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Fruits of labor

Expressions researched:
"fruit of his labor" |"fruit of his labor" |"fruit of labor" |"fruit of our labor" |"fruits of everyone's labor" |"fruits of labor" |"fruits of one's hard labor" |"fruits of one's labor" |"fruits of our labor" |"fruits of such labor" |"fruits of their labor" |"fruits of your labor"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is

BG Chapters 7 - 12

The mūḍhas are those who are grossly foolish, like hardworking beasts of burden. They want to enjoy the fruits of their labor by themselves, and so do not want to part with them for the Supreme.
BG 7.15, Purport:

(1) The mūḍhas are those who are grossly foolish, like hardworking beasts of burden. They want to enjoy the fruits of their labor by themselves, and so do not want to part with them for the Supreme. The typical example of the beast of burden is the ass. This humble beast is made to work very hard by his master. The ass does not really know for whom he works so hard day and night. He remains satisfied by filling his stomach with a bundle of grass, sleeping for a while under fear of being beaten by his master, and satisfying his sex appetite at the risk of being repeatedly kicked by the opposite party. The ass sings poetry and philosophy sometimes, but this braying sound only disturbs others. This is the position of the foolish fruitive worker who does not know for whom he should work. He does not know that karma (action) is meant for yajña (sacrifice).

Most often, those who work very hard day and night to clear the burden of self-created duties say that they have no time to hear of the immortality of the living being. To such mūḍhas, material gains, which are destructible, are life's all in all-despite the fact that the mūḍhas enjoy only a very small fraction of the fruit of labor. Sometimes they spend sleepless days and nights for fruitive gain, and although they may have ulcers or indigestion, they are satisfied with practically no food; they are simply absorbed in working hard day and night for the benefit of illusory masters. Ignorant of their real master, the foolish workers waste their valuable time serving mammon. Unfortunately, they never surrender to the supreme master of all masters, nor do they take time to hear of Him from the proper sources. The swine who eat the night soil do not care to accept sweetmeats made of sugar and ghee. Similarly, the foolish worker will untiringly continue to hear of the sense-enjoyable tidings of the flickering mundane world, but will have very little time to hear about the eternal living force that moves the material world.

In all cases, one should give up the result or fruits of labor; this means to employ the result of karma for some good cause.
BG 12.12, Translation and Purport:

If you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind.

As mentioned in the previous verses, there are two kinds of devotional service: the way of regulative principles and the way of full attachment in love to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For those who are actually not able to follow the principles of Kṛṣṇa consciousness it is better to cultivate knowledge, because by knowledge one can be able to understand his real position. Gradually knowledge will develop to the point of meditation. By meditation one can be able to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by a gradual process. There are processes which make one understand that one himself is the Supreme, and that sort of meditation is preferred if one is unable to engage in devotional service. If one is not able to meditate in such a way, then there are prescribed duties, as enjoined in the Vedic literature, for the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras, which we shall find in the last chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. But in all cases, one should give up the result or fruits of labor; this means to employ the result of karma for some good cause.

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 1

One should work hard and worship the Supreme Lord by the fruits of one's hard labor for existence, and that should be the motto of life.
SB 1.2.27, Purport:

For material enjoyment there is no need to approach the demigods. The demigods are but servants of the Lord. As such, they are duty-bound to supply necessities of life in the form of water, light, air, etc. One should work hard and worship the Supreme Lord by the fruits of one's hard labor for existence, and that should be the motto of life. One should be careful to execute occupational service with faith in God in the proper way, and that will lead one gradually on the progressive march back to Godhead.

Serving the Lord by the fruits of one's labor. That will lead one to the path of naiṣkarmya, or liberation.
SB 1.3.8, Purport:

The conditioned souls are mostly attracted by fruitive work because they want to enjoy life by the sweat of their own brows. The whole universe is full of fruitive workers in all species of life. The fruitive works include all kinds of economic development plans. But the law of nature provides that every action has its resultant reaction, and the performer of the work is bound up by such reactions, good or bad. The reaction of good work is comparative material prosperity, whereas the reaction of bad work is comparative material distress. But material conditions, either in so-called happiness or in so-called distress, are all meant ultimately for distress only. Foolish materialists have no information of how to obtain eternal happiness in the unconditional state. Śrī Nārada informs these foolish fruitive workers how to realize the reality of happiness. He gives direction to the diseased men of the world how one's present engagement can lead one to the path of spiritual emancipation. The physician directs the patient to take treated milk in the form of curd for his sufferings from indigestion due to his taking another milk preparation. So the cause of the disease and the remedy of the disease may be the same, but it must be treated by an expert physician like Nārada. The Bhagavad-gītā also gives the same solution of serving the Lord by the fruits of one's labor. That will lead one to the path of naiṣkarmya, or liberation.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Renunciation Through Wisdom

Ordinary human activities are quite different from the activities recommended in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā; understanding this difference is essential for us. In our times we find many fruitive workers who claim to be karma-yogīs but in fact are seen to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Renunciation Through Wisdom 1.5:

Lord Krṣṇa, seeing the distressful condition of the living entities and forseeing their bleak future, spoke the scripture known as Bhagavad-gītā, which contains unequivocal instructions for mankind. These instructions are like the cooling showers of peace on the blazing forest fire of material existence. Ordinary human activities are quite different from the activities recommended in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā; understanding this difference is essential for us. In our times we find many fruitive workers who claim to be karma-yogīs but in fact are seen to enjoy the fruits of their labor. What is needed is not this false karma-yoga but genuine buddhi-yoga, which Lord Kṛṣṇa several times explains in the Bhagavad-gītā. Buddhi-yoga means "devotion to the Supreme Lord." The Lord says in the Gītā (10.10), "To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me." Elsewhere in the Gītā (18.56) the Lord says, "One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service." Therefore, since buddhi-yoga is the means to attain the Supreme Lord, then buddhi-yoga is nothing other than devotional service. The Supreme Lord is attained through loving devotional service. This fact is well known. Hence the Lord is also known as bhakta-vatsala, "He who is especially inclined toward His devotees."

The yogic process is like a ladder one ascends gradually toward the final goal of the Absolute Truth. Niṣkāma-karma, or renunciation of the fruits of one's labor, is the first step on this ladder.
Renunciation Through Wisdom 1.9:

The fruitive workers cannot be counted among the yogīs. The actual yogīs are the karma-yogīs, the jñāna-yogīs, the aṣṭāṅga-yogīs, and the bhakti-yogīs. Factually they are the same, although named differently. The yogic process is like a ladder one ascends gradually toward the final goal of the Absolute Truth. Niṣkāma-karma, or renunciation of the fruits of one's labor, is the first step on this ladder. When knowledge and austerity are added to it, it becomes jñāna-yoga, the second step in this ladder. And when meditation on the Supreme is added to jñāna-yoga, the third step is reached, namely aṣṭāṅga-yoga. Finally, when loving devotional service to the Supreme Lord is practiced along with aṣṭāṅga-yoga, it is transformed into bhakti-yoga. This entire successive process is yoga. For an exact and clear delineation of the subject of yoga, all four steps need to be explained separately. Those who desire the best for humanity take to the path of yoga. The process for progressing in yoga requires, first, determination and strict execution of discipline at each stage. When a person is firmly situated at one stage, he then has to relinquish attachment and adherence to the practices of that stage in order to elevate himself to the next higher stage. Those who cannot reach the top for some reason and get stuck at any one of the four stages acquire the designation of that particular stage. Thus there are karma-yogīs, jñāna-yogīs, aṣṭāṅga-yogīs, and bhakta-yogīs. Lord Kṛṣṇa instructs Arjuna that one who renders loving devotional service to Him, the Supreme Lord, is the highest among all yogīs, and that Arjuna should thus strive to become such a bhakti-yogī.

Lord Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer of all sacrifices. Thus He accepts the fruits of everyone's labor, and by so doing He crowns all His devotees' endeavors with glowing success.
Renunciation Through Wisdom 2.11:

Lord Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer of all sacrifices. Thus He accepts the fruits of everyone's labor, and by so doing He crowns all His devotees' endeavors with glowing success. Such is the transcendental potency possessed by the omnipotent Lord. We must pay careful heed, however, never to allow the desire for self-aggrandizement or sense gratification to surreptitiously slip into our consciousness while we are performing devotional service. We should simply follow in the footsteps of the previous spiritual masters. In the Lord's presence, everyone is equal. Therefore, whoever serves the Lord with unwavering single-mindedness is listed among His close associates. They are truly "hari-janas," Lord Hari's own men. To rubber-stamp as a hari-jana a person who does not possess the prerequisite—devotional service—is a farce and an onerous hindrance on the path of devotional surrender.

Mukunda-mala-stotra (mantras 1 to 6 only)

Instead of indulging in sense gratification of different grades with the fruits of one's labor, one should work just to maintain the body and soul together, with the aim of inquiring into the ultimate aims and objects of life. In other words, one should inquire into the Absolute Truth.
Mukunda-mala-stotra mantra 5, Purport:

The purpose of performing real religion is to attain attachment for hearing and chanting the messages of the kingdom of God. Materialistic people are attached to ordinary newspapers on account of their lack of spiritual consciousness. Real religion develops this spiritual consciousness and also attachment for the messages of God, without which all labor in the performance of religious rites is only a waste of energy. Therefore one should not practice religion with the aim of improving one's economic welfare, nor should one use one's wealth for sense gratification, nor should the frustration of one's plans for sense gratification lead one to aspire for salvation, or liberation from material conditions. Instead of indulging in sense gratification of different grades with the fruits of one's labor, one should work just to maintain the body and soul together, with the aim of inquiring into the ultimate aims and objects of life. In other words, one should inquire into the Absolute Truth.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

"Only those who are kṛpaṇa, those who are not self-realized, they are hankering after sense gratification. They want to enjoy the fruits of their labor. But you don't be. Arjuna, you don't be."
Lecture on BG 2.48-49 -- New York, April 1, 1966:

Your work is not bad, provided you work for the Supreme Lord. That's all. That is the technique. So dūreṇa hy avaraṁ karma. Here it is emphatically emphasized that dūreṇa hy avaraṁ karma buddhi-yogād dhanañjaya: "By application of this God consciousness, you throw away all other work. Any work which you cannot do with God consciousness, don't do it." Now, here is the injunction in Bhagavad-gītā that "Anything which you cannot do with God consciousness, stop doing." But the whole world is engaged, doing things in which there is no God consciousness. There is no God consciousness. And here it is enjoined that buddhau śaraṇam anviccha kṛpaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ: "Only those who are kṛpaṇa, those who are not self-realized, they are hankering after sense gratification. They want to enjoy the fruits of their labor. But you don't be. Arjuna, you don't be. If you want to be spiritually situated, if you want to work from the spiritual platform, then you don't do it. You work on the spiritual platform and don't do anything which you cannot do in God consciousness." This is clearly stated here. Now, it is, of course... It depends on us whether to accept it or not accept it, because God has given us independence.

Kṛpaṇāḥ means those who are anxious for enjoying sense gratification, by the fruits of their labor.
Lecture on BG 2.48-49 -- New York, April 1, 1966:

So in everything, nothing is yours. I am also... As spirit soul, I am also part and parcel of God. And we are thinking independently that "I have no connection with God." This is very horrible condition. The whole world is suffering because this misconception of life, misconception of life, that he has forgotten his eternal relationship with God. So we have to revive it. We have to revive it, this process. The Bhagavad-gītā has prescribed,

dūreṇa hy avaraṁ karma
buddhi-yogād dhanañjaya
buddhau śaraṇam anviccha
kṛpaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ

Kṛpaṇāḥ means those who are anxious for enjoying sense gratification, by the fruits of their labor. They are called kṛpaṇa. And those who have sacrificed the whole body, whole intelligence... Sacrifice... You always remember: what we can sacrifice? Just like we take Ganges water from Ganges and offering Ganges, so everything is obtained from God, and now, if we offer the same thing to God, then we become liberated. Actually I am not proprietor in anything. Myself is also not... I am also the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. These are the conception. Without this conception, without this God conception, there is no spiritual realization and there is no happiness, either personally, or impersonally, or socially, or economically or politically. There cannot be.

Generally, people are karmajā. Karmajā means one who wants to enjoy the fruit of his labor.
Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:

Prabhupāda:

kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhiṁ
yajanta iha devatāḥ
kṣipraṁ hi mānuṣe loke
siddhir bhavati karmajā

Generally, people are karmajā. Karmajā means one who wants to enjoy the fruit of his labor. Everyone in this material world, they have come to enjoy. So therefore they are working so hard. We have seen in big, big cities, especially in the Western world, they are working very, very hard.

We are working day and night to get some fruit of our labor and enjoy it.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Upsala University Stockholm, September 8, 1973:

God says that "I am the enjoyer of everything." We are acting in this material world to enjoy something. We are working day and night to get some fruit of our labor and enjoy it. Everyone, either he's doing business or he's a professional man or he's a worker or anything he is, he's working very hard, day and night, to enjoy something. So... But we cannot claim that we can enjoy everything in this world. Although we have got the desire, but limited power to enjoy. The unlimited enjoyer is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just like we want to enjoy life, family life. We marry one wife. Or, in some countries, more than one wife—two, three, four. But when Kṛṣṇa married, He married 16,108. So... And sixteen thousand wives were given sixteen thousand palaces. And each wife got ten children. And Kṛṣṇa also expanded Himself into 16,108. That is God. For us, it is very difficult to maintain even one wife at the present moment. This is the difference.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Just like a good boy surrenders to his father means whatever he earns, the money, at the end of month he puts in the hand of the father: "Oh, this is my month's earnings"; similarly, we have to sacrifice the fruits of our labor to Kṛṣṇa. This is the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Montreal, July 2, 1968:

So after understanding Bhagavad-gītā, if one becomes faithful that "I shall devote my life for service of Kṛṣṇa," then he is eligible to enter into the study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That means Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam begins from the point where Bhagavad-gītā ends. Bhagavad-gītā ends at the point: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), one has to surrender fully unto Kṛṣṇa, giving up all other engagements. Always remember, all other engagement means not that you have to give up. You... Try to understand that Kṛṣṇa said that "You give up everything and surrender unto Me." So that does not mean that Arjuna gave up his fighting capacity. Rather, he took to fighting more vigorously. So "Give up all other engagement" means don't take the fruit of your engagement. Give up. Just sacrifice the fruit of the engagement. That is to be given to Kṛṣṇa. This is surrender. Just like a good boy surrenders to his father means whatever he earns, the money, at the end of month he puts in the hand of the father: "Oh, this is my month's earnings"; similarly, we have to sacrifice the fruits of our labor to Kṛṣṇa. This is the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Yes, that is done by the pigs. Whole day, finding out "Where is stool? Where is stool? Where is stool?" And as soon as he eats some stool, gets some fat, "Where is sex? Never mind, mother, sister, or daughter. Come on, sex." This is pig life, pig civilization. It is not human civilization.
Morning Walk -- December 6, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prajāpati: In the West, there's what's known as Protestant Ethic, which means you work hard like a dog and a cat.

Karandhara: And enjoy, enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is done by the pigs. Whole day, finding out "Where is stool? Where is stool? Where is stool?" And as soon as he eats some stool, gets some fat, "Where is sex? Never mind, mother, sister, or daughter. Come on, sex." This is pig life, pig civilization. It is not human civilization. This kind of behavior is found amongst the pigs, amongst the dogs. Do you think we have to create a human society like the pigs' society? At the present moment, they're eating anything and everything like pigs, and they're having sex with anyone, never mind. So it is a pig society. There is no discrimination. (break) ...the most popular thing is this drinking, eating meat and drinking wine. Is that to be accepted because it is very popular?

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Generally, we see now, especially in the western countries, they are working so hard. The master is wine and woman. That's all. Is it not? They have made their master wine and women. In Paris we see everywhere. On the street they are drinking and talking.
Room Conversation with Professor Oliver La Combe Director of the Sorbonne University -- June 14, 1974, Paris:

Nitāi: Most often, those who work very hard day and night to clear the burden of self-created duties say that they have no time to hear of the immortality of the living being. To such mūḍhas, material gains, which are destructible, are life's all in all, despite the fact that the mūḍhas enjoy only a very small fraction of the fruit of labor. Sometimes they spend sleepless days and nights for fruitive gain, and although they may have ulcers or indigestion, they are satisfied with practically no food. They are simply absorbed in working hard day and night for the benefit of illusory masters. Ignorant of their real master, the foolish workers waste their valuable time serving mammon. Unfortunately, they never surrender to the supreme master of all masters, not do they take time to hear of Him from the proper sources."

Prabhupāda: Generally, we see now, especially in the western countries, they are working so hard. The master is wine and woman. That's all. Is it not? They have made their master wine and women. In Paris we see everywhere. On the street they are drinking and talking. In Germany also, I have seen.

Correspondence

1972 Correspondence

I am very much pleased to hear that you are making spiritual progress and you are more serious to attend to the real matter of your life. Go on in this way, reading, chanting, worshiping the deity, and offering the fruits of your labor to Krishna, and attend Mangala Arati at the temple and classes as much as possible, and very soon you will feel yourself becoming perfectly happy.
Letter to Jayadeva -- Los Angeles 16 August, 1972:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated August 10, 1972, and I am very much pleased to hear that you are making spiritual progress and you are more serious to attend to the real matter of your life. Go on in this way, reading, chanting, worshiping the deity, and offering the fruits of your labor to Krishna, and attend Mangala Arati at the temple and classes as much as possible, and very soon you will feel yourself becoming perfectly happy. This spot life is meant for becoming God conscious and there is no other purpose or meaning to life outside of this. So now you have got the right spiritual master, the process I've given you, so now it is up to you. If you really want to achieve the goal of your life, then become very serious to always pursue it at every moment and not be distracted by anything false. Sukadeva is the president now in Seattle temple, so if you can assist him in his management and other programs, kindly give him your help.

Page Title:Fruits of labor
Compiler:Visnu Murti, MadhuGopaldas
Created:11 of Dec, 2008
Totals by Section:BG=2, SB=2, CC=0, OB=4, Lec=5, Con=2, Let=1
No. of Quotes:16