How Much We Should Care Our Body

108 Q &A
Founder Acraya
Om Vishnupada Sri Srimad
Bhaktivedanta Narayana
Goswami Maharaja
From: Center for BHAKTI Studies

And Sri Ranganatha Gaudiya Matha
Question 13: How much we should take care of our physical body?
Answer compiled by Bhaktivedanta Vishnu Daivata Maharaj from many
sources including Srila Gurudev's book.
For more info email Maharaj at vishnudaivata@gmail.com
How much a devotee should care for his physical body?

Sannys should not engage in any occupation to maintain his life
While explaining the duty of a sannys, Devari Nrada said to Yudhihira Mahrja, A sannys
should roam about, be devoted to Nryaa and be the well-wisher of all living entities. He should not
engage in any occupation to maintain his life, nor should he engage in discussions only for the sake of
debate. He should only accept objects that come through begging (bhik). He should not be attached
to literature that discusses temporary, material subject matters, nor should he, for material benefit, give
mantras to unqualified persons to increase his number of disciples. He should not show his scholarly
talent, but rather he should study literature on bhakti and put these teachings into practice. It is
unfavourable to pure devotion, and also a waste of time, to establish and maintain large temples to
make a show of opulence. Many kinds of unqualified persons will take shelter of such temples, and
their devious activities will defame the society of sdhus. Saintly persons should perform bhajana under
the guidance of their superiors, following the path designated by the disciplic succession (parampar).
Only a sdhaka on the platform of bhva is qualified to make disciples, and he does so only for the
welfare of society and the protection of the sampradya. The scriptures forbid unqualified persons from
making many disciples. (From: Sri Bhajana Rahasya Chapter 4 Verse 4)
One should not be disturbed by the loss of acquired assets
Text 7
One should not be disturbed by the loss of acquired assets. In this regard Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu
(1.2.114) quotes the Padma Pura:
alabdhe v vinae v
bhakycchdana-sdhane
aviklava-matir bhtv
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harim eva dhiy smaret

One who is devoted to hari-bhakti should remain undisturbed and continue remembering Hari, even if
he is unsuccessful in obtaining food and clothing, or if what he has obtained is lost.
bhakya-cchdana yadi sahaje n pya
athav piy kona gatike hrya
nmrita bhakta aviklava-mati haiy
govinda araa laya sakti chiy
Bhajana-rahasya-vtti
When the living entity attains taste (ruci) for r-bhagavat-kath and harinma, he no longer has an
attachment to worldly things. He is satisfied with only the cloth and food necessary to protect and
sustain the body. If he gains or loses anything, his mind remains steady. His mood is that whatever is
obtained or lost is the Lords desire. He knows that gain, loss and so forth come according to ones
previous karma. Detached from worldly matters, he remembers r Bhagavns name with a steady
mind.
(From: Sri Bhajana Rahasya Chapter 4 Verse 7)
One should accept only as much wealth as is necessary to maintain his life
Text 9
One should accept only as much wealth as is necessary to maintain his life. The Nradya Pura states:
yvat syt sva-nirvha
svkuryt tvad arthavit
dhikye nynaty ca
cyavate paramrthata
A sdhaka who needs to maintain himself will collect only as much wealth and other material
necessities as are required to maintain his bhakti; to accept too much or too little will surely make him
deviate from his goal.
sahaje jvana-ytr-nirvhopayog
dravydi svkra kare bhakta nahe bhog
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A person qualified for vaidh-bhakti should earn money to maintain his life through prescribed virtuous
means; that is, according to varrama-dharma. It is auspicious to accept assets only according to ones
needs. Craving to accept more than necessary creates attachment, which will gradually destroy ones
bhajana. Accepting less than necessary is also harmful, as this will create an insufficiency, which in turn
will weaken ones bhajana. Therefore as long as a person is not indifferent to material things, he should
cultivate pure bhakti and accept only those assets that are required to maintain his life.
When one acknowledges his body to be his gurus property, it is necessary to take care of it
Text 10
The symptoms of advancement in unmotivated devotional service are given in rmad-Bhgavatam
(11.2.42):
bhakti parenubhavo viraktir
anyatra caia trika eka-kla
prapadyamnasya yathnata syus
tui pui kud-apyo nu-ghsam
With each morsel of food that a hungry person eats, he simultaneously experiences satisfaction,
nourishment and relief from hunger. Similarly a surrendered devotee, who is engaged in the
performance of bhakti, simultaneously realises his worshipful deity, strengthens his relationship with
that deity and becomes detached from this temporary world and material relationships.
bhakta-jane samamne yugapad udaya
bhakti, jna, virakti, tina jnaha nicaya
cid-acid-vara sambandha-jne jna
ketare ansakti virakti-prama
ye rpa bhajane tui pui pratigrse
kudhra nivtti ei tina anyse
The symptoms observed in a sdhaka who has directly experienced the sweetness of Bhagavn are
described in this Text. In such devotees, three symptoms are simultaneously visible: attainment of
service to the Lord, realisation of all knowledge related to bhakti and detachment from matters
unrelated to Ka. The sdhaka develops detachment from those items of enjoyment that are not
useful in the service of r Ka, but he does not develop detachment from that which can be used in
His service. Because he does not consider using such objects for his own pleasure, there is no need for
him to renounce them.
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When, due to humility, rla Santana Gosvm resolved to give up his life by throwing his body under
the wheel of Lord Jagannthas chariot, r Gaurasundara, who resides in everyones heart as the
Supersoul, told him that a person cannot attain Ka merely by giving up his body. Ka is only
attained through bhajana; that is, through fulfilling the inner desire of ones guru (manobha-sev).
When the sdhaka surrenders to r gurus lotus feet, the guru becomes the owner of the sdhakas
body. Therefore, when one acknowledges his body to be his gurus property, it is necessary to take care
of it. In the same mood, the vraja-devs decorate their bodies with clothes, ornaments, cosmetics and so
forth only for service to r Ka.
Indifference to material objects develops according to the extent of ones realisation of Bhagavn. This
indifference gives one the qualification to attain the direct service of Bhagavn. rla Raghuntha dsa
Gosvm states in Vilpa-kusumjali (6):
vairgya-yug bhakti-rasa prayatnair
apyayan mm anabhpsum andham
kpmbudhir ya para-dukha-dukh
santana ta prabhum raymi
I surrender to the lotus feet of my master, r Santana Gosvm, who is the bestower of sambandhajna. He is an ocean of mercy and his heart always becomes distressed upon seeing the suffering of
others. Although due to the darkness of ignorance I had no desire to taste bhakti-rasa imbued with
renunciation, he forced me to taste it and thereby gave me knowledge of my relationship with Ka.
Ignorant people honour artificial renunciation and praise those who accumulate dry knowledge. Such
knowledge and renunciation, being devoid of the inclination to serve, simply result in mundane talk
and deception of the public. There is no pure bhakti in them.
Uncontrolled senses pull the sdhaka to different sense objects
Text 12
rmad-Bhgavatam (7.9.40) explains how life is completely destroyed by attraction to the form, taste
and so on of material objects:
jihvaikato cyuta vikarati mvitpt
ino nyatas tvag-udara ravaa kutacit
ghro nyata capala-dk kva ca karma-aktir
bahvya sapatnya iva geha-pati lunanti
O Acyuta, my tongue is pulling me towards very relishable flavours, my genitals towards beautiful
women, my stomach towards foodstuffs that are harmful, my ears towards sweet songs and useless talk,
my nose towards pleasant fragrances, my eyes towards beauty and my sense of touch towards soft
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things. In this way all my sense organs are pulling me towards their respective sense objects. O Nandanandana, my situation is like that of a man with many wives, each dragging him towards her own
bedroom. In such a condition how can I remember You and Your form, qualities and pastimes?
jihv ne rasa prati, upastha kadarthe
udara bhojane ne viama anarthe
carma ne ayydite, ravaa kathya
ghra ne surabhite, caku dye yya
karmendriya karme ne, bahu-patn yath
ghapati karaya, mora mana tath
emata avasth mora r-nanda-nandana
ki rpe tomra ll kariba smaraa?
The sdhaka is praying to Bhagavn with great humility, O Lord, let my mind always be completely
attached to Your lotus feet and engaged in glorifying You. But, O Acyuta, although I am trying to
control my senses by innumerable endeavours, I have not been successful. Alas, alas, what shall I do?
My unsatisfied tongue, genitals, belly, ears, nose, restless eyes and sense of touch are drawing me in the
direction of their respective sense objects sound, form, taste, smell and touch and are thus
destroying me. O Prabhu, although I have tried my best to subdue them, I have not succeeded. My
condition is like that of a man who, controlled by lust, has married several wives. Now all these wives
are dragging him in their own direction, each wanting her lustful desires fulfilled. He is not able to
pacify the fire of their lust nor do they leave him alone. The more this lusty man tries in various ways to
satisfy the desires of these ladies, the less successful he is. Similarly, I endeavoured in many ways, but
all in vain. O protector of the helpless, now You are my only shelter. I have faith in You alone. By the
power of Your mercy, please deliver me from the entanglement of this material existence and thus make
Your name, Patita-pvana, meaningful.
Material happiness is even obtained in the body of a hog
Text 15
One should endeavour to attain pure unalloyed devotion (uddha-ahaituk-bhakti). rmad-Bhgavatam
(1.5.18) states:
tasyaiva heto prayateta kovido
na labhyate yad bhramatm uparyadha
tal labhyate dukhavad-anyata sukha
klena sarvatra gabhra-rahas
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[r Nrada said:] In the course of time I have been wandering from the seven higher planets to the
seven lower, such as Sutalaloka, but I have not attained eternal, transcendental happiness, which wise
persons endeavour to taste. Just as misery comes without endeavour, by the influence of grave, quicklymoving time, happiness also comes without any endeavour. What, therefore, is the use of endeavouring
for worldly happiness?
vin yatne dukhera ghaan yena haya
sei rpe kla-krame sukhera udaya
ataeva caudda-loke durlabha ye dhana
sei bhakti-janya yatna kare budha-gaa
A devotee understands that any pleasure within the material universe is insignificant compared to even
the slightest experience of the nectar and fragrance of Bhagavns lotus feet. One who has only tasted
molasses will give it up when he tastes fragrant sugar candy. Similarly, before actually cultivating
devotion to Bhagavn in the association of pure devotees, the living entity who is allured by the flowery
words of the Vedas desires to enjoy nectar, nectarean food and the other heavenly pleasures of Svarga.
Alternatively, by the influence of association with jns, the living entity desires liberation. Pure
devotees do not accept either of these they only desire the happiness of loving service to Bhagavn
through bhakti. This text tells us that those who are genuinely wise search only for that constant,
eternal, transcendental happiness that is only obtained in Hari-dhma (Vaikuha). This transcendental
happiness is not available to the jva who wanders throughout the fourteen worlds searching for
mundane enjoyment.
Material happiness is even obtained in the body of a hog. According to his karma the living entity
sometimes tastes sorrow and difficulties, and sometimes he effortlessly tastes happiness. Therefore the
scriptures unanimously instruct that one should not endeavour to obtain that which is temporary and
material. The jvas goal is neither to prevent his material suffering nor to be successful in endeavours
for happiness. Such attempts are simply childish fickleness. The wise give up searching for these
temporary things and endeavour to attain service to r Hari, which is the souls eternal dharma.
The real self is not material
The jvas contact with the gross body is called birth, and separation from it is called death. When the
jvtm is situated in the gross body, people have loving dealings with each other. But, such ignorant
persons, who consider the gross body to be the tm, do not realise that the real self is not material, and
thus, when a jva disappears from a body, they become absorbed in grief.
(From: Srimad Bhagavad-gita Chapter 2 Verse 12)
Death is the beginning of the new life
Just as the embodied tm passes from boyhood to youth to old age, similarly, after death, he passes
into another body. An intelligent person is not bewildered by the birth and death of the body.
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Srrtha-Vari
The following point may be raised: Since the tm is associated with the body, the body will also be an
object of our love. Furthermore, those who are related to the body, such as sons, brothers, relatives,
grandsons and so on, will also be the objects of our love, so when they die, we will certainly feel grief.
r Bhagavn speaks this loka beginning with dehina, in answer to this. The jva in the body attains
boyhood; at the end of boyhood he attains youth, and at the end of youth he attains old age. Similarly,
at the loss of the body he attains another body. Just as one does not grieve at the end of boyhood and
youth, which are objects of love due to their relationship with the tm, similarly, one should not
grieve for the loss of the body itself, which is also an object of love due to its relationship with the tm,
when it is lost. If a person grieves when he attains old age at the loss of youth, then he also feels happy
when he attains youth at the loss of boyhood. Therefore, you should feel happy because when Bhma
and Droa lose their old bodies they will attain new ones. Or you should consider that, just as in one
body various stages of growth are reached, the same jva attains various types of bodies.
(From: Srimad Bhagavad-gita Chapter 2 Verse 13)
One should chant the holy name while maintaining ones life by yukta-vairgya
Text 38
One should chant the holy name while maintaining ones life by yukta-vairgya, the mood of
appropriate renunciation. Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu (1.2.125) states:
ansaktasya viayn
yathrham upayujata
nirbandha ka-sambandhe
yukta vairgyam ucyate
Appropriate renunciation is to accept objects favourable to ones service while being detached from that
which is unrelated to Ka and attached to that which is related to Ka.
yathyogya viaya bhoga ansakta ha
suyukta-vairgya bhakti-sambandha kariy
Text 39
rmad-Bhgavatam (7.11.32) further states:
vtty sva-bhva-ktay
vartamna sva-karma-kt
hitv sva-bhva-ja karma
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anair nirguatm iyt

One who maintains his occupational duty (svadharma) by taking shelter of his innate propensity will
gradually become detached from these activities and become situated beyond the material modes.
svabhva-vihita-vtti kariy raya
nippa jvane kara ka-nmraya
(From: Sri Bhajana Rahasya Chapter 2 Verse 38 and 39)
A sdhaka should also eat only what is needed to maintain his life
Text 40
rmad-Bhgavatam (11.7.39) also says:
pra-vttyaiva santuyen
munir naivendriya-priyai
jna yath na nayeta
nvakryeta v-mana
I have taken a lesson from the way in which the vital force within the body operates, that one should
eat and drink only as much as is required to sustain the body. A sdhaka should also eat only what is
needed to maintain his life. A sdhaka should not enjoy sense objects merely for his own gratification;
otherwise his intelligence will become corrupted, his mind restless and his speech engaged in topics
unrelated to Ka.
aprajalpe kara pra-vtti agkra
indriyera priya-vtti n kara svkra
vg-indriya mano-jna yhe svsthya pya
ei rpa hre yukta-vairgya n yya
It is necessary to maintain and protect the body, which is essential for the performance of ones svadharma (prescribed duties)
niyata kuru karma tva
karma jyyo hy akarmaa
arra-ytrpi ca te
na prasidhyed akarmaa
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tvamyou; kurumust perform; karmaduties; niyatamunder regulation of stra (sandhy and

upsan); hicertainly; karmaaction; jyyais better; akarmaahthan inaction; caand; api
even; teyour; arrabodily; ytrmaintenance; na prasidhyetcan not be effected; akarmaa
without work.
Perform your prescribed duties such as sandhy-upsan, because action (karma) is better than inaction (akarma). If you refrain from action, you will not even be able to maintain your body.
Srrtha-Vari
Therefore, O Arjuna, perform your nitya-karma (regulated duties) such as sandhy (morning, noon
and evening prayers) and upsan (worship). It is better to do so than to renounce karma (akarmaa).
If you give up all karma, you will not even be able to maintain your body.
Srrtha-Vari Prakik-vtti
The above statement is verified in Chndogya Upaniad (7.26.2):
hra-uddhau sattva-uddhi
sattva-uddhau dhruv smti
smti-lambhe sarvagranthn vipramoka
It is by the purity of food that ones mind becomes purified and sttvika. When the mind is purified,
one attains a stable memory. When the memory is stable, all the knots of the heart are untied.
Furthermore it is stated in Gt (3.13):
bhujate te tv agha pp
ye pacanty tma-krat
It is understood from this and other statements that for the perfection of ones sdhana, it is necessary
to maintain and protect the body, which is essential for the performance of ones sva-dharma
(prescribed duties). However, those who impetuously give up all action by taking sannysa do not see
the light of knowledge in their impure hearts. Moreover, if they perform no work at all, they can even
leave their bodies due to lack of maintenance.
(From: Srimad Bhagavad-gita 3.9)
Only to maintain the body that the wise men engage their senses in action with an attitude of
detachment
ye hi saspara-j bhog
dukha-yonaya eva te
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dy-antavanta kaunteya
na teu ramate budha
kaunteyaO son of Kunt; bhogpleasures; yewhich; (are) saspara-jborn of sensual
contact; hicertainly; (are) dukha-yonayasources of misery; tethey; (have) di-antavantaa
beginning and an end; evacertainly; budhaan enlightened man; na ramatedoes not delight; teu
in them.
O Kaunteya, pleasures born of contact with the senses are certainly the cause of misery. Since they have
a beginning and an end, a wise man does not become attached to them.
Srrtha-Vari
A wise man does not become attached to sense enjoyment. For this reason, this loka beginning with
the words ye hi is spoken.
The happiness derived by the contact of the senses with sense objects is called saspara-moka. Such
happiness has a beginning and an end, for when the contact is broken, the happiness ceases. For this
reason, the wise do not become attached to such sense enjoyment, which is transient and which only
appears to be pleasant. It is only to maintain the body that they engage their senses in action with an
attitude of detachment.
One should maintain ones body while engaging in navadh-bhakti

One should completely give up the worship of other devas and devs in the bhakti-yoga process and,
with no ulterior motive and with staunch faith, one should maintain ones body while engaging in
navadh-bhakti such as ravaa, krtana and smaraa of r Ka only. Such ananya-bhaktas are
superior to karms, jns and yogs, even if those ananya-bhaktas are badly behaved in the preliminary
stage. Hence, they are indeed saintly because in a matter of a few days they become fixed in their
aikntika-bhva and their character becomes pure in all respects.
Being endowed with bhakti-yoga, the devotees want to maintain their bodies simply to attain perfection
in bhakti
If the question is raised as to how such bhaktas maintain their lives, the response is santua, that is,
they remain satisfied with whatever eatables they get by the will of providence or with little endeavour.
Arjuna asked, But earlier You said that they are even-minded both in misery and happiness, satisfied
even if they face the hardship of not getting any food, so how can it be that they feel satisfaction when
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attaining food for themselves? This seems contradictory. In response r Bhagavn says: satata yog.
Being endowed with bhakti-yoga, they want to maintain their bodies simply to attain perfection in
bhakti. As it is said, One must endeavour to acquire food to maintain ones life. Such maintenance of
the body is proper, because only by keeping the body healthy can one think of the Absolute, and by
specific knowledge of the Absolute, one can attain brahma. If, by the will of providence, they do not
get anything to eat, they remain undisturbed (yattm). And if they have to face a situation that
disturbs their minds, they still do not engage in the practice of aga-yoga to pacify it. For this reason,
they are known as dha-nicaya, that is, they never deviate from their sole purpose of attaining
ananya-bhakti to Bhagavn. They remain devoted to remembrance of and contemplation on Bhagavn.
Such bhaktas are dear to Me, as they act in such a way that is pleasing to Me.
In previous lokas, after explaining the various types of sdhana practised by aikntika (one-pointed)
and sa-nihita (steadfast) bhaktas, r Bhagavn is explaining their qualities in the next seven lokas.
Here, the word adve means that they do not even envy those who are envious of them. They think
that such envy of them is the result of their prrabdha-karma as given by Paramevara and therefore
they envy no one. Rather, considering everyone as the dwelling place of Paramevara, they maintain a
friendly attitude towards all. Upon seeing the misery of others, they try to remove it, whatever the cause
may be; therefore, they are compassionate. They consider the body and anything related to the body as
transformations of material nature and different from their tma-svarpa (own self); thus they do not
even have a feeling of possessiveness toward their own bodies, and while performing their activities,
they remain free from false bodily identification. When they have to face material happiness and
distress, they become neither elated nor disturbed as they are steady in both. Because they are forgiving,
they are also tolerant. Since they remain content in all situations of loss or gain, fame or infamy, victory
or defeat, they are yogs and remain steadily fixed in the sdhana given to them by r Gurudeva. The
word yattm means one who has control over the senses. Since they cannot be disturbed by any false
logic, their determination is firm. In this material world, no misery can deviate them from bhagavadbhakti. This is the special quality of aikntika-bhaktas. They are endowed with the firm faith that, I am
the servant of Bhagavn, and their mind, body and everything else is surrendered unto the lotus feet of
r Bhagavn. Therefore, such bhaktas are dear to Him. In rmad-Bhgavatam (11.11.29-32), r Ka
describes these qualities to His devotee Uddhava. They are also described in Caitanya-caritmta,
Madhya-ll (22.78-80).
(From: Srimad Bhagavad-gita Chapter 12 Verses 13-14)
A person who is gutta, transcendental to the three modes renounces all karma except that required
to maintain the body.
r Bhagavn said: O son of Pu, a person who is gutta, transcendental to the three modes, is one
who does not hate illumination, activity and delusion when they occur, nor long for them when they
cease, who is therefore indifferent to, and unmoved by, the guas such as happiness and misery,
knowing that the modes alone are acting, who remains undisturbed and even-minded, who is situated
in his svarpa, who considers dirt, stone and gold to be the same, who is situated equally amidst
pleasant and unpleasant events, who is intelligent, who remains equipoised both in criticism and
glorification and in honour and dishonour, who treats friend and foe equally, and who has renounced
all karma except that required to maintain the body.
(From: Srimad Bhagavad-gita Chapter 14 Verses 22-25)
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Do not maintain the conception that I am this material body and that wordly objects of sense
gratification are mine
Those who, in spite of hearing the astonishing glories of the holy name, maintain the conception that I
am this material body and that wordly objects of sense gratification are mine, and who show no
persistence in or love for the utterance of r nma, are also nma-apardhs.
(Sri Bhajana Rahasya Chapter 2 Text 23)
If human beings maintain their lives and protect their bodies with the sole intention of attaining Me,
the reactive quality of the activities they perform is eliminated, and these activities become acts of
devotion
One might raise the question: how will a person protect his body and maintain his life if he always
remains absorbed in the constant endeavor for perfection in bhakti? Death is inevitable when activities
for physical preservation and maintenance are arrested, and how will it be possible to endeavor for
perfection in bhakti when one has died? To dispel this doubt, Bhagavn is saying, If human beings
maintain their lives and protect their bodies with the sole intention of attaining Me, the reactive quality
of the activities they perform is eliminated, and these activities become acts of devotion. The survival
and sustenance of the human being is accomplished through three types of activity, namely, bodily,
mental and social. Bodily activities include eating, drinking, sitting, walking, reclining, dressing and
activities for purifying oneself, such as bathing. Mental activities include thinking, remembering,
concentrating, realizing and feeling happiness and distress. There are many types of social activities
such as marriage, mutual obligations between the king and his subjects, fraternity, assemblies for
performing sacrifice, activities related to ones home and temple, fulfilling desires by constructing
hospitals and digging wells for public welfare, maintaining family members, receiving guests, observing
customs and honoring others according to their social status. When all these activities are performed
for the sake of ones own enjoyment, they can be called karma-ka. When one attempts to
accumulate knowledge through the performance of these activities, they can be called karma-yoga or
jna-yoga. But when all such activities are favorable to sdhana-bhakti, they are called the indirect
application of bhakti (gaua-bhakti-yoga).
Only activities that are purely based on service to Me may be called the direct application of devotion.
According to the circumstances, one may sometimes engage in the activities of direct devotion, and at
other times, one may be engaged in indirect bhakti while meeting worldly obligations. In either case,
every activity is effectively a meditation upon Me. In such a condition, one does not become indifferent
to Me, even while being engaged in activities. In this method, although work is performed, one
remains internally fixed. r Iopaniad (1) states:
vsyam ida sarva
yat kicij jagaty jagat
tena tyaktena bhujth
m gdha kasya svid dhanam
Our revered commentator has stated, tena a-tyaktena vistena. The essential purport is that whatever
one receives should be accepted with the understanding, By good fortune I have attained this mercy
personally given by Bhagavn. If one accepts everything in this way, the reactive quality of karma is
eliminated and the activity takes on the quality of devotion. Therefore, the verse beginning with
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vsya conveys the

following sense:
kurvann eveha karmi
jijviec chata sam
eva tvayi nnyatheto sti
na karma lipyate nare
r opaniad (2)
By observing this method, a human being may work throughout a life extending over thousands of
years, without being tainted by karma.
The jns interpret both of these mantras as advocating the renunciation of the fruits of work.
However, the devotees interpret them to mean that one can attain the mercy of Bhagavn by completely
offering everything unto Him. Bhagavn is saying, Perform your worldly duties along with meditating
upon Me and worshiping Me on the path of formal deity worship.
Within Brahms heart there is a desire to create. If Brahm considers the task of creation to be
Bhagavns order, and carries it out while meditating upon Him, then, because he is surrendered to
Bhagavn, this may be included within bhakti as a secondary function favorable to the nourishment of
devotion. Thus it was appropriate for Bhagavn to instruct Brahm in this way, although this type of
instruction is not required for a living entity who has attained bhva, beause he is naturally detached
from any subject other than r Ka.
(From: Sri Brahma Samhita Verse 61 Purport)
Using honest means to maintain ones body is nitya-karma
Nitya-karma is karma that produces auspiciousness for the body, mind, and society, and which results
in promotion to other planets after death. Everyone is obligated to perform nitya-karma, such as
chanting the brahma-gyatr-mantra at the three junctures of the day (sandhy-vandan), offering
prayers, using honest means to maintain ones body and society, behaving truthfully, and caring for
ones family members and dependants. Naimittika-karma is karma that one must carry out under
certain circumstances, or on certain occasions, for example, performing rites for the departed souls of
ones mother and father, atoning for sins and so on.
(From: Jaiva Dharma Chapter 3)
As far as the body is concerned, we should simply perform the karma that is necessary to maintain it,
and nothing more
The material body is not eternal, and one will certainly have to give it up some day. As far as the body
is concerned, we should simply perform the karma that is necessary to maintain it, and nothing more.
When the body collapses by the will of Ka, it cannot be saved by any kind of effort, but until the
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designated time for the demise of the body has arrived, a snake cannot harm a person, even if he is
sleeping right next to it. Therefore, one may not introduce himself as a Vaiava until he gets rid of his
fear of snakes and all such things. If the mind is agitated by such fears, how will one be able to fix it
upon the lotus feet of r Hari? So one should certainly stop being afraid of snakes and trying to kill
them out of fear.
(From: Jaiva Dharma Chapter 4)
One should protect and maintain the body only to keep it fit for the service of the Lord
(6) Krthe akhila-bhoga-tyga (Renunciation of all enjoyment for the sake of Ka)
To enjoy material pleasure through activities such as eating, drinking, sleeping and mating is
called bhoga (material enjoyment). This bhoga is principally opposed to bhajana. Bhajana becomes
easily accessible by giving up such material enjoyments for the sake of ka-bhajana. A person
attached to sense enjoyment is like a person addicted to intoxication. He becomes so engrossed in the
enjoyment of material pleasure that he cannot perform pure bhajana. Therefore he should only accept
bhagavat-prasda in the mood of service. He should protect and maintain the body only to keep it fit for
the service of the Lord. He should give up all types of material enjoyment, particularly on holy days
such as Ekda, Janmam, Rma-navam, Gaura-prm, Nsiha-caturda and so on.
(From: Bhakti-rasamrtama-sindhu-bindu, Sixth limb of devotional service)
One should adopt the conception that, I am a servant of Ka, I accept only the remnants of Kas
prasda and this body is an instrument suitable for the service of Ka.
(49) tma-nivedanam (Dedication of the self)
The word tm refers to ahat (egoism), or in other words the sense of I pertaining to the
body, as well as mamat (possessiveness), or the sense of mine that is related to the body. To offer
both of these to Ka is called tma-nivedana.
The living entity who is within the body is known as deh, one who possesses the body, and
aham, the ego, egoism or the self. When the living entity takes support of these two conceptions (i.e.
the sense of possessing a body (deh) and the sense of ego or self (aham)), it gives rise to the sense of
I. The possessiveness or attachment that rests upon this sense of I is called deh-niha-mamat, or
attachment grounded in the egoism of possessing a body.
The sense of mine in relation to the body is called deha-niha-mamat, or possessiveness
related to the body itself. One should offer both the sense of I and the sense of mine to Ka. One
should give up the conceptions of I and mine and adopt the conception that, I am a servant of
Ka, I accept only the remnants of Kas prasda and this body is an instrument suitable for the
service of Ka. To maintain the body exclusively with this mentality is called tma-nivedana.
(From: Bhakti-rasamrtama-sindhu-bindu, Forty ninth limb of devotional service)
17
Take some prasada, because you will have to maintain your body
[Srila Narayana Maharaja:] Try to fix your mind in harinama kirtana and japa. This is first. Pray to
Nama Prabhu, who is not less than Krsna and Srimati Radhika. In fact, Nama Prabhu is more powerful
even than Krsna. So pray to them: "Please make me qualified to serve you in all respects." Then, serve
with your senses, mind, words and everything you possess.
If you concentrate your mind only on chanting and not eating, then you will die after two, three, or
four days. So take some prasada, because you will have to maintain your body. As long as your body is
there, you will have to maintain it. But dont be attached to that. Try to be attached to the pure name.
We do not have darsana of Krsna, but He is present in the form of the name. Have this strong mood,
and then you will be able to perform all activities like Ambarish Maharaja and Prahlada Maharaja.
(From: A fireside darsana in Germany, 23 February 2003)
You should maintain your body, but only to realize the soul and the Supersoul so that you can be happy
forever
We should try to somehow maintain our lives and also help others, but we should know who we really
are, how we can be happy, and what is the process of chanting the holy names. I have not come to
make you Hindu or to change your religion. I have come to tell you that you do not have to give up
your religion, home, job and family. Just chant and remember the Supreme Lord. This is the only
method chanting the holy name. Without the holy name, nobody can save you. When you die, you
cannot take any wealth from this world. Even a penny or a single hair on your head cannot be taken
from here. Then why are you working so hard to enjoy this temporary body? You should maintain your
body, but only to realize the soul and the Supersoul so that you can be happy forever.
(From: Class in Tuscon, May 4, 2003)
You should work as much as necessary to maintain your life
O brother, wealth will not give happiness to anyone. At the time of death you cannot take even a paisa
with you. Your mother, father, brother, wife, son and grandson will not go with you. Then why are you
working so hard like an ass day and night?
You should work as much as necessary to maintain your life and be like Jagannatha Prabhu (senior
local devotee) and spend most of your time in bhagavad bhakti (devotional service to Bhagavan). What
is that thing inside your body that after leaving, your body does not speak and slowly rot away? In one
day it will rot. Now you are able to talk; but if your atma leaves, will you be able to talk or not?
We should understand that we are not this body. We are the atma inside the body. It is one part and
parcel of Bhagavan. As long as the atma is present, all is going on and when it leaves the body, the body
will start rotting. This body is a plastic bag of waste but Bhagavan has made it beautiful from outside so
that we can have association with devotees. If we are cows, bulls or hogs then no one will listen to us.
People are coming to listen from New Zealand, Australia and other places. Why are they leaving
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everything and coming to listen to me? Because they can get something worthwhile. You cannot get
these things so easily. In this world it is so rare to find people to hear and even more rare is to find
people to speak it. I will explain [all these topics] by hook and crook.
(From: Darsana in Fiji)
The Meaning of Sannyasa for the Vaisnava
Devotee: Since the general order to go out and preach has been very broadly given to all devotees by
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, what is the special utility of the sannyasa order in our sampradaya when
Mahaprabhu has said that it is forbidden in this age of Kali-yuga?
Sridhara Maharaja: The answer is explained in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. This is a general question not
only for the Gaudiya Sampradaya, but also for the followers of Ramanuja, Madhvacarya, and even
Sankaracarya. The Buddhists may not care for the directions of the Puranas, but the Sankara school and
the Vaisnava schools accept sannyasa. Sankara was a sannyasi and for the most part his successors were
all sannyasis as well. This is true of Ramanuja also, Madhvacarya, and the Visnuswami Sampradaya
also.
The interpretation is this: in Kali-yuga, sannyasa in the strict sense of karma-sannyasa is
forbidden. Karma-sannyasa means that you leave everything, and that type of sannyasa is not possible
in Kali-yuga. It is described in the sastras that in Satya-yuga, as long as a man's bones exist, that is how
long he will live. Along with the longevity of the bones, the life will be there. In Treta-yuga, life may be
maintained by the nervous system; but it is stated that in Kali-yuga, kalav annagatah pranah - one's
longevity depends on food. Therefore sannyasa in the strict sense is not possible in Kali-yuga.
Previously, Valmiki was engaged in tapasya for so many years that the insects captured his whole body
and reduced the flesh into earth, yet he remained present within his bones. Then later, by the help of
some spiritual miracle his whole body was restored. But in Kali-yuga, without food it is not possible to
live. All penances have been especially adjusted for Kali-yuga, and the only continuous fast allowed in
Kali-yuga is for twenty-four hours; not more than that. In other ages, at least twelve days fasting was
generally done. If a person had done anything wrong, then according to the Smrti sastra, twelve days
fasting was the standard punishment for any sins. But in Kali-yuga, twenty-four hour fasting is the
maximum because without food a man cannot survive.If he were to take karma-sannyasa while being so
extremely dependent on material giving and taking, then he wouldn't he able to maintain his existence.
But the life of Vaisnava tridanda-sannyasa, which is not very extreme - take prasadam, do service - is a
sort of modified form based on yuktahara viharas ca, and one living according to this principle can take
sannyasa.
Mahaprabhu took sannyasa, Sankaracarya, Ramanuja - all the pioneers of the different
sampradayas took sannyasa. That has been interpreted as karma-sannyasa, but still, sannyasa is of
several kinds. There is also vidvat-sannyasa, which is considered by the salvationist section to be the
highest. Their idea is that when one has fully realized that his connection with this material realm is a
negative one, he will finish his material encasement and enter into the spiritual sphere. When he is fully
established in this firm consciousness that "my connection with the material world will be injurious to
me," he will then relinquish his body and go away to the spiritual sky. That is vidvat-sannyasa.There is
also narottama-sannyasa:
yah svakat parato veha
jata-nirveda atmavan
hrdi krtva harim geyat
pravrajet sa narottamah
(Bha: 1.13.27)
In the narottama system of sannyasa, one has realized the presence or existence of God within
his heart, and thinking of Him, he leaves his present engagement and duties of the household and
17
remains outside, anywhere and everywhere - under a tree or in a cave or wherever - careless of his
physical needs. He does not immediately relinquish his body, but he takes whatever food he gets, and
when he does not get any food he fasts, and in this way he goes on. He leaves the household for good;
that is narottama-sannyasa.
And there are also different stages of sannyasa mentioned in the sastra:
kuticaka, bahudaka, hamsa, and paramahamsa, progressively. But tridanda-sannyasa is when the
sannyasi engages himself fully in the service of Godhead by spreading His messages and doing some
good to the public, and that characteristic is different. It is categorically different. The tridandi-sannyasi
is not adopting an attitude or tactic of leaving all of the engagements of this world as a result of
becoming disgusted with its many temptations. Rather, he is engaging himself in the higher duty of the
upper world through an agent, so his body has got utility. Remaining here, maintaining connection
here, he is drawing some higher thing from above and distributing that in the environment. That is
another conception of sannyasa, and it has positive value. This is a similar engagement to that
performed by the Lord's closest associates. When an incarnation of God comes down, His favorite
parsadas, His friends and servitors, are also sent by Him to come down to do some service to help Him.
There are also sub-agents who have received some engagement from the higher agent, and by moving
within this world in that capacity, they can earn more spiritual wealth than those who are very eager to
disconnect completely from this material plane. They want to try to utilize their connection with this
mundane plane to earn some substantial wealth of the upper house. So like the Lord's parsadas, the
tridandi-sannyasis want to work as God's agents.
(From: Golden Staircase Chapter 4: Test, Taste and Triumph, Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Gosvami
Maharaja)
Three planes of life
First of all we are to understand that there are three planes of life: the plane of mundane enjoyment, the
plane of renunciation, and the plane of dedication. The plane of enjoyment is where we are at present
more or less. Mundane enjoyment means exploitation; and without exploitation, none can exist in this
plane:
ahastani sahastanam
apadani catuspadam
laghuni tatra mahatam
jivo jivasya jivanam
" Those that have hands, live on those who have no hands. Four-footed animals live on grass, creepers,
etc., and the big live on the small."
Everything is full of life: creepers, grass, and trees also have life, but without exploitation none can
maintain their body here.
This is the plane of exploitation, and, as Newton's third law says, to every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction. By exploitation one takes a loan, and to clear that loan he will have to go down. In
this way there are so many jivas (souls) going up and down, up and down due to action and reaction in
the plane of exploitation. Society is trying to exploit to the utmost; everywhere there is the attempt to
live at the cost of others. Without it life is impossible in this area because this is the plane of
exploitation.
17
(From: Home Comfort, Part One, Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Gosvami Maharaja)
A sannyasi must specifically remove himself from the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals
Of course, everyone in this material world is interested in maintaining the body for sense gratification,
but by cultivating knowledge one should gradually understand that the body is not the self. Both the
soul and the Supersoul are transcendental to the material world. This is to be understood in the human
form of life, especially when one takes sannyasa. A sannyasi, one who has understood the self, should
be engaged in elevating the self and associating with the Superself. Our Krsna consciousness movement
is meant for elevating the living being for promotion back home, back to Godhead. Seeking such
elevation is one's duty in the human form of life. Unless one performs this duty, why should one
maintain the body? Especially if a sannyasi not only maintains the body by ordinary means but does
everything to maintain the body, including even eating meat and other abominable things, he must be a
lampatah, a greedy person simply engaged in sense gratification. A sannyasi must specifically remove
himself from the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals, which disturb one as long as one is not fully
aware that the body is separate from the soul.
(From: Srimad Bhagavatam 7.15.40, Purport, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
A Ka conscious person does not make much endeavor even to maintain his body
A Ka conscious person does not make much endeavor even to maintain his body. He is satisfied with
gains which are obtained of their own accord. He neither begs nor borrows, but he labors honestly as
far as is in his power, and is satisfied with whatever is obtained by his own honest labor. He is therefore
independent in his livelihood. He does not allow anyones service to hamper his own service in Ka
consciousness. However, for the service of the Lord he can participate in any kind of action without
being disturbed by the duality of the material world. The duality of the material world is felt in terms of
heat and cold, or misery and happiness. A Ka conscious person is above duality because he does not
hesitate to act in any way for the satisfaction of Ka. Therefore he is steady both in success and in
failure. These signs are visible when one is fully in transcendental knowledge.
(From: Bhagavad-gita 4.22, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
One should not eat more than what he requires to maintain body and soul together
One should know, therefore, from the expert spiritual master, the advantages and disadvantages of
discharging devotional service, just as Mahrja Parkit asked his spiritual master, rla ukadeva
Gosvm. According to Bhakti-rasmta-sindhu, the science of devotional service, one should not eat
more than what he requires to maintain body and soul together. Vegetable diets and milk are sufficient
for maintenance of the human body, and therefore one has no need to eat anything more to satisfy the
palate. One should also not accumulate money to become puffed up in the material world. One should
earn his livelihood easily and honestly, for it is better to become a coolie for an honest livelihood than
to become a great man in society by hook and crook. There is no harm if one becomes the richest man
in the world by honest dealings, but one should not sacrifice the honest means of livelihood simply to
accumulate wealth. Such an endeavor is harmful to devotional service. One should not talk nonsense. A
devotees business is to earn the favor of the Lord. Therefore a devotee should always glorify the Lord in
His wonderful creations. A devotee should not decry the creation of the Lord, defying Him by saying
17
that He has created a false world. The world is not false. Factually we have to take so many things from
the world for our maintenance, so how we can say that the world is false? Similarly, how can one think
of the Lord as being without form? How can one become formless and at the same time have all
intelligence and consciousness, direct and indirect? So there are many things for a pure devotee to
learn, and he should learn them perfectly from a bona fide personality like ukadeva Gosvm.
(From: Srimad Bhagavatam 2.8.21 Purport, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
One should eat only as much as necessary to maintain the body and soul together
Another word here is mita-bhuk. This means that one should eat only as much as necessary to maintain
the body and soul together. One should not be gluttonous to satisfy the tongue. Grains, fruits, milk and
similar foods are allotted for human consumption. One should not be excessively eager to satisfy the
tongue and eat that which is not meant for humanity. Particularly, a devotee should eat only prasda, or
food which is offered to the Personality of Godhead. His position is to accept the remnants of those
foodstuffs. Innocent foods like grains, vegetables, fruits, flowers and milk preparations are offered to
the Lord, and therefore there is no scope for offering foods which are in the modes of passion and
ignorance. A devotee should not be greedy. It is also recommended that the devotee should be muni, or
thoughtful; he should always think of Ka and how to render better service to the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. That should be his only anxiety. As a materialist is always thoughtful about
improving his material condition, a devotees thoughts should always be engaged in improving his
condition in Ka consciousness; therefore he should be a muni.
The next item recommended is that a devotee should live in a secluded place. Generally a common man
is interested in pounds, shillings and pence, or materialistic advancement in life, which is unnecessary
for a devotee. A devotee should select a place of residence where everyone is interested in devotional
service. Generally, therefore, a devotee goes to a sacred place of pilgrimage where devotees live. It is
recommended that he live in a place where there is no large number of ordinary men. It is very
important to live in a secluded place (vivikta-araa). The next item is nta, or peacefulness. The
devotee should not be agitated. He should be satisfied with his natural income, eat only as much as he
needs to keep his health, live in a secluded place and always remain peaceful. Peace of mind is
necessary for prosecuting Ka consciousness.
One should accept material activity only to maintain body and soul together
While in the subtle body, we create many plans to enjoy sense gratification. These plans are recorded in
the spool of ones mind as bja, the root of fruitive activities. In conditional life the living entity creates
a series of bodies one after another, and this is called karma-bandhana. As explained in Bhagavad-gt
(3.9), yajrtht karmao nyatra loko yam-karma-bandhana: if we act only for the satisfaction of
Viu, there is no bondage due to material activity, but if we act otherwise, we become entrapped by
one material activity after another. Under these circumstances, it is to be supposed that by thinking,
feeling and willing, we are creating a series of future material bodies. In the words of Bhaktivinoda
hkura, andi karama-phale, padi bhavrava jale. The living entity falls into the ocean of karmabandhana as a result of past material activities. Instead of plunging oneself into the ocean of material
activity, one should accept material activity only to maintain body and soul together. The rest of ones
time should be devoted to engaging in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. In this way one
can attain relief from the reactions of material activity.
17

A desire to maintain body, wife and children is also observed in animal society
TEXTS 1a2a
sarvem eva jantn
satata deha-poae
asti praj samyatt
ko vieas tad nm
labdhvehnte manuyatva
hitv dehdy-asad-graham
tma-sty vihyeda
jvtm sa viiyate
SYNONYMS
sarvemall; evacertainly; jantnmof animals; satatamalways; deha-poaeto maintain the
body; astithere is; prajintelligence; samyattresting on; kawhat; vieadifference; tad
then; nmof the human beings; labdhvhaving attained; ihahere; anteat the end of many
births; manuyatvama human life; hitvafter giving up; deha-diin the gross and subtle body;
asat-grahaman incorrect conception of life; tmaof spiritual knowledge; styby the path; vihya
having abandoned; idamthis body; jva-tmthe individual spirit soul; sathat; viiyate
becomes prominent.
TRANSLATION
A desire to maintain body, wife and children is also observed in animal society. The animals have full
intelligence to manage such affairs. If a human being is simply advanced in this respect, what is the
difference between him and an animal? One should be very careful to understand that this human life is
attained after many, many births in the evolutionary process. A learned man who gives up the bodily
conception of life, both gross and subtle, will, by the enlightenment of spiritual knowledge, become a
prominent individual spirit soul, as the Supreme Lord is also.
PURPORT
It is said that man is a rational animal, but from this verse we can also understand that rationality exists
even in animal life. Unless there is rationality, how can an animal maintain its body by working so
hard? That the animals are not rational is untrue; their rationality, however, is not very advanced. In
any case, we cannot deny them rationality. The point is that one should use ones reason to understand
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for that is the perfection of human life.
17
(From: Srimad Bhagavatam 4.29 1a-2a, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja, Purport)
Material activities are the conditioned souls only engagement
atha kadcin nivsa-pnya-dravidy-anektmopajvanbhinivea etasy sasravym itas tata
paridhvati.
SYNONYMS
athain this way; kadcitsometimes; nivsaresidence; pnyawater; draviawealth; diand
so on; anekain various items; tma-upajvanawhich are considered necessary to maintain body and
soul together; abhiniveaa person fully absorbed; etasymin this; sasra-aavymthe material
world, which is like a great forest; ita tatahere and there; paridhvatiruns around.
TRANSLATION
Sometimes the conditioned soul is absorbed in finding residential quarters or apartments and getting a
supply of water and riches to maintain his body. Absorbed in acquiring a variety of necessities, he
forgets everything and perpetually runs around the forest of material existence.
PURPORT
As originally mentioned, a poor man belonging to the mercantile community goes to the forest to get
some cheap goods to bring back to the city to sell at a profit. He is so absorbed in the thought of
maintaining body and soul together that he forgets his original relationship with Ka and seeks only
the bodily comforts. Thus material activities are the conditioned souls only engagement. Not knowing
the aim of life, the materialist perpetually wanders in material existence, struggling to get the
necessities of life. Not understanding the aim of life, even though he acquires sufficient necessities, he
manufactures artificial necessities and thus becomes more and more entangled. He creates a mental
situation whereby he needs greater and greater comforts. The materialist does not know the secret of
natures ways. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gt (3.27):
prakte kriyamni
guai karmi sarvaa
ahakra-vimhtm
kartham iti manyate
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. Due to lusty desire, the living
entity creates a certain mental situation whereby he wants to enjoy this material world. He thus
becomes entangled, enters different bodies and suffers in them.
17

The hell called Raurava
A person who accepts his body as his self works very hard day and night for money to maintain his own
body and the bodies of his wife and children. While working to maintain himself and his family, he
may commit violence against other living entities. Such a person is forced to give up his body and his
family at the time of death, when he suffers the reaction for his envy of other creatures by being thrown
into the hell called Raurava.
PURPORT
In rmad-Bhgavatam it is said:
yasytma-buddhi kuape tri-dhtuke
sva-dh kalatrdiu bhauma-ijya-dh
yat-trtha-buddhi salile na karhicij
janev abhijeu sa eva go-khara
One who accepts this bodily bag of three elements [bile, mucus and air] as his self, who has an affinity
for an intimate relationship with his wife and children, who considers his land worshipable, who takes
bath in the waters of the holy places of pilgrimage but never takes advantage of those persons who are
in actual knowledgehe is no better than an ass or a cow. (Bhg. 10.84.13) There are two classes of
men absorbed in the material concept of life. Out of ignorance, a man in the first class thinks his body
to be his self, and therefore he is certainly like an animal (sa eva go-khara). The person in the second
class, however, not only thinks his material body to be his self, but also commits all kinds of sinful
activities to maintain his body. He cheats everyone to acquire money for his family and his self, and he
becomes envious of others without reason. Such a person is thrown into the hell known as Raurava. If
one simply considers his body to be his self, as do the animals, he is not very sinful. However, if one
needlessly commits sins to maintain his body, he is put into the hell known as Raurava. This is the
opinion of rla Vivantha Cakravart hkura. Although animals are certainly in the bodily concept of
life, they do not commit any sins to maintain their bodies, mates or offspring. Therefore animals do not
go to hell. However, when a human being acts enviously and cheats others to maintain his body, he is
put into a hellish condition.
(From: Srimad Bhagavatam 5.26.10, Translation)
Asuras generally cannot understand that the objects of sexual pleasure, the so-called pleasure of
materialistic life, depend on extremely hard labor
Karma daiva-netrea jantur dehopapattaye[SB 3.31.1]. The living entity receives a particular type of
body according to his karma, or fruitive activities. The material pleasure derived in the material world
from ones particular body is based on sexual pleasure: yan maithundi-ghamedhi-sukha hi tuccham
[SB 7.9.45]. The entire world is working so hard only for sexual pleasure. To enjoy sexual pleasure and
maintain the status quo of material life, one must work very hard, and because of such activities, one
prepares himself another material body. Prahlda Mahrja places this matter to his friends, the asuras,
for their consideration. Asuras generally cannot understand that the objects of sexual pleasure, the so-
17
called pleasure of materialistic life, depend on extremely hard labor.

No one can maintain his body or material achievements forever
Within this material world, one should understand by practical experience the value of material
opulence, longevity and influence. We have actual experience that even on this planet there have been
many great politicians and military commanders like Napoleon, Hitler, Shubhash Chandra Bose and
Gandhi, but as soon as their lives were finished, their popularity, influence and everything else were
finished also. Prahlda Mahrja formerly gathered the same experience by seeing the activities of
Hirayakaipu, his great father. Therefore Prahlda Mahrja did not give any importance to anything
in this material world. No one can maintain his body or material achievements forever. A Vaiava can
understand that nothing within this material world, not even that which is powerful, opulent or
influential, can endure. At any time such things may be vanquished. And who can vanquish them? The
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore one should conclusively understand that no one is greater
than the Supreme Great. Since the Supreme Great demands, sarva-dharmn parityajya mm eka
araa vraja [Bg. 18.66], every intelligent man must agree to this proposal. One must surrender unto
the Lord to be saved from the wheel of repeated birth, death, old age and disease.
Here is the difference between Vedic civilization and the modern demoniac civilization
Here is the difference between Vedic civilization and the modern demoniac civilization. Vedic
civilization concerned itself with how to achieve self-realization, and for this purpose one was
recommended to have a small income to maintain body and soul together. The society was divided into
brhmaas, katriyas, vaiyas and dras, and the members of this society would limit their endeavors
to meeting their minimum demands. The brhmaas, in particular, would have no material desires.
Because the katriyas had to rule the people, it was necessary for them to have money and prestige. But
the vaiyas were satisfied with agricultural produce and milk from the cow, and if by chance there were
excess, trade was allowed. The dras were also happy, for they would get food and shelter from the
three higher classes. In the demoniac civilization of the present day, however, there is no question of
brhmaas or katriyas; there are only so-called workers and a flourishing mercantile class who have no
goal in life.
One should be satisfied with whatever means of life comes automatically
yvad-artham upsno
dehe gehe ca paita
virakto raktavat tatra
n-loke narat nyaset
SYNONYMS
17
yvat-arthamas much endeavor for ones livelihood as necessary; upsnaearning; dehein the
body; gehein family matters; caalso; paitaone who is learned; viraktanot at all attached;
rakta-vatas if very much attached; tatrain this; n-lokehuman society; naratmthe human form
of life; nyasetone should depict.
TRANSLATION
While working to earn his livelihood as much as necessary to maintain body and soul together, one
who is actually learned should live in human society unattached to family affairs, although externally
appearing very much attached.
PURPORT
This is the picture of ideal family life. When r Caitanya Mahprabhu asked Rmnanda Rya about
the goal of life, Rmnanda Rya described it in different ways, according to the recommendations of
the revealed scriptures, and finally r Rmnanda Rya explained that one may stay in his own
position, whether as a brhmaa, a dra, a sannys or whatever, but one must try to inquire about
lifes goal (athto brahma jijs). This is the proper utilization of the human form of life. When one
misuses the gift of the human form by unnecessarily indulging in the animal propensities of eating,
sleeping, mating and defending and does not try to get out of the clutches of my, which subjects one
to repeated birth, death, old age and disease, one is again punished by being forced to descend to the
lower species and undergo evolution according to the laws of nature. prakte kriyamni guai
karmi sarvaa [Bg. 3.27]. Being completely under the grip of material nature, the living entity must
evolve again from the lower species to the higher species until he at last returns to human life and gets
the chance to be freed from the material clutches. A wise man, however, learns from the stras and
guru that we living entities are all eternal but are put into troublesome conditions because of
associating with different modes under the laws of material nature. He therefore concludes that in the
human form of life he should not endeavor for unnecessary necessities, but should live a very simple
life, just maintaining body and soul together. Certainly one requires some means of livelihood, and
according to ones vara and rama this means of livelihood is prescribed in the stras. One should be
satisfied with this. Therefore, instead of hankering for more and more money, a sincere devotee of the
Lord tries to invent some ways to earn his livelihood, and when he does so Ka helps him. Earning
ones livelihood, therefore, is not a problem. The real problem is how to get free from the bondage of
birth, death and old age. Attaining this freedom, and not inventing unnecessary necessities, is the basic
principle of Vedic civilization. One should be satisfied with whatever means of life comes automatically.
The modern materialistic civilization is just the opposite of the ideal civilization. Every day the socalled leaders of modern society invent something contributing to a cumbersome way of life that
implicates people more and more in the cycle of birth, death, old age and disease.
(From: Srimad Bhagavatam 7.14.5, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
One may claim proprietorship to as much wealth as required to maintain body and soul together
yvad bhriyeta jahara
tvat svatva hi dehinm
adhika yo bhimanyeta
17
sa steno daam arhati

SYNONYMS
yvatas much as; bhriyetamay be filled; jaharamthe stomach; tvatthat much; svatvam
proprietorship; hiindeed; dehinmof the living entities; adhikammore than that; yaanyone
who; abhimanyetamay accept; sahe; stenaa thief; daampunishment; arhatideserves.
TRANSLATION
One may claim proprietorship to as much wealth as required to maintain body and soul together, but
one who desires proprietorship over more than that must be considered a thief, and he deserves to be
punished by the laws of nature.
PURPORT
By Gods favor we sometimes get large quantities of food grains or suddenly receive some contribution
or unexpected profit in business. In this way we may get more money than needed. So, how should that
be spent? There is no need to accumulate money in the bank merely to increase ones bank balance.
Such a mentality is described in Bhagavad-gt (16.13) as asuric, demoniac.
idam adya may labdham
ima prpsye manoratham
idam astdam api me
bhaviyati punar dhanam
The demoniac person thinks, So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my
schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the future, more and more. The asura is
concerned with how much wealth he has in the bank today and how it will increase tomorrow, but
unrestricted accumulation of wealth is not permitted either by the stra or, in the modern age, by the
government. Actually, if one has more than one requires for his necessities, the extra money should be
spent for Ka. According to the Vedic civilization, it should all be given to the Ka consciousness
movement, as ordered by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gt (9.27):
yat karoi yad ansi
yaj juhoi dadsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruva mad-arpaam
O son of Kunt, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all
austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me. Ghasthas should spend
extra money only for the Ka consciousness movement.
The ghasthas should give contributions for constructing temples of the Supreme Lord and for
17
preaching of rmad Bhagavad-gt, or Ka consciousness, all over the world. van

bhagavatobhkam avatra-kathmtam. In the strasthe puras and other Vedic literatures
there are so many narrations describing the transcendental activities of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, and everyone should hear them again and again. For example, even if we read the entire
Bhagavad-gt every day, all eighteen chapters, in each reading we shall find a new explanation. That is
the nature of transcendental literature. The Ka consciousness movement therefore affords one an
opportunity to spend his extra earnings for the benefit of all human society by expanding Ka
consciousness. In India especially we see hundreds and thousands of temples that were constructed by
the wealthy men of society who did not want to be called thieves and be punished.
This verse is very important. As stated here, one who accumulates more money than needed is a thief,
and by the laws of nature he will be punished. One who acquires more money than necessary becomes
desirous of enjoying material comforts more and more. Materialists are inventing so many artificial
necessities, and those who have money, being allured by such artificial necessities, try to accumulate
money to possess more and more. This is the idea of modern economic development. Everyone is
engaged in earning money, and the money is kept in the bank, which then offers money to the public.
In this cycle of activities, everyone is engaged in getting more and more money, and therefore the ideal
goal of human life is being lost. Concisely, it may be said that everyone is a thief and is liable to be
punished. Punishment by the laws of nature takes place in the cycle of birth and death. No one dies
fully satisfied by the fulfillment of material desires, for that is not possible. Therefore at the time of
ones death one is very sorry, being unable to fulfill his desires. By the laws of nature one is then offered
another body to fulfill his unsatisfied desires, and upon taking birth again, accepting another material
body, one voluntarily accepts the threefold miseries of life.
Even in householder life, one should be satisfied to maintain body and soul together with whatever is
available with minimum endeavor, according to place and time, by the grace of the Lord. One should
not engage oneself in ugra-karma
tri-varga ntikcchrea
bhajeta gha-medhy api
yath-dea yath-kla
yvad-daivopapditam
SYNONYMS
tri-vargamthree principles, namely religiosity, economic development and sense gratification; na
not; ati-kcchreaby very severe endeavor; bhajetashould execute; gha-medha person
interested only in family life; apialthough; yath-deamaccording to the place; yath-klam
according to the time; yvatas much as; daivaby the grace of the Lord; upapditamobtained.
TRANSLATION
Even if one is a householder rather than a brahmacr, a sannys or a vnaprastha, one should not
endeavor very hard for religiosity, economic development or satisfaction of the senses. Even in
householder life, one should be satisfied to maintain body and soul together with whatever is available
with minimum endeavor, according to place and time, by the grace of the Lord. One should not engage
17
oneself in ugra-karma.
PURPORT
In human life there are four principles to be fulfilleddharma, artha, kma and moka (religion,
economic development, sense gratification, and liberation). First one should be religious, observing
various rules and regulations, and then one must earn some money for maintenance of his family and
the satisfaction of his senses. The most important ceremony for sense gratification is marriage because
sexual intercourse is one of the principal necessities of the material body. Yan maithundi-ghamedhisukha hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45]. Although sexual intercourse is not a very exalted requisite in life, both
animals and men require some sense gratification because of material propensities. One should be
satisfied with married life and not expend energy for extra sense gratification or sex life.
As for economic development, the responsibility for this should be entrusted mainly to the vaiyas and
ghasthas. Human society should be divided into varas and ramasbrhmaa, katriya, vaiya,
dra, brahmacarya, ghastha, vnaprastha and sannysa. Economic development is necessary for
ghasthas. Brhmaa ghasthas should be satisfied with a life of adhyayana, adhypana, yajana and
yjanabeing learned scholars, teaching others to be scholars, learning how to worship the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Viu, and also teaching others how to worship Lord Viu, or even the
demigods. A brhmaa should do this without remuneration, but he is allowed to accept charity from a
person whom he teaches how to be a human being. As for the katriyas, they are supposed to be the
kings of the land, and the land should be distributed to the vaiyas for agricultural activities, cow
protection and trade. dras must work; sometimes they should engage in occupational duties as cloth
manufacturers, weavers, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, brass-smiths, and so on, or else they should engage
in hard labor to produce food grains.
These are the different occupational duties by which men should earn their livelihood, and in this way
human society should be simple. At the present moment, however, everyone is engaged in
technological advancement, which is described in Bhagavad-gt as ugra-karmaextremely severe
endeavor. This ugra-karma is the cause of agitation within the human mind. Men are engaging in many
sinful activities and becoming degraded by opening slaughterhouses, breweries and cigarette factories,
as well as nightclubs and other establishments for sense enjoyment. In this way they are spoiling their
lives. In all of these activities, of course, householders are involved, and therefore it is advised here,
with the use of the word api, that even though one is a householder, one should not engage himself in
severe hardships. Ones means of livelihood should be extremely simple. As for those who are not
ghasthasthe brahmacrs, vnaprasthas and sannyssthey dont have to do anything but strive for
advancement in spiritual life. This means that three fourths of the entire population should stop sense
gratification and simply be engaged in the advancement of Ka consciousness. Only one fourth of the
population should be ghastha, and that should be according to laws of restricted sense gratification.
The ghasthas, vnaprasthas, brahmacrs and sannyss should endeavor together with their total
energy to become Ka conscious. This type of civilization is called daiva-varrama. One of the
objectives of the Ka consciousness movement is to establish this daiva-varrama, but not to
encourage so-called varrama without scientifically organized endeavor by human society.
Even if a man is poor, he should not endeavor to improve his economic condition just to maintain his
body and soul together or to become a famous religionist
dharmrtham api neheta
ytrrtha vdhano dhanam
17
anhnhamnasya
mahher iva vttid
SYNONYMS
dharma-arthamin religion or economic development; apiindeed; nanot; hetashould try to
obtain; ytr-arthamjust to maintain the body and soul together; veither; adhanaone who has
no wealth; dhanammoney; anhthe desirelessness; anhamnasyaof a person who does not
endeavor even to earn his livelihood; mah-ahethe great serpent known as the python; ivalike;
vtti-dwhich obtains its livelihood without endeavor.
TRANSLATION
Even if a man is poor, he should not endeavor to improve his economic condition just to maintain his
body and soul together or to become a famous religionist. Just as a great python, although lying in one
place, not endeavoring for its livelihood, gets the food it needs to maintain body and soul, one who is
desireless also obtains his livelihood without endeavor.
PURPORT
Human life is simply meant for developing Ka consciousness. One need not even try to earn a
livelihood to maintain body and soul together. This is illustrated here by the example of the great
python, which lies in one place, never going here and there to earn a livelihood to maintain itself, and
yet is maintained by the grace of the Lord. As advised by Nrada Muni (Bhg. 1.5.18), tasyaiva heto
prayateta kovida: one should simply endeavor to increase his Ka consciousness. One should not
desire to do anything else, even to earn his livelihood. There are many, many examples of this attitude.
Mdhavendra Pur, for instance, would never go to anyone to ask for food. ukadeva Gosvm has also
said, kasmd bhajanti kavayo dhana-durmadndhn. Why should one approach a person who is blind
with wealth? Rather, one should depend on Ka, and He will give everything. All the members of our
Ka consciousness movement, whether they be ghasthas or sannyss, should try to spread the Ka
consciousness movement with determination, and Ka will supply all necessities. The process of
jagara-vtti, the means of livelihood of a python, is very much appreciated in this regard. Even though
one may be very poor, he should simply try to advance in Ka consciousness and not endeavor to
earn his livelihood.
One is recommended to take leave of his family and live alone, maintaining body and soul together by
begging alms and eating only as much as needed to keep himself alive
ya citta-vijaye yatta
syn nisago parigraha
eko vivikta-arao
bhikur bhaikya-mitana
17
SYNONYMS
yaone who; citta-vijayeconquering the mind; yattais engaged; sytmust be; nisaga
without contaminated association; aparigrahawithout being dependent (on the family); eka
alone; vivikta-araataking shelter of a solitary place; bhikua renounced person; bhaikyaby
begging alms just to maintain the body; mita-aanafrugal in eating.
TRANSLATION
One who desires to conquer the mind must leave the company of his family and live in a solitary place,
free from contaminated association. To maintain the body and soul together, he should beg as much as
he needs for the bare necessities of life.
PURPORT
This is the process for conquering the agitation of the mind. One is recommended to take leave of his
family and live alone, maintaining body and soul together by begging alms and eating only as much as
needed to keep himself alive. Without such a process, one cannot conquer lusty desires. Sannysa
means accepting a life of begging, which makes one automatically very humble and meek and free from
lusty desires. In this regard, the following verse appears in the Smti literature:
dvandvhatasya grhasthya
dhyna-bhagdi-kraam
lakayitv gh spaa
sannyased avicrayan
In this world of duality, family life is the cause that spoils ones spiritual life or meditation. Specifically
understanding this fact, one should accept the order of sannysa without hesitation.
Everyone in this material world is interested in maintaining the body for sense gratification
tmna ced vijnyt
para jna-dhutaya
kim icchan kasya v hetor
deha puti lampaa
SYNONYMS
tmnamthe soul and the Supersoul; cetif; vijnytcan understand; paramwho are
transcendental, beyond this material world; jnaby knowledge; dhuta-ayaone who has
cleansed his consciousness; kimwhat; icchandesiring material comforts; kasyafor whom; vor;
hetofor what reason; dehamthe material body; putihe maintains; lampaabeing
17
unlawfully addicted to sense gratification.

TRANSLATION
The human form of body is meant for understanding the self and the Supreme Self, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, both of whom are transcendentally situated. If both of them can be understood
when one is purified by advanced knowledge, for what reason and for whom does a foolish, greedy
person maintain the body for sense gratification?
PURPORT
Of course, everyone in this material world is interested in maintaining the body for sense gratification,
but by cultivating knowledge one should gradually understand that the body is not the self. Both the
soul and the Supersoul are transcendental to the material world. This is to be understood in the human
form of life, especially when one takes sannysa. A sannys, one who has understood the self, should
be engaged in elevating the self and associating with the Superself. Our Ka consciousness movement
is meant for elevating the living being for promotion back home, back to Godhead. Seeking such
elevation is ones duty in the human form of life. Unless one performs this duty, why should one
maintain the body? Especially if a sannys not only maintains the body by ordinary means but does
everything to maintain the body, including even eating meat and other abominable things, he must be a
lampaa, a greedy person simply engaged in sense gratification. A sannys must specifically remove
himself from the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals, which disturb one as long as one is not fully
aware that the body is separate from the soul.
One should maintain one's body by killing animals
In particular, a person who wants to maintain his body by killing animals is most sinful and cannot
understand the value of spiritual life. In Bhagavad-gt (16.1920) the Lord says:
tn aha dviata krrn
sasreu nardhamn
kipmy ajasram aubhn
surv eva yoniu
sur yonim pann
mh janmani janmani
mm aprpyaiva kaunteya
tato ynty adham gatim
Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, are cast by Me into the
ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life. Attaining repeated birth among the
17
species of demoniac life, such persons can never approach Me. Gradually they sink down to the most
abominable type of existence. A human being is meant to understand the value of human life, which is
a boon obtained after many, many births. Therefore one must free oneself from tanu-mn, the bodily
concept of life, and realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
All these necessities can be obtained without approaching puffed-up rich men
cri ki pathi na santi dianti bhik
naivghri-p para-bhta sarito py auyan
ruddh guh kim ajito vati nopasannn
kasmd bhajanti kavayo dhana-durmadndhn
SYNONYMS
critorn old clothes; kimwhether; pathion the path; nanot; santiare; diantigive;
bhikmalms; nanot; evacertainly; aghri-pthe trees; para-bhtamaintainers of others;
saritarivers; apialso; auyanhave dried up; ruddhclosed; guhcaves; kimwhether;
ajitathe Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is unconquerable; avatiprotects; nanot;
upasannnthe surrendered; kasmtfor what reason, therefore; bhajantiflatter; kavayathe
devotees; dhana-durmada-andhnpersons who are puffed up with material possessions.
TRANSLATION
Are there no torn clothes lying on the common road? Do the trees, which exist for maintaining others,
no longer give alms in charity? Do the rivers, being dried up, no longer supply water to the thirsty? Are
the caves of the mountains now closed, or, above all, does the unconquerable Supreme Personality of
Godhead not protect the fully surrendered souls? Why then should learned persons like devotees go to
flatter those who are intoxicated by hard-earned wealth?
PURPORT
This is a quotation from rmad-Bhgavatam (2.2.5). In this verse, ukadeva Gosvm advises Mahrja
Parkit that a devotee should be independent in all circumstances. The body can be maintained with
no problem if one follows the instructions given in this verse. To maintain the body, we require shelter,
food, water and clothing, and all these necessities can be obtained without approaching puffed-up rich
men. One can collect old garments that have been thrown out, one can eat fruits offered by the trees,
one can drink water from the rivers, and one can live within the caves of mountains. By natures
arrangements, shelter, clothing and food are supplied to the devotee who is completely surrendered to
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such a devotee does not need a puffed-up materialistic person to
maintain him. In other words, devotional service can be discharged in any condition. This is the version
of rmad-Bhgavatam (1.2.6):
sa vai pus paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokaje
ahaituky apratihat yaytm suprasdati
17
The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving
devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and
uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self. This verse explains that devotional service cannot
be checked by any material condition.
(From: Sri Caitanya Caritamrtam Madhya 23.114)
One who is spiritually situated does not think that he is the body
tmna ced vijnyt
para jna-dhutaya
kim icchan kasya v hetor
deha puti lampaa
SYNONYMS
tmnamthe soul; cetif; vijnytone understands; paramsupreme; jnaby knowledge;
dhutathrown off; ayamaterial desires; kimwhat; icchandesiring; kasyawhat; vor;
hetofor reason; dehamthe material body; putimaintains; lampaadebauchee.
TRANSLATION
If ones heart has been cleansed by perfect knowledge and one has understood Ka, the Supreme
Brahman, he then gains everything. Why should such a person act like a debauchee by trying to
maintain his material body very carefully?
PURPORT
This verse (Bhg. 7.15.40) was spoken by Nrada to Yudhihira Mahrja regarding a householders
liberation from material bondage. On the spiritual platform, one does not unnecessarily care for the
body. rla Narottama dsa hkura has said, deha-smti nhi yra, sasra bandhana kh tra. One
who is spiritually situated does not think that he is the body. Therefore he can transcendentally execute
severe penances in the renounced order of life. The best example of such renunciation is Raghuntha
dsa Gosvm.
(From: Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Antya 6.314)
Gradually liquidating the material composition of the gross and subtle coverings of the spirit soul
The whole process of transferring oneself to the spiritual sky involves gradually liquidating the material
composition of the gross and subtle coverings of the spirit soul. The above-mentioned five items of
devotional activities are so spiritually powerful that their performance by a devotee, even in the
preliminary stage, can very quickly promote the sincere executor to the stage of bhva (the stage just
17
prior to love of Godhead), or emotion on the spiritual plane, which is transcendental to mental and
intellectual functions. A complete absorption in bhva, or love of God, makes one fit to be transferred
to the spiritual sky just after leaving the material tabernacle. The perfection of love of God by a devotee
actually situates him on the spiritual platform, even though he may still maintain a gross material body.
He becomes like a red-hot iron which, when in contact with fire, actually ceases to be iron and acts like
fire. These things are made possible by the Lords inscrutable and inconceivable energy, which material
science has not the scope to calculate. One should therefore engage himself in devotional service with
absolute faith, and to make his faith steadfast one should seek the association of the standard devotees
of the Lord by personal association (if possible) or by thinking of them. This association will help one
develop factual devotional service to the Lord, which will cause all material misgivings to disappear like
a flash of lightning. All these different stages of spiritual realization will be personally felt by the
candidate, and this will create in him a firm belief that he is making positive progress on the way to the
spiritual sky. Then he will become sincerely attached to the Lord and His abode. Such is the gradual
process of evolving love of God, which is the prime necessity for the human form of life.
(From: Easy Journey to Other Planets, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
Before committing all kinds of sins to maintain the body...
Foolish persons are engaged in committing all sorts of sins due to the misconception of identifying the
material body with the self. But one should be intelligent enough to understand to whom this body
belongs. A foolish person indulges in killing animals to maintain the body, but he does not consider
whether this body belongs to him or to his father or mother or maternal grandfather. Sometimes a
father gives his daughter in charity to a person with a view of getting back the daughters child as a son.
The body may also belong to a stronger man who forces it to work for him. Sometimes a slaves body is
sold to a master, and from that day on the body belongs to the master. And at the end of life the body
belongs to the fire, because the body is given to the fire and burned to ashes. Or the body is thrown into
the street to be eaten by the dogs and vultures.
Before committing all kinds of sins to maintain the body, one should understand to whom the body
belongs. Ultimately it is concluded that the body is a product of material nature, and at the end it
merges into material nature; therefore, the conclusion should be that the body belongs to material
nature. One should not wrongly think that the body belongs to him. To maintain a false possession,
why should one indulge in killing? Why should one kill innocent animals to maintain the body?
(From: Krishna The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
Why should one kill innocent animals to maintain the body?
Before committing all kinds of sins to maintain the body, one should understand to whom the body
belongs. Ultimately it is concluded that the body is a product of material nature, and at the end it
merges into material nature; therefore, the conclusion should be that the body belongs to material
nature. One should not wrongly think that the body belongs to him. To maintain a false possession,
why should one indulge in killing? Why should one kill innocent animals to maintain the body?
(From: Krishna The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
Throughout the world there are problems everywhere
17
Tasyaiva heto prayateta kovida. The word kovida means intelligent. An intelligent person should
try to attain shelter at the lotus feet of Ka. Human life is actually meant for getting in touch with the
lotus feet of Ka. That should be our only business. The word upari indicates the higher planetary
systems. There are seven higher planetary systems, and we are in the middle system, in Bhrloka.
Within this one universe, there are fourteen planetary systems, and the living entities are wandering in
different bodily forms on different planets. According to karma, the living entity sometimes goes up and
sometimes goes down. He wanders in this way, thinking how he can become materially happy and
satisfy his senses. The stras say that we should not do this, that we should endeavor to understand
Ka. We should not worry about eating and sleeping, for the needs of the body are already arranged.
We do not have to work independently to maintain the body.
tal labhyate dukhavad anyata sukha
Our actual endeavor should be to attain happiness; that is our real struggle for existence. According to
the stras: tal labhyate dukhavat. The word dukhavat indicates that although we do not want
misery, misery comes anyway. We dont have to endeavor separately for misery. No one says, Let there
be a fire in my house or Let my child die. No one aspires after these things, yet they happen.
Everyone is thinking, May my child live happily or May I get so much money. We do not ask or
pray for catastrophes, yet they come without invitation. Similarly, whatever happiness is there for our
enjoyment will also come without our asking for it. The conclusion is that we should not endeavor for
so-called happiness or distress, but should try to attain that position whereby we can understand Ka
and get shelter at His lotus feet. This should be the real human endeavor.
It was Caitanya Mahprabhu who said to Rpa Gosvm:
brahma bhramite kona bhgyavn jva
guru-ka-prasde pya bhakti-lat-bja
The living entity is wandering up and down, from one planet to another, and he is very fortunate if by
the mercy of the spiritual master and Ka Himself he can get the seed of devotional service to Ka.
(Cc. Madhya 19.151) The Ka consciousness movement is an attempt to make people fortunate. In
this age, everyone is unfortunate (manda-bhgy), but now we are trying to reverse the situation.
Throughout the world there are problems everywhere. One country has one type of problem, and
another country has another. There is strife within governments themselves, and even presidents are
fraught with problems. Sometimes we may think we are very fortunate, just as President Nixon was
thinking, I am very fortunate. I have become the president of the United States. Then he soon realized
that he was most unfortunate. Actually this is the situation for everyone. We should not think that the
only apprehended culprit is President Nixon and that we are safe. There is a Bengali proverb: Dry cow
dung is used for fuel, and it is said that when the dry cow dung is being burned, the soft cow dung is
laughing, saying, Oh, you are being burned, but I am safe. It does not know that when it dries out, it
will be thrown into the fire too. We may laugh because President Nixon is in trouble, and we may think
ourselves very safe because we have a big bank balance, but actually no one is safe. Eventually everyone
will dry up and be thrown in the fire. That is a fact. We may survive for a few years, but we cannot
avoid death. In fact, it is said, As sure as death. And what is the result of death? One loses everything
all honor, money, position and material life itself. Ka states in Bhagavad-gt (10.34), mtyu
sarva-hara cham: I am all-devouring death. Ka comes as death and plunders everythingbank
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balance, skyscrapers, wife, children and whatever. One cannot say, My dear death, please give me
some time to adjust. There is no adjustment; one must immediately get out.
Foolish people are unaware of the miserable conditions of material life. Ka says in Bhagavad-gt
(13.9), janma-mtyu jar-vydhi-dukha-donudaranam. Real knowledge means knowing that
however great one may be, the four principles of material life are present: birth, old age, disease and
death. These exist in the highest planetary system (Brahmaloka) and in the lowest (Ptlaloka).
tasyaiva heto prayateta kovido
na labhyate yad bhramatm upary adha
tal labhyate dukhavad anyata sukha
Persons who are actually intelligent and philosophically inclined should endeavor only for that
purposeful end which is not obtainable even by wandering from the topmost planet down to the lowest
planet. As far as happiness derived from sense enjoyment is concerned, it can be obtained automatically
in course of time, just as in course of time we obtain miseries even though we do not desire them.
(Bhg. 1.5.18)
(From: Teaching of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahuti - Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
Everyone in this material world must work with great difficulty to continue his life
The word anapavarga indicates that Kas prowess is without deterioration. This word is the opposite
of the word pavarga, which refers to the path of material tribulation. According to Sanskrit linguistics,
the word pa-varga also refers to the Sanskrit letters pa, pha, ba, bha, and ma. Thus when the word
pavarga is used to refer to the path of material tribulation, its meaning is understood through words
beginning with these five letters.
The letter pa is for parirama, which means labor. In this material world, one must work very hard to
maintain oneself. In Bhagavad-gt (3.8) it is said, arra-ytrpi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmaa: one
cannot even maintain ones own body without work. Ka never advised Arjuna, I am your friend,
and I shall do everything. You just sit down and smoke gaj. Ka was doing everything, but still He
told Arjuna, You must fight. Nor did Arjuna say to Ka, You are my great friend. Better for You to
fight and let me sit down and smoke gaj. No, that is not Ka consciousness. A God conscious
person does not say, God, You please do everything for me and let me smoke gaj. Rather, a God
conscious person must work for God. But even if one does not work for the sake of God, one must
work, for without work one cannot even maintain ones body. This material world, therefore, is meant
for parirama, hard labor.
Even a lion, although king of the beasts, must still look for its own prey in the jungle. It is said, na hi
suptasya sihasya pravianti mukhe mg. A lion cannot think, Since I am king of the forest, let me
sleep, and all the animals will come into my mouth. That is not possible. No, sir. Although you are a
lion, you must go search for your food. Thus even the lion, although so powerful, must endeavor with
great difficulty to find another animal to eat, and similarly everyone in this material world must work
with great difficulty to continue his life.
Thus pa indicates parirama, labor, and pha is for phenila, which means foam. While working very
hard a horse foams at the mouth, and similarly human beings must also work hard in this way. Such
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hard labor, however, is vyartha, futile, and this is what is indicated by the letter ba. And bha indicates
bhaya, fear. Despite working so hard, one is always somewhat fearful that things will not be done as he
desires. The nature of the body is that it involves eating, sleeping, mating, and fearing (hra-nidrbhaya-maithuna ca). Although one may eat very nicely, one must consider whether one is overeating,
so that he will not fall sick. Thus even eating involves fear. A bird, while eating, looks this way and that
way, fearful that some enemy may be coming. And for all living entities, everything finally ends in
death, mtyu, and this is what is indicated by the letter ma.
(From: Teachings of Queen Kunti, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
This human form of life isnt meant for increasing artificial needs
This human form of life isnt meant for increasing artificial needs. We should be satisfied just to
maintain the body and soul together, and the rest of the time we should enhance our Ka
consciousness, so that after leaving this body we wont have to take another material body, but will be
able to go back home, back to Godhead. That should be the motto of human life.
(The Science of Self Realization, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
The Vedic literatures do give us guidelines for regulation in eating, sleeping, mating, etc
Of course everyone is motivated by sex life, but sex life is not actually discouraged. We have this
material body, and as long as we have it, sex desire will be there. Similarly, as long as we have the body,
we must eat to maintain it, and we must sleep in order to give it rest. We cannot expect to negate these
activities, but the Vedic literatures do give us guidelines for regulation in eating, sleeping, mating, etc.
If we at all expect success in the yoga system, we cannot allow our unbridled senses to take us down
the paths of sense objects; therefore guidelines are set up. Lord r Ka is advising that the mind can
be controlled through regulation. If we do not regulate our activities, our mind will be more and more
agitated. It is not that activities are to be stopped, but regulated by the mind always in Ka
consciousness. Being always engaged in some activity connected with Ka is actual samdhi. It is not
that when one is in samdhi he doesnt eat, work, sleep or enjoy himself in any way. Rather, samdhi
can be defined as executing regulated activities while absorbed in the thought of Ka.
asayattman yogo
duprpa iti me mati
vaytman tu yatat
akyo vptum upyata
for one whose mind is unbridled, Ka further says, self-realization is difficult work. (Bg. 6.36)
Anyone knows that an unbridled horse is dangerous to ride. He can go in any direction at any speed,
and his rider is likely to come to some harm. Insofar as the mind is unbridled, Ka agrees with Arjuna
that the yoga system is very difficult work indeed. But, Ka adds, he whose mind is controlled and
strives by right means is assured of success. That is My judgment. (Bg. 6.36) What is meant by strives
by right means? One has to try to follow the four basic regulative principles as mentioned and execute
his activities absorbed in Ka consciousness.
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(From: The Perfection of Yoga, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)

Work done as a sacrifice for Viu has to be performed
A person should never give up his prescribed duty without scriptural authorization, for this will cause
chaos in the world. Since it is impossible to maintain the body without activities, it is impossible to
totally renounce activities. On the other hand, the tree of material entanglement, which thrives on
fruitive activities and their results, can never bring forth any hope for peace. It is for this reason that the
Supreme Lord has explained how one is to perform activities:
Work done as a sacrifice for Viu has to be performed; otherwise work binds one to this material
world. Therefore, O son of Kunt, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in this way
you will always remain free from bondage. (Bhagavad-gt 3.9)
(From: Renunciation Through Wisdom, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
If, by the mercy of the Supreme Lord or His pure representative..
All of us must try to earn whatever money is required to maintain ourselves and our family. Money
buys food, and food maintains our body. Without sufficient food, the body becomes weak and useless,
and then it cannot generate further means for its sustenance. Which is the cause and which the effect is
very difficult to establish. Such is the cycle of fruitive activities. Our material existence birth after birth
consists of going round the great cycle of fruitive activity. If, by the mercy of the Supreme Lord or His
pure representative, a fortunate soul caught in the midst of this turning wheel can understand his
distressful condition, he begins to perform activities that will free him from this bondage.
(From: Renunciation Through Wisdom, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
This atheistic or godless civilization is a huge affair contrived for the gratification of our senses
This atheistic or godless civilization is a huge affair contrived for the gratification of our senses, and
now we are all mad after money in order to maintain this empty shell. Money is sought after by
everyone because that is the medium of exchange for objects for sense gratification. Obviously the
expectation of peace in such an atmosphere of gold rush pandemonium is a utopian dream. As long as
there is the slightest tinge of sense gratification or desire for sense gratification, peace will remain far,
far away. This is because by nature we are all eternal servants of the Supreme Lord and therefore cannot
enjoy anything for our personal interests. It is therefore necessary for us to learn how to employ our
senses in the transcendental service of the Lord, and to utilize everything to serve His interest. This
alone can bring about much desired peace. A part of the body cannot in itself be independently happy.
It can only derive its happiness and pleasure out of serving the entire body. The Supreme Lord is the
whole, and we are the parts, but we are all busily engaged in activities of self-interest. No one is
prepared to serve the Lord. This is the basic cause for our conditioning in material existence and for
our resultant unhappiness.
(From: Elevation to Krishna Consciousness, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
Consequently todays society is simply a society of cats, dogs and hogs
Today all facets of human society are thinking that their self-interest is in maintaining this body.
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Consequently todays society is simply a society of cats, dogs and hogs. From Vedic literatures we can
understand that we dont have to work hard all day simply to maintain this body. We are working very
hard because we are trying to control material nature for the purposes of sense gratification. One who
can come to understand that Ka is the root of everything, the origin of everything, can understand
the meaning of vara parama ka [Bs. 5.1]Ka is the supreme controller. In the universe
there are many varas, or controllers, but Ka is the supreme among all of them. Ka consciousness
gives us this knowledge. Without it, we will remain ignorant of our real self-interest.
(From: Elevation to Krishna Consciousness, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
Human activities diseased by a tendency toward sense gratification have been regulated in the Vedas
under the principles of salvation
Human activities diseased by a tendency toward sense gratification have been regulated in the Vedas
under the principles of salvation. This system employs religion, economic development, sense
gratification and salvation, but at the present moment people have no interest in religion or salvation.
They have only one aim in lifesense gratificationand in order to achieve this end they make plans
for economic development. Misguided men think that religion should be maintained because it
contributes to economic development, which is required for sense gratification. Thus in order to
guarantee further sense gratification after death, in heaven, there is some system of religious
observance. But this is not the purpose of religion. The path of religion is actually meant for selfrealization, and economic development is required just to maintain the body in a sound, healthy
condition. A man should lead a healthy life with a sound mind just to realize vidy, true knowledge,
which is the aim of human life. This life is not meant for working like an ass or for culturing avidy for
sense gratification.
(From: Sri Isopanisad, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)
End of Aricle -
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How Much We Should Care Our Body

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108 Q &A

From: Center for BHAKTI Studies

How much a devotee should care for his physical body?

harim eva dhiy smaret

anair nirguatm iyt

tvamyou; kurumust perform; karmaduties; niyatamunder regulation of stra (sandhy and

One should maintain ones body while engaging in navadh-bhakti

vsya conveys the

(From: Srimad Bhagavatam 4.29.79 Purport, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)

(From: Srimad Bhagavatam 5.14.8, Purport, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)

called pleasure of materialistic life, depend on extremely hard labor.

sa steno daam arhati

preaching of rmad Bhagavad-gt, or Ka consciousness, all over the world. van

unlawfully addicted to sense gratification.

(From: The Perfection of Yoga, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja)

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