Preface
The Krsna consciousness movement is conducted under the supervision of Srila Rupa Gosvami. The Gaudiya Vaisnavas, or Bengali Vaisnavas, are mostly followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, of whom the six Gosvamis of Vrndavana are direct disciples. Therefore Srila Narottama dasa Thakura
has sung:
rupa-raghunatha-pade ha-ibe akuti
kabe hama bujhaba se yugala-piriti
"When I am eager to understand the literature given by the
Gosvamis, then I shall be able to understand the transcendental loving
affairs of Radha and Krsna." Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in order
to bestow upon human society the benediction of the science of Krsna.
The most exalted of all the activities of Lord Krsna are His pastimes of
conjugal love with the gopis. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in the
mood of Srimati Radharani, the best of the gopis. Therefore, to
understand the mission of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and follow in His
footsteps, one must very seriously follow in the footsteps of the six
Gosvamis--Sri Rupa, Sanatana, Bhatta Raghunatha, Sri Jiva, Gopala Bhatta
and Dasa Raghunatha.
Sri Rupa Gosvami was the leader of all the Gosvamis, and to guide
our activities he gave us this Upadesamrta (The Nectar of Instruction)
to follow. As Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu left behind Him the eight verses
known as Siksastaka, Rupa Gosvami gave us Upadesamrta so that we may
become pure Vaisnavas.
In all spiritual affairs, one's first duty is to control his mind
and senses. Unless one controls his mind and senses, one cannot make any
advancement in spiritual life. Everyone within this material world is
engrossed in the modes of passion and ignorance. One must promote
himself to the platform of goodness, sattva-guna, by following the
instructions of Rupa Gosvami, and then everything concerning how to make
further progress will be revealed.
Advancement in Krsna consciousness depends on the attitude of the
follower. A follower of the Krsna consciousness movement should become a
perfect gosvami. Vaisnavas are generally known as gosvamis. In
Vrndavana, this is the title by which the director of each temple is
known. One who wants to become a perfect devotee of Krsna must become a
gosvami. Go means "the senses," and svami means "the master." Unless one
controls his senses and mind, one cannot become a gosvami. To achieve
the highest success in life by becoming a gosvami and then a pure
devotee of the Lord, one must follow the instructions known as
Upadesamrta, which have been given by Srila Rupa Gosvami. Srila Rupa
Gosvami has given many other books, such as Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu,
Vidagdha-madhava and Lalita-madhava, but Upadesamrta constitutes the
first instructions for neophyte devotees. One should follow these
instructions very strictly. Then it will be easier to make one's life
successful. Hare Krsna.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Visvarupa-mahotsava
Krsna-Balarama Mandira
Ramana-reti
Vrndavana, India
TEXT ONE
vaco vegam manasah krodha-vagam
jihva-vegam udaropastha-vegam
etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah
sarvam apimam prthivim sa sisyat
vacah--of speech; vegam--urge; manasah--of the mind; krodha--of anger;
vegam--urge; jihva--of the tongue; vegam--urge; udara-upastha--of the
belly and genitals; vegam--urge; etan--these; vegan--urges; yah--
whoever; visaheta--can tolerate; dhirah--sober; sarvam--all; api--
certainly; imam--this; prthivim--world; sah--that personality; sisyat--
can make disciples.
TRANSLATION
A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind's
demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and
genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.
PURPORT
In Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.1.9-10) Pariksit Maharaja placed a number
of intelligent questions before Sukadeva Gosvami. One of these questions
was: "Why do people undergo atonement if they cannot control their
senses?" For instance, a thief may know perfectly well that he may be
arrested for his stealing, and he may actually even see a thief arrested
by the police, yet he continues to steal. Experience is gathered by
hearing and seeing. One who is less intelligent gathers experience by
seeing, and one who is more intelligent gathers experience by hearing.
When an intelligent person hears from the lawbooks and sastras, or
scriptures, that stealing is not good and hears that a thief is punished
when arrested, he refrains from theft. A less intelligent person may
first have to be arrested and punished for stealing to learn to stop
stealing. However, a rascal, a foolish man, may have the experience of
both hearing and seeing and may even be punished, but still he continues
to steal. Even if such a person atones and is punished by the
government, he will again commit theft as soon as he comes out of jail.
If punishment in jail is considered atonement, what is the benefit of
such atonement? Thus Pariksit Maharaja inquired:
drsta-srutabhyam yat papam
janann apy atmano 'hitam
karoti bhuyo vivasah
prayascittam atho katham
kvacin nivartate 'bhadrut
kvacic carati tat punah
prayascittam atho 'partham
manye kunjara-saucavat
He compared atonement to an elephant's bathing. The elephant may
take a very nice bath in the river, but as soon as it comes onto the
bank, it throws dirt all over its body. What, then, is the value of its
bathing? Similarly, many spiritual practitioners chant the Hare Krsna
maha-mantra and at the same time commit many forbidden things, thinking
that their chanting will counteract their offenses. Of the ten types of
offenses one can commit while chanting the holy name of the Lord, this
offense is called namno balad yasya hi papa-buddhih, committing sinful
activities on the strength of chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.
Similarly, certain Christians go to church to confess their sins,
thinking that confessing their sins before a priest and performing some
penance will relieve them from the results of their weekly sins. As soon
as Saturday is over and Sunday comes, they again begin their sinful
activities, expecting to be forgiven the next Saturday. This kind of
pruyascitta, or atonement, is condemned by Pariksit Maharaja, the most
intelligent king of his time. Sukadeva Gosvami, equally intelligent, as
befitting the spiritual master of Maharaja Pariksit, answered the King
and confirmed that his statement concerning atonement was correct. A
sinful activity cannot be counteracted by a pious activity. Thus real
pruyascitta, atonement, is the awakening of our dormant Krsna
consciousness.
Real atonement involves coming to real knowledge, and for this
there is a standard process. When one follows a regulated hygienic
process, he does not fall sick. A human being is meant to be trained
according to certain principles to revive his original knowledge. Such a
methodical life is described as tapasya. One can be gradually elevated
to the standard of real knowledge, or Krsna consciousness, by practicing
austerity and celibacy (brahmacarya), by controlling the mind, by
controlling the senses, by giving up one's possessions in charity, by
being avowedly truthful, by keeping clean and by practicing yoga-asanas.
However, if one is fortunate enough to get the association of a pure
devotee, he can easily surpass all the practices for controlling the
mind by the mystic yaga process simply by following the regulative
principles of Krsna consciousness--refraining from illicit sex, meateating,
intoxication and gambling--and by engaging in the service of the
Supreme Lord under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master. This
easy process is being recommended by Srila Rupa Gosvami.
First one must control his speaking power. Every one of us has the
power of speech; as soon as we get an opportunity we begin to speak. If
we do not speak about Krsna consciousness, we speak about all sorts of
nonsense. A toad in a field speaks by croaking, and similarly everyone
who has a tongue wants to speak, even if all he has to say is nonsense.
The croaking of the toad, however, simply invites the snake: "Please
come here and eat me." Nevertheless, although it is inviting death, the
toad goes on croaking. The talking of materialistic men and
impersonalist Mayavadi philosophers may be compared to the croaking of
frogs. They are always speaking nonsense and thus inviting death to
catch them. Controlling speech, however, does not mean self-imposed
silence (the external process of mauna), as Mayavadi philosophers think.
Silence may appear helpful for some time, but ultimately it proves a
failure. The meaning of controlled speech conveyed by Srila Rupa Gosvami
advocates the positive process of krsna-katha, engaging the speaking
process in glorifying the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. The tongue can thus
glorify the name, form, qualities and pastimes of the Lord. The preacher
of krsna-katha is always beyond the clutches of death. This is the
significance of controlling the urge to speak.
The restlessness or fickleness of the mind (mano-vega) is
controlled when one can fix his mind on the lotus feet of Krsna. The
Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 22.31) says:
krsna--surya-sama; maya haya andhakara
yahan krsna, tahan nahi mayara adhikara
Krsna is just like the sun, and maya is just like darkness. If the
sun is present, there is no question of darkness. Similarly, if Krsna is
present in the mind, there is no possibility of the mind's being
agitated by maya's influence. The yogic process of negating all material
thoughts will not help. To try to create a vacuum in the mind is
artificial. The vacuum will not remain. However, if one always thinks of
Krsna and how to serve Krsna best, one's mind will naturally be
controlled.
Similarly, anger can be controlled. We cannot stop anger
altogether, but if we simply become angry with those who blaspheme the
Lord or the devotees of the Lord, we control our anger in Krsna
consciousness. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu became angry with the miscreant
brothers Jagai and Madhai, who blasphemed and struck Nityananda Prabhu.
In His Siksastaka Lord Caitanya wrote, trnad api sunicena taror api
sahisnuna: "One should be humbler than the grass and more tolerant than
the tree." One may then ask why the Lord exhibited His anger. The point
is that one should be ready to tolerate all insults to one's own self,
but when Krsna or His pure devotee is blasphemed, a genuine devotee
becomes angry and acts like fire against the offenders. Krodha, anger,
cannot be stopped, but it can be applied rightly. It was in anger that
Hanuman set fire to Lanka, but he is worshiped as the greatest devotee
of Lord Ramacandra. This means that he utilized his anger in the right
way. Arjuna serves as another example. He was not willing to fight, but
Krsna incited his anger: "You must fight!" To fight without anger is not
possible. Anger is controlled, however, when utilized in the service of
the Lord.
As for the urges of the tongue, we all experience that the tongue
wants to eat palatable dishes. Generally we should not allow the tongue
to eat according to its choice, but should control the tongue by
supplying prasada. The devotee's attitude is that he will eat only when
Krsna gives him prasada. That is the way to control the urge of the
tongue. One should take prasada at scheduled times and should not eat in
restaurants or sweetmeat shops simply to satisfy the whims of the tongue
or belly. If we stick to the principle of taking only prasada, the urges
of the belly and tongue can be controlled.
In a similar manner, the urges of the genitals, the sex impulse,
can be controlled when not used unnecessarily. The genitals should be
used to beget a Krsna conscious child, otherwise they should not be
used. The Krsna consciousness movement encourages marriage not for the
satisfaction of the genitals but for the begetting of Krsna conscious
children. As soon as the children are a little grown up, they are sent
to our Gurukula school in Dallas, Texas, where they are trained to
become fully Krsna conscious devotees. Many such Krsna conscious
children are required, and one who is capable of bringing forth Krsna
conscious offspring is allowed to utilize his genitals.
When one is fully practiced in the methods of Krsna conscious
control, he can become qualified to be a bona fide spiritual master.
In his Anuvriti explanation of Upadesamria, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura writes that our material identification creates three
kinds of urges--the urge to speak, the urge or demands of the mind and
the demands of the body. When a living entity falls victim to these
three types of urges, his life becomes inauspicious. One who practices
resisting these demands or urges is called tapasvi, or one who practices
austerities. By such tapasya one can overcome victimization by the
material energy, the external potency of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
When we refer to the urge to speak, we refer to useless talking,
such as that of the impersonal Mayavadi philosophers, or of persons
engaged in fruitive activities (technically called karma-kanda), or of
materialistic people who simply want to enjoy life without restriction.
All such talks or literatures are practical exhibitions of the urge to
speak. Many people are talking nonsensically and writing volumes of
useless books, and all this is the result of the urge to speak. To
counteract this tendency, we have to divert our talking to the subject
of Krsna. This is explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.5. 10-11):
na yad vacas citra-padam harer yaso
jagat-pavitram pragrnita karhicit
tad vayasam tirtham usanti manasa
na yatra hamsa niramanty usikksayah
"Those words which do not describe the glories of the Lord, who
alone can sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are considered
by saintly persons to be like unto a place of pilgrimage for crows.
Since the all-perfect persons are inhabitants of the transcendental
abode, they do not derive any pleasure there."
tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavo
yasmin prati-slokam abaddhavaty api
namany anantasya yaso 'nkitani yat
srnvanti gayanti grnanti sadhavah
"On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions
of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc.,
of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of
transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the
impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such
transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard,
sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest."
The conclusion is that only when we talk about devotional service
to the Supreme Personality of Godhead can we refrain from useless
nonsensical talk. We should always endeavor to use our speaking power
solely for the purpose of realizing Krsna consciousness.
As for the agitations of the bickering mind, they are divided into
two divisions. The first is called avircdha-priti, or unrestricted
attachment, and the other is called virodha-yukta-krodha, anger arising
from frustration. Adherence to the philosophy of the Mayavadis, belief
in the fruitive results of the karma-vadis, and belief in plans based on
materialistic desires are called avirodha-priti. Jnanis, karmis and
materialistic planmakers generally attract the attention of conditioned
souls, but when the materialists cannot fulfill their plans and when
their devices are frustrated, they become angry. Frustration of material
desires produces anger.
Similarly, the demands of the body can be divided into three
categories--the demands of the tongue, the belly and the genitals. One
may observe that these three senses are physically situated in a
straight line, as far as the body is concerned, and that the bodily
demands begin with the tongue. If one can restrain the demands of the
tongue by limiting its activities to the eating of prasada, the urges of
the belly and the genitals can automatically be controlled. In this
connection Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says:
sarira avidya jala, jadendriya tahe kala,
jive phele visaya-sagare
ta 'ra madhye jihva ati, lobhamaya sudurmati,
ta 'ke jeta kathina samsare
krsna bada dayamaya, karibare jihva jaya,
sva-prasada-anna dila bhai
sei annamria khao, radha-krsna-guna gao,
preme daka caitanya-nitai
"O Lord! This material body is a lump of ignorance, and the senses
are a network of paths leading to death. Somehow or other we have fallen
into the ocean of material sense enjoyment, and of all the senses the
tongue is the most voracious and uncontrollable. It is very difficult to
conquer the tongue in this world, but You, dear Krsna, are very kind to
us. You have sent this nice prasada to help us conquer the tongue;
therefore let us take this prasada to our full satisfaction and glorify
Your Lordships Sri Sri Radha and Krsna and in love call for the help of
Lord Caitanya and Prabhu Nityananda." There are six kinds of rasas
(tastes), and if one is agitated by any one of them, he becomes
controlled by the urges of the tongue. Some persons are attracted to the
eating of meat, fish, crabs, eggs and other things produced by semina
and blood and eaten in the form of dead bodies. Others are attracted by
eating vegetables, creepers, spinach or milk products, but all for the
satisfaction of the tongue's demands. Such eating for sense
gratification--including the use of extra quantities of spices like
chili and tamarind--is to be given up by Krsna conscious persons. The
use of pan, haritaki, betel nuts, various spices used in pan-making,
tobacco, LSD, marijuana, opium, liquor, coffee and tea is indulged in to
fulfill illicit demands. If we can practice accepting only remnants of
food offered to Krsna, it is possible to get free from maya's
victimization. Vegetables, grains, fruits, milk products and water are
proper foods to offer to the Lord, as Lord Krsna Himself prescribes.
However, if one accepts prasada only because of its palatable taste and
thus eats too much, he also falls prey to trying to satisfy the demands
of the tongue. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us to avoid very palatable
dishes even while eating prasada. If we offer palatable dishes to the
Deity with the intention of eating such nice food, we are involved in
trying to satisfy the demands of the tongue. If we accept the invitation
of a rich man with the idea of receiving palatable food, we are also
trying to satisfy the demands of the tongue. In Caitanya-caritamrta
(Antya 6.227) it is stated:
jihvara lalase yei iti-uti dhaya
sisnodara-parayana krsna nahi paya
"That person who runs here and there seeking to gratify his palate
and who is always attached to the desires of his stomach and genitals is
unable to attain Krsna."
As stated before, the tongue, belly and genitals are all situated
in a straight line, and they fall in the same category. Lord Caitanya
has said, bhala na khaibe ara bhala naparibe: "Do not dress luxuriously
and do not eat delicious foodstuffs." (Cc. Antya 6.236)
Those who suffer from diseases of the stomach must be unable to
control the urges of the belly, at least according to this analysis.
When we desire to eat more than necessary we automatically create many
inconveniences in life. However, if we observe fasting days like Ekadasi
and Janmastami, we can restrain the demands of the belly. As far as
the urges of the genitals are concerned, there are two--proper and
improper, or legal and illicit sex. When a man is properly mature, he
can marry according to the rules and regulations of the sastras and use
his genitals for begetting nice children. That is legal and religious.
Otherwise, he may adopt many artificial means to satisfy the demands of
the genitals, and he may not use any restraint. When one indulges in
illicit sex life, as defined by the sastras, either by thinking,
planning, talking about or actually having sexual intercourse, or by
satisfying the genitals by artificial means, he is caught in the
clutches of maya. These instructions apply not only to householders but
also to tyagis, or those who are in the renounced order of life. In his
book prema-vivaria, Chapter Seven, Sri Jagadananda Pandita says:
vairagi bhai grumya-katha na sunibe kane
grumya-varta na kahibe yabe milibe ane
svapane o na kara bhai stri-sambhasana
grhe stri chadiya bhai asiyacha vana
yadi caha pranaya rukhite gaurungera sane
chota haridasera katha thake yena mane
bhala na khaibe ara bhala na paribe
hrdayete radha-krsna sarvada sevibe
"My dear brother, you are in the renounced order of life and should
not listen to talk about ordinary worldly things, nor should you talk
about worldly things when you meet with others. Do not think of women
even in dreams. You have accepted the renounced order of life with a vow
that forbids you to associate with women. If you wish to associate with
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, you must always remember the incident of Chota
Haridasa and how he was rejected by the Lord. Do not eat luxurious
dishes or dress in fine garments, but always remain humble and serve
Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Krsna in your heart of hearts."
The conclusion is that one who can control these six items--speech,
mind, anger, tongue, belly and genitals--is to be called a svami or
gosvami. Svami means master, and gosvami means master of the go, or
senses. When one accepts the renounced order of life, he automatically
assumes the title of svami. This does not mean that he is the master of
his family, community or society; he must be master of his senses.
Unless one is master of his senses, he should not be called gosvami, but
go-dasa, servant of the senses. Following in the footsteps of the six
Gosvamis of Vrndavana, all svamis and gosvamis should fully engage in
the transcendental loving service of the Lord. As opposed to this, the
go-dasas engage in the service of the senses or in the service of the
material world. They have no other engagement. Prahlada Maharaja has
further described the go-dasa as adanta-go, which refers to one whose
senses are not controlled. An adanta-go cannot become a servant of
Krsna. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.5.30), Prahlada Maharaja has said:
matir na krsne paratah svato va
mitho 'bhipadyeta grhavratanam
adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram
punah punas carvita-carvana-nam
"For those who have decided to continue their existence in this
material world for the gratification of their senses, there is no chance
of becoming Krsna conscious, not by personal endeavor, by instruction
from others or by joint conferences. They are dragged by the unbridled
senses into the darkest region of ignorance, and thus they madly engage
in what is called `chewing the chewed.' "
TEXT TWO
atyaharah prayasas ca
prajalpo niyamagrahah
jana-sangas ca laulyam ca
sadbhir bhaktir vinasyati
ati-aharah--overeating or too much collecting; prayasah--
overendeavoring; ca--and; prajalpah--idle talking; niyama--rules and
regulations; agrahah--too much attachment to (or agrahah--too much
neglect of); jana-sangah--association with worldly-minded persons; ca--
and; laulyam--ardent longing or greed; ca--and; sadbhih--by these six;
bhaktih--devotional service; vinasyati--is destroyed.
TRANSLATION
One's devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled
in the following six activities: (1) eating more than necessary or
collecting more funds than required; (2) overendeavoring for mundane
things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) talking unnecessarily
about mundane subject matters; (4) Practicing the scriptural rules and
regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of
spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the
scriptures and working independently or whimsically; (5) associating
with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Krsna
conscionsness; and (6) being greedy for mundane achievements.
PURPORT
Human life is meant for plain living and high thinking. Since all
conditioned living beings are under the control of the Lord's third
energy, this material world is designed so that one is obliged to work.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has three primary energies, or
potencies. The first is called antaranga-sakti, or the internal potency.
The second is called tatastha-sakti, or the marginal potency. The third
is called bahiranga-sakti, or the external potency. The living entities
constitute the marginal potency, and they are situated between the
internal and external Potencies. Being subordinate as eternal servants
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the jivatmas, or atomic living
entities, must remain under the control of either the internal or
external potency. When they are under the control of the internal
potency, they display their natural, constitutional activity--namely,
constant engagement in the devotional service of the Lord. This is
stated in Bhagavad-gita (9.13):
mahatmanas tu mam pariha
daivim prakrtim asritah
bhajanty ananya-manaso
jnatva bhutadim avyayam
"O son of Prtha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are
under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in
devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, original and inexhaustible."
The word mahatma refers to those who are broadminded, not crippleminded.
Cripple-minded persons, always engaged in satisfying their
senses, sometimes expand their activities in order to do good for others
through some "ism" like nationalism, humanitarianism or altruism. They
may reject personal sense gratification for the sense gratification of
others, like the members of their family, community or society--either
national or international. Actually all this is extended sense
gratification, from personal to communal to social. This may all be very
good from the material point of view, but such activities have no
spiritual value. The basis of such activity is sense gratification,
either personal or extended. Only when a person gratifies the senses of
the Supreme Lord can he be called a mahatma, or broadminded person.
In the above-quoted verse from Bhagavad-gita, the words daivim
prakrtim refer to the control of the internal potency, or pleasure
potency, of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This pleasure potency is
manifested as Srimati Radharani, or Her expansion Laksmi, the goddess of
fortune. When the individual jiva souls are under the control of the
internal energy, their only engagement is the satisfaction of Krsna, or
Visnu. This is the position of a mahatma. If one is not a mahatma, he is
a duratma, or a cripple-minded person. Such mentally crippled duratmas
are put under the control of the Lord's external potency, mahamaya.
Indeed, all living entities within this material world are under
the control of mahamaya, whose business is to subject them to the
influence of threefold miseries: adhidaivika-klesa (sufferings caused by
the demigods, such as droughts, earthquakes and storms), adhibhautikaklesa
(sufferings caused by other living entities like insects or
enemies), and adhyatmika-klesa (sufferings caused by one's own body and
mind, such as mental and physical infirmities). Daiva-bhutatma-hetavah:
the conditioned souls, subjected to these three miseries by the control
of the external energy, suffer various difficulties.
The main problem confronting the conditioned souls is the
repetition of birth, old age, disease and death. In the material world
one has to work for the maintenance of the body and soul, but how can
one perform such work in a way that is favorable for the execution of
Krsna consciousness?
Everyone requires possessions such as food grains, clothing, money
and other things necessary for the maintenance of the body, but one
should not collect more than necessary for his actual basic needs. If
this natural principle is followed, there will be no difficulty in
maintaining the body.
According to nature's arrangement, living entities lower on the
evolutionary scale do not eat or collect more than necessary.
Consequently in the animal kingdom there is generally no economic
problem or scarcity of necessities. If a bag of rice is placed in a
public place, birds will come to eat a few grains and go away. A human
being, however, will take away the whole bag. He will eat all his
stomach can hold and then try to keep the rest in storage. According to
scriptures, this collecting of more than necessary (atyahara) is
prohibited. Now the entire world is suffering because of it.
Collecting and eating more than necessary also causes prayasa, or
unnecessary endeavor. By God's arrangement, anyone in any part of the
world can live very peacefully if he has some land and a milk cow. There
is no need for man to move from one place to another to earn a
livelihood, for one can produce food grains locally and get milk from
cows. That can solve all economic problems. Fortunately, man has been
given higher intelligence for the cultivation of Krsna consciousness, or
the understanding of God, one's relationship with Him, and the ultimate
goal of life, love of God. Unfortunately, so-called civilized man, not
caring for God realization, utilizes his intelligence to get more than
necessary and simply eat to satisfy the tongue. By God's arrangement
there is sufficient scope for the production of milk and grains for
human beings all over the world, but instead of using his higher
intelligence to cultivate God consciousness, so-called intelligent men
misuse their intelligence to produce many unnecessary and unwanted
things. Thus factories, slaughterhouses, brothels and liquor shops are
opened. If people are advised not to collect too many goods, eat too
much or work unnecessarily to possess artificial amenities, they think
they are being advised to return to a primitive way of life. Generally
people do not like to accept plain living and high thinking. That is
their unfortunate position.
Human life is meant for God realization, and the human being is
given higher intelligence for this purpose. Those who believe that this
higher intelligence is meant to attain a higher state should follow the
instructions of the Vedic literatures. By taking such instructions from
higher authorities, one can actually become situated in perfect
knowledge and give real meaning to life.
In Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.9) Sri Suta Gosvami describes the proper
human dharma in this way:
dharmausa hy apavargyasya
nartho 'rthayopakalpate
narihasya dharmaikantasya
kamo labhaya hi smriah
"All occupational engagements [dharma] are certainly meant for
ultimate liberation. They should never be performed for material gain.
Replies