or palmist when we are in a distressed condition or when we want to know the future. The living entity in conditioned life is always distressed by the threefold miseries of material existence. Under the circumstances, he is inquisitive about his position. For instance, Sanatana Gosvami approached the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, to ask Him why he was in a distressed condition. This is the position of all conditioned souls. We are always in a distressed condition, and an intelligent man naturally becomes inquisitive. This position is called brahma-jijnasa. Athato brahma-jijnasa (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.1). Brahma here refers to Vedic literature. One should consult Vedic literature to know why the conditioned soul is always in a distressed condition. Vedic literatures are meant to free the conditioned soul from the miserable conditions of material existence. In this chapter, the story of the astrologer Sarvajna and the poor man is very instructive.