Hare Krishna,
Pamho,
AgtSP!
When this Material World is compared to jail then why does it offer so many pleasurs? I agree they are temporary but still that contradict the statement. To what extent it is practical to deny
pleasures of this world. When everything is energy of krishna then why do we accept few and reject
others? I love to serve my parents and at the same time enjoy myself and this doesnt effect my parents.
Similarly I love krishna and whole heartedly serve him but my urge for material enjoyment does exist.
What kind of bliss or happiness does pure devotees of lord experience in serving him and how they are
not attracted to material pleasures?
Your Servant
Aakash
Replies
Excerpt
In the Fifteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gétä, the real picture of the material world is given. It is said there:
ürdhva-mülam adhaù-çäkham açvatthaà prähur avyayam
chandäàsi yasya parëäni yas taà veda sa veda-vit
"The Supreme Lord said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down, and the Vedic hymns are its leaves. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas." (Bg. 15.1) Here the material world is described as a tree whose roots are upwards and branches are below. We have experience of a tree whose roots are upward: if one stands on the bank of a river or any reservoir of water, he can see that the trees reflected in the water are upside down. The branches go downward and the roots upward. Similarly, this material world is a reflection of the spiritual world. The material world is but a shadow of reality. In the shadow there is no reality or substantiality, but from the shadow we can understand that there is substance and reality. In the desert there is no water, but the mirage suggests that there is such a thing as water. In the material world there is no water, there is no happiness, but the real water of actual happiness is there in the spiritual world.
The Lord suggests that we attain the spiritual world in the following manner:
nirmäna-mohä jita-saìga-doñä
adhyätma-nityä vinivåtta-kämäù
dvandvair vimuktäù sukha-duùkha-saàjïair
gacchanty amüòhäù padam avyayaà tat.
That padam avyayam or eternal kingdom can be reached by one who is nirmäna-moha. What does this mean? We are after designations. Someone wants to become a son, someone wants to become Lord, someone wants to become the president or a rich man or a king or something else. As long as we are attached to these designations, we are attached to the body because designations belong to the body. But we are not these bodies, and realizing this is the first stage in spiritual realization. We are associated with the three modes of material nature, but we must become detached through devotional service to the Lord. If we are not attached to devotional service to the Lord, then we cannot become detached from the modes of material nature. Designations and attachments are due to our lust and desire, our wanting to lord it over the material nature. As long as we do not give up this propensity of lording it over material nature, there is no possibility of returning to the kingdom of the Supreme, the sanätana-dhäma. That eternal kingdom, which is never destroyed, can be approached by one who is not bewildered by the attractions of false material enjoyments, who is situated in the service of the Supreme Lord. One so situated can easily approach that supreme abode.
SB 7.9.25
TEXT 25
TEXT
kuträçiñaù çruti-sukhä mågatåñëi-rüpäù
kvedaà kalevaram açeña-rujäà virohaù
nirvidyate na tu jano yad apéti vidvän
kämänalaà madhu-lavaiù çamayan duräpaiù
SYNONYMS
kutra—where; äçiñaù—benedictions; çruti-sukhäù—simply pleasing to hear of; mågatåñëi-rüpäù—exactly like a mirage in the desert; kva—where; idam—this; kalevaram—body; açeña—unlimited; rujäm—of diseases; virohaù—the place for generating; nirvidyate—become satiated; na—not; tu—but; janaù—people in general; yat api—although; iti—thus; vidvän—so-called learned philosophers, scientists and politicians; käma-analam—the blazing fire of lusty desires; madhu-lavaiù—with drops of honey (happiness); çamayan—controlling; duräpaiù—very difficult to obtain.
TRANSLATION
In this material world, every living entity desires some future happiness, which is exactly like a mirage in the desert. Where is water in the desert, or, in other words, where is happiness in this material world? As for this body, what is its value? It is merely a source of various diseases. The so-called philosophers, scientists and politicians know this very well, but nonetheless they aspire for temporary happiness. Happiness is very difficult to obtain, but because they are unable to control their senses, they run after the so-called happiness of the material world and never come to the right conclusion.
PURPORT
There is a song in the Bengali language which states, "I constructed this home for happiness, but unfortunately there was a fire, and everything has now been burnt to ashes." This illustrates the nature of material happiness. Everyone knows it, but nonetheless one plans to hear or think something very pleasing. Unfortunately, all of one's plans are annihilated in due course of time. There were many politicians who planned empires, supremacy and control of the world, but in due time all their plans and empires—and even the politicians themselves—were vanquished. Everyone should take lessons from Prahläda Mahäräja about how we are engaged in so-called temporary happiness through bodily exercises for sense enjoyment. All of us repeatedly make plans, which are all repeatedly frustrated. Therefore one should stop such planmaking.
As one cannot stop a blazing fire by constantly pouring ghee upon it, one cannot satisfy oneself by increasing plans for sense enjoyment. The blazing fire is bhava-mahä-dävägni, the forest fire of material existence. This forest fire occurs automatically, without endeavor. We want to be happy in the material world, but this will never be possible; we shall simply increase the blazing fire of desires. Our desires cannot be satisfied by illusory thoughts and plans; rather, we have to follow the instructions of Lord Kåñëa: sarva-dharmän parityajya mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Then we shall be happy. Otherwise, in the name of happiness, we shall continue to suffer miserable conditions.
SB 1.7.10
Excerpt
According to Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya, the import of the word ittham-bhüta is "complete bliss." Transcendental bliss in the realization of impersonal Brahman becomes comparable to the scanty water contained in the pit made by a cow's hoof. It is nothing compared with the ocean of bliss of the vision of the Personality of Godhead. The personal form of Lord Çré Kåñëa is so attractive that it comprehends all attraction, all bliss and all tastes (rasas). These attractions are so strong that no one wants to exchange them for material enjoyment, mystic powers and liberation. There is no need of logical arguments in support of this statement, but out of one's own nature one becomes attracted by the qualities of Lord Çré Kåñëa. We must know for certain that the qualities of the Lord have nothing to do with mundane qualities. All of them are full of bliss, knowledge and eternity. There are innumerable qualities of the Lord, and one is attracted by one quality while another is attracted by another.
What I mean to say is:
We are not really happy as fish can never be happy on land. Yes material nature provides jagadananda or material enjoyment which is preyas or immediate enjoyment in three modes, but Krsna Bhakti gives bliss infinite times this so-called happiness.
This is happiness on material level but so-called happiness on spiritual level.
Excerpt
So that will depend on your karma. Karmaëä daiva-netreëa deho...jantur dehopapattaye [SB 3.31.1]. That will depend. Prakåteù kriyamäëäni guëaiù karmäëi sarvaçaù [Bg. 3.27]. Käraëaà guëa-saìgo 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu [Bg. 13.22]. Everything is there is the çästra. You can get a nice body or you can get a very bad body, not comfortable, cats' and dogs' body. But in every body the living entity thinks that he is very happy. This is called illusion. In any body, any kind, either in cat's body or dog's body or tree's body or ant's body or Brahmä's body or demigod's body or human body, he thinks, "Oh, now I am very happy." This is called prakñepätmika-çakti. Sometimes Indra became a hog, being cursed by Båhaspati. So Brahmä, after some time, came to receive him, that "Indra, now you have suffered very much. Now come with me to your heavenly kingdom." He said, "Where shall I go?" "Now, in the heaven." "No, no, no. I have got my family. I have got my children. How can I go?" The hog is thinking that he has got family, he has got his children, so he cannot give up this responsibility and go to heaven. No. It is not possible. So this is called mäyä. Even in hog's life, dog's life, germ's life, stool's life, everyone is thinking, "I am very happy." But he does not know that there is tévraà bhayam, very fierceful condition. But he forgets.
But one who is actually wise, intelligent, he can understand that "Actually, I am not happy. I am suffering." That is intelligence. That is intelligence, when one comes to the understanding that "I am not happy actually. I am simply suffering." The Sanätana Gosvämé, he was the finance minister in the government of Nawab Hussain Shah. So he is our guru in the disciplic succession. He inquired this question from Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, that "I have come to You to ask that people call me, I am very learned man." Grämya-vyavahäre paëòita, täi satya mäni. "By this ordinary relationship, they call me, I am very learned man. But I am such a learned man that I do not know what I am..., why I am suffering." This is intelligence. So we should know how to... Ätyantika-duùkha-nivåttiù. Everyone is suffering. Temporary, superficially, one may think that he is very happy, or I may think that "He is happy; I am not happy," but nobody is happy in this material world, because the four things is inevitable for everyone, the prime minister or the man in the street, everyone: janma-måtyu-jarä-vyädhi-duùkha-doñänudarçanam [Bg. 13.9]. And there is so much trouble in the matter of birth and death and old age and disease. We are forgetting. That is called tévraà bhayam.
So if one is intelligent enough, he will understand by association of sädhus that this material life is not happy at all, but we want happiness. That is a fact. Every one of us, we are searching after happiness.
my humble obeisances dear Devotees,
here i remembered one thing from my own life which can be a small example for this:
before coming to Krishna Consciousness many times i made attempt to leave my home and to go to other cities and live so called independent life. Even when i was 14 i did that. I changed my school which was in capital city which was far from my home town. My mother did not liked that but she allowed me to go there. Because i insisted too much. But no matter what my parents used to arrange everything for me: money for renting a room, for food, for books, for cloth...so that i live and study peacefully.
In this way Krishna also takes care of us providing us with all needed necessities. It is His love.
But pleasure is offered not in all places of material world. For example, in hell there is no pleasure. In earthly planets pleasures are comparatively to heavenly planets are very primitive.
In the reality so called pleasure of this world is like the next:
For example, police people catch a thief and punish him by putting his head inside the water. After some seconds he will start to suffer without air. He starts to move making attempt to take at least a single breath but police people keep him in that position for some time.
Then for a single second they remove his head out of water so that he won't die. That time he feels himself VERY HAPPY. Again into water. again suffering....so in this way our so called material joys look like this.
In the reality the state of bliss our natural state but this material body covering us brings us so many difficulties. We work full month so that we get our salary at the end of month and that we think is out happiness. In the reality we are the children of a millionaire - Krishna and no need to work so hard when we are with Him in our Home - Goloka.
...
Another thing is Mother Durga has gun with three points on it so with that She kicks us:
1. suffering from our own mind
2. suffering from other living entities
3. suffering from force major disasters.
so where is happiness?
Ok, let we have a very trusted friend or mother or beloved wife. But they are not ideal and some day they may cheat us or betray or do not trust us, or by the force of fate leave us, or do not understand us, or get mentally sick...so where is happiness?
This so called happiness and distress is coming and going by exchanging the places.
Solution is:
To find ideal Person who won't never ever cheat us and misunderstand us. And that is Krishna.
Your servant,