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One must know what is the necessity of the body and what is the necessity of the soul. The real necessity of life is to supply the comforts of the soul. And the soul can be comforted not by material adjustment

Expressions researched:
"One must know what is the necessity of the body and what is the necessity of the soul. The real necessity of life is to supply the comforts of the soul. And the soul can be comforted not by material adjustment"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Suppose a man is very comfortably situated. Does it mean that he will not die? He'll die. So simply by bodily comforts you cannot exist—survival of the fittest; struggle for existence. So when we simply take care of the body, that is called dharmasya glāniḥ, polluted. One must know what is the necessity of the body and what is the necessity of the soul. The real necessity of life is to supply the comforts of the soul. And the soul can be comforted not by material adjustment. Because soul is a different identity, the soul must be given spiritual food. That spiritual food is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Just like a rascal: he's simply washing the coat, but does not take care of the body. Or a bird is in the cage, and if you take care of the cage and don't take care of the bird within the cage . . . the bird is crying, "Keh-keh. Give me food. Give me food," but you are taking care of the cage. This is foolishness. So why we are unhappy? Why, in your country especially . . . you are supposed to be the richest country in the world. You have no scarcity—no scarcity of food, no scarcity of motorcar, no scarcity of bank balance, no scarcity of sex. Everything is there, complete, in full abundance.

And still, why a section of people are frustrated and confused like the hippies? They are not satisfied. Why? That is the defect. Because there is no balance. You are taking care of the bodily necessities of life, but you have no information of the soul. And there is necessity of the soul also, because soul is the real subject matter; body is the covering only.

So it is said that . . . now, I'm explaining that verse: dharmasya glānir bhavati. This is dharmasya glāniḥ: pollution of duty. dharma means duty. dharma is not a kind of faith. In English dictionary it is said religion means a faith. No, no. It is not. dharma means the actual, constitutional duty. That is dharma. So if you have no information of the soul, if you do not know what is the need of the soul, simply you are busy on the bodily necessities of life, bodily comfort . . . so bodily comfort will not save you.

Suppose a man is very comfortably situated. Does it mean that he will not die? He'll die. So simply by bodily comforts you cannot exist—survival of the fittest; struggle for existence. So when we simply take care of the body, that is called dharmasya glāniḥ, polluted. One must know what is the necessity of the body and what is the necessity of the soul. The real necessity of life is to supply the comforts of the soul. And the soul can be comforted not by material adjustment. Because soul is a different identity, the soul must be given spiritual food. That spiritual food is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

If you give the soul the spiritual food . . . food, there are . . . when one is diseased, you have to give him diet and medicine. Two things required. If you simply give medicine, no diet, that will be not be very successful. Both things. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for giving food—means diet and medicine—to the soul. The medicine is this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-'bhirāmāt ka uttamaśloka-guṇānuvādāt virajyeta pumān vinā paśughnāt (SB 10.1.4). The Parīkṣit Mahārāja said to Śukadeva Gosvāmī that, "This Bhāgavata discussion which you are prepared to give me, it is not ordinary thing." Nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānāt.

This Bhāgavata discussion is relishable by persons who are nivṛtta-tṛṣṇā. Tṛṣṇā. Tṛṣṇā means hankering. Everyone in this material world is hankering. Hankering. So one who is freed from this hankering, he can taste the Bhāgavata, how palatable it is. It is such a thing. Nivṛtta-tarṣaiḥ . . . similarly bhāgavata means also the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is also bhāgavata. Bhāgavata means anything in relationship with the Supreme Lord. That is called bhāgavata. The Supreme Lord is called Bhagavān. Bhagavata-śabda. And in relationship with Him, anything, that bhagavata-śabda turns into bhāgavata-śabda.

Page Title:One must know what is the necessity of the body and what is the necessity of the soul. The real necessity of life is to supply the comforts of the soul. And the soul can be comforted not by material adjustment
Compiler:Nabakumar
Created:2022-08-23, 03:54:09
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1