So these people, they do not know. They are thinking that "We are doing our duty." What is this nonsense duty? Real duty is to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you are missing that point, the so-called duty is simply wasting...
- dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
- viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ
- notpādayed ratiṁ yadi
- śrama eva hi kevalam
- (SB 1.2.8)
So they do not know this. They are doing their... Everyone is engaged in his duty. They are not interested to hear about Kṛṣṇa-kathā—that is the real business of life—because they are engaged in duty, duty. So why they do that? Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know the real duty is to approach Viṣṇu, svartha-gatim, interest. They are thinking, "This is my interest." Real duty is svārtha-gatim. Everyone should be interested in his business, but the real business is, human life, that approach Viṣṇu. Tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanty surayaḥ. Those who are actually advanced Aryans, their business is how to approach Viṣṇu. That is the Ṛg-mantra. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā (SB 7.5.31). They are thinking by these bodily comforts they will be happy. No. That is not possible. The real happiness is different. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Andhā yathāndhaiḥ. And anyone who will give him false hope that "If you get independence, then overnight you will become like this, like this, like that," that leader is very nice. If there is some political meeting giving only bluff, lots of bluffs only, and people gather there by thousands and millions to hear the bluff... Because... My Guru Mahārāja therefore used to say that this present human society is a society of the cheaters and the cheated. Somebody is being cheated and somebody is cheater, a combination of two things, cheater and the cheated, because they do not know the real interest of life. And anyone who will speak all nonsense and bluff, he will be very much adored. This is going on.
But actual interest is... Human life should be sober. He should... Therefore the first beginning of real life is to understand that "I am not this body." This is the first lesson. But where is that education? Throughout the whole world, go anywhere. Where is that education that students are being taught that "You are not this body"? There is no education. Then what is the value of this education? To keep them andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31), to keep them in the darkness. That is going on. This is the only institution which is giving people real life.
- ajñāna-timirāndhasya
- jñānāñjana-śalākayā
- cakṣur-unmīlitaṁ yena
- tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
So our request is, therefore, that try to understand this Kṛṣṇa philosophy and take to it seriously. Then your life will be successful. Otherwise you are simply wasting your time. This is our message. And if you want to talk, if you want to argue, then also we are prepared. We have prepared so many books for this purpose. Now this is the fact. If you accept it, it is good. Then the next question may be that "Why the people do not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness? If it is so important, why they do not take to it?" That is also explained by Prahlāda Mahārāja. Matir na kṛṣṇe parato svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām. Gṛha-vratānām. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). So matir na kṛṣṇe. If one sticks to this principle, that "I shall be happy with this material body, I shall be happy within this material world, within my country, within my society," in this way, if one thinks, they are called gṛha-vrata. So for such persons, gṛha-vratānām, those who want to become happy within this bodily envelopment, they are... (break) Therefore from the beginning of life one has to be educated the value of life or approach a devotee.