Le Cow Quote Du Jour # 94

[Guest guest]

The main problem confronting the conditioned souls is the repetition of

birth, old age, disease and death. In the material world one has to work for

the maintenance of the body and soul, but how can one perform such work in a

way that is favorable for the execution of Krsna consciousness?

 

Everyone requires possessions such as food grains, clothing, money and other

things necessary for the maintenance of the body, but one should not collect

more than necessary for his actual basic needs. If this natural principle is

followed, there will be no difficulty in maintaining the body.

 

According to nature's arrangement, living entities lower on the evolutionary

scale do not eat or collect more than necessary. Consequently in the animal

kingdom there is generally no economic problem or scarcity of necessities.

If a bag of rice is placed in a public place, birds will come to eat a few

grains and go away. A human being, however, will take away the whole bag. He

will eat all his stomach can hold and then try to keep the rest in storage.

According to scriptures, this collecting of more than necessary (atyahara)

is prohibited. Now the entire world is suffering because of it.

 

Collecting and eating more than necessary also causes prayasa, or

unnecessary endeavor. By God's arrangement, anyone in any part of the world

can live very peacefully if he has some land and a milk cow. There is no

need for man to move from one place to another to earn a livelihood, for one

can produce food grains locally and get milk from cows. That can solve all

economic problems. Fortunately, man has been given higher intelligence for

the cultivation of Krsna consciousness, or the understanding of God, one's

relationship with Him, and the ultimate goal of life, love of God.

Unfortunately, so-called civilized man, not caring for God realization,

utilizes his intelligence to get more than necessary and simply eat to

satisfy the tongue. By God's arrangement there is sufficient scope for the

production of milk and grains for human beings all over the world, but

instead of using his higher intelligence to cultivate God consciousness,

so-called intelligent men misuse their intelligence to produce many

unnecessary and unwanted things. Thus factories, slaughterhouses, brothels

and liquor shops are opened. If people are advised not to collect too many

goods, eat too much or work unnecessarily to possess artificial amenities,

they think they are being advised to return to a primitive way of life.

Generally people do not like to accept plain living and high thinking. That

is their unfortunate position.

 

Human life is meant for God realization, and the human being is given higher

intelligence for this purpose. Those who believe that this higher

intelligence is meant to attain a higher state should follow the

instructions of the Vedic literatures. By taking such instructions from

higher authorities, one can actually become situated in perfect knowledge

and give real meaning to life.

 

In Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.9) Sri Suta Gosvami describes the proper human

dharma in this way:

dharmasya hy apavargyasya

nartho 'rthayopakalpate

narthasya dharmaikantasya

kamo labhaya hi smrtah

"All occupational engagements [dharma] are certainly meant for ultimate

liberation. They should never be performed for material gain. Furthermore,

one who is engaged in the ultimate occupational service [dharma] should

never use material gain to cultivate sense gratification."

 

The first step in human civilization consists of occupational engagements

performed according to the scriptural injunctions. The higher intelligence

of a human being should be trained to understand basic dharma. In human

society there are various religious conceptions characterized as Hindu,

Christian, Hebrew, Mohammedan, Buddhist and so on, for without religion,

human society is no better than animal society.

 

As stated above (dharmasya hy apavargyasya nartho 'rthayopakalpate [sB

1.2.9]), religion is meant for attaining emancipation, not for getting

bread. Sometimes human society manufactures a system of so-called religion

aimed at material advancement, but that is far from the purpose of true

dharma. Religion entails understanding the laws of God because the proper

execution of these laws ultimately leads one out of material entanglement.

That is the true purpose of religion. Unfortunately people accept religion

for material prosperity because of atyahara, or an excessive desire for such

prosperity. True religion, however, instructs people to be satisfied with

the bare necessities of life while cultivating Krsna consciousness. Even

though we require economic development, true religion allows it only for

supplying the bare necessities of material existence. Jivasya tattva

jijnasa: the real purpose of life is to inquire about the Absolute Truth. If

our endeavor (prayasa) is not to inquire about the Absolute Truth, we will

simply increase our endeavor to satisfy our artificial needs. A spiritual

aspirant should avoid mundane endeavor.

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => NoI 2