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We should not execute dharma for some material gain, arthaya. Just like people are very busy to give in charity, because he'll get some exalted post. Yajna dana tapa kriya. These are karma-kandiyas

Expressions researched:
"We should not execute dharma for some material gain, arthāya. Just like people are very busy to give in charity, because he'll get some exalted post. Yajña dāna tapa kriyā. These are karma-kāṇḍīyas"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

We should not execute dharma for some material gain, arthāya. Just like people are very busy to give in charity, because he'll get some exalted post. Yajña dāna tapa kriyā. These are karma-kāṇḍīyas, yajña, performing sacrifices, giving in charity, dāna, tapa, austerity. Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu underwent severe austerity; Rāvaṇa underwent severe austerity. What for? For material gain. That's all.

Dharma, to become religious, the purpose is to go up to the point of mukti. Dharma artha kāma mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, CC Adi 1.90), gradually. Gradually, step by step. But generally, people stuck up for some material gain. Ārtaḥ arthārthī jñānī jijñāsuḥ. Four kinds of people approaches the Supreme Personality of Godhead for evolution, but the . . . those who are going to the Supreme Person for some material gain, as soon as their material gain is finished, they also finish worship. "Now I have got the money. There is no need of worshiping."

So here Bhāgavata says that dharma . . . you take to, to the principles of religion for going up to the point of liberation, āpavargyasya. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. This is meant for getting out of this entanglement of birth, death, old age and disease. That is real . . . the first step is religiosity. Unless you are pious, religious, there is no possibility of getting liberation. Therefore there are different types of dharma prescribed, twenty types of dharma. The beginning is varṇāśrama-dharma. The people have lost even varṇāśrama-dharma, what to speak of other dharma. The first beginning is varṇāśrama-dharma, to become brāhmiṇ, to become kṣatriya, to become vaiśya.

So in the Kali-yuga the time is so bad that even there is no fixity of this varṇāśrama-dharma. Nobody knows who is brāhmiṇ, who is śūdra. Because the quality is the same now, eating, sleeping, mating—animal quality. You can become a brāhmiṇ by sacred thread. That is a different thing. But there are brāhmiṇ and brahminical qualification. That is real brāhmiṇ.

So even the varṇāśrama-dharma is lacking in this age, what to speak of other dharma. Therefore the śāstra enjoins:

kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam
(CC Adi 17.21)

You cannot execute any severe type of religious principles. Simply take to this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam (CC Antya 20.12). You'll come out triumphant. But actually, on principle, dharma means gradually, step forward for liberation. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya na arthāya (SB 1.2.9). We should not execute dharma for some material gain, arthāya. Just like people are very busy to give in charity, because he'll get some exalted post. Yajña dāna tapa kriyā. These are karma-kāṇḍīyas, yajña, performing sacrifices, giving in charity, dāna, tapa, austerity. Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu underwent severe austerity; Rāvaṇa underwent severe austerity. What for? For material gain. That's all.

So actually dharma does not mean that. Dharma means to come to the point to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When He says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), this is dharma, real dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Sākṣād Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, is ordering like that. That is dharma. Na arthāya. Not for material gain. People generally execute religious principles for some material gain. That is warning. Bhāgavata is warning, na arthāya upakalpate: don't execute religious performances simply for material gain.

Now material gain means money. Suppose you get money. Money, because according to previous pious activities you get good birth, nice riches, janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). So suppose you have got money. A man is born with silver spoon in the mouth. He has got money immediately. Then what he'll do? He'll throw it away? No. It is said that nārthasya dharmaikāntasya kāmo lābhāya hi smṛtaḥ. If you have got money, don't spend it for sense gratification. Kāmo lābhāya.

Just like at the present moment, if anyone has got more money, he purchases more motorcar. Formerly suppose he had no car. He gets one car. He gets more money—another car. More money—another car. In this way, they make prescription for sense gratification. But no. If you have got more money than you require, you spend it for Kṛṣṇa. That is required. Try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, the senses of Kṛṣṇa. Don't try to satisfy your senses. Then you'll be implicated.

Actually the money belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa also says, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He's the proprietor. How Kṛṣṇa's money you can spend for your sense gratification? That is sinful activities. If you take government money, government treasury, and spend it for sense gratification, immediately you become criminal. Immediately. Mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam. You cannot touch.

Human civilization . . . now, at the present moment, they're less than animal. They are getting money by hook and crook and amassing money, but not spending for Kṛṣṇa. If you go for begging something for Kṛṣṇa, "No, we are not interested in religious affairs. No. We are secular." Nobody will pay. Now, if you go to somebody that, "We are going to open a lunatic asylum and hospital for the drunkards," then they'll pay money. Yes.

Page Title:We should not execute dharma for some material gain, arthaya. Just like people are very busy to give in charity, because he'll get some exalted post. Yajna dana tapa kriya. These are karma-kandiyas
Compiler:SharmisthaK
Created:2023-03-07, 08:04:54
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1