Prahlāda Mahārāja says, śoce tato vimukha-cetasa māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). That is the thankless task of the devotees, to turn these vimūḍhān from this māyā-sukha to real sukha. This is the business of the devotee. They have no other business. Their business is not for making money. Money, they have got enough, and Kṛṣṇa supplies all their money. So there is no such problem for a devotee of how to secure money. Their only problem is how to turn these rascals to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all rascals, vimūḍhān. We say clearly, "If you are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, you are rascal number one." "No, I am M.A. Ph.D." "Still, you are rascal." That is our verdict. "We don't care for your Ph.D. I know that you are a rascal because you do not know Kṛṣṇa." Just a few minutes before, one gentleman came to see me, and he advertised himself that, "I have read Vedas, I have read the Purāṇas, I have seen Dr. Radhakrishnan and so on, but I do not get peace of mind." So I asked him, "You have studied so many literatures. Do you know who is God?" And the God who has created this, what is His name, what is the address—that he does not know. Yes. This is going on. Vimūḍhān. They are proud of education, proud of learning, advancement, everything, all right, complete. But real knowledge—"Do you know God?"—that he cannot explain. That he cannot explain. He will explain something hodgepodge. This is the disease. Therefore they are vimūḍhān.
Real knowledge means to understand God. That is real knowledge. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). What is the Veda, Vedānta? To know Kṛṣṇa, or God. Kṛṣṇa and God, the same. If one knows God but does not know Kṛṣṇa, his knowledge of God is incomplete. His knowledge of God is incomplete. When he knows that kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam, then his knowledge is perfect.
- ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ
- kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam
- indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokaṁ
- mṛḍayanti yuge yuge
- (SB 1.3.28)
And Kṛṣṇa said that ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). The Vedānta says, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1): "God, or Absolute Truth, means the source of everything." And the source of everything is coming down before you and in His original form, Kṛṣṇa. Dvi-bhuja muralīdhara, Kṛṣṇa. Here He is standing, and He is preaching, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: "I am the source of everything." Mūḍho nābhijānāti. But the rascals, they do not understand that God is speaking in everyone's presence, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ, "I am," aham "like this," aham. Mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate. Still, the rascal will not. Just see how much rascals we are.
Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said that mūḍho nābh . . . vimūḍhān, māyā-sukhāya. They are trying to be happy within this material existence—māyā-sukhāya bharam. Bharam means gorgeous arrangement, very gorgeous arrangement, very big, big road, big, big skyscraper building, and big machine, big industry, and so many big, big things, big, big words, big, big politician and big, big political activities. But so mūḍha that he does not think for a moment, "How long these big, big things will be enjoyed by me? I have . . . certainly there is credit for creating all these big, big things, but māyā will not allow me to enjoy these things. At any moment I shall be kicked out. And what insurance and guarantee I have made, just I can enjoy this?" Therefore it is called māyā-sukhāya: wasting time making gorgeous arrangement. Not only the sukha, but this whole thing can be finished within a second. If there is a big earthquake, everything will be finished. We have got experience many times—anything will be finished. This Bombay can be turned into sea, and the Bombay can be pushed in an island within the sea. Material nature is so strong. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). And under her spell we are trying to become happy. Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43).
And the devotees, the Kṛṣṇa conscious persons, they know that this is all false—not false, temporary, simply bewildering. On account of contaminated consciousness, people are trying to be happy in this way, but devotees know that this kind of endeavor is simply bewildering, simply waste of time. Real business is how to purify my consciousness, come to the original Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is real business. Svacchatvam avikāritvam. That is our real business. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching is that our only business is how to revive our original consciousness. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is wanted. Without this, whatever we are doing, in the words of Śrīla Prahlāda Mahārāja, "It is all māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān." Māyā-sukhāya.