Human Life is not for working hard like animals

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Bg. 2.13)

Unfortunately, this spiritual education is completely absent from modern human civilization. No one understands his real self-interest, which lies with the spirit soul, not with the material body. Education means spiritual education.

To work hard in the bodily conception of life, without spiritual education, is to live like an animal. These days people are working so hard simply for bodily comforts, without education regarding the spirit soul. Thus they are living in a very risky civilization, because the spirit soul has to transmigrate from one body to another. Without spiritual education, people are kept in dark ignorance and do not know what will happen to them after the annihilation of the present body. They are working blindly, and blind leaders are directing them.

A foolish person does not know that he is completely under the bondage of material nature and that after death material nature will impose upon him a certain type of body, which he will have to accept. He does not know that although in his present body he may be a very important man, he may next get the body of an animal or tree because of his ignorant activities in the modes of material nature. Therefore the Krishna consciousness movement is trying to give the true light of spiritual existence to all living entities. This movement is not very difficult to understand, and people must take advantage of it, for it will save them from the risky life of irresponsibility.

Materialists who work hard like dogs and hogs simply for sense gratification are actually mad. They perform all kinds of abominable activities simply for sense gratification. Materialistic activities are not at all worthy of an intelligent man, for as a result of such activities, one gets a material body, which is full of misery.

The purpose of human life is to get out of the threefold miserable conditions, which are concomitant with material existence. Unfortunately, fruitive workers are mad to earn money and acquire temporary material comforts by all means; therefore they risk being degraded to lower species of life. Materialists foolishly make many plans to become happy in this material world. They do not stop to consider that they will live only for a certain number of years, out of which they must spend the major portion acquiring money for sense gratification. Ultimately such activities end in death. Materialists do not consider that after giving up the body they may become embodied as lower animals, plants or trees. Thus all their activities simply defeat the purpose of life. Not only are they born ignorant, but they act on the platform of ignorance, thinking that they are getting material benefits in the shape of skyscraper buildings, big cars, honorable positions and so on. The materialists do not know that in the next life they will be degraded and that all their activities simply serve as their defeat.

Those who are blind about understanding the soul have got many thousands and thousands of subject matters for hearing. However all these subject matters are useless.

Human life is meant for understanding what I am, what is God and what is my relationship with God. That is the real purpose of human life. Otherwise, “Where is food?”, “Where is shelter?”, “Where is service?”, “Where is sex?”, these are the inquiries of the animals only. The hog also inquiring, “Where is stool? Where is stool?” The stool-eating hog is also working hard, “Where is stool? Where is stool? Where is stool?” Do you think that is very credable task, to work hard day and night for finding out where is stool? This is hog’s business.

At the present moment, modern civilization is going on, “Where is food?”, “Where is apartment?”, “Where is sex?” and “Where is defense?” But these are the inquiries of the animals. They are also searching “Where is food?”, “Where is shelter?”, “Where is sex?” and “Where is defense?”

The human life is meant for inquiring “Where is God?” That is human life. Not “Where is stool?” That is hog’s business. So we should not encourage this hog civilization. Hog civilization is to work hard day and night to find out where is food, where is shelter, where is sex, and where is defense. This is the wrong type of civilization. Human civilization means “Where is Brahman, the Absolute Truth?” “Where is God?” “What I am?” These are the inquiries of civilized human beings.

A human being should not work hard like dogs and hogs for sense gratification. Human life is especially meant for the revival of our relationship with the Supreme Lord, and to this end all kinds of austerities and penances should be accepted. By austere activities, one’s heart can be cleansed of material contamination, and as a result one can be situated on the spiritual platform. To attain this perfection, one has to take shelter of a devotee and serve him. Then the door of liberation will be open.

Those who are materially attached to women and sense gratification gradually become entangled in material consciousness and suffer the miseries of birth, old age, disease and death. Those who are engaged in the general welfare of all and who are not attached to children and family are called mahatmas. Those who are engaged in sense gratification, who act piously or impiously, cannot understand the purpose of the soul. Therefore they should approach a highly elevated devotee and accept him as a spiritual master. By his association, one will be able to understand the purpose of life.

Under the instructions of such a spiritual master, one can attain devotional service to the Lord, detachment from material things, and tolerance of material misery and distress. One can then see all living entities equally, and one becomes very eager to know about transcendental subject matters.

Endeavoring persistently for the satisfaction of Krishna, one becomes detached from wife, children and home. He is not interested in wasting time. In this way one becomes self-realized. A person advanced in spiritual knowledge does not engage anyone in material activity. And one who cannot deliver another person by instructing him in devotional service should not become a spiritual master, father, mother, demigod or husband.

In the conditioned state, under the influence of maya, the materialist is thinking so many nonsense things, “I belong to this family, I belong to this nation, I belong to this community, this is my business,” he simply forgets Krishna consciousness. All other business, he will remember, but when he is requested to become Krishna conscious, to understand Krishna, he doesn’t like it. Except Krishna consciousness, he will take all responsibility and work hard for that purpose.

To get to our original, spiritual position we must perform tapasya. Tapasya means to revive our original normal life of Krishna consciousness. This tapasya is not possible by the cats and dogs or animals. Tapasya is meant for the human being.

Why is a man given a better chance to live than pigs or other animals? Why is a highly posted government officer given better facilities for a comfortable life than an ordinary clerk? The answer is very simple: the important officer has to discharge duties of a more responsible nature than those of an ordinary clerk. Similarly, the human being has to discharge higher duties than the animals, who are always busy with filling their hungry stomachs. But by the laws of nature, the modern animalistic standard of civilization has only increased the problems of filling the stomach. When we approach some of these polished animals for spiritual life, they say that they only want to work for the satisfaction of their stomachs and that there is no necessity of inquiring about the Godhead. Yet despite their eagerness to work hard, there is always the question of unemployment and so many other impediments incurred by the laws of nature. Despite this, they still denounce the necessity of acknowledging the Godhead.

There are four classes of men—the karmis, the jnanis, the yogis, and the bhaktas—and each achieves a different goal. The karmis work for some material profit. For example, in the city, many people work hard day and night, and their purpose is to get some money. Thus, they are fruitive workers, or karmis. A jnani is a person who thinks, “Why am I working so hard? The birds, bees, elephants, and other creatures have no profession, yet they are also eating. So why should I unnecessarily work so hard? Rather, let me try to solve the problems of life—birth, death, old age, and disease.” Jnanis try to become immortal. They think that if they merge into God’s existence, then they will become immune to birth, death, old age, and disease. And yogis try to acquire some mystic power to exhibit a wonderful show. For instance, a yogi can become very small: if you put him into a locked room, he can come out through any little space. By showing this kind of magic, the yogi is immediately accepted as a very wonderful man. Of course, modern yogis simply show some gymnastics—they have no real power. But a real yogi has some power, which is not spiritual but material. So the yogi wants mystic power, the jnani wants salvation from the miseries of life, and the karmi wants material profit. But the bhakta—the devotee—doesn’t want anything for himself. He simply wants to serve God out of love, just as a mother serves her child. There is no question of profit in a mother’s service to her child. Out of pure affection and love, she cares for him.

So our Krishna consciousness movement is teaching people that “You have no other business than to work for Krishna. That’s all.” This is Krishna business. This is called Krishna consciousness business. That is called the highest perfection.

“Why I am working so hard day and night for simply for sense gratification, for satisfying the tongue, to fulfill the belly, and satisfy the genital? This is my business and the same thing is being done by the dogs and hogs?”

When one comes to understand, “Shall I work like the cats, dogs, and hogs, or do I have another business?” this is human life. Unfortunatly the modern civilization means keep them in the darkness, “Let them work hard like hogs and dogs, and don’t give them any knowledge.” All of them are working like hogs and dogs. They do not know there is something else. This is the position.

They do not know, and also their so-called leaders do not know, what is the perfection of the human form of life. They think, “This is life: work like hog and dog, and then die like hog and dog, finish all business.” This is not human life.

Therfore Krishna says they are mudhas, asses, rascals. And if we repeat Krishna’s words, the rascals, they become angry. Actually they are rascals. We plainly say. Because he does not know. If I ask him, “What is your next life?” he cannot answer. Then what is the difference? If I ask the dog that “What is your next life?” he cannot say. “Gow! gow!” That’s all. So if I ask any human being that “What is your next life?” and he replies “I don’t bother about that thing.” It is the same answer as the dog, “Gow! Gow!” That’s all.

The rascals are thinking “If I don’t work hard, how shall I satisfy my senses? At night I must have this intoxication, this woman, this club, this If I don’t work hard how shall I get this enjoyment?” But this kind of enjoyment is available to the hogs. It is not very good type of enjoyment, sense gratification. The hogs are enjoying by eating stool and having sex without any discrimination, don’t care for mother, sister So this kind of sense gratification civilization is there amongst the dogs and hogs, but human life is not meant for that.

Human life is meant for tapasya, austerity, so that human life you can stop your repetition of birth and death and come to your eternal life and enjoy blissful eternal life of knowledge. That is the aim of life. Not that “Never mind if we become dogs and hogs in the next life.”

They have been educated so that if a university student is informed that “If you live irresponsibly, then you may become a dog next life,” so they say, “What is wrong if I become a dog?” This is the result of modern education. He doesn’t care. He is thinking, “If I get the life of a dog, I will have no restriction of my sex life, as a dog I will be able to have sex life on the street.” That’s it. He is thinking that is advancement. “If now in the human body there is restriction, then in the dogs body there is no restriction, I will get sex life on the street, that is better.”

Here in this material world you cannot get food without any labor. Just see. These laborers here, they have come. Whole day they are working. But if I say that “Why you are working so hard? Come here, live here with us, take a little prasadam, and make progress in Krishna consciousness,” nobody will come. Nobody will come. “No, no. I am very happy here working hard all day.”

The human form of life is not meant for that purpose, to work so hard. Actually, we do not want to work hard. That is our tendency. But we want more profit for sense gratification. Therefore we utilize other’s service, who will work for me, and I shall take the profit. This is the defect of the modern civilization.

Actually, when a man gets some money, he does not work very much. He takes some profit, either keeping in the bank some balance, and lives in a comfortable place. That is the tendency. Because we are spiritual entities, our natural tendency is to enjoy life. Spiritual entities means by nature they want to enjoy life. That is the spiritual nature.

As Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is by nature joyful, similarly, we being part and parcel of Krishna, we are also by nature joyful. But unfortunately, we have been put into such condition, material condition, that we are trying to enjoy life in this material condition. That is not possible. So the materialists are trying their best to make material adjustments and enjoy life. They are called karmis. But when they are wiser, that “We have worked so hard, but actually we could not enjoy life. Then what is the problem of life?” that is the platform of the jnanis and the yogis.

Sometimes we are accused that we’re escaping labor, we are parasites, we are dependent on the society. We are not dependent on the society; we are dependent on Krishna. Krishna is supplying us this nice building, nice food, nice opportunity. Not only one—we have got hundreds of buildings like that, without any labor. We are not working like these laborers. Just see. I went to your country with forty rupees, and now I have got forty crores of property. So I did not work like them. Yes. The people are bringing money. Krishna is sending money, daily one to five lakhs of rupees. So this is Krishna consciousness. Why one should work hard? Human life is not meant for that. Take Krishna’s shelter. Krishna will supply everything.