Whatever good thing it will deteriorate

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.14.14

November 16, 1971, Delhi

Prabhupāda:

śrī munaya ūcuḥ

nṛpa-varya nibodhaitad

yat te vijñāpayāma bhoḥ

āyuḥ-śrī-bala-kīrtīnāṁ

tava tāta vivardhanam

(aside:) You can close this door. So irresponsible government. It is not now—such

things happened in long, long days ago also. That is the nature of this material world,

that everything deteriorates. Whatever good thing you may prepare, in due course of

time, it will deteriorate. That is the nature of material nature, that something is

produced which in the beginning it goes on nicely, then gradually it deteriorates.

Influence of time, and then vanish. So even in religious movement, if there is

materialistic motive, then it will deteriorate. It will not stand. So beginning of religious

life should be without any material motive. Pure devotion means anyābhilāṣitā-

śūnyaṁ [Brs. 1.1.11], no material motive. Generally, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-

gītā, people go to the temple and the churches or any religious..., synagogue, with a

material motive. Ārto arthārthī. Generally they are in need of money or they are
unhappy somehow or other, and they go to God, Kṛṣṇa, or according to their religious

principle, and pray for material benefit. But that is also accepted as good, because they

are approaching Kṛṣṇa, or God. But that is not pure devotion. If such material motive

continues, then he will fall down from that devotional service. Because as soon as his

distress is mitigated, he will think that there is no more need of worshiping. Naturally

he forgets. Just like rich man. A rich man becomes rich not very easily, with great

austerity either in this life or in the past. But when he gets money, he becomes

extravagant and again falls down. Similarly, we may go to Kṛṣṇa in times of distress, but

as soon as the distress is gone, we forget Kṛṣṇa.

There is a very nice verse in Hindi that duhk se sab hari bhaje,

sukh se bhaje (?), sukh se agar hari bhaje, dukh ahan se hoi (?). Generally people take

to devotional service when they are in materially distressed condition. The rich men,

they do not care for it. But if a rich man takes care that "I have got this money by the

grace of Kṛṣṇa. I must use it for Kṛṣṇa," then he will never be unhappy. He will never be

unhappy. Because after all, whatever we get, it is by the grace

of Kṛṣṇa. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1]. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. So by

His favor we get opulence, riches, but when we are opulent we forget Kṛṣṇa,

because māyā is very strong. Māyā will detect, "Oh, you have got so much money, why

don't you enjoy wine and woman?" As it is going on in European and American

countries, anyone who gets money, he utilizes it for wine and woman. He has no other

engagement. He does not know how to utilize money. Therefore, now the British

Empire, we have seen it practically, how opulent British Empire was and now how they
are coming down. Recently we have seen in London that people are lying down on

bench. So this is the nature. Luxury leads to poverty. So we should be very much

careful. Don't think that "Because I am now initiated, I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, now

everything is guaranteed. Now I shall do whatever I like." No. Then it will deteriorate.

We should not utilize this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement for any material purpose. Then it will

fall down. Either the man will fall down or the status will fall down. As it has become in

India. Practically they have lost all spiritual interest, although India is the country for

spiritual advancement of life. So either individually, collectively, socially, or politically,

if we forget God, Kṛṣṇa, then it is sure to deteriorate. But foolish people, they do not

know this. They think that "Our good days will go on like this," as the Britishers

thought. I give the example of the Britishers because I have seen in my life how opulent

were these Britishers, and I have seen now in London how they are dwindling.

Everywhere.

So such thing happened some long, long years ago in the family

of Dhruva Mahārāja. Dhruva Mahārāja was a great devotee, and his family members

also were great devotees, but gradually they deteriorated. And one king, whose name

is Mahārāja Vena, he was so extravagant just like demon. This also happened due to his

mother. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. His mother was born not of a very

good father, so she inherited the nature of this bad father, and her son also inherited

the nature of his mother. But the king, the father, was very pious, as it should be. So

with his son's behavior, he became so much disgusted that he left home without any

notice. So the king's son, Vena, Mahārāja Vena, he was installed on the throne, but he
behaved very badly, and the prajā, or the citizens, were very much unhappy. So the

great sages and saintly persons approached the king, because the king is supposed to be

directed by saintly persons. And they are advising, nṛpa-

varya nibodha etad yat te vijñāpayāma bhoḥ. "My dear King, whatever we are

speaking to you, kindly hear it with attention." Āyuḥ-śrī-bala-

kīrtīnāṁ tava tāta vivardhanam: "If you kindly hear our advice, then you will live

long." A pious man lives long. Impious man dies very soon. Even one who is pure

devotee, he can prolong his duration of life more than what is destined for him.

Everyone has got a destination that "This person will live for so many years, this person

will live for so many years." But a pure devotee as a yogi can increase the duration of

his life. Similarly, a pure devotee, although he does not artificially try to increase the

duration of life, by God's grace his duration of life is increased. He is... A pure devotee

is no longer within the rules and regulation of material nature. Brahma-

bhūyāya kalpate. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-

bhūyāya kalpate [Bg. 14.26]. Māṁ ca 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate.

Anyone who engages himself in pure devotional service, avyabhicāreṇa, he is no longer

under the rules and regulation of this material nature. Brahma-bhūyāya kalpate.

So the sages address the king that "Kindly hear our instruction and your duration of

life will be increased." Not only duration of life, śrī-bala-kīrtīnāṁ. Śrī means beauty.

Unless you are healthy, there will be no beauty of your body. So duration of life

increased means he is healthy and, therefore, he should look bright and beautiful. Śrī-

bala, strength, and kīrtīnāṁ. And if one is actually advanced in spiritual life or if one is
actually religious, then his fame also increases. He doesn't require to advertise himself,

but if he is pious, if he is devotee, automatically his fame will be expanded. Just like

there is one very nice example, Śrī Mādhavendra Purī. Mādhavendra Purī was going

to..., from this Vṛndāvana. Mādhavendra Purī. Perhaps you do not know the story

of Mādhavendra Purī. Mādhavendra Purī was a great devotee in this Gauḍīya-

sampradāya, and in this Govardhana, there was Gopāla covered by dirty and jungles

and trees. So the Gopāla... When Mādhavendra Purī was in Vṛndāvana, the Gopāla in

dream expressed Himself, "Mādhavendra Purī, I am very much suffocated. I am

covered by this dirt and jungles. Please re-excavate Me from this condition and install

Me in the temple." So Mādhavendra Purī, with the help of villagers, he excavated the

earth and found this Gopāla mūrti. And this Gopāla mūrti was installed by the help of

the villagers very luxuriantly. For so many days there was festival. That is the way of

installing Deity. At least for seven days there must be festival. So after some

days, Mādhavendra Purī was informed in dream that "Since I was long within the

earth, My body is very much heated. So you kindly bring some sandalwood

from Jagannātha Purī and smear all over the body the pulp of sandalwood, then I shall

be happy."

So Mādhavendra Purī was very old man at that time, and it is order of Gopālajī, so

he started for Jagannātha Purī. On the way there is a Gopīnātha temple in Orissa, on

the border of Orissa and Bengal in the district of Dantarn(?), that is called Danta(?). So

he stayed there overnight and he saw that the Gopāla..., Gopīnāthajī was offered kṣīra,

seven pots of kṣīra. So Mādhavendra Purī thought within himself, "If I could taste a
little kṣīra, then I would also make such kṣīra to offer my Gopāla in Vṛndāvana." Then

again he thought that "Oh, I am so stupid that before offering to the Deity I am

thinking of eating it." He thought himself to be very much culprit, and he immediately

left the temple, "No, I shall not. I am committing offense." It is an offense. Therefore,

when you bring bhoga for the Deity, it should be covered so that we greedy men may

not see it and try to taste it. Kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs, they sometimes do that. Sometimes

they take away something before offering to the Deity. These are great offenses.

So Mādhavendra Purī thought it that he was a great offender; he should not live in this

temple, he should go outside. So he went outside, and underneath a tree he was

chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, just to pass over the night, then proceed

toward Jagannātha Purī. So at night the Deity, Gopīnātha, was asking the pūjārī, the

priest, that "I have kept one pot of kṣīra behind My back garment," pitavastra(?) "So

you take this pot of kṣīra, condensed milk, to Mādhavendra Purī—he is sitting

underneath a tree—and offer him." So the pūjārī wake up, and actually when he opened

the door of the Deity room, he found that pot of kṣīra. So he could understand that

"This Mādhavendra Purī is not an ordinary devotee, he is a great devotee; otherwise

how the Lord has stolen this pot for him?" Since then, that Gopīnātha is famous

as Kṣīra-corā Gopīnātha. Kṣīra-corā Gopīnātha, the Gopīnātha who stole the kṣīra for

His devotee.

So He is known as thief, Kṣīra-corā. He is famous as a great thief. Still people go to

see Him, how nice this thief is. That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and ourself. When

we are thief, we are beaten by shoes. And when Kṛṣṇa is thief, He is worshiped by
devotees. Just like Kṛṣṇa is worshiped as Raṇacora, who left the war field. When a man

leaves the war field, he is called coward. But Kṛṣṇa, everyone knows for pastimes He left

the war field. It was in the Gujarat province. Kṛṣṇa as the Raṇacora who left the war

field. That is cowardice; still He is worshiped. That is absolutism. Kṛṣṇa in any

condition, He is Kṛṣṇa. Either as Kṣīra-corā Gopīnātha, or as a taunter to the gopīs, or

any way in the material world which is abominable. But when Kṛṣṇa does it, because He

is absolute, it is good. That is absolutism. You cannot accuse Kṛṣṇa that "Oh, You have

done like this." Whatever He has done, it is right. So just last evening one boy was

criticizing Kṛṣṇa that "Why Kṛṣṇa makes this distinction stri-śūdra-vaiśya as pāpa-

yoni?" So this is Godlessness, that we dare to criticize Kṛṣṇa. We should not

criticize Kṛṣṇa. But those who are unaware of Kṛṣṇa's position, they do, we have to

inform them rightly what is the right thing. So actually Kṛṣṇa says that even the stri-

śūdra-vaiśya, they are also elevated to the highest position if they take the shelter of

the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-

yonayaḥ [Bg. 9.32]. The pāpa-yoni, the pious man or impious man, that is

consideration of this material world. So long we are in this material world, there must

be "this is good" and "this is bad." Although there is nothing good in this material

world—everything is bad—but we have concocted some formulas that "This is good and

this is bad." Caitanya-

caritāmṛta, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja says, dvaite bhadrābhadra sakali samāna. In the

material world, bhadra-abhadra, anything bhadra and abhadra, good and bad, they

are simply mental concoctions. There cannot be anything good. Just like a man
suffering from some disease lying on the bed, a friend goes and ask him, "My dear

friend, how you are feeling today?" He can say, "Yes, I am feeling today all right." What

is that all right? He is lying on the bed and he is taking medicine, and so many

discomfitures are there, and still he says, "I am all right." So in the material world, this

prosperity, so-called prosperity, is not prosperity, because the next life I do not know

what is going to happen. And the next life is there. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-

doṣānudarśanam [Bg. 13.9]. Therefore learned man, he sees always that "My

happiness..., what is the value of this happiness? I will have to die, I will have to accept

old age, I will have to suffer from disease. And as soon as I die, again I will have to

enter into the womb of a particular mother to take birth again." So where is the

happiness? In the womb of the mother to live for ten months in a very awkward

position—we have forgotten—that is not very happiness.

So our point was that this Mādhavendra Purī, when he got that pot of condensed

milk, kṣīra, and the priest praised him, "Oh, you are such a great devotee that Kṛṣṇa has

stolen for you this earthen, I mean to say, the condensed milk. So you take it." And he

bowed down before him, took his dust of the lotus feet. Then Mādhavendra thought

that "Now I have got this pot of condensed milk, next morning it will be advertised, and

people will come in throng to congratulate me. So better leave this place immediately."

That means he did not want to be advertised as a great devotee. He left, but

immediately as he reached Jagannātha Purī, the news was already there, and every

man came to congratulate him, "Oh, Mādhavendra Purī, you are so great devotee

that Kṛṣṇa has stolen this condensed milk. We have heard it." So the point is that a
devotee, even he does not know, does not want advertisement, Kṛṣṇa advertises

him. Kṛṣṇa advertises him without his intention. Kṛṣṇa wants to see that his devotee is

very much advertised as a devotee. Therefore, when Caitanya Mahāprabhu was talking

with Rāmānanda Rāya that "Who is the most famous

man?" Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired, asked this question from Rāmānanda Rāya. He

answered, "He is the most famous man who is known as a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa. He is

the most famous man."

So here, kīrti, fame, reputation. If one is religious, one is devotee, his reputation also

increases, his strength of body also increases, his beauty increases, his duration of life

increases. This is the purport. Āyuḥ-śrī-bala-kīrtīnāṁ tava tāta vivardhanam. "The

saintly persons said, 'My dear King, if you kindly follow our instruction, then these

things will increase: your duration of life, your beauty of body, your strength, and your

reputation.'" So what is that instruction? He says,

dharma ācaritaḥ puṁsāṁ

vāṅ-manaḥ-kāya-buddhibhiḥ

lokān viśokān vitaraty

athānantyam asaṅginām

He said that every man should execute his particular duty of life. That is

called dharma. Now, we manufacture our duty, that is another thing, but according

to śāstra, just like Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-

vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg. 4.13]. Duty means according to this cātur-varṇyaṁ, four varṇas and

four āśramas. That is called dharma, sādharma. The brāhmaṇa must execute his
brahminical duties, a kṣatriya must execute his kṣatriya duties, similarly vaiśya,

a śūdra, a brahmacārī, a gṛhastha, a vānaprastha, sannyāsī. That is called dharma.

This is material dharma, this is not spiritual dharma. Material dharma means so long

we are under the concept of this body, there are certain duties. That is called

material dharma. Just like we eat, this is also one of the duty, because if I don't eat,

then I shall die. But what kind of food I shall eat, that is described in the śāstra, that

sattvic, rajasic, tamasic bhojana. So if we follow the instruction of the śāstra, dharma-

śāstra ... They are called dharma-śāstra, the regulative principles. There are twenty

kinds of dharma-śāstra, just to regulate because every one of us come to enjoy this

world. Just like government rules and regulation. Suppose you are selling liquor. The

thing is bad, but because people want it, government gives license that you can sell for

the drunkard but under these rules and regulations, not freely. Similarly, the living

entities, all the conditioned souls who have come here in this material world, their real

purpose is how to enjoy this material world. They have no other purpose. Because a

living entity is not enjoyer, he is servitor. But when he wants to enjoy, he is sent into

this material world. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha kare. Because we are part and

parcel of Kṛṣṇa, our only duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa. There is no other duty.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa demands, sarva-

dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. We have no other duty,

just to serve Kṛṣṇa. But when we forget our position, constitutional position, and we try

to enjoy this material world, that is called materialistic way of life or conditioned life.

So just like drinking. Drinking is not good. Nobody supports. But when a drunkard is

persistent to drink, the government gives him some concession, "All right, this man will
die without drinking. All right. You can take your liquor from that shop, licensed shop,

and you can purchase under such a condition, 'You do not do this, do not do this,' "

there are so many regulations. But there is no such restriction for eating rice

or dahl, because that is not bad. The bad thing... Just like slaughterhouse.

Slaughterhouse is not open to the public. It is done in a secret place so that people may

not see. It is ghastly. So anything bad, that is licensed, licensed. Just like sex life. Sex

life is also not very good thing. Therefore, the license is marriage. If you want to enjoy

sex life, all right, take this license, marriage, not beyond that. Then you will be criminal.

That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-

sevā nityā hi jantor na hi tatra codanā. These things—to be intoxicated, to enjoy sex

life, to eat meat—a natural propensity is there in everyone. When śāstra says that "You

do it like this," that means that is restriction. Just like according to Vedic civilization,

those who are meat-eaters, for them it is allowed that you can kill..., not kill, you can

sacrifice one goat before Goddess Kali on the amāvasyā night under such-and-such

restriction. That means indirectly it is discouraging, "Don't do it. But if you do it, you

do in this way." But people even do not do that. The meat-eaters, without undergoing

the process of meat-eating as it is described in the dharma-śāstra, they directly

purchase from the slaughterhouse and, therefore, so many slaughterhouses are

maintained in this world. So everything is becoming against the religious principle.

Therefore, the world is unhappy. The munaya, the great sages, therefore, advising the

king, dharma ācaritaḥ puṁsāṁ vāṅ-manaḥ-kāya-buddhibhiḥ. [break] (Hindi)

Indian Man: (Hindi)

 Prabhupāda: The spiritual world, there are also so many planets as we have got

planets in this material world. Beyond the sky, there is another spiritual sky. That

information is there in the Bhagavad-gītā,

paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ 'vyakto'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ [Bg. 8.20]. There is another

sky, which is eternal, it is beyond this manifested and nonmanifested material cosmic

world. So in that world, nothing is vanquished. Everything is permanent, eternal.

The jīva, the living entity, is eternal, and Kṛṣṇa is also eternal, and His

abode, Vaikuṇṭha-dhāma or Goloka Vṛndāvana-dhāma, that is also eternal.

This Vṛndāvana is replica of that Vṛndāvana. When Kṛṣṇa comes on this planet, he

comes here in this Vṛndāvana land. Therefore, it is so..., it is transcendental, because it

is Kṛṣṇa's pastime, pastimeous place. Therefore it is transcendental. It is as good

as Kṛṣṇa. Ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayas tad-dhāma vṛndāvanam. As much

as Kṛṣṇa is worshipable, similarly this Vṛndāvana is also worshipable. Therefore

Vaiṣṇavas, especially Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas... Because this Vṛndāvana was established by

the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas under the order of

Lord Caitanya, Sanātana Gosvāmī first of all came here. You have seen his old temple

at Madana-Mohana. He was..., because he was ordered by his master, he came here,

but it was a field only, there was no building, no nothing, nobody knew. But under the

instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, this Vṛndāvana city was established

by Sanātana Gosvāmī. And later on, when Sanātana Gosvāmī first of all established

the Madana-Mohana temple and then after Rūpa Gosvāmī established Govindaji's

temple, then all other temples gradually developed. Many kings and princes came here.
That is the history of this Vṛndāvana city. Of course, Vṛndāvana was existing

because Kṛṣṇa had His pastimes here. But because it is five thousand years ago, so

many things happened. The relics were lost practically, but by the endeavor

of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His devotees, this Vṛndāvana is in the present condition.

So Vṛndāvana is viśokān, vigata-śoka. There is no anxiety. If anyone comes to

the Vṛndāvana and chants Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, he will have no disturbance. Still

thousands and thousands of people are here, they do not like to go away

from Vṛndāvana because it is so pleasing and anxiety-less, viśokān. But if you have got

another, ulterior motive, then that is a different... Then māyā will capture even

in Vṛndāvana. That is also going on. That is also going on. There are... We do not wish

to criticize them, but that is also going on. So bhakti, therefore, should be without any

material intention.

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ

jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam

ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-

śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā

[Brs. 1.1.11]

First-class devotion without any motive.

So the sages said that if you execute the prescribed duties of the humankind, then

ultimately you will be elevated to the planet where there is no anxiety and you will be
liberated, provided you keep yourself without any contamination of this material world.

That can be done. That is also given by Rūpa Gosvāmī.

anāsaktasya viṣayān

yathārham upayuñjataḥ

nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandhe

yukta-vairāgyam ucyate

If we want to be aloof from the contamination of this material world, then

everything, whatever we use, whatever we need, it must be in relation with Kṛṣṇa. Then

we can keep ourself aloof from the contamination. That is the liberated condition. That

means you are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. If you always be engaged in the service of

the Kṛṣṇa, then you are above this material world, uncontaminated. But if you have got

any material intention, then again you are under the clutches of māyā. We should

always remember it.

Thank you very much. (end)