Prabhupāda: Yes. If by the dress of sannyāsī, you take some money and eat and sleep, then it is transcendental fraud. (SP laughs) (Hindi) Just like others are toiling, and we are getting money by some dress. That's all. They are getting money by laboring hard, and we are getting money... In India, mostly the sannyāsīs, they do that. The priests also, they do that. This is our profession, just... My Guru Mahārāja said that ṭhākura dekhiye pāya rasta karache, rastaye 'yandiya jīvika badram karam bhari (?). Instead of earning livelihood by showing the Deity in the temple, it is better to take the profession of a sweeper in the street and live honestly. He said like that. The sweeper is working hard toiling and getting some money and living. This is honest living.
Honest life
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 1
The reputation of the reign of Mahārāja Rāmacandra and that of the kings who followed in the footsteps of Mahārāja Rāmacandra, like the Pāṇḍavas and their descendants, are never to be forgotten because in their kingdom offenseless and honest living beings were never in trouble. The bull and the cow are the symbols of the most offenseless living beings because even the stool and urine of these animals are utilized to benefit human society. The descendants of the sons of Pṛthā, like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, were afraid of losing their reputations, but in the modern days the leaders are not even afraid of killing such offenseless animals. Herein lies the difference between the reign of those pious kings and the modern states ruled by irresponsible executive heads without knowledge of the codes of God.
SB Canto 2
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.
Lord Brahmā said, "O my Lord Kṛṣṇa, a devotee who abandons the path of empiric philosophical speculation aimed at merging in the existence of the Supreme and engages himself in hearing Your glories and activities from a bona fide sādhu, or saint, and who lives an honest life in the occupational engagement of his social life, can conquer Your sympathy and mercy even though You are ajita, or unconquerable." (SB 10.14.3) That is the path of the paramahaṁsas, which was personally followed by Lord Brahmā and later recommended by him for attaining perfect success in life.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: The thing is the spirit, real service of preaching, stopped. Formality is going on, but the real business.... Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement means āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). That is stopped. Do you follow? The formalities is there, but the real life of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement is preaching. Otherwise why Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra ei deśa. Tāra means preaching. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa-upadeśa' (CC Madhya 7.128). And that is stopped. They are satisfied if they could construct one temple and beg some rice from the neighborhood: "Sir, we have got some temple," that's all. They are satisfied. The spirit of preaching forward-pāpī tāpī jata chilo, hari-nāme uddhārilo—that is stopped. So by hari-nāma, by chanting, by this way, to live little peacefully in the temple and eat and sleep, that much they have got. If that is the success, that success they have got. And this was condemned by my Guru Mahārāja, that "To earn some money by showing Deity in the temple and eat and sleep—better you become a sweeper in the street and earn your honest livelihood and live." This is cheating. This was condemned. To construct a temple.... Just like the Vṛndāvana Gosvāmīs are doing. They thought that "This is our business. Some innocent people will come here and offer some.... Bas, that's our good income." According to the temple's popularity, they think, "This is our success." Therefore they are deteriorating. So that is not success. Success is his who is pushing forward the preaching method. That is his success.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He is a pilot with Indian Airlines. He, I have never heard anything.
Guest (1): He never heard about any politics or anything. He is just like an ordinary citizen.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They say he is not as smart as Sanjay. That means he is not as crooked. So he is out of politics.
Bhakti-caru: He ran the...
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: No.
Guest (1): They have got. He is not living there.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He is a pilot with Indian Airlines.
Prabhupāda: That is honest life. Earn your livelihood. Who is the elder?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: This pilot. I got a letter from Vrinda De today. He says we are getting very good inquiries from our newspaper advertisement and producing a special catalogue, which we are going to give to everyone who writes and which is going to be cheap, because the American catalogue is very expensive.
Correspondence
1973 Correspondence
Your plan for going to the colleges in California and your titles for the lectures are very much to my liking. You may write to Ramananda to come as soon as possible. He told me he can come and see me in London. Anyway, his coming there is sure, so correspond with him; and make a strong party.
Your victory over the scientist who was saying that life comes from dust is very good. We should not take such nonsense from them. We should speak up against such false theorists and say, "Don't talk such nonsense please. Don't mislead the public. You are taking big salaries and leading the public wrongly. It would be better for you to be a street sweeper and earn an honest livelihood instead of cheating.
1976 Correspondence
I know that you are intelligent and can act very nicely to help spread Krsna consciousness. If you feel Maya attracting, then live an honest life as a householder and contribute to our movement. As a family man you can join Svarupa Damodara to help with the Bhaktivedanta Institute. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says it doesn't matter whether one is a sannyasi, grhastha, brahmana, or sudra. You have intelligence. Study more and more. If you think that you should be married, then do that and assist Bhaktivedanta Institute by giving service. My request is, don't become an ordinary foolish man. Keep Krsna consciousness in any condition of life. That is success.
| Page Title: | Honest life |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika, Lavanga Manjari |
| Created: | 29 of Sep, 2009 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=3, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=3, Let=2 |
| No. of Quotes: | 8 |