modern / material / godless

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.

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 the next. The Nectar of Devotion is not presented to condemn any way of materialistic life, but the attempt is to give information to religionists, philosophers and people in general how to love Krsna. One may live without material discomfiture, but at the same time he should learn the art of loving Krsna. At the present moment we are inventing so many ways to utilize our propensity to love, but factually we are missing the real point, Krsna. We are watering all parts of the tree but missing the tree's root. We are trying to keep our body fit by all means, but we are neglecting to supply foodstuffs to the stomach. Missing Krsna means missing one's self also. Real self-realization and realization of Krsna go together simultaneously. For example, seeing oneself in the morning means seeing the sunrise also; without seeing the sunshine no one can see himself. Similarly, unless one has realized Krsna there is no question of self-realization. (More...)

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In this material world the auspicious and inauspicious are simply mental concoctions because such things exist only due to association with the material world. This is called illusion or atma-maya. We think ourselves created by material nature exactly as we think ourselves experiencing so many things in a dream. The spirit soul is, however, always transcendental. There is no question of becoming materially covered. This covering is simply something like a hallucination or a dream. In Bhagavad-gita it is also said, sahgat sanjayate kamaḥ (Bg. 2.62). Simply by association we create artificial material necessities. Dhyayato visayan pumsaḥ sahgas tesūpajayate (Bg. 2.62). When we forget our real constitutional position and wish to enjoy the material resources, our material desires manifest, and we associate with varieties of material enjoyment. As soon as the concoctions of material enjoyment are there, because of our association we create a sort of lust or eagerness to enjoy them, and when that false enjoyment does not actually make us happy, we create another illusion known as anger, and by the manifestation of anger, the illusion becomes stronger. When we are illusioned in this way, forgetfulness of our relationship with Krsna follows, and by thus losing Krsna consciousness, our real intelligence is defeated. In this way we become entangled in this material world. In Bhagavad-gita it is said: (More...)

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In the material world everyone is interested in money and sense gratification. The only objective is to earn as much money as possible and utilize it for satisfaction of the senses. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami thus described the activities of the materialistic persons: (More...)

This is a typical example of materialistic persons. At night they waste their time by sleeping more than six hours or by wasting time in sex indulgence. This is their occupation at night, and in the morning they go to their office or business place just to earn money. As soon as there is some money, they become busy in purchasing things for their children and others. Such persons are never interested in understanding the values of life-what is God, what is the individual soul, what is its relationship with God, etc. Things are degraded to such an extent that those who are supposed to be religious are also at the present moment only interested in sense gratification. The number of materialistic persons in this age of Kali has increased more than in any other age; therefore persons who are interested in going back home, back to Godhead, should not only engage in the service of realized souls but should give up the company of materialistic persons whose only aim is to earn money and employ it in sense gratification. They should also not accept the objectives of materialistic persons, namely money and sense gratification. Therefore it is stated: bhakti-parasyanubhavam viraktir anyatha syat. To advance in devotional service one should be uninterested in the materialistic way of life. That which is the subject matter of satisfaction for the devotees is of no interest to the nondevotees. (More...)

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Foolish persons accept the difficult path of karma-kanḍa for the sake of sense enjoyment, and those who are too much attached to sense enjoyment are called mūḍhas (rascals). It is very difficult for a mūḍha to understand the ultimate goal of life. In the propagation of the Krsna consciousness movement, we actually see that many people are not attracted because they are mūḍhas engaged in fruitive activity. It is said: upadeso hi mūrkhanam prakopaya na santaye (Hitopadesa). If good instructions are given to a foolish rascal, he simply becomes angry and turns against the instructions instead of taking advantage of them. Because Narada Muni knew this very well, he indirectly instructed the King by giving him the history of his entire life. In order to wear a gold or diamond nose pin or earring, one has to pierce the ear or nose. Such pain endured for the sake of sense gratification is endured on the path of karma-kanḍa, the path of fruitive activity. If one wishes to enjoy something in the future, he has to endure trouble in the present. If one wants to become a millionaire in the future and enjoy his riches, he has to work very hard at the present moment in order to accumulate money. This is karma-kanḍiya. Those who are too much attached to such a path undergo the risk anyway. Narada Muni wanted to show King Pracinabarhisat how one undergoes great troubles and miseries in order to engage in fruitive activity. A person who is very much attached to material activity is called visayi. A visayi is an enjoyer of visaya, which means eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Narada Muni is indirectly indicating through the story of King Puranjana that eating, sleeping, mating and defending are troublesome and risky. (More...)

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The living entity, separated from the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, tries to enjoy this material world. He is given a chance to enjoy it in a particular type of body, beginning with the body of a Brahma down to that of the microbe. From the Vedic history of creation we can understand that the first living creature was Lord Brahma, who created the seven great sages and other prajapatis to increase the universal population. Thus every living entity, according to karma, his past desires and activities, gets a particular type of body, from that of Brahma to that of a microbe or germ in stool. Due to long association with a particular type of material body and also due to the grace of Kalakanya and her maya, one becomes overly attached to a material body, although it is the abode of pain. Even if one tries to separate a worm from stool, the worm will be unwilling to leave. It will return to the stool. Similarly, a hog generally lives in a very filthy state, eating stool, but if one tries to separate it from its condition and give it a nice place, the hog will be unwilling. In this way if we study each and every living entity, we will find that he will defy offers of a more comfortable position. Although King Puranjana was attacked from all sides, he was nonetheless unwilling to leave the city. In other words, the living entity-whatever his condition-does not want to give up the body. But he will be forced to give it up because, after all, this material body cannot exist forever. (More...)

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Here it is said that avidya-kama-karmabhiḥ. By ignorance, they are thinking by opening factories they will be happy. That is avidya. He does not know that this is ignorance. Why you should open factory? That is... This is called ugra-karma. There is no need of opening factory. You have got land. Here are so many lands. You produce your food grains. Annad bhavanti bhūtani [Bg 3.14]. (More...)

Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated June 22, 1968, and I have noted the contents. The suggestion of constructing New Vrindaban as I've suggested in Hayagriva's letter is the only method by which we can become successful in constructing the New Vrindaban scheme. But if you have got impediments in the matter, as you say that the proprietor of the land is of different views, then I do not know how you'll be able to construct it freely according to our idea. Mr. Rose may be very good man, but he does not know what is sectarian and what is non-sectarian. But at least you should know that Krishna is non-sectarian. Krishna claims that He is the seed-giving Father of all the 8,400,000 species of life visible within the material creation. They may be of different forms-some of them are aquatics, some of them are vegetables, plants, some of them are worms, some of them are birds, some of them are beasts, some of them are human beings. Krishna claims that all of them are His begotten sons. Neither Krishna claims Himself that He is an Indian or a Ksatriya, or a Brahmin, or white or black; He claims that He is the Enjoyer of everything that be, He is the Proprietor of all the planets and the creation, and He is the intimate friend of all living entities. He never claims that one should offer Him very valuable things to satisfy Him; or very delicious foodstuffs should be offered to Him-but He says that even a little bit of leaf, a little bit of fruit, and water, you offer to Him with devotion and love, and He accepts and eats such things. So it is a fact that Krishna is universal. Krishna is non-sectarian, and therefore if Mr. Rose actually wants to have some institution, he must know how that non-sectarian institution is possible. So factually, Krishna Consciousness is non-sectarian movement. There is no sectarian question. But if somebody without understanding this non-sectarian philosophy thinks otherwise, he himself becomes immediately sectarian. I therefore think that you should try to convince Mr. Rose about our philosophy of Krishna Consciousness, and let him become actually non-sectarian. Without understanding Krishna everyone is sectarian, and combination of such non-Krishna Consciousness persons will never create any institution of non-sectarian nature. That is not possible. If Mr. Rose is serious to give facility for a non-sectarian institution in that part of the country, he should understand Krishna and this philosophy thoroughly. Our Krishna Consciousness movement is no religious movement as it is generally understood. Our propaganda is to make people feel for Krishna or God, and become engaged in His transcendental loving service. Anyone who has a concept of God will agree to this philosophy. There are many sectarian religions where acceptance of God is there, but there is no love for God. So we are teaching love for God. That means Krishna Consciousness is the post-graduate class for all religious sects. We do not protest the Christians, or Mohammedans, or Jews, or any other religious sect, that there is no idea of God conception in their religions. More or less in every religion the God conception is there. But, nobody tries to love God. Just like in Christian religion, they go to church everyday and tries to exact bread from God, but they never try how to please God. And because this love of God, and the process is not thoroughly instructed, therefore they have come to the stage of understanding that God is dead. At the present moment in many Christian churches, this philosophy is being taught, that God is dead. But so far we are concerned, we cannot accept this philosophy, that God is dead. But we preach on the other hand, that God is not only not dead, but He can be approached finally face to face. And the method is very simple, chanting the Holy Name of God-Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This process is standard, and tested. So far it's test is concerned, you know very well about it because in this part of the world, all my disciples are non-Hindu, and non-Indians. But still they have taken to this mantra, Mahamantra, very seriously and they are deriving good result out of it. So there is no question about its genuine presentation. We should therefore push on this movement in the same simple manner as we are doing. That everyone should come and sit together and chant this Holy Name Hare Krishna. If this system is taken as sectarian, then I am sure your attempt for organizing New Vrindaban under the care of Mr. Rose will not be successful. The best thing will be to chant Hare Krishna, call all the neighbors in that part of the state, and gradually develop their taste for it. Then try to endeavor to do something for developing New Vrindaban. For the present, live as simply as possible, without any endeavor to develop that part into New Vrindaban, or do it peacefully as you have mentioned, but you must continue to chant Hare Krishna, at least you and Hayagriva, and ask everybody to join you. At least Mr. Rose cannot object to this performance of Kirtana because he wants to give facility to all sects. So even if he takes it that our Krishna Consciousness movement is also a particular type of sect, certainly he will not have any objection. Therefore, the conclusion is that you must regularly hold Krishna Kirtana, now, and even as in our other centers they are doing. And live peacefully without any exaggeration, and try to convince people about the non-sectarian nature of Krishna Consciousness. I think that will make you successful in this great adventure. Before the advent of Lord Caitanya, nobody had exhibited the practical way of developing love of Godhead, and the process is open to everyone, therefore this is simple, non-sectarian, and sublime. (More...)

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So this is going on. Ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham [Bg 4.11]. And they are worshiping also different types of deities. Sri-aisvarya-prajepsavaḥ. Generally, in the material world they are after sri, sri, meaning beauty; aisvarya, opulence, money; sriyaḥ, aisvarya, and praja, children, or good generation, dynasty, family. They want to create family. In the Western world there is "lord" family. In this, mean, our Eastern, there are many big, big families. So sri-aisvarya-prajepsavaḥ. The materialistic, they are after this. They want to see very beautiful woman in the family, the man's wife, his son's wife, his grandson's wife, very beautifully dressed, ornamented. Sri. That is called sri, beauty. And they must have money to enjoy. Sriyaḥ aisvarya, and praja. So they are after the worshiping of demigods. But those who are intelligent, those who know that this sri-aisvarya-praja, they are temporary... But these men, they do not see it although they know it is temporary. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, pasyann api na pasyati. Pramatto tesam nidhanam pasyann api na pasyati. He knows that "These things will be destroyed. This will not exist," but still, he is after them, sri-aisvarya-prajepsavaḥ. (More...)

Dehapatya. Apatya means children, family, and deha means this body. Deha apatya. Kalatra, kalatra means wife. Dehapatya-kalatradisu atma-sainyesu. He is struggling for existence and thinking that "My wife, my children, my relative, my friend, my countrymen-they are my soldiers. They will give me protection whenever I am in danger." Dehapatya-kalatradisu atma-sainyesu asatsu api. But he knows also that they will not stay. Asatsu api. But still, they are depending on them. So tesam pramatto nidhanam pasyann api na pasyati. This is our position. (More...)

So this position is going on, beginning from one date of creation, millennium, and goes up to the end, kalpanta. The asuric determination is kalpanta. Up to the end of the creation they have no sense that "Again I am going to..., in the oblivion. Again I am to remain for millions of years in darkness. Then again there will be creation. And again I shall get body." And in one millennium we are changing so many bodies. This is our problem. But there is no education; there is no knowledge. But we find this education, this knowledge, from Vedic literature. Therefore Krsna comes Himself, He teaches Himself Bhagavad-gita personally, and He asks, mūḍha, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg 18.66]. But still we are so dull, we cannot take His words, take His instruction, and bhūtva bhūtva praliyate [Bg 8.19], and going on, one after another, birth and death. This is going on. (More...)

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Material life means everyone is trying to become victorious in the struggle of existence without God consciousness. That is our material disease. krsna-bhuliya jiva bhoga vancha kare [Prema-vivarta]. We may revolt. That independence we have got, little independence, and we can misuse it, that "Why shall I serve Krsna? Let me serve myself." "Let me serve myself" means "Let me serve my different propensities-kama, krodha, lobha, moha, matsarya," like that. My independence means "I will not serve God; I will serve my lusty desires." You cannot become independent. This is a concoction only, that "I will not serve Krsna." But you have to serve. What is that? "Then I serve my lusty desires." Indriya-trpti, indriya-trpti. Yad indriya-pritaye. Simply to satisfy... Krsna consciousness means there is no such thing as indriya-trpti, or sense gratification. Everything for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord: hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc Madhya 19.170]. Hrsika means the indriya, or the senses. That is stated here also, manasas cendriyanam ca bhūtanam mahatam api, that different types of indriya for sense gratification, we develop. This is the creation, every one of us developing, and it is become complicated with so many other desires. Each life is full of desires. Therefore in the Guru-stotra in the morning we recite, ar na koriho mane asa. Is it not? What is that? (More...)

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Out of many thousands, millions people, one is anxious to make his life successful. Nobody is interested. Practically they do not know what is actually success of life. The modern civilization, everyone is thinking, "If I get a good wife and nice motorcar and a nice apartment, that is success." That is not success. That is temporary. Real success is to get out of the clutches of maya, means this material conditional life which comprehends birth, death, old age and disease. We are passing through many varieties of life, and this human form of life is a good chance to get out of this chain of changing body one after another. (More...)

The materialistic advancement of civilization is called "the civilization of the demons," which ultimately ends in wars and scarcity.

For this reason the enlightened person should endeavor only for the minimum necessities of life while in the world of names. He should be intelligently fixed and never endeavor for unwanted things, being competent to perceive practically that all such endeavors are merely laboring hard for nothing. (More...)

The Bhagavata-dharma or the cult of Srimad-Bhagavatam is perfectly distinct from the way of fruitive activities, which are considered by the devotees to be merely a waste of time. The whole universe, or for that matter all material existence, is moving on as jagat, simply for planning business to make one's position very comfortable or secure, although everyone sees that this existence is neither comfortable nor secure, nor can it ever become comfortable or secure at any stage of development. Those who are captivated by the illusory advancement of material civilization (following the way of phantasmagoria) are certainly madmen. The whole material creation is a jugglery of names only; in fact, it is nothing but a bewildering creation of matters like earth, water and fire. The buildings, furniture, cars, bungalows, mills, factories, industries, peace, war or even the highest perfection of material science, namely the atomic energy and electronics, are all simply bewildering names of material elements with their concomitant reactions of the three modes. Since the devotee of the Lord knows them perfectly well, he is not interested in creating unwanted things for a situation which is not at all reality, but simply names of no more significance than the babble of sea waves. The great kings, leaders and soldiers fight with one another in order to perpetuate their names in history. They are forgotten in due course of time, and they make place for another era in history. But the devotee realizes how much history and historical persons are useless products of flickering time. The fruitive worker aspires after a big fortune in the matter of wealth, woman and worldly adoration, but those who are fixed in perfect reality are not at all interested in such false things. For them it is all a waste of time. Since every second of human life is important, an enlightened man should be very careful to utilize time very cautiously. One second of human life wasted in the vain research of planning happiness in the material world can never be replaced, even by spending millions of coins of gold. Therefore, the transcendentalist desiring freedom from the clutches of maya, or the illusory activities of life, is warned herewith not to be captivated by the external features of fruitive actors. Human life is never meant for sense gratification, but for self-realization. Srimad-Bhagavatam instructs us solely on this subject from the very beginning to the end. Human life is simply meant for self-realization. The civilization which aims at this utmost perfection never indulges in creating unwanted things, and such a perfectional civilization prepares men only to accept the bare necessities of life or to follow the principle of the best use of a bad bargain. Our material bodies and our lives in that connection are bad bargains because the living entity is actually spirit, and spiritual advancement of the living entity is absolutely necessary. Human life is intended for the realization of this important factor, and one should act accordingly, accepting only the bare necessities of life and depending more on God's gift without diversion of human energy for any other purpose, such as being mad for material enjoyment. Such materialistic advancement of civilization is called "the civilization of the demons," which ultimately ends in wars and scarcity. The transcendentalist is specifically warned herewith to be fixed in mind, so that even if there is difficulty in plain living and high thinking he will not budge even an inch from his stark determination. For a transcendentalist, it is a suicidal policy to be intimately in touch with the sense-gratifiers of the world, because such a policy will frustrate the ultimate gain of life. Sukadeva Gosvami met Maharaja Pariksit when the latter felt a necessity for such a meeting. It is the duty of a transcendentalist to help persons who desire real salvation and to support the cause of salvation. One might note that Sukadeva Gosvami never met Maharaja Pariksit while he was ruling as a great king. For a transcendentalist, the mode of activities is explained in the next sloka. (More...)

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