Lecture

The Nectar of Devotion

Prabhupāda: [Hindi] Hmm. 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."

Prabhupāda: 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 fighting—strike. 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... Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etat. There is a propensity of men, association with woman, mithunī-bhāvam etat. Everyone is trying to find out a man or woman. And when they unite, that attraction becomes tightly knot. Tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ [SB 5.5.8]. Hṛdaya-granthim. And then the economic impetus starts. Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ. Gṛha, home; kṣetra, land, or the office for earning money; gṛha-kṣetra-suta, children; friends, āpta; and vitta, money—in this way one becomes entangled in the so-called economic development. Dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa [SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90].

[Any person who desires the fruits of the four principles religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and, at the end, liberation, should engage himself in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for worship of His lotus feet yields the fulfillment of all of these.]

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-māninaḥ. Materially means this body. This body is matter, and I, the person who is living within the body, I am spirit. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe. Asmin dehe, dehinaḥ [Bg 2.13].

[As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.]

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-bhūtaḥ, 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 brāhmaṅas, 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 sofa—they 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 civilization—yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṅape tri-dhātuke [SB 10.84.13],

[One who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and air, who assumes his wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the land of his birth is worshipable, or who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never identifies himself with, feels kinship with, worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth—such a person is no better than a cow or an ass.]

because he is under the bodily concept of life. So what is this body? It is made of tri-dhātu: kapha, pitta, vāyu. So I am kapha-pitta-vāyu? No. I am different. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. 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 viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṅum [SB 7.5.31].

[Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a similar blind man attached to external sense objects, cannot understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and engage in the service of Lord Viṣṅu. As blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another materially attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labor, which are made of very strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life, suffering the threefold miseries.]

They do not know. That is the svārtha. Because, as it is said in the Veda, God... Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṅaṁ ca vidyate. He has nothing to work. God has nothing to work for His economic development. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṅaṁ ca vidyate. Na tasya sama adhikaś ca dṛśyate. And because He is God, nobody is equal to Him and nobody greater than Him. Sama adhikaś ca na dṛśyate, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8].

[The Supreme Lord has nothing to do. Nothing is equal to Him or greater than Him. He acts in different phases by manifesting His parts and parcels, which are all simultaneously differently situated by His unlimited, variegated potencies. Each potency acts quite naturally in sequences, providing Him full knowledge, power and pastimes.]

His energies are multi-energies, varieties of energies, and the energies are so perfect that svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca: everything is happening automatically.

So that is actually life. Why one should...? Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa is dancing with the gopīs, that's all. Why should He work? Why God should work? Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṅaṁ ca vidyate. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. So because we are part and parcel of God, Kṛṣṅa, 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. Kṛṣṅa 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? [laughter] But that is nonsense. He is nonsense. He does not know. Therefore the karmīs are called mūḍhas, 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 for..." 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? Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ [Bs 5.37].

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Rādhā, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company of Her confidantes [sakhīs], embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa.]

Just like Kṛṣṅa is displaying how He's happy with His cowherds boys, with the gopīs, with His father, with His mother. And those who are dependent on Kṛṣṅa, they are so confident. Just like the cowherds boys. Kṛṣṅa goes every day to the forest, and there is some demon comes, and simply the cowherds boy, "No, there is Kṛṣṅa. 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, Kṛṣṅa did this wonderful thing." The mother is also very appreciative: "Oh, our Kṛṣṅa is so nice. He can do wonderful. He must be some demigod," like that, gossiping.

So actually this is life. This Vṛndāvana life is actual life. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ [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 stop, 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 has 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 Bhāgavata. Then everything will be turned into ashes. And then there will be torrents of rain. So these are..., descriptions are there.

So it is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam [Bg 8.15].

[After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.]

This place, we are trying to live very comfortably in a place. That is not very good intelligence. Because Kṛṣṅa, the creator, He said, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam [Bg 8.15]. Mām upetya kaunteya...

Indian man: Punar janma na vidyate.

Prabhupāda: Punar jan...

Indian man: Punar janma na vidyate.

Prabhupāda: No, no, another is. Duḥkhālayaṁ nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṁsiddhiṁ paramām. So our aim should be how to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is the real mission of human life. Because after... Aśītiṁś cāturaṁś caiva lakṣaṁs tān jīva-jātiṣu. There are 8,400,000 species of life. After evolving, we have come to this human form of life. Tad apy viphalā jātaḥ. So if we do not understand Govinda, govinda-caraṅa-dvayam, then it is viphalā, it is simply misused. The modern civilization, they do not know this.

This Kṛṣṅa 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 Bhāgavata says, "Thank you very much, that you are doing your duty."

dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ notpādayed ratiṁ yadi śrama 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 Kṛṣṅa 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 Kṛṣṅa consciousness. If you are missing that point, the so-called duty is simply wasting...

dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ notpādayed ratiṁ yadi śrama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8]

[The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.]

So they do not know this. They are doing their... Everyone is engaged in his duty. They are not interested to hear about kṛṣṅa-kathā—that is the real business of life—because they are engaged in duty. Duty.

So why they do that? Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṅum [SB 7.5.31].

They do not know the real duty is to approach Viṣṅu, svartha-gatim, interest. They are thinking, "This is my interest." But real duty is svārtha-gatim. Everyone should be interested in his business, but the real business is, human life, that approach Viṣṅu. Tad viṣṅoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanty surayaḥ. Those who are actually advanced Āryans, their business is how to approach Viṣṅu. That is the Ṛg-mantra. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṅuṁ durāśayā [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 Kṛṣṅa consciousness. And durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Andhā yathāndhaiḥ. 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 Mahārāja 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 andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ [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.

ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā cakṣur-unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ [Gautamīya-tantra]

So our request is, therefore, that try to understand this Kṛṣṅa 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 Kṛṣṅa consciousness? If it is so important, why they do not take to it?" That is also explained by Prahlāda Mahārāja. Matir na kṛṣṅe parato svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām. Gṛha-vratānām. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṅānām [SB 7.5.30]. So matir na kṛṣṅe. 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 gṛha-vrata. So for such persons, gṛha-vratānām, 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.

What is that next verse, Prahlāda Mahārāja?

matir na kṛṣṅe parato svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram... [SB 7.5.30]

[Prahlāda Mahārāja replied: Because of their uncontrolled senses, persons too addicted to materialistic life make progress toward hellish conditions and repeatedly chew that which has already been chewed. Their inclinations toward Kṛṣṅa are never aroused, either by the instructions of others, by their own efforts, or by a combination of both.]

Adānta-gobhiḥ. 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 vṛṅīta tāvad. Naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim.

naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo 'bhiṣekaṁ niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṅīta yāvat [SB 7.5.32]

Matir na kṛṣṅe parato svato vā. Kṛṣṅe matiḥ, by personal endeavor, svataḥ, or by taking lessons from others... Just like we are preaching this Kṛṣṅa consciousness, attending meeting also, conference also. But still, matir na kṛṣṅe. But that can be achieved only, naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim, unless one surrenders to the mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo 'bhiṣekam.

Unless one surrenders to the dust of the lotus feet of pure devotee, Kṛṣṅa consciousness cannot be developed. It is not possible. That is the secret. Otherwise you go on attending thousands of meetings and bhāgavata-saptāha and so-called, I mean to say, sat-saṅga. Unless you surrender to a person... Tad viddhi praṅipātena paripraśnena sevayā [Bg 4.34].

[Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.]

Unless you surrender... This is a process of surrender. As soon as there is a lack of surrendering process, it is very difficult. Therefore Kṛṣṅa says, "Surrender." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66]:

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

"Surrender." So Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa's representative, one should surrender. Then kṛṣṅe matir bhavatu anyathā naiva. So matir na kṛṣṅe parato svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta. This was instruction of Prahlāda Mahārāja.

[aside:] Then next, read. What is that?

Pradyumna: "The material comforts of life are not sufficient to make us happy. The vivid example is America."

Prabhupāda: 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.

[aside:] Where is Śyāmasundara? Śyāmasundara has gone, huh?

So Śyāmasundara was going to purchase our things. So rice practically not available, nice quality. Dāl 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 vegetarian. 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."

Prabhupāda: Yes. And America, just the contrary. You can purchase any amount of milk, any amount of wheat, any amount of rice—whatever 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, pūrṅam idaṁ pūrṅāt pūrṅam udacyate [Īśopaniṣad, Invocation]. It is pūrṅam. Everything is complete. Just like nature, nature 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, prakṛti. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṅāni [Bg 3.27].

[The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.]

Prakṛti is producing, producing; prakṛti is reducing; and behind the prakṛti there is Kṛṣṅa. Mayādhyakṣeṅa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram [Bg 9.10].

[This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.]

So just become devotee of Kṛṣṅa and do your duty. Svanuṣṭhitaḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ [SB 10.14.3].

[Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.]

Then everything will be complete. There will be no scarcity.

This philosophy, they do not know. They want to... Like Kaṁsa, they want to make minus Kṛṣṅa. Like Rāvaṅa, they want to make minus Rāma. And the result is that with their all family, all their wealth and everything, material advance—vanquished, finished. That is prakṛti. Daivī hy eṣā guṅamayī mama māyā duratyayā [Bg 7.14].

[This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.]

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 kṛṣṅe parato svato vā. Parato svato vā. If we advise that "You take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness and act accordingly. You will be all happy," "No." Matir na kṛṣṅe parato svato vā. Because they have designed their own plan. So this is going on.

[aside:] 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..."

Prabhupāda: If you become devotee of Kṛṣṅa, all your desires will be fulfilled. That is also fact.

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhiḥ tīvreṅa bhakti-yogena yajeta paramaṁ puruṣa [SB 2.3.10]

It is not that... Sometimes we think like that, that "If we become devotee of God, then I'll become poor." Because Vaiṣṅavas are generally appear to be poor, so those who are after material happiness, they do not like to become Vaiṣṅavas. They become devotee of Lord Śiva, because by the grace of Lord Śiva they get all material facilities. Therefore generally people are very much fond of becoming devotee of Lord Śiva.

That..., this question was discussed between Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja..., not, Parīkṣit Mahārāja and Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquired this, that "Lord Viṣṅu is the master of goddess of fortune, but generally we find the Vaiṣṅavas are poor. And Lord Śiva, he hasn't got even a house, so still, his devotees are very prosperous." So the explanation was given that Lord Śiva is the master of these material opulences, Durgā-devī. Durgā-devī is his wife, the material nature. So devotees of Lord Viṣṅu..., er, Lord Śiva can get all material facilities.

And Lord Viṣṅu..., 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 Vaiṣṅava I shall be materially very opulent, opulented, and I shall enjoy this material enjoyment," then it is curtailed. That is explained in Bhāgavata and Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Yasyāham anugṛhṅāmi hariṣye tad-dhanam [SB 10.88.8].

[The Personality of Godhead said: If I especially favor someone, I gradually deprive him of his wealth. Then the relatives and friends of such a poverty-stricken man abandon him. In this way he suffers one distress after another.]

Because Viṣṅu 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 Kṛṣṅa, 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 Kṛṣṅa will give you, "All right. You take this work again." Even great, great yogīs, because they think of material comforts, they are called bhraṣṭa. Yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ sañjāyate. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatām. Although the facility is given to take birth in the family of high brāhmaṅa or a high, rich man, but it is material life. It is material life. And one who becomes perfectly Kṛṣṅa conscious, he hasn't got to. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti [Bg 4.9].

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

He is immediately transferred to Kṛṣṅa.

But people are enamored by this material life to have high parentage, janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī [SB 1.8.26].

[My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted, because one who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot address You with sincere feeling.]

They are enamored by these things. "I must have birth in high family, in brāhmaṅa 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-mahendrādiś ca kīṭāyate. What to speak of this rich family or that family or brāhmaṅa family? Vidhi-mahendrādiś ca kīṭāyate [Caitanya-candrāmṛta 5]. Even vidhi... Vidhi means Lord Brahma, and mahendra means Lord Indra. They are also considered, "What? They are insects, they're a pāpa 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. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. The jñānīs are after merging into the Brahman effulgence. A devotee thinks, "What is this Brahman effulgence?" Narakāyate tri-daśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate. And the heavenly planet, that is phantasmagoria. What is this? Durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate [Caitanya-candrāmṛta 5].

And the yogīs, they are trying to subjugate the indriyas. But for devotees, although the indriyas are just like serpent, the poison teeth has been taken away. Because the devotees' indriyas—hṛṣīkeṅa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam [Cc Madhya 19.170]—that is now differently engaged.

[Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.]

A devotees' indriyas are not engaged for sense gratification. His indriyas are engaged for satisfying Kṛṣṅa. Therefore the poison teeth of indriya is broken. This is the process.

Viśvaṁ pūrṅa-sukhāyate vidhi-mahendrādiś ca kīṭāyate yat-kāruṅya-kaṭākṣa-vaibhavavatām. This verse was written by one of your South Indian devotee of Lord Caitanya, Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī. So he, I mean to say, realized, yat-kāruṅya-kaṭākṣa-vaibhavavatāṁ taṁ gauram eva stumaḥ: "By the mercy of Lord Caitanya I have achieved this success." Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate tri-daśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate [Caitanya-candrāmṛta 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 brāhmaṅa, or... No. They don't want. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "No."

na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi [Cc Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4]

[O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife or fruitive activities described in flowery language. All I want, life after life, is unmotivated devotional service to You.]

This is devotee. This is pure devotion. They don't want anything. Therefore they are śānta. If you want śānta, 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 santa? There is no possibility. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta. Everyone... Bhukti means karmī, and mukti means jñānī and siddhi means yogī. They are wanting something.

So they cannot be śānta. Kṛṣṅa-bhakta niṣkāma ataeva śāntaḥ [Cc Madhya 19.149].

[Because a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṅa is desireless, he is peaceful. Fruitive workers desire material enjoyment, jñānīs desire liberation, and yogīs desire material opulence; therefore they are all lusty and cannot be peaceful.]

Kṛṣṅa-bhakta doesn't want anything. Kṛṣṅa... Kṛṣṅa-bhakta even does not want Kṛṣṅa even. He wants only Kṛṣṅa's service. That's all. "Why I shall bother Kṛṣṅa? Kṛṣṅa is busy in His own business. Let Him dance with the gopīs. I shall simply serve Him. That's all. Why shall I want Kṛṣṅa? Why shall I disturb Him?" This is devotion.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]