Prabhupāda: In the Vedas there are many allurements for elevating oneself to higher standard of life. Just like in this life also the father says: "My dear boy, if you become highly educated, then you'll get very nice job, you'll get good salary, and you'll have nice apartment and nice wife, children."
Just like these are allurements for enticing one in this materialistic way of life, similarly, there are many allurements in the Vedic literatures. People are also, I mean to say, allured to execute such thing, that if you make such-and-such pious activities, then you get elevated to such-and-such higher planets and you get such-and-such high standard of life. These are explained there.
But Kṛṣṇa says that don't be misled by these allurement. He will explain also later on. Ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ (BG 8.16). Just like people are trying to go to the moon planet. They are trying to go to the moon planet by some airplane or sputnik. Similarly, in the Vedic literature the travel to moon planet is also stated, that if you act in this way, then you get promotion to get your life in the moon planet. There you shall live for ten thousands of years, and you will have soma-rasa beverages, and you'll . . .
So many promises. But Kṛṣṇa says that, "Don't be allured." They are fact. They are not false statement. Actually they are facts, that if you act in such-and-such way, you can enter in higher planetary system and you have higher standard of life. But this Bhagavad-gītā proposition is that don't try to live within this material world anywhere. Anywhere.
There is Vedic instruction also. Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya: don't remain within this darkness. This material world is darkness. Therefore there is need of sunlight, need of moonlight. Just like just now, night. What is this night? Night means this is the real appearance of this material world.
It is dark, and when the sunlight will be visible, we shall think that it is daytime. But actually it is dark. But there is another nature. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyaḥ (BG 8.20), another spiritual nature where there is always illumination. Jyoti. Jyoti means illumination.
So Vedic injunction is that don't stay within this dark material world. Just come to the illuminated world. Jyotir gamaya. The same thing Kṛṣṇa also advises, that don't be allured to stay in any nice planet of this universe. Come out of it. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6): "That is My eternal abode, or the best abode, where going you'll never come back again."
So what is that? Go on.
Devotee: Verse 44: "In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Lord does not take place."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Here is very important thing. The exact Sanskrit word is, bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ tayāpahṛta-cetasām, vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ (BG 2.44), ekeha kuru nandana. In the beginning it has been said that you make your determination that "In this life I shall execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness in such a way that after leaving this body I enter into the spiritual world and go directly to Goloka Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇaloka." This is called vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ. Niścayātmikā means determination.
But He says that persons who are attached bhoga, material enjoyment, aiśvarya, material opulence: bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānām (BG 2.44) . . . those who are too much attached to material enjoyment and material sense gratification, material opulence, tayāpahṛta-cetasām, and those who have become bewildered or mad after it, tayāpahṛta-cetasām, vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ, they cannot have such determination. They will fail to have such determination.
Therefore, according to Vedic civilization, there is voluntary renunciation. Just like Mahārāja Bharata, he was the emperor of the world, and at the age of twenty-four years he gave up everything. Mahārāja Bharata is a very . . . long, long ago he appeared. But Lord Buddha, he was also princely order, and he was young man. He also gave up everything, his father's kingdom, everything. That you know, because Lord Buddha is known at the present moment.