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Love the words of Sridhar swami
This plane of aggrandisement and exploitation cannot be the be-all and end-all of existence. “Exploit others and live.” That is suicidal in itself. Daily, civilisation and science are increasing the circumference of extortion of power from nature, taking a loan from nature, and that must be paid to the farthing. “To every action there is equal and opposite reaction.” This civilisation, wholesale, is a negative one. It is on debt from nature, and this debt must be paid back to the farthing.
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 1.13.47)
To maintain one body, thousands of bodies are to be sacrificed, and then only one body can stand. This is a filthy conception of life. It is suicidal in itself. So, this is no civilisation. It is not life. It a hateful form of life: at the cost of other beings, we are to maintain ourselves. “Thousands of lives must be sacrificed to maintain one.” This is a hateful conception of life. It is the plane of exploitation. Then there is the plane of renunciation, a negative reactionary plane, then there is the positive plane of service, of dedication. That is the really civilised position. The civilised position is to serve and live.
In the lower part of that plane, there is some consideration for oneself. Above that, the spontaneous and unconcerned enterprise of service in love holds the highest position in our conception. That is Goloka Vṛndāvan, and that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everyone is to exhaustively finish themself in the service of the Lord’s paraphernalia where Kṛṣṇa is king. That is the most laudable and high form of life, free from any form of consideration for oneself: to exhaustively give one’s whole self to the Absolute Good.
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 4.31.14)
To put food in the stomach is real help to the body, not to put food on other parts of the body. To pour water on the root of the tree is proper service to the tree, not to pour water on the branches and the leaves of the tree, ignoring the root. That is anti-harmony, anti-existence. The real conception of the Truth is sat-chit-ānanda [eternity, consciousness, and joy], satyam śivam sundaram [eternity, goodness, and beauty]. We cut off the root of these fundamental principles if we do not accept the plane of dedication.
Spontaneous dedication is the real interest of every unit in the organic whole. The real fulfilment of every unit, whatever it may and wherever it may be found, is in its highest sacrifice, and thereby it also thrives highly. This is the teaching of Mahāprabhu and Bhāgavatam. Give more and have more. Not only in quantity, but in quality. We must be conscious of quality. It must be ahaitukī, causeless. Without any calculation of any gain, give yourself desperately. Be desperate to give yourself, and you will also be the gainer in that line. Give and have. But giving must be to the highest centre. That, of course, is the only condition. Giving is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Srila B.R. Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj
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