Human Life is not for working hard like animals
June 21, 2009 by madhudvisa-dasa
Filed under Krishna Connect
“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.” (Bg. 2.13)
Unfortunately, this spiritual education is completely absent from modern human civilization. No one understands his real self-interest, which lies with the spirit soul, not with the material body. Education means spiritual education.
To work hard in the bodily conception of life, without spiritual education, is to live like an animal. These days people are working so hard simply for bodily comforts, without education regarding the spirit soul. Thus they are living in a very risky civilization, because the spirit soul has to transmigrate from one body to another. Without spiritual education, people are kept in dark ignorance and do not know what will happen to them after the annihilation of the present body. They are working blindly, and blind leaders are directing them.
A foolish person does not know that he is completely under the bondage of material nature and that after death material nature will impose upon him a certain type of body, which he will have to accept. He does not know that although in his present body he may be a very important man, he may next get the body of an animal or tree because of his ignorant activities in the modes of material nature. Therefore the Krishna consciousness movement is trying to give the true light of spiritual existence to all living entities. This movement is not very difficult to understand, and people must take advantage of it, for it will save them from the risky life of irresponsibility.
Materialists who work hard like dogs and hogs simply for sense gratification are actually mad. They perform all kinds of abominable activities simply for sense gratification. Materialistic activities are not at all worthy of an intelligent man, for as a result of such activities, one gets a material body, which is full of misery.
The purpose of human life is to get out of the threefold miserable conditions, which are concomitant with material existence. Unfortunately, fruitive workers are mad to earn money and acquire temporary material comforts by all means; therefore they risk being degraded to lower species of life. Materialists foolishly make many plans to become happy in this material world. They do not stop to consider that they will live only for a certain number of years, out of which they must spend the major portion acquiring money for sense gratification. Ultimately such activities end in death. Materialists do not consider that after giving up the body they may become embodied as lower animals, plants or trees. Thus all their activities simply defeat the purpose of life. Not only are they born ignorant, but they act on the platform of ignorance, thinking that they are getting material benefits in the shape of skyscraper buildings, big cars, honorable positions and so on. The materialists do not know that in the next life they will be degraded and that all their activities simply serve as their defeat.
Those who are blind about understanding the soul have got many thousands and thousands of subject matters for hearing. However all these subject matters are useless.
Human life is meant for understanding what I am, what is God and what is my relationship with God. That is the real purpose of human life. Otherwise, “Where is food?”, “Where is shelter?”, “Where is service?”, “Where is sex?”, these are the inquiries of the animals only. The hog also inquiring, “Where is stool? Where is stool?” The stool-eating hog is also working hard, “Where is stool? Where is stool? Where is stool?” Do you think that is very credable task, to work hard day and night for finding out where is stool? This is hog’s business.
At the present moment, modern civilization is going on, “Where is food?”, “Where is apartment?”, “Where is sex?” and “Where is defense?” But these are the inquiries of the animals. They are also searching “Where is food?”, “Where is shelter?”, “Where is sex?” and “Where is defense?”
The human life is meant for inquiring “Where is God?” That is human life. Not “Where is stool?” That is hog’s business. So we should not encourage this hog civilization. Hog civilization is to work hard day and night to find out where is food, where is shelter, where is sex, and where is defense. This is the wrong type of civilization. Human civilization means “Where is Brahman, the Absolute Truth?” “Where is God?” “What I am?” These are the inquiries of civilized human beings.
A human being should not work hard like dogs and hogs for sense gratification. Human life is especially meant for the revival of our relationship with the Supreme Lord, and to this end all kinds of austerities and penances should be accepted. By austere activities, one’s heart can be cleansed of material contamination, and as a result one can be situated on the spiritual platform. To attain this perfection, one has to take shelter of a devotee and serve him. Then the door of liberation will be open.
Those who are materially attached to women and sense gratification gradually become entangled in material consciousness and suffer the miseries of birth, old age, disease and death. Those who are engaged in the general welfare of all and who are not attached to children and family are called mahatmas. Those who are engaged in sense gratification, who act piously or impiously, cannot understand the purpose of the soul. Therefore they should approach a highly elevated devotee and accept him as a spiritual master. By his association, one will be able to understand the purpose of life.
Under the instructions of such a spiritual master, one can attain devotional service to the Lord, detachment from material things, and tolerance of material misery and distress. One can then see all living entities equally, and one becomes very eager to know about transcendental subject matters.
Endeavoring persistently for the satisfaction of Krishna, one becomes detached from wife, children and home. He is not interested in wasting time. In this way one becomes self-realized. A person advanced in spiritual knowledge does not engage anyone in material activity. And one who cannot deliver another person by instructing him in devotional service should not become a spiritual master, father, mother, demigod or husband.
In the conditioned state, under the influence of maya, the materialist is thinking so many nonsense things, “I belong to this family, I belong to this nation, I belong to this community, this is my business,” he simply forgets Krishna consciousness. All other business, he will remember, but when he is requested to become Krishna conscious, to understand Krishna, he doesn’t like it. Except Krishna consciousness, he will take all responsibility and work hard for that purpose.
To get to our original, spiritual position we must perform tapasya. Tapasya means to revive our original normal life of Krishna consciousness. This tapasya is not possible by the cats and dogs or animals. Tapasya is meant for the human being.
Why is a man given a better chance to live than pigs or other animals? Why is a highly posted government officer given better facilities for a comfortable life than an ordinary clerk? The answer is very simple: the important officer has to discharge duties of a more responsible nature than those of an ordinary clerk. Similarly, the human being has to discharge higher duties than the animals, who are always busy with filling their hungry stomachs. But by the laws of nature, the modern animalistic standard of civilization has only increased the problems of filling the stomach. When we approach some of these polished animals for spiritual life, they say that they only want to work for the satisfaction of their stomachs and that there is no necessity of inquiring about the Godhead. Yet despite their eagerness to work hard, there is always the question of unemployment and so many other impediments incurred by the laws of nature. Despite this, they still denounce the necessity of acknowledging the Godhead.
There are four classes of men—the karmis, the jnanis, the yogis, and the bhaktas—and each achieves a different goal. The karmis work for some material profit. For example, in the city, many people work hard day and night, and their purpose is to get some money. Thus, they are fruitive workers, or karmis. A jnani is a person who thinks, “Why am I working so hard? The birds, bees, elephants, and other creatures have no profession, yet they are also eating. So why should I unnecessarily work so hard? Rather, let me try to solve the problems of life—birth, death, old age, and disease.” Jnanis try to become immortal. They think that if they merge into God’s existence, then they will become immune to birth, death, old age, and disease. And yogis try to acquire some mystic power to exhibit a wonderful show. For instance, a yogi can become very small: if you put him into a locked room, he can come out through any little space. By showing this kind of magic, the yogi is immediately accepted as a very wonderful man. Of course, modern yogis simply show some gymnastics—they have no real power. But a real yogi has some power, which is not spiritual but material. So the yogi wants mystic power, the jnani wants salvation from the miseries of life, and the karmi wants material profit. But the bhakta—the devotee—doesn’t want anything for himself. He simply wants to serve God out of love, just as a mother serves her child. There is no question of profit in a mother’s service to her child. Out of pure affection and love, she cares for him.
So our Krishna consciousness movement is teaching people that “You have no other business than to work for Krishna. That’s all.” This is Krishna business. This is called Krishna consciousness business. That is called the highest perfection.
“Why I am working so hard day and night for simply for sense gratification, for satisfying the tongue, to fulfill the belly, and satisfy the genital? This is my business and the same thing is being done by the dogs and hogs?”
When one comes to understand, “Shall I work like the cats, dogs, and hogs, or do I have another business?” this is human life. Unfortunatly the modern civilization means keep them in the darkness, “Let them work hard like hogs and dogs, and don’t give them any knowledge.” All of them are working like hogs and dogs. They do not know there is something else. This is the position.
They do not know, and also their so-called leaders do not know, what is the perfection of the human form of life. They think, “This is life: work like hog and dog, and then die like hog and dog, finish all business.” This is not human life.
Therfore Krishna says they are mudhas, asses, rascals. And if we repeat Krishna’s words, the rascals, they become angry. Actually they are rascals. We plainly say. Because he does not know. If I ask him, “What is your next life?” he cannot answer. Then what is the difference? If I ask the dog that “What is your next life?” he cannot say. “Gow! gow!” That’s all. So if I ask any human being that “What is your next life?” and he replies “I don’t bother about that thing.” It is the same answer as the dog, “Gow! Gow!” That’s all.
The rascals are thinking “If I don’t work hard, how shall I satisfy my senses? At night I must have this intoxication, this woman, this club, this If I don’t work hard how shall I get this enjoyment?” But this kind of enjoyment is available to the hogs. It is not very good type of enjoyment, sense gratification. The hogs are enjoying by eating stool and having sex without any discrimination, don’t care for mother, sister So this kind of sense gratification civilization is there amongst the dogs and hogs, but human life is not meant for that.
Human life is meant for tapasya, austerity, so that human life you can stop your repetition of birth and death and come to your eternal life and enjoy blissful eternal life of knowledge. That is the aim of life. Not that “Never mind if we become dogs and hogs in the next life.”
They have been educated so that if a university student is informed that “If you live irresponsibly, then you may become a dog next life,” so they say, “What is wrong if I become a dog?” This is the result of modern education. He doesn’t care. He is thinking, “If I get the life of a dog, I will have no restriction of my sex life, as a dog I will be able to have sex life on the street.” That’s it. He is thinking that is advancement. “If now in the human body there is restriction, then in the dogs body there is no restriction, I will get sex life on the street, that is better.”
Here in this material world you cannot get food without any labor. Just see. These laborers here, they have come. Whole day they are working. But if I say that “Why you are working so hard? Come here, live here with us, take a little prasadam, and make progress in Krishna consciousness,” nobody will come. Nobody will come. “No, no. I am very happy here working hard all day.”
The human form of life is not meant for that purpose, to work so hard. Actually, we do not want to work hard. That is our tendency. But we want more profit for sense gratification. Therefore we utilize other’s service, who will work for me, and I shall take the profit. This is the defect of the modern civilization.
Actually, when a man gets some money, he does not work very much. He takes some profit, either keeping in the bank some balance, and lives in a comfortable place. That is the tendency. Because we are spiritual entities, our natural tendency is to enjoy life. Spiritual entities means by nature they want to enjoy life. That is the spiritual nature.
As Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is by nature joyful, similarly, we being part and parcel of Krishna, we are also by nature joyful. But unfortunately, we have been put into such condition, material condition, that we are trying to enjoy life in this material condition. That is not possible. So the materialists are trying their best to make material adjustments and enjoy life. They are called karmis. But when they are wiser, that “We have worked so hard, but actually we could not enjoy life. Then what is the problem of life?” that is the platform of the jnanis and the yogis.
Sometimes we are accused that we’re escaping labor, we are parasites, we are dependent on the society. We are not dependent on the society; we are dependent on Krishna. Krishna is supplying us this nice building, nice food, nice opportunity. Not only one—we have got hundreds of buildings like that, without any labor. We are not working like these laborers. Just see. I went to your country with forty rupees, and now I have got forty crores of property. So I did not work like them. Yes. The people are bringing money. Krishna is sending money, daily one to five lakhs of rupees. So this is Krishna consciousness. Why one should work hard? Human life is not meant for that. Take Krishna’s shelter. Krishna will supply everything.
Yes, nice article. We are spirit souls part and parcel of Krsna and really have nothing to do with the external mater. The corporations do not want anyone to actually know this and work hard only for the profit someone else. Keep them in ignorance leading to a dangerous result in the present and the future. Its strange to think that one places themselves as the center instead of Krsna as the actual progress of de-evolution of modern society. The real technology is being conscious of Krsna, that all unlimited energy’s come forth from Krsna and are his including our self’s. Its very easy to see through the smoke screen, once one takes up the actual process of self realization Krsna Consciousness, that the leaders are blind and are leading the blind. That’s very easy to deduce that they are breaking the principals and using technology to rapidly crank out sinful karmic reactive activity. Slaughter houses, brewery’s, Casinos, Medical and Drug company’s to alleviate ones suffering due to sinful activity which are all unclean and unhealthy even from the material perspective, as well as producing things that have already been in use for thousands of years already.
Rocanadeva
The article is very good and inspiring. I can pick some of the comments from this article and preach to new people..
Amazing article,
We could see the different classes of men.
Serve god out of love
Hare krishna
Revered Maharajji,
It is indeed a nice article that I have enjoyed to the fullest extent.
It has been my earnest desire to stop working for money. I have been praying God to enable me to serve him only.
I would be extremely happy if you could please urge the Almighty Krishna to bless me with truth and only truth.
With respectful pranams,
Debasish
With this teaching it has been discussed that, all human beings should do their karma (it could be their daily job, business, or what ever they do) without expecting result. Dedicate yourself and your job and everything to Krishna and he will get you the best for you
Namaste Madhudvisa Prabhuji.
First of all let me congratulate you for that Brihat Mridanga that you’re playing, which is like the discovery channel of the Hare Krishnas.
In regards on this article the point is not what we have but what we are, this is the real value.
In the beginning when you were looking for translators for the dvds of Srila Prabhupada I felt motivated but it was not possible for me to join this group something I be sorry.
I sent you an essay entitled “God is Light” for the purpose of seeing if you like. If it is so, I would like them you include on your page as an article. My fear is that the English language that I use be incomprehensible. I learned English by reading Srila Prabhupada’s books but I think I have a lot to learn yet. If you agree I need your review and corrections. Feel free to make any changes and corrections where necessary, either to cut copy and paste, add, erase, etc. This work is yours. As the American say “make my day.”
That kind of readings is almost at the level of pure chanting of Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, the source of all light, all knowledge and all truth, Krishna.
I have another article called “Take me to Vrindavana” That I wrote some 15 years ago, and I want to translate it into English to send you. This is a conversation between a guest and Prabhu Das, who spoke from the most basic knowledge of Krishna consciousness towards a description of the spiritual world, where at the end Lord Krishna spokes you personally.
I’m living now in Margarita island in the Caribbean with my three sons, Nitay, Gopal and Syam, 16, 14 and 12 years respectively. They are devotees from the birth and never has gone to any school because they know that the smallest knowledge of Srila Prabhupada is worth more than many years of study in karmis schools.
I hope you be fine and ecstatic in Krishna conciousness.
Receive a big hug, your servant Goura.
I loved the article. It seems that the world is always looking for that something else that will bring them happiness, complete, and unending. For those who have sought, and found GOD, the search is over, He is that something else. I love practicing KC, it is my way of Life, and I enjoy it too the fullest. Hare Krishna
Really nice article!!!!!
Hare Krishna!
Hare Krishna,
Dearest Madhudvisa-Dasa ji
your article is really great and strong support to develop Krisna C.
I dont know much about the neccesity of working hard day and night to earn, but everybody near me tries to convince me about this hard work.
I have doubt now: dont you accept the fact tnat one has to work hard in this age to survive onself, since there is strong competition among the educated people and if we dont work day and night we will be thrown out of company and we even become unable to provide ourself with basic requiremnt like food and shelter?
i shall be grateful to you if cud provide me some idea on this problem of life,
thank you so much.
Hare Krishna Sushmita
This is an artificial and hellish type of life. Work hard day and night for the company to get money so you just have enough money to pay for rent and food. This is actually worse than animal life and it is what all the schools and colleges all over the work are brainwashing the people to think.
As you point out nowadays the people actually think that if they do not work hard day and night for the company they will starve,
But actually human life is not at all meant for this. Human life is meant for making spiritual advancement so that at the time of death our consciousness will be on Krishna and we will go back home, back to Godhead, instead of taking another birth in this miserable material world.
Actually our necessities are supplied by Krishna. It is not that we have to work for the company to get them.
You know in India still 80% of the people live in villages and they are not generally working for the company. They have some land and some cows and some bulls and they cultivate the land and produce food and build simple houses from the materials that are available locally. And they have time to cultivate spiritual life.
So we need to realize that this so-called modern society is actually worse than animal life and we need to reject this way of life and live a more simple lifestyle that does not require us to work hard day and night for the company, but rather gives us the time we need to practice spiritual life.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
What can be done when I do realize what is being said here is true and want to practice it that way, but family members do not agree and rather try to convince me out of it. ?I want them to realize too, but my speaking will only antagonize them so I try my best by keeping mum and maintaining peace.
However; I sometimes feel that my bad karmic reactions have led me into such situations and to avoid any further bad reactions, it is best to suffer this out and not argue over this.
Yes. We can not force others to understand Krishna consciousness.
There are ten offenses in regard to chanting the Hare Krishna maha mantra. One of them is “Preaching to the faithless persons.” So it is not at all recommended that we preach to people who do not have at least a little faith that the things we are saying may be true. When you come across people like this who are negative it is better not to preach to them at all. You can offer them some prasadam and they will hear you chanting Hare Krishna and maybe they may read one of Prabhuapada’s books, but if they do not want to hear from you about Krishna you should not try and force them to hear you. They will just become offensive.
So we should find favorable people to preach to. And there are plenty of innocent, favorable people out there who are very happy to hear something about Krishna from us.
So you should practice the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra yourself and speak about it to other people you meet who are interested to hear about it. And you will find many people who want to hear you speak about Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
great article. sarcastic but so very inspiring and true..
Jay Shri Krishna
Dear Maharaj,
Please accept my humble obeiscans. I thank for the wonderful article. It has really be a blessing not only to my life but to the lives of my siblings, friends and my wife too.
Pls Maharaj, I want you to help me to really detach myself from all the sense gratifications and learn how to serve Lord Krishna well. Thank you. Hare Krishna
Bhakta Emmanuel Tandoh
i have a doubt. if u say that human life is not meant for working hard like animals then krishna himself says in bhagavadgita that work is worship. according to what i have read he says whatever you are doing do it with utmost sincerity but don’t be attached to it. i don’t think he asks us not to work hard. he asks us to work but in a detached manner. for example arjuna never sat in one place meditating to attain salvation. even he worked hard to be one of the greatest warriors and yet attained salvation. because he did his duty. his duty was to fight like a kshatriya and win his battle. my conclusion is we’ll have to work hard at times but be detached to it. if we are asked to leave working then we should not be shocked. as the saying goes ‘work is worship’. we can also worship krishna by working sincerely and in a detached way. a software engineer can think he is worshipping krishna by creating softwares and do his work. his work will also be done well and he will also get the satisfaction of worshipping god. but if he is sacked out of his company then he should not feel deppressed. he should think maybe krishna wants me to worship him in some other way and start thinking of another work. we dont have to leave all our works and chant hare krishna. that is quite impractical. we can keep doing our work and yet advance spiritually. it all depends on ones’s mind set
Prabhu, this is a misunderstanding. “Work is worship.” Krishna never says such a thing.
One has to perform his duty and be detached from the results.
So if you are a householder then you have to work to support your family. That is your duty and you have to perform your duty without attachement. But performing that duty is not worship. The only way that such work can be worship is if instead of using the fruits of the work [ie your salary] for yourself and for your family, you use the money for worshiping Krishna.
We have to be honest here. If you are working hard for a software company you are working for the money. So the only way that work can be worship is if you use the money you are working for to worship Krishna. If you simply work for money and then use the money for maintaining yourself and your family then there is no worship there at all.
But Krishna does not advise giving up work. For one has to work. But he advises working and using the fruits of the work [the money you get from the work] for worshiping him.
Human life is not at all meant for working hard for some US software company or call center and using the money to support a comfortable lifestyle for oneself and his family…
Human life is meant for finding the answers to the real problems of life: birth, old age, disease and death. Human life is meant for ending the cycle of samsara, the cycle of birth and death…
We need to work in this life in such a way that we always remember Krishna and never forget Krishna so that at the time of death also we will remember Krishna and then as Krishna promises in the Bhagavad gita: “Whatever state of consciousness one has at the time of quitting his body, that state he will attain without fail…” If you are working for the US software company and always meditating on their programs and the bugs in them, what is the chance that you will remember Krishna if you happen to have a heart attack because of the stress and deadlines and very long hours they are forcing you to work? The chance that you will remember Krishna in such a situation is practically zero…
Life is not meant for working hard 24 hours a day for a US software company…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Prabhu Ji,
It is indeed a very thought provoking article. More i read it more realization
comes that we really don’t have to work hard. Simply our life, have minimum need,so we have time to inquire about our ” Real work- Working for Krishna & sincerely trying to please Him.
Prabhu JI, i beg to know from you how to keep & practice it daily. Sometimes
there is no enthuiasm, Spritual life becomes secondary.
Aricle mention about performing tapsya,austersity.
People who are coming from the background, where “4 Regluative principles’ are way of living, really don’t pefrom any tapsya & stilll don’t improve in spritual life.
Could you instruct them about some activities they must do to improve.
We try to do on our own, but after a while forget.
coming from you will make them to do it.
Thanyou so much for helping so many fallen soul.
Hare Krishna Prabhu Ji,
It is indeed a very thought provoking article. More i read it more realization
comes that we really don’t have to work hard. Simply our life, have minimum need,so we have time to inquire about our ” Real work- Working for Krishna & sincerely trying to please Him.
Prabhu JI, i beg to know from you how to keep & practice it daily. Sometimes
there is no enthuiasm, Spritual life becomes secondary.
Article mention about performing tapsya,austersity.
People who are coming from the background, where “4 Regluative principles’ are way of living, really don’t pefrom any tapsya & stilll don’t improve in spritual life.
Could you instruct them about some activities they must do to improve.
We try to do on our own, but after a while forget.
coming from you will make them to do it.
Thank you so much for helping so many fallen soul.
Reply
Hare Krishna Meera
Krishna consciousness is very rare actually. Many claim to be devotees of Krishna, and are of course devotees of Krishna to some degree. But to actually find someone who is “Krishna conscious” is rare. A Krishna conscious person is always conscious of Krishna. He always remembers Krishna and never forgets Krishna. He does not do anything except serve Krishna. He does not speak anything except about the topics of Krishna, the glorification of Krishna, Krishna katha, and he does not eat anything which is not first offered to Krishna by devotees with love and devotion.
So rather than trying to tell others to become Krishna conscious we had better become Krishna conscious ourselves. If we decide to do something ourselves then it is within our power to do it. But it is not within our power to make others do something. What we need to do is become Krishna conscious ourselves and by our association, by our successful devotional service, others will also automatically be inspired to try for pure devotional service.
Really we have to change our life completely and adjust everything so that we can always remember Krishna and never forget Krishna.
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna,
I am not a householder Prabhuji, i am an 18 year old college going girl. i’m sorry if i made any mistake by thinking the way i have replied in my previous post. so the right thing is we have to work hard but but not be attached to the results. but the duty of a married man is to take care of his wife and children. if he works hard to get a good salary so that he can take good care of them and not use anything for his own and thinks that this is the way he worship god will he be wrong? i am not understanding this exactly. how are we supposed to work for this material world and yet advance spiritually?
Hare Krishna Archana
Really every family man is working very hard to get money to take good care of his family. Even the animals are doing this also. Working hard for the family members. In itself this is not spiritual life. It is service to the family, not service to Krishna. It is however the duty of a family man to work to support his family. So for a family man not to work to support his family is sinful.
This work can be spiritualised if in the home the business is to worship Krishna. So if the Deity of Krishna is installed in the house and all the members of the house are engaged in spiritual activities, worshiping the deity, chanting Hare Krishna, respecting Krishna prasadam, then the man can work hard at work to get money to worship Krishna at home. That work then becomes a transcendental work, worship of the Lord. Because the purpose of his house is to worship Krishna.
So we need to transform our lives like that.
Every family man is working very hard to get money for his family and the sad thing is that no matter how much money he gets, no matter how hard he works, the family will never be satisfied. They will always want more. That is the nature of the material world. No matter how much money we get we will never be satisfied unless it is spiritualised like this, instead of working for money for the family he can work for money so the family can worship Krishna…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Quote from BG 12.6-12:
But those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, having fixed their minds upon Me, O son of Pṛthā — for them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.
Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt. My dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without deviation, then follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga. In this way develop a desire to attain Me. If you cannot practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga, then just try to work for Me, because by working for Me you will come to the perfect stage. If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness of Me, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated. If you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind.
Hare Krishna Maduvisa Dasa Ji,
Just one point I want to make. I consider myself a relatively rich man and I have amassed my wealth by working hard( By God’s Grace). I do have a small temple in my house with Radha and Krishna Deities. Ofcourse I do pray every morning before going to work and in the evening after coming back from work and also offer some food to Radha and Krishna Deities but thats about it. I am very much attached to my family ie my wife and my children, close friends and family as well. But I spend atleast 30%-35% of my yearly income on buying food for poor children, poor family, donate some money to specific charities, etc and what I have noticed that the 30%-35% I spend, I get nearly double that back in monetary terms every year. What I have also noticed that I only spend a very little fraction of my money offering food to Krishna but I think somehow Krishna is happy with and he givs me more wealth. So am I right in saying that as long as I think about Krishna and do more Charity work I can advance spiritually?
Hare Krishna Bhavesh
Thank you for your very interesting question. There are two types of work. A materialist works very hard and he is very attached to the fruits of his labor and wants to use these for his own sense gratification and the sense gratification of his family and also maybe extended for his society, for the country or even the whole world. This is all materialistic and on the bodily platform of life. A devotee, on the other hand, also works, but he works for Krishna and he is not attached to the fruits of his labor.
A materialist may be pious or impious. A pious man believes in God and feels that he should do something to help his fellow beings. So if he becomes wealthy he naturally wants to perform some welfare work to help those who are less fortunate than himself. An impious man does not believe in God and is completely selfish and greedy and is simply working for his own sense pleasure and also maybe extended to his family, society, etc.
The way you are describing your life is that you are a pious materialist. You believe in Krishna and worship Krishna, but there is some attachment there and some thought that if you worship Krishna and give in charity then Krishna will be pleased with you and your business will be more successful and you will make more profit. You also understand that whatever charity you give will come back to you with interest in the future. And this is true. Pious acts generate good karma and as a result of that good karma you will be prosperous and successful in the future from the material point of view. And by worshiping Krishna and offering Krishna bhoga then Krishna will be happy with you and you will get His blessings.
However a pure devotee does not want to become entangled in Karma, even in good karma. The pious acts you are doing mean that the people who benefit from your gifts become obliged to you and in some future life they will have to come back and give some benefit to you in return. Which means you also have to come back to the material world to receive that benefit which they owe you. Because of the pious activities you are performing you may get a very good birth in a high planet and a very comfortable life, but a pure devotee is not satisfied with any position in the material world, even if he is promoted to the platform of Lord Brahma.
There is suffering everywhere in the material world, even on Brahmaloka. There is birth, old age, disease and death everywhere. And you will see in the Vedas that also there are many wars going on between the demigods and demons even in the heavenly planets. So you will not find any peaceful place in the material world.
Therefore a pure devotee wants to live his life in such a way that he does not generate any karma, good or bad, and he wants to spend his time and energy serving Krishna. Of course for a family man he has the responsibility to support his family and he has to work for this. But this sort of work is not for the entire life. The Vedas prescribe that at the age of 50 a man should retire from family life and take to the Varnaprastha ashram. By the age of 50 or a bit later there should be some sons who can take over the business and look after the family and the devotee can leave home, at this stage his wife can accompany him also, and they can visit all the holy places of pilgrimage and live their lives simply for the service of Krishna. At this varnaprastha stage all material life is left behind and there is no more sex life between husband and wife and the purpose of life is changed from maintaining the family and the business to reestablishing one’s forgotten eternal loving relationship with Krishna.
This family attachment and business attachment has to be given up. Otherwise at the time of death if we are still very much attached to our family and our business then naturally at the time of death we will think of family members and the business and that will cause us to take birth in the material world again for another life of suffering the various miseries and ending in death…
So the summary is what you are doing is OK but when you are 50 or a bit older the Vedic culture instructs you to leave everything in the hands of some qualified son, and dedicate the rest of your life to becoming Krishna consciousness.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
If every body do krishna concisiness then no body in the society will be left out to do any work then there will be no organization or business then we will like ancient civilization .
It is not that we are suggesting that people do not work. Everyone has to work to maintain the body. But not the crazy hard work of the modern technological society that consumes practically the whole energy of the living entities leaving them no time or energy to fulfill the real mission of life, spiritual advancement.
The bodily necessities should be simplified and the work for the maintenance of the body reduced so that the bulk of one’s time can be spent in making spiritual advancement.
And the work can also be spiritualized. If instead of working hard for ourselves we work hard for Krishna that then becomes a transcendental activity.
And in any case it will not happen that everybody will become Krishna conscious. Krishna consciousness can not be understood or accepted by everyone. If one is attached to the material world he can not understand Krishna. So you need not worry if a few devotees dedicate their lives to serve Krishna that the whole society will fail…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
PAMHO
Dear Madhudvisa:
I am still waiting for your next email
since june 28 2009 you stopped sending emails
what happened?
I like them a lot
Yours Faithfully
Mario
I, too, have not received any Krishna Connect e-mails for the last 10 days or so. I miss them.
Thanks a lot to post such an interesting article…but I have a question…
If human life is not for working…how will we pay our live debts???
According to the Bhagavad Gita, we humans are born with debts and we must repay those debts.
If we just think in how to grow spiritually, how will we be able to back to Godhead, without repaying our debts…is there any way we can repay our debts and also be with Krishna Consciousness???
As a human being, don’t we have some responsibility toward parents, teachers, nature how gives us food, etc?
Hare Krishna Bhumika
Our real debt is to Krishna. Everything here in this world is created out of the energy of Krishna. The air that we breath at every moment is provided by Krishna, the sunlight that we need for our existence is provided by Krishna. We can not even take a single breath without the help of Krishna. For everything we are in debt to Krishna. And really this is the only debt we need to repay.
We are all servants of Krishna and becoming Krishna conscious means realizing all of the bodily and family relationships we have accepted in this world are temporary and false. Our real relationship is with Krishna. And that is eternal. In this life you have a mother and a father and a few brothers and sisters, and in your last life you had a different set of mother, father, brothers, sisters, and the previous life a different set again. In this way you have lived millions and millions of births and each time had a different set of family members and friends. So these people are only with you for a moment and then they will be switched for a completely different set after death.
The example is given that there are some twigs floating down a river and for a short time the twigs are together and then there is some turbulence in the river and the twigs are separated, never to meet again.
So it is like that with our family members and friends and teachers, etc. We are only with them for a moment and then they will be gone and we will never meet them again.
Therefore our real business is to reestablish our eternal relationship with Krishna and repay our unlimited debts to Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Your holiness,
Madhudvidasa
I do no understand the concept that without working hard, how will we get money which is the necessity of today’s life.If there were no labourers how would we get a house to live in? If there were on businessmen,or servicemen how would Krishna give the daily donations of lakhs of rupees on daily bases.Even for Krishna Conciousness, we need money.So in a way we are using that money which is earned by working like dogs!Please explain.
Hare Krishan Nanda
The way we are living in the “modern” world is far from ideal.
That is why Srila Prabhuapda wanted to start an “International Society for Krishna Consciousness” where the members would not have to work hard like cats and dogs just for getting food and shelter but they can instead spend their time working for Krishna.
The idea is to work for Krishna. That is what Krishna suggests in the Gita and ultimately we need to adjust our lives so we can work for Krishna…
For devotees who really want to work for Krishna Krishna will make some arrangement to provide for their material necessities. You need not worry about this. There are so many animals and they are not starving, they are eating, they have the place to sleep, all their necessities are supplied without working hard day and night in the factory or office.
So if Krishna is supplying all necessities for the animals even, He will surely supply the necessities for His devotees who are His surrendered servants. It requires some faith, that is all…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
How to get Krishna consciousness even while working. Without doing any work will it not lead a person’s mind to become idle.
We have to work for Krishna.
That is the point, devotional service.
Instead of working for someone else we should work for Krishna…
Hare Krishna Prabhuji,
I go through all your newsletters, and i must say i literally relish them, i really take them as it is and dont have any kind of queries regarding them and i have a very much clear concept about krishna consciousness.
i follow the 4 regulatory principles and chant the Hare Krishna mantra, its absolute peace . But prabhuji i have a request, i have been downloading your Bhaghvad Gita podcasts but i received only upto chapter 2 part 1 could you please help me with next podcasts . Actually i also read Bhaghvad Gita as possible , but as it is said that it is more beneficial to hear Bhaghvad Gita from a devotee himself , so i request you to please help me as possible .
your unfeigned servant,
Gaurang Patil.
Hare Krishna Gaurang Prabhu
Thank you for your encouragement. I will try to restart the Bhagavad Gita podcasts in the upcoming weeks. But do not let that stop you studying the Gita. You are a devotee of Krishna and if you read Srila Prabhuapda’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is aloud you will also be hearing from a devotee of Krishna, yourself, and you will get the full benefits, do not worry.
I always read Srila Prabhuapda’s books aloud and find that I get a lot more benefit in this way. So please try this and see what you think.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Prabhuji,
Please accept my humble obedience.
Eagerly awaiting next news letter.
Hare Krishna,
I’m working in Bahrain.From this topic I think you mean that no need to work.Only chanting is good for life.I also like it.But how is it practical?B’kos we want atleast food for survival.what you mean by that?please clear my doubts?
Yes. Everyone has to work.
The point of the article is that work like this, very hard, for simply getting food and shelter, is not the purpose of life.
The purpose of life is to elevate our consciousness so that at the time of death we go to a better place.
Still work has to be there for everyone. But not all the time. There has to be time in your life for the spiritual search, which is the most important thing.
Yes I also believe in that.Inorder to chant we need to survive.That’s what I mean.
Your holiness Madhudvisa dasa,
I had submitted a post regarding this article, but i didnt get your answer, nor am i getting any e-mails from you.
Piease reply and start mails as they are very interesting.
Hare Krishna Nanda Prabhu
I apologize that I did not reply to your post. Thanks for the encouragement. I will restart the Krishna Connect emails this week.
Madhudvisa dasa
is every struggle i am having in this life now karma for example depression hare krsna thanking you
helen
Hare Krishna Helen
Depression is mainly due to a heavy atmosphere or the tension in ambience. It is important the environment in which you perform, the atmosphere should be clean and so our minds will also be clean. Both can be cleaned by the chanting of the holy names of God.
Srila Prabhupada said that all health problems come from food. It says “Tell me what you eat and I’ll tell you who you are.” You are what you eat. The Bhagavad Gita 6, 17 the lord Krishna say; “He who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.”
PURPORT BY SRILA PRABHUPADA:
Extravagance in the matter of eating, sleeping, defending and mating — which are demands of the body — can block advancement in the practice of yoga. As far as eating is concerned, it can be regulated only when one is practiced to take and accept prasādam, sanctified food. Lord Kṛṣṇa is offered, according to the Bhagavad-gītā (9.26), vegetables, flowers, fruits, grains, milk, etc. In this way, a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness becomes automatically trained not to accept food not meant for human consumption, or not in the category of goodness. As far as sleeping is concerned, a Kṛṣṇa conscious person is always alert in the discharge of his duties in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and therefore any unnecessary time spent sleeping is considered a great loss. Avyartha-kālatvam: [Cc.Madhya 23.18-19] a Kṛṣṇa conscious person cannot bear to pass a minute of his life without being engaged in the service of the Lord. Therefore, his sleeping is kept to a minimum. His ideal in this respect is Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, who was always engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa and who could not sleep more than two hours a day, and sometimes not even that. Ṭhākura Haridāsa would not even accept prasādam nor even sleep for a moment without finishing his daily routine of chanting with his beads three hundred thousand names. As far as work is concerned, a Kṛṣṇa conscious person does not do anything which is not connected with Kṛṣṇa’s interest, and thus his work is always regulated and is untainted by sense gratification. Since there is no question of sense gratification, there is no material leisure for a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And because he is regulated in all his work, speech, sleep, wakefulness and all other bodily activities, there is no material misery for him.
I hope this help and refer to the following address
http://krishna.org/psychology-can-therapy-and-drugs-save-us-from-stress-and-depression/
HI, it’s a very nice post. But I have a doubt. Krishna said in Gita that a person must do his duties, he must work (but he must work without expecting results). But in this posts you say that we musn’t work very hard. Isn’t it a bit contradictory? Can you please help me in this matter
thanks
It is not that we are saying on “must not work very hard.” That is not the point at all. The point is one should not simply work hard like the animals to fulfill the demands of the body for eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Animals do only four things, they eat, the sleep, they mate and they defend.
So if we, as humans, spend our life working very hard to eat nicely, to sleep nicely in a big costly apartment, to get a beautiful wife to have sex with, and once we have all these things to work hard to defend our family and our things, then we are no better than the animals.
Human form of life is not for this. Hard work for eating nicely, sleeping nicely, having sex nicely and defending nicely. No. Human form of life is for serving Krishna. So we can work very hard for serving Krishna.
These days practically I am working very hard. From four in the morning till ten at night stopping for lunch only really. But I am not working for comfortable eating, nice sleeping arrangements, sex or defense. I am working for Srila Prabhuapda, for Krishna. So you can work as hard as you like for Krishna. But to waste your life working hard for eating, sleeping, mating and defending means you are simply living like and animal and the danger is that if you live like an animal your next birth will be in an animal’s body and you will have lost the great chance of this human form of life.
It is only in the human form of life that we can ask the valuable questions like “Who am I?” “Where did I come from?” “Why am I here?” “What happens after death?” “What is the purpose of life?” The only value of the human form of life is that we can ask questions like this and get the answers. Other things, eating, sleeping, sex and defense, we can do in the animal bodies even better than we can do them in human bodies.
So I think you get the point. We should not waste this human form of life working hard for sense gratification.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
To Madhudvisa Dasa
i am(sunil) sorry not to respond to your letter, please excuse me if i dissapointed you. since i did not responded you doesnot mean that i haven’t read your mails or comments from others…………
mails on krishna’s knowledge is great and making me realize and assess my self that how i lived my childhood and what i am going through now, because through these mails on krishna’s knowledge allowed me remember my past experiences, so iam thank full for your service…………..
i would be more happy if you keep sending me more emails on this knowledge and now i am ready for eam as well, hope you will read my comment……
wish you long life in krishnas knowledge……..
thanking you
sunil
I have been following the valued articles for quite sometime. I am not thinking of a big business man or a software engineer who amass money for self-gratification or material comforts. They are the blessed life in this materialistic world. Think of a comman man with bear minimum earnings, to support the family who follows the footsteps of their parentage. They live and die, yet cannot think of God Almighty or what would befall on them in the next birth. Not that they are not aware of the supreme Godhead. They infer that it it is there fate and God wished them to live so. God is certainly aware of such beings, They, are self satisfied in their lifetime.Is this the God’s wish?
Anyone can think of God, no matter what position he is in. Everyone has to work even to maintain his body. While working he can think of God. Why not? Our position in this life is not God’s wish, but it is a result of our karma. It is a result of the activities we have performed in our previous lives. But being poor and living a simple life is not at all a disqualification for becoming God conscious. Rather a simple farmer may be a very great devotee while a big “successful” professional making a big salary may be completely distracted from spiritual life and may be a complete materialist.
Hare Krishna!!
This article is an eye opener. it is a mirror of modern human being. i must thanx to you that some way or the other iam getting Krishna’s Blessing throug your teachings which are like drops from The Ocean Of Nectar.
This article is indeed a magic to which i was like mesmerised. Each word has something to say something to teach.
Keep on writing such Newsletters on how to live in this Modern World amidst so many realtionships and work and still in The Consciousness of Krishna!!
Hare Krishna ,
This article is indeed the very picture of human society today .
Actually , for almost all of the people living in the society today enjoying the material comforts more than others has become a sign of superiority .
But this is not the case . Its because of krishna’s will they are thinking like that .
the same goes with people who are not able to enjoy material comforts be it good food , sex or sleep .
its happening because of pure will of krishna.
so one should not be very depressed or feel very joyful because of material nature of life.
Everything that is happening is because of krishna’s will .
Hare Krishna, dear Madhudvisa Prabhu!
The article really calls people for stopping working like hogs and dogs, wasting precious time given to us for self-realization. My view of modern society is this: people are just blind, this is so obvious. If one starts speaking about God, birth and death, about our responsibility in this life, no one will listen. But still my heart is full of hope and happiness when some of my dear people accept certain things.
Thank You very much.
hi sir,
its been since sep 11 i havent recieved any of the mail from you.
kindly mail your letters to me so that i remain in touch with Krishna through your mails.
Why, from his own point of view, and apart from general humanitarian considerations, should anyone care what happens in future incarnations, since, if I understand correctly, those will be different personalities?
Hare Krishna Forrest
No. The person remains the same. It is still you in your next incarnation. It is just like going to sleep. In the morning you wake up. In one sense your body is different from the body you went to sleep in. But you are still the same person when you wake up in the morning. So death is like that. Going to sleep and waking up in the womb of your next mother. It is a continuation of the same person, the same personality. So it would not be very intelligent for you to not care about what happens to you tomorrow. So an intelligent person will care what will happen to him in his next life.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hi sir
hari bol madhu ji
i am vary impressed with this article, no doubt man is running after materialistic things, gathering comforts of life, when ask they say this also the result of good karmas they have done in previous life, and also the wish of god krishna… any how i believe that a person should work hard but also remember god who give him such luxury in life… must remember god… but no he is after wrong deeds, may god krishna give them subudhi.
hi
I see on the top of my comment is writen “is awaiting for moderation”what does it mean?,then I thought may be I shouldn’t write anything here,
actualy many years ago I left Iscon ,after 10 years,the spiritual master was died and our teacher also left the movement,but the reason for me was that:I felt this movement prefer hindu to Islam and I heard they consider Islam impersonalist and also so cheap
….
anyway I left this movement but
,once I was in frustration I felt one voice came out from me ,it was harekrishna mantra , so deep and amazing relation with this mantra apeared and since then althouh I don’t like to read Prabhupad’s books or any association with Iranian devotees ,this mantra has come in my life again.I know you are devotee of god but I don’t know if I can write here or not.because actualy I have closed this movment in my mind except harekrishna mantra ,
thanks
THANKYOU MADHUDVISA FOR YOUR WONDERFUL ARTICLES..
MAY YOU HAVE LORD KRSNA’S GRACE ALWAYS….
Hare Krishna
Thank you for your very knowledgfull articles, it really make differce in my life. Awaiting your next e-mail.
When I chang Hare krishna my mind is not concentrated on Krishna, it goes around thinking on food, work, family, sex, etc. I
Can you chanting be accepted by Krishna if you have these thinking while chanting?
How can one can concentrate on Krishna only? Thank you
Your krsna connect mails are very interesting… I would like to read about the life in Goloka Vrindavan, where the enlightened liberated souls live away happily serving the Supreme Personality. What sort of Universe is that? Are there flora and fauna there? I would like to have a descriptive read of the whole Goloka Vrindavan so that I can visualise it when I chant the MahaMantra !!
I am entangled in work for social causes, and for survival also. But I can clearly see the point of the writings. Having still a child to raise all by myself, I do not see it easy to put it into practice at the moment. But, these writings are touching me deeply. I recognize their truth, and they are helping me work towards that goal fo simplifying.
Thank you, Madhudvisa for you kind feeding of our spirits.
hare krishna
It has been 2 months since i started going to the rhadakrishna temple in durban south africa. Im guilty of doing all the wrong such as meat eating,intoxication etc..i did find however that i do nt want red meat anymore. I believe that my daily chanting to krishna has ensured that.
However im finding it extremely difficult to detach from the materiak world,also i attend the weekly sunday programme but feel very out of place since im not an iniated devotee. How do i seek a spiritual master?
HARE KRISHNA PRABHUJI,
I LIKE YOUR ARTICLE VERY MUCH. I WANT TO ASK YOU RELATED TO THIS ARTICLE.IAM WORKING FOR CALL CENTER.IUSE TO CHANT SIXTEEN ROUNDS I HAVE DEITY OF RADHAKRISHNA AT HOME. I STILL FOLLOW THOSE RULES OF WORSHIPING DEITIES T HAVE FINISHED READING GITA AS IT IS ,SRIMAD BHAGVATAM, N SIAM ABOUUT TO COMPLETE MY READING OF CAITANYA CARITAMRIT.MY PROBLEM IS THAT,BCOZ SOME TIMES THERE IS OVERTIME AT WORK PLACE AND I CUDNT DO MY SIXTEEN ROUNDS THERE IS GAP N SOME EVEN I AM NOT ABE TO WORSHIP THE DEITIES BCOZ OF WORK PRESSURE. SUDDENLY I FELT SICK. I HAD LEAVE FOR 1 MONTH FROM MY JOB. IN THAT PERIOD MAY BE ITS KRISHNAS ARRANGEMENT. I WAS ABLE TO WORSHIP DEITEIS EARLY MORNING BY CLEANIN THA ALTAR N DRESSING DEITEIS.DECORATINF WITH FRAGRANT FLOWERS. OFFERING ARATI AS WE DO IN ALL ISKCON CENTER.OFFERING BHOGA AS BREKFAST.LUCH AND DINNER TO DEITIES.IN AFTERNOON I USE DO MY CHANTING 16 ROUNDS N READ PRABHPAD BOOK. I GOT SUCH WONDERFUL TASTE BY DOING THIS I FEEL I SHUD LEAVE THIS JOB N SIMPLY ENGAGE WHOLE DAY IN KRISHNA SERVICE VCOZ OF THIS JOB I WONT BE ABLE TO CONCENTRATE ON KRISHNA.IF I LEAVE JOB WILL KRISHNAPROVIDE ALL NECCESITIES. MONEY WHICH I SPENT IF MY BANK BAL GETS OVER THEN AGAIN I HAVE TO WORK.IWANY GET RID OF THIS JOB SIMPLY WORSHIP DEITY N CHANT 16 ROUNDS SO DURING DEATH I WILL THINK OF KRISHNA ,I WORKED FOR 10 YEARS NOW I AM VERY HABITUATED TO THIS PROCEES OF DEVOTION PLEASE REPLY.
Wonderful. I wish that I could embrace God rather than work hard. Oddly I have enough money to work less but I still work hard. I can not quite find the balance. I am going to try to come to your temple sometime. I would especially like to chant. I think kirtan is different than your arati - right?
thanks
Mark
nohunger@yahoo.com