Everyone is working on account of family affection, sneha-pāśair. He has got wife, children, and he requires money to make the family happy. So. . . and for maintaining the family, he requires money. Ato gṛheṣu sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam.
This world is going on, this material world going on the principle of sense gratification, puṁsaḥ striya mithunī-bhāvam etat. Everyone is hankering after sex life, man and woman. This is the beginning of material life. In the Vaikuṇṭha-loka there are thousand times beautiful women and thousand times strong men (talking in background) (aside:) Where is this sound is coming? . . .but there is no sex desire. This is Vaikuṇṭha life. Here in this material world, as soon as there is strong man, as soon as there is beautiful woman, then there is sex impulse. In the Vaikuṇṭha world there is no such thing, because they are so much absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness that sex life is very insignificant. There is no sex life in the Vaikuṇṭha realm. But in this material world, the sex life is the basic principle of pleasure.
- puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhavam etat
- tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ
- ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair
- janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti
- (SB 5.5.8)
So when they are united, then the attraction for man or attraction for woman becomes very, very strong. Then he requires gṛha, apartment, home. Then he requires field, land, because land is the means of livelihood. Ato gṛha-kṣetra. Then children, then friends. In this way he becomes implicated. Moho 'yam. These things are not required, but out of illusion he is thinking that "These things will give me protection, life and pleasure." That is explained in the previous verse: sneha-pāśair dṛḍhair baddham (SB 7.6.9). He becomes too much entangled and captivated by this family affection.
So therefore in the Vedic civilization, from the very beginning of life the brahmacārī is educated not to be attracted by family life, very strictly. Even though he is educated so, if he is found unable, then he is allowed to marry. That also not for many years: to remain in the household life for twenty-five years, then compulsory, I mean to say, separation, pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. Then when the mind is settled up, he is awarded sannyāsa. This is the system.
So on account of this deep affection for maintaining family, everyone is risking life. The example is given here that taskaraḥ. There are many professional thieves, every country, in India also. They are family men—not they are loafers—but their business is to steal. Their business is to steal. Why they steal? They know it is risky. He has heard it that "If you steal you'll be arrested, you'll be put into jail." Knowledge is gathered by hearing and by seeing. Hmm? In Hindi it is called dekha śuna, dekhavyair śunavyair, that "Have you seen or heard it?" That is experience. So thief knows he has heard it from law books that stealing is not good, and from religious scripture also, that "It is sinful. Do not commit theft. Do not become criminal." But still he does, at the risk of ad. . . At night he goes in the house of rich man and risk his life. Especially in Western countries, there is fire gun, and trespassers, even without permission, if anyone enters anyone's house, he can kill him. Is it not the law in your country? Trespassing? So there is risk of life, but he has entered the house for stealing. And why stealing? The family affection. That is the impetus for economic development. The. . . Professor Marshall, the economist, he has given the definition that "Wherefrom the economic development begins? By family affection." Or by sex attraction. So this earning money, there are so many smugglers, so many illicit businessmen, black market, they are risking their life to get money. The purpose is when one becomes too much attached to family life and too much devoted to maintain it, he doesn't care. He has to earn money, somehow or other, even risking life. Even risking life.