Sankaracarya's Vivekachudamani 464-465

ज्ञानेनाज्ञानकार्यस्य समूलस्य लयो यदि ।

तिष्ठत्ययं कथं देह इति शङ्कावतो जडान् ॥

समाधातुं बाह्यदृष्ट्या प्रारब्धं वदति श्रुतिः ।

न तु देहादिसत्यत्वबोधनाय विपश्चिताम् ॥

jñānenājñānakāryasya samūlasya layo yadi |

tiṣṭhatyayaṃ kathaṃ deha iti śaṅkāvato jaḍān ||

samādhātuṃ bāhyadṛṣṭyā prārabdhaṃ vadati śrutiḥ |

na tu dehādisatyatvabodhanāya vipaścitām ||

(Sankaracarya's Vivekachudamani 464-465)

If the effects of ignorance are completely destroyed by Knowledge, how can the body continue to exist? Sruti, from a relative standpoint, postulates the concept of prarabdha for the ignorant people who entertain such doubts. The idea of prarabdha has been expounded by the Upanishads not for proving the reality of the body etc., for the wise----because the Upanishads are without exception striving to point out the one Supreme Reality.

In the sloka above Sripad Sankaracarya explains that knowledge can destroy ignorance. Knowledge is in the context above is not about going to material school but to get spiritual understanding about the Lord and the existence of the soul. If one understood the knowledge how could he still think that he is a body than a soul? The prarabdha or past karma will be effect the people who are not interested in God-consciousness. The whole Vedas are focusing only on soul and spirituality. There is no way of having pleasure with the body or bodily enjoyment. Unless one understand the reality of our dharma, there is no way for us to get out of this circle of samsara (repeated birth and death). The only way is a surrendered soul is to understand the Vedic injunctions that we are souls and we have to stop enjoying the world, in order to go back to Supreme Lord.