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730106ND.BOM
The Nectar of Devotion
Bombay, January 6, 1973 Prabhupada: Hm. Read it.
Pradyumna: "As far as material necessities are concerned, the human civilization at the present moment is very much advanced in living comfortably, but still we are not happy because we are missing the point. The material comforts of life alone are not sufficient to make us happy. The vivid example is America: the richest nation of the world, having all facilities for material comfort, is producing a class of men completely confused and frustrated in life. I am appealing herewith to such confused men to learn the art of devotional service as directed in The Nectar of Devotion, and I am sure that the fire of material existence burning within their hearts will be immediately extinguished. The root cause of our dissatisfaction is that our dormant loving propensity has not been fulfilled despite our great advancement in the materialistic way of life. The Nectar of Devotion will give us practical hints how we can live in this material world perfectly engaged in devotional service and thus fulfill all our desires in this life and in the next."
Prabhupada: So, people are misled. They are thinking that by material comfort they will be happy. And practically we are seeing, this competition of material comfort... The capitalist and the labor class, worker class, they are fightingstrike. Actually, the propensity is that... That is explained in Marshall's theory of economics. We were student of economics. So in that book Mr. Marshall explained that the family affection is the origin of economic impetus. That's a fact. These hippies, they have no family affection. They are not married, and therefore there is no economic impetus. They can live in any way, any wretched condition of life. And one who is married, responsible man, he has got some responsibility to see that..., provided he has got affection for the family. Otherwise, practically, so-called family life, there is no affection.
So this is a fact. The family affection... Pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etat. There is a propensity of men, association with woman, mithuni-bhavam etat. Everyone is trying to find out a man or woman. And when they unite, that attraction becomes tightly knot. Tayor mitho hrdaya-granthim ahuh [SB 5.5.8]. Hrdaya-granthim. And then the economic impetus starts. Atah grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittaih. Grha, home; ksetra, land, or the office for earning money; grha-ksetra-suta, children; friends, apta; and vitta, moneyin this way one becomes entangled in the so-called economic development. Dharma-artha-kama-moksa [SB 4.8.41, Cc. Adi 1.90]. People take to religion mostly for economic development. People go to temple, church, for economic development. "O God, give us our daily bread," in the church they pray. This is economic development. So materially they want... Anyway, they want to be happy materially. That is bahir-artha-maninah. Materially means this body. This body is matter, and I, the person who is living within the body, I am spirit. Dehino 'smin yatha dehe. Asmin dehe, dehinah [Bg. 2.13]. There is the proprietor. We have several times explained, but people do not know this. As soon as one understands that "I am not this body. I am different from this body," then his interest becomes different. Because he is under ignorance that "I am this body," therefore he's acting, working for this body. And as soon as he comes to the spiritual platform, brahma-bhutah, he is no more interested in bodily comforts. That is the Vedic civilization, that one is educated to become introspective. He is educated to become introspective. The brahmanas, just like they are happy in any condition of life. That is our Vedic civilization. They accept poverty... Not accept poverty. They are not very much interested. Either lie down on the ground or lie down on the sofathey don't find any difference, because they are not interested with these bodily comforts. People may say, "Oh, this is very uncivilized way, the primitive way of life, that he is lying down on the ground just like animal." But he does not know that he is not interested either lying down..., because when we sleep he forgets whether he lying down on the ground or lying on... (laughter) So that is not very important thing. But at the present moment they have taken that lying down on a very nice bedstead, cot, and silken bed, that is advancement of civilization. But that is not advancement of civilizationyasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]because he is under the bodily concept of life. So what is this body? It is made of tri-dhatu: kapha, pitta, vayu. So I am kapha-pitta-vayu? No. I am different. Aham brahmasmi. This knowledge is lacking.
So the actually our desire is that "There must be easygoing life. I shall not work very much. I shall live in a comfortable house in a secluded place and live peacefully." That is his desire. But because he does not know how to get that desire fulfilled, he is trying to get that desire fulfilled on the bodily comforts of life. This is the mistake. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. They do not know. That is the svartha. Because, as it is said in the Vedas, God... Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. He has nothing to work. God has nothing to work for His economic development. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. Na tasya sama adhikas ca drsyate. And because He is God, nobody is equal to Him and nobody greater than Him. Sama adhikas ca na drsyate, parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. His energies are multi-energies, varieties of energies, and the energies are so perfect that svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca: everything is happening automatically. So that is actually life. Why one should...? Krsna, Krsna is dancing with the gopis, that's all. Why should He work? Why God should work? Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. Ananda-cinmaya-rasa. So because we are part and parcel of God, Krsna, we are also trying to achieve that life, that "There will be no, no more to work. Let me accumulate some bank balance, the interest will come, and I shall sit down in a nice apartment, and everything will come automatically and I will enjoy life." That is actually life, because we are part and parcel of God. So God has nothing to do. Krsna has nothing to do. So we also have nothing to do. Why we are working? They are taking, "This is pleasure." This material life means... Because mostly they are infected with two qualities of material modes of nature, namely ignorance and passion. So impeded by this ignorance and passion they are working very hard, just like an ass, and still they are thinking that "I am happy." He comes back to home, working very, very hard in the office, and he thinks, "Now I... My successful... I have earned so much money." This is the nature of material life, that he will work very hard and he will think, "That is my life." This is material life. But actually, if you are actually happy, then why you have to work so hard? But that is nonsense. He is nonsense. He does not know. Therefore the karmis are called mudhas, asses. The ass works hard for the washerman, and the washerman gives him a morsel of grass and he thinks, "I am happy." This is ass mentality. He has worked very hard, but getting that little bunch of grass. He can get it anywhere, but he thinks that "This washerman gives it. Therefore I have to work..." Or he does not know that "I'm working for it." This is ass mentality.
So actual life is that there should be no work. Why? Ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis tabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhih [Bs. 5.37]. Just like Krsna is displaying how He's happy with His cowherds boys, with the gopis, with His father, with His mother. And those who are dependent on Krsna, they are so confident. Just like the cowherds boys. Krsna goes every day to the forest, and there is some demon comes, and simply the cowherds boys, "No, there is Krsna. We don't care for this demon." You see? And the demon is killed, and they come home and they narrate the story to their mother: "O my dear mother, Krsna did this wonderful thing." The mother is also very appreciative: "Oh, our Krsna is so nice. He can do wonderful. He must be some demigod," like that, gossiping. So actually this is life. This Vrndavana life is actual life. Ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhih [Bs. 5.37]. What is this life, working so hard day and night, no, and discovering so many things, and as soon as the water supply is stopped, everything stops? The electricity will stopped, the electric train will stop, the lift will stop, the light will stop, and everything, there will be havoc. You see? So this artificial life is not actual life. We are perceiving. Suppose there have been no rain for one or two years. There is a time when for hundreds of years there will be no rain. You have to wait for that time. That time is coming at the end of Kali-yuga. For hundreds of years there will be no rain, and everything on the earth will be burned into ashes. Not only there will be rain, but the sunshine will be twelve times hot, twelve times hotter than the present. The temperature will increase. These are stated in the Bhagavata. Then everything will be turned into ashes. And then there will be torrents of rain. So these descriptions are there.
So it is duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. This place, we are trying to live very comfortably in a place. That is not very good intelligence. Because Krsna, the creator, He said, duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. Mam upetya kaunteya...
Prabhupada: No, no, another is. Duhkhalayam napnuvanti mahatmanah samsiddhim paramam... So our aim should be how to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is the real mission of human life. Because after... Asatims caturams caiva laksams tan jiva-jatisu. There are 8,400,000 species of life. After evolving, we have come to this human form of life. Tad apy viphala jatah. So if we do not understand Govinda, govinda-carana-dvayam, then it is viphala. It is simply misused. The modern civilization, they do not know this. This Krsna consciousness movement is meant for educating people that "You are simply wasting your time." "No. I am doing my duty." The people say, "This is my..." The doctor says, "I am doing my duty." The engineer says, "I am doing my duty." The father says, "I am doing my duty." The mother says, "I am doing my duty." That's all right. But Bhagavata says, "Thank you very much, that you are doing your duty."
dharmah svanusthitah pumsam
visvaksena-kathasu yah notpadayed ratim yadi srama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8] "You are doing your duty very nice. That's all right. But by doing your duty, if you do not develop your Krsna consciousness, then you are simply wasting your time."
So these people, they do not know. They are thinking that "We are doing our duty." What is this nonsense duty? Real duty is to develop Krsna consciousness. If you are missing that point, the so-called duty is simply wasting...
dharmah svanusthitah pumsam
visvaksena-kathasu yah notpadayed ratim yadi srama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8] So they do not know this. They are doing their... Everyone is engaged in his duty. They are not interested to hear about Krsna-kathathat is the real business of lifebecause they are engaged in duty, duty. So why they do that? Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. They do not know the real duty is to approach Visnu, svartha-gatim, interest. They are thinking, "This is my interest." Real duty is svartha-gatim. Everyone should be interested in his business, but the real business is, human life, that approach Visnu. Tad visnoh paramam padam sada pasyanty surayah. Those who are actually advanced Aryans, their business is how to approach Visnu. That is the Rg-mantra. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum durasaya [SB 7.5.31]. They are thinking by these bodily comforts they will be happy. No. That is not possible. The real happiness is different. That is Krsna consciousness. And durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah. Andha yathandhaih. And anyone who will give him false hope that "If you get independence, then overnight you will become like this, like this, like that," that leader is very nice. If there is some political meeting giving only bluff, lots of bluffs only, and people gather there by thousands and millions to hear the bluff... Because... My Guru Maharaja therefore used to say that this present human society is a society of the cheaters and the cheated. Somebody is being cheated and somebody is cheater, a combination of two things, cheater and the cheated, because they do not know the real interest of life. And anyone who will speak all nonsense and bluff, he will be very much adored. This is going on.
But actual interest is... Human life should be sober. He should... Therefore the first beginning of real life is to understand that "I am not this body." This is the first lesson. But where is that education? Throughout the whole world, go anywhere. Where is that education that students are being taught that "You are not this body"? There is no education. Then what is the value of this education? To keep them andha yathandhair upaniyamanah [SB 7.5.31], to keep them in the darkness. That is going on. This is the only institution which is giving people real life.
So our request is, therefore, that try to understand this Krsna philosophy and take to it seriously. Then your life will be successful. Otherwise you are simply wasting your time. This is our message. And if you want to talk, if you want to argue, then also we are prepared. We have prepared so many books for this purpose. Now this is the fact. If you accept it, it is good. Then the next question may be that "Why the people do not take to Krsna consciousness? If it is so important, why they do not take to it?" That is also explained by Prahlada Maharaja. Matir na krsne parato svato va mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam. Grha-vratanam. Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30]. So matir na krsne. If one sticks to this principle, that "I shall be happy with this material body, I shall be happy within this material world, within my country, within my society," in this way, if one thinks, they are called grha-vrata. So for such persons, grha-vratanam, those who want to become happy within this bodily envelopment, they are... [break] Therefore from the beginning of life one has to be educated the value of life or approach a devotee.
matir na krsne parato svato va
mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram... [SB 7.5.30] Adanta-gobhih. Because they cannot control their senses... The yoga system means to control the senses. Now yoga system has become a means of making the senses strong to enjoy. At the present moment, the so-called yoga system is a exercise for making the body strong and senses strong. There is another verse I forget. Na vrnita tavad. Naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim.
naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim
sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah mahiyasam pada-rajo 'bhisekam niskincananam na vrnita yavat [SB 7.5.32] Matir na krsne parato svato va. Krsne matih, by personal endeavor, svatah, or by taking lessons from others... Just like we are preaching this Krsna consciousness, attending meeting also, conference also. But still, matir na krsne. But that can be achieved only, naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim, unless one surrenders to the mahiyasam pada-rajo 'bhisekam. Unless one surrenders to the dust of the lotus feet of pure devotee, Krsna consciousness cannot be developed. It is not possible. That is the secret. Otherwise you go on attending thousands of meetings and bhagavata-saptaha and so-called, I mean to say, sat-sanga. Unless you surrender to a person... Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya [Bg. 4.34]. Unless you surrender... This is a process of surrender. As soon as there is a lack of surrendering process, it is very difficult. Therefore Krsna says, "Surrender." Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] "Surrender." So Krsna, Krsna's representative, one should surrender. Then krsne matir bhavatu anyatha naiva. So matir na krsne parato svato va mitho 'bhipadyeta. This was instruction of Prahlada Maharaja. Then next, read. What is that?
Pradyumna: "The material comforts of life are not sufficient to make us happy. The vivid example is America."
Prabhupada: Yes, this is vivid example. In America there is no scarcity of food, there is no scarcity of anything. Here we cannot imagine that how there cannot be any scarcity of food because here everything is scarcity, controlled. So similarly, I have seen Russia. Russia is advertising, "So much comfortable," but the poorest country, in my opinion. They stand in line as here, controlled everything. If you have to purchase your necessities, you have to waste two hours at least. Where is Syamasundara? Syamasundara has gone, huh? So Syamasundara was going to purchase our things. So rice practically not available, nice quality. Dahl also not. The butter is available, milk is available, and meat, as much as you like. And no fruits, no vegetables. It was very difficult for the vegetarians. And still, that is everything. He had to spend two hours for bringing milk and butter and little rice. So everything is controlled. What I was speaking?
Pradyumna: "The material comforts of life alone are not sufficient to make us happy. The vivid example is America."
Prabhupada: Yes. And America, just the contrary. You can purchase any amount of milk, any amount of wheat, any amount of ricewhatever you want. Everything, everything is complete. So many stores, so many stock. And still, their production is so great that government restricts, "Don't produce crops. Don't produce crops." They bribe the farmer that "Don't produce." And I think the land, America, not even one fourth of the land is utilized. If they utilized the whole land, I do not know how much they can produce. I think they can feed the whole world if they utilize. Similarly, I have seen in Australia. Similarly, I have seen in Africa-enough land is lying without cultivation. So God has given us the capacity to cultivate, to produce food. We can produce food, enough quantity. There is no question of scarcity. The scarcity is due to our godlessness. Otherwise, by God's arrangement, purnam idam purnat purnam udacyate [Isopanisad, Invocation]. It is purnam. Everything is complete. Just like nature, nature's produces. Sometimes in some season we see there is ample productions of mangoes, and sometimes there is no mango. So after all, it is in the hand of nature, prakrti. Prakrteh kriyamanani [Bg. 3.27]. Prakrti is producing, producing; prakrti is reducing; and behind the prakrti there is Krsna. Mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. So just become devotee of Krsna and do your duty. Svanusthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih. Then everything will be complete. There will be no scarcity. This philosophy, they do not know. They want to... Like Kamsa, they want to make minus Krsna. Like Ravana, they want to make minus Rama, and the result is that with their all family, all their wealth and everything, material advancevanquished, finished. That is prakrti. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. They are trying to avoid God. They are trying to become independent of God. Then what is the benefit? In every step we are seeing that we are dependent on God. Because God has not supplied rain for one year, there is so much catastrophe going on. But still, they will not take it. Matir na krsne parato svato va. Parato svato va. If we advise that "You take to Krsna consciousness and act accordingly. You will be all happy," "No." Matir na krsne parato svato va. Because they have designed their own plan. So this is going on. Then?
Pradyumna: "The vivid example is America: the richest nation of the world, having all facilities for material comfort, is producing a class of men completely confused and frustrated in life. I am appealing herewith to such confused men..." Oh. "The root cause of our dissatisfaction is that our dormant loving propensity has not been fulfilled despite our great advancement in the materialistic way of life. The Nectar of Devotion will give us practical hints how we can live in this material world perfectly engaged in devotional service and thus fulfill all our desires in this life and the next. The Nectar of Devotion is not presented to condemn..."
Prabhupada: If you become devotee of Krsna, all your desires will be fulfilled. That is also fact.
It is not that... Sometimes we think like that, that "If we become devotee of God, then I'll become poor." Because Vaisnavas are generally appear to be poor, so those who are after material happiness, they do not like to become Vaisnavas. They become devotee of Lord Siva, because by the grace of Lord Siva they get all material facilities. Therefore generally people are very much fond of becoming devotee of Lord Siva. This question was discussed between Yudhisthira Maharaja..., not, Pariksit Maharaja and Sukadeva Gosvami. Pariksit Maharaja inquired this, that "Lord Visnu is the master of goddess of fortune, but generally we find the Vaisnavas are poor. And Lord Siva, he hasn't got even a house, so still, his devotees are very prosperous." So the explanation was given that Lord Siva is the master of these material opulences, Durga-devi. Durga-devi is his wife, the material nature. So devotees of Lord Siva can get all material facilities. And Lord Visnu..., because he is going to be transferred to the spiritual world, therefore gradually his material affection is curtailed. Of course, when he is advanced in devotion then his material comforts are not curtailed. But when he is not advanced, if he thinks that "By becoming Vaisnava I shall be materially very opulent and I shall enjoy this material enjoyment," then it is curtailed. That is explained in Bhagavata and Caitanya-caritamrta. Yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad-dhanam. Because Visnu knows that "He wants Me, at the same time he wants some material opulence, so this is his ignorance. This is his ignorance. If he wants material opulence, then he has to remain here within this material world. But he wants Me." So to have Krsna, that is in the spiritual world. So if you have got attachment for this material world, then you cannot go. A slight attachment for this material world will oblige him to take another birth. If the mind is absorbed in karma or material comfort, then Krsna will give you, "All right. You take this work again." Even great yogis, because they think of material comforts, they are called bhrasta. Yoga-bhrastah sanjayate. Sucinam srimatam. Although the facility is given to take birth in the family of high brahmana or high, rich man, but it is material. It is material life. And one who becomes perfectly Krsna conscious, he hasn't got to. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti [Bg. 4.9]. He is immediately transferred to Krsna.
But people are enamored by this material life to have high parentage, janmaisvarya-sruta-sri [SB 1.8.26]. They are enamored by these things. "I must have birth in high family, in brahmana family, in king's family, in heavenly planet, in demigod's family." They think this is life. But a devotee knows, "No, this is not life." For devotee... Vidhi-mahendradis ca kitayate. What to speak of this rich family or that family or brahmana family? Vidhi-mahendradis ca kitayate. Even vidhi... Vidhi means Lord Brahma, and mahendra means Lord Indra. They are also considered, "What? They are insects, a papa living entity, just like ordinary insects." That is the position. The devotee is richest. Just like somebody... We were discussing. Somebody was speaking about me that "You are richest." Yes, I am richest. Why not richest? Because a devotee does not care liberation. Kaivalyam narakayate. The jnanis are after merging into the Brahman effulgence. A devotee thinks, "What is this Brahman effulgence?" Narakayate tri-dasa-pur akasa-puspayate. And the heavenly planet, that is phantasmagoria. What is this? Durdantendriya-kala-sarpa-patali protkhata-damstrayate. And the yogis, they are trying to subjugate the indriyas. But for devotees, although the indriyas are just like serpent, the poison teeth have been taken away. Because the devotees' indriyas-hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]that is now differently engaged. A devotees' indriyas are not engaged for sense gratification. His indriyas are engaged for satisfying Krsna. Therefore the poison teeth of indriya is broken. This is the process. Visvam purna-sukhayate vidhi-mahendradis ca kitayate yat-karunya-kataksa-vaibhavavatam. This verse was written by one of your South Indian devotee of Lord Caitanya, Prabodhananda Sarasvati. So he, I mean to say, realized, yat-karunya-kataksa-vaibhavavatam tam gauram eva stumah: "By the mercy of Lord Caitanya I have achieved this success." Kaivalyam narakayate tri-dasa-pur akasa-puspayate (Caitanya-candramrta 5).
So actually devotee is the richest because they don't care even for yoga-siddhi or heavenly planet or merging into the Brahman effulgence or become very rich and a brahmana, or... No. They don't want. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, "No."
na dhanam na janam na sundarim
kavitam va jagadisa kamaye mama janmani janmanisvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi [Cc. Antya 20.29, Siksastaka 4] This is devotee. This is pure devotion. They don't want anything. Therefore they are santah. If you want santah, then you stop demanding, "I want this, I want this, I want this, I want this." So long you'll want, you are in need, how there can be santah? There is no possibility. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami sakali asanta. Everyone... Bhukti means karmi, and mukti means jnani, and siddhi means yogi. They are wanting something. So they cannot be santah. Krsna-bhakta niskama ataeva santah [Cc. Madhya 19.149]. Krsna-bhakta doesn't want anything. Krsna... Krsna-bhakta even does not want Krsna even. He wants only Krsna's service. That's all. "Why I shall bother Krsna? Krsna is busy in His own business. Let Him dance with the gopis. I shall simply serve Him. That's all. Why shall I want Krsna? Why shall I disturb Him?" This is devotion.
Thank you very much.
Devotees: Jaya. (end)
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/nod/the_nectar_of_devotion/bombay/january/06/1973 Previous: The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 5, 1973 Next: The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1972
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