Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.13.8
Бхакти Вигьяна Госвами · США · 2004
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Verse on material family struggles
So we are reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto 5, Chapter 13, Rāhūgaṇa conversing with Jaḍa Bharata, text number eight. Karangri Chalanj Nagaru
Rukṣurviṁā ivāste, śūrivānavaste, Padepa debantara Vahni Nandrita, Parepyanat, Kaṭaṁbhika, Krudhyati Vajanaya, Kaṭāmik
Kvachi, sometimes kaṇṭaka-śarkarā, śarkarā: pierced by thorns and small stones, by thorns and small stones; aṅghri: whose feet; naga: the hills; āru-rukṣoḥ: one desiring to climb, one desiring to climb; vimānaḥ: disappointed becomes; pade pade: step by step. Step by step.
abhyantare: within the abdomen; vahninā: by the strong fire of appetite; arditaḥ: being fatigued and aggrieved. A person living with his family members.
at the family members. Translation by His Divine Grace Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Sometimes the merchant in the forest wants to climb the hills and mountains. But due to insufficient footwear, his feet are pricked by small stone fragments and by thorns on the mountain. Being pricked by them he becomes very aggrieved.
Sometimes a person who is very attached to his family becomes overwhelmed with hunger and due to his miserable condition he becomes furious with his family members, purport.
The ambitious conditioned soul wants to be very happy in this material world with his family, but he is compared to a traveler in the forest, who desires to climb a hill full of thorns and small stones.
As stated in the previous verse, the happiness derived from society, friendship and love is like a drop of water in the scorching heat of the desert. One may want to become very great and powerful in society, but this is like attempting to climb a hill full of thorns.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura compares one's family to high mountains. Becoming happy in their association is like hungry men endeavoring to climb a mountain full of thorns.
Almost 99.9% of the population is unhappy in family life, despite all the attempts being made to satisfy their family members.
Family life in Kali-yuga and retirement
In the Western countries, due to the dissatisfaction of the family members, there is actually no family life. There are many cases of divorce, and out of dissatisfaction the children leave the protection of their parents.
Especially in this age of Kali, family life is being reduced. Every man is becoming self-centered because that is the law of nature.
Even if one has sufficient money to maintain family, the situation is such that no one is happy in family life. Consequently, according to the Varnashram Institution, one has to retire from family life in middle age.
Pañca-sva-dhītā-vanaṁ vrajēta. One should voluntarily retire from family life at the age of 50 and go to Vrindavana or a forest.
It is recommended by Śrīla Prahlāda Mahārāja: tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛhamandha-kūpaṁ and then, gṛhamandha-kūpam.
is no benefit in transferring from one forest to another. One must go to Vṛndāvana forest and take shelter of Govinda. That will make one happy.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness is therefore constructing a Krishna Balaram temple to invite its members, as well as all outsiders to come and live peacefully in a spiritual atmosphere that will help one become elevated to the transcendental world and return home back to Godhead.
Another sentence in this verse is very significant. Kuṭumbibhiḥ krudhyanti vai janāya. When one's mind is disturbed in so many ways, he satisfies himself by becoming angry with his poor wife and children.
The wife and children are naturally dependent on the father, but the father, being unable to maintain the family properly, becomes mentally distressed and therefore chastises his family members unnecessarily.
As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, chinnā-dārādayo yāsyanti giri-kānanam. Being disgusted with family life one separates from the family by divorce or some other means.
If one has to separate anyway, why not separate willingly? Systematic separation is better than forced separation.
Forced separation cannot make anyone happy, but by mutual consent or by the Vedic arrangement, one must separate from his family affairs at a certain age and fully depend on Krishna. This makes one's life successful.
Śāvakvacitkaṇṭa-śarīra-nagara-rukṣur vimāne vāsaḥ pade pade 'bhyantaro vahninārdiṭaḥ kuṭumbibhiḥ krudhyanti vai janāya.
Sometimes the merchant in the forest wants to climb the hills and mountains, but due to insufficient footwear, his feet are pricked by the small stone fragments and by thorns on the mountain. Being pricked by them, he becomes very aggrieved.
The forest of material enjoyment allegory
Sometimes a person who is very attached to his family, he becomes overwhelmed with hunger, and due to his miserable condition, he becomes furious with his family members.
So, first of all, I would like to beg for blessings for all those senior devotees who are here to allow me to speak, especially Trivikrama Swami.
It's very impudent, impudent to speak in front of the seniors, but with their blessings I will try.
So in this chapter, Jaḍābhārata is explaining the forest of material enjoyment and basically he reminds everyone the price which one has to pay.
In the beginning he gives this comparison and he says that the poor conditioned soul, going to this forest of material worlds is like a merchant.
And a merchant, but a poor merchant. And he wants to go and earn some money, he is very industrious and he goes to the forest and he tries to get something which he will be able later to sell.
And basically, Jada Bharata says that the conditioned soul, which is poor and therefore wants to earn some little money of sense enjoyment, goes to this forest of material world with the hope to be happy.
The main mistake and the principal mistake which one makes is this initial hope. And here very mercilessly, Jada Bharata reminds us that there is no happiness, that this hope will ultimately be frustrated,
that ultimately there is no happiness in this material world, and even though we try and try and try, no matter how hard we try, it's not going to work. And this is such a thing which nobody wants to hear.
People so mad because they want material enjoyment. Because they are born with this ardent desire to enjoy this material world. They don't want to hear. And everyone has the hope.
Everyone has the hope, uh, that ultimately I will become happy. I'm not happy now.
You know, if you notice, when we are young, when we're little children, I think we are not happy now, but when we will become little grown up, then you know these adults they enjoy, and we will enjoy.
And you become adults and you don't enjoy. And you hope maybe and I will earn some money, I will enjoy. And then you earn some money, you don't enjoy. And then you think maybe when I retire I will enjoy it.
And then you retire and you don't enjoy. And then you think maybe when I am 100 years old I will enjoy. It goes on and on and on. And everyone has this hope.
And no matter how many times this hope is frustrated, because the desire is still stronger. Because the desire in the heart to enjoy is still stronger. One still wants to enjoy and the hope is there. The hope is persistent.
It's actually Śukadeva Gosvāmī explains, and if no, it's anyway, Śukadeva Gosvāmī explains in the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that this is the effect of present time. Actually, this desire to enjoy, no matter what.
Three psychological effects of material time
This desire, especially when one is so crazy, so mad to enjoy, he doesn't really want to hear about the consequences. Why we don't like to hear all these descriptions?
Because here again Jada Bharata reminds us that there is a pay price to pay. That for all the enjoyments which we have, and there is no doubt about it, there is enjoyment in this material world.
It may be like a drop of water in the desert, but still there is enjoyment. But Jada Bharata reminds us there is a heavy price to pay for this.
And we don't want to hear this because usually when we are met to enjoy now, we don't want to hear about the future payment, the future sufferings. And Śukadeva Gosvāmī explains that this is the effect of time.
He says that there is three phases of time: past, present, and future. And the three psychological effects of this phases of time are śoka, moha, and bhaya.
You know, when it comes to past, when we think about the past, we usually lament. It's called shoka.
You know, we think, you know it was so nice when I was young and I'm old, you know, and uh it was so nice when I had this and I lost it. So when we think about the past, usually we lament.
Because this is the effect of time. The time is taking away something from us. The effect of the present is moha. And mocha means bewilderment. And bewilderment means you don't want to know what's gonna happen.
You are so obsessed with this desire to enjoy now, right away, in this very moment of time, then you forget about everything and then
future is bhaya, when we think about future we become disturbed because we don't know what's gonna happen. You know, we go to astrologer and we ask, dear astrologer, please tell us how many more years I am to live here, or what's gonna be with me in 10 years or in five years or tomorrow.
So this is the three effects of time which are inevitable and which basically means everyone unhappy because whether it's past or present or future
you either lamenting about the past which you lost, you have lost, or you're bewildered about the present and you don't know what you're doing and you don't know what the consequences will be and you are so crazy that you're doing stupid possible mistakes, or you are afraid and paranoid about the future and you don't know what's gonna be with you.
So that's how it is.
Therefore, it is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that in a spiritual world there is only present, and everyone is totally bewildered with love of Krishna. This is the bewilderment of the spiritual world, Yoga Maya.
So, this in itself, this law of material time makes everyone miserable in this material world. And therefore, basically, this whole unfortunate events unfold in our lives. And of course nobody likes to hear these things.
Nobody likes to hear how family life is not nice and how ultimately one has to climb over the big mountains and the thorns will prick his feet. This is not something which is very pleasant.
Pure devotional service versus mixed religion
Prabhupada he is not really compromising on this point. You know, Prabhupada, he is quite merciless. He's uncompromising in this. Some other people, and there is a common phenomenon in any
religion, basically, that religion becomes compromised. Religion becomes compromised on this very point. It's actually very interesting. Why Prabhupada and all ācāryas are so uncompromising.
It's coming from Caitanya Mahāprabhu himself and it's coming from this ideal which Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to give. And the ideal is pure devotional service and not 1% less than pure devotional service.
The ideal is that we should know what pure bhakti is because this is the real happiness.
Whereas when people are not so clear about this, are not so clear about the goal, like Rūpa Gosvāmī from the very beginning of the Nectar of Devotion, he very clearly sets the goal, that the goal is nothing but pure devotional service.
Everything else, everything which is less is not the goal. Ahaituky apratihatā, and it has to be completely selfless, which is difficult to swallow. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he explains what is cheating religion.
He gives a very beautiful explanation of what cheating religion is as opposed to pure religion. He says the only religion, the only pure religion is vaiṣṇava-dharma. Why?
The reason is because there is a very clear cut distinction between karma, jñāna and bhakti.
And if there is a clear-cut distinction between these three categories and vairāgya, if you have very clear understanding what is what, then it's pure religion.
If the religion does not give you this pure understanding, this very clear understanding of what is bhakti, what is jñāna, what is karma, that there is every chance to mix it. And then you mix little karma in your bhakti and little jnana in your bhakti, and you sing that you will be happy in this way.
Actually, everyone likes to mix something. This is the nature of material life.
When we go to cook, what cooking means? Mixing something, you know, you put this and this and this and you wonder what's gonna happen. And so the material life is like this.
You mix little bit of this, little bit of this and you think that the happiness is just mixing. So even our psychology also tends to mix.
And the main point of mixture is that we're mixing karma, we're mixing jnana, we're mixing bhakti, and we think that by mixing them, you know, by pure bhakti one cannot be happy.
But if we add little karma there and little jnana, then it will be nice. Nice combination.
But Śrīla Prabhupāda, following the footsteps of our ācāryas, he says very clearly, this is karma, this is jñāna, this is bhakti, and karma and jñāna stink. And only bhakti you should go after.
Everything else is just bad. You will not be happy just by mixing it. No way. But still, we want to mix.
Still, we want to somehow rather compromise with these points and, we still we want to add a little bit of this, you know, material happiness to this or whatever.
So and Śrīla Prabhupāda he was very adamant on these points because he's just he's a chariot, he's repeating the words of previous ācāryas like
people don't want to hear this like here Śrīla Prabhupāda says 99.9% people are not happy in family life. And we don't want to hear this. Because we think yes, maybe I am not happy, but somebody must be happy.
And that means hundred percent basically. It's just she gives a little benefit of doubt. And maybe you know zero point one percent is happy, but basically everyone is unhappy.
You know, like in Bhagavad-gītā, in the seventh chapter, he says 99.9% of this world is narādadhama, lowest of men. People don't want to hear this too. Like in Russia there is one famous anti-cult person and he
when it comes for him to fight or to argue against Hare Krishna, he usually quotes this quote from Prabhupada. He says, look, he's a hater. He hates everyone.
He says 99.9% is narādhama, lowest of men. And only these Hare Krishna are you know 0.1% of the humanity. And he just gives a realistic assumption because everyone is low. Everyone is lowest of men.
And we are included. It's not that we are some exception in a sense. And people don't like to hear this once. Śrīla Prabhupāda. He's a respectable rich person.
And then at one point in the conversation he asked Prabhupada, why do you call us rascals?
Because Śrīla Prabhupāda was quite uncompromising on this point too. You know he would say, You rascals, rascals, rascals, so this man asked. Why do you call us rascals?
And Śrīla Prabhupāda he became very humble. He folded his hands as he said, I don't call you rascals. Krishna calls you rascals. Krishna says. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam, I'm just repeating.
He says, don't be angry with the delivery boy. I just I just came to deliver the message.
Seeking true spiritual happiness over illusion
So Prabhupada he repeats and he repeats and he knows why he repeats this because because we are excellent because and even though we don't want to hear this, it's ultimately healthy for us to hear about this.
It's ultimately ultimately it gives a special pleasure because because it gives us hope, the real hope. When we hear all these things, initial reaction is that we want to reject it.
Initial reaction is that we don't really want to, you know,
kind of relate to this or associate or lose the hope for material happiness but ultimately it gives some pleasure because it gives us the you know the real understanding that we shouldn't seek for happiness, search for happiness, but happiness does not really exist.
Like Rananat Maharaj told me a very interesting story which happened to him. He once came to one American temple. It was a Sunday feast crowd.
There was a lot of Indians and different people, you know, typical Sunday feast crowd. And somehow or other he picked up for the topic of his Sunday feast lecture, which is also not unusual in his contemplations.
He picked up the topic of durlabha mānava-janma, labhiyā saṁsāra, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is just you know lamenting about the rare chance which we get and we lose.
Real chance of real chance of human life which we lose and waste. And Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura gives a very strong voice. He says, what is the use in my life?
The whole of my life I was trying to accumulate money. What's gonna happen with this money when I die? My body will be thrown in the beach, in a ditch, sorry, and the stray dogs will come and feast on my body.
And they will just tear it apart and they will howl in ecstasy. And it says that, you know, all this kind of nice stuff.
And you know, and when I'm old, you know, I'm hoping that my family members and sons and daughters will bring me happiness. Where is this happiness? You know, when I'm old, who will give me happiness?
Because I will be sick and I will be, you know, and you know, all these nice things are there in this song.
So and he just he sang the song and he read the translation. Just read the translation and one man from the audience he stormed out from the temple. He just slammed the door.
And then you know Badrinarayan was there, the local GBC was there. And the local GBC, you know, and he said to him that I don't want to have anything to do with you guys anymore.
You guys are just, you know, you just fanatics, you're renounces always denigrate household people, householder life. I do not want to have anything to do with you anymore.
So when Radhanath Maharaj finished his lecture, his local GBC came to him and said, what did you do? This is our biggest, biggest donor and sponsor. He is the richest man in the community and you scared him away.
You burned him. What did you do? I said, I'm sorry, I didn't want, I came to serve your community. I didn't want to destroy your preaching. You know, please don't be angry with me.
And you know, he was told, please somehow or other correct this. You know, you have to correct this. And this man was so angry. He was enraged.
So Radhanath Maharaj wrote him a nice letter, explained something to him. Anyway. And he was very sorry that he did this. He didn't really want this.
It's just, you know, basically he didn't even say anything, it's Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he just read the translation. The reaction was so—and
then the temple president in this particular temple said to him when he when he said I'm sorry that I did this to you. And he said to him, Please don't be sorry.
My prediction is that actually you just tore up the heart of this man. And ultimately he will understand something. And next time when you come, I'm sure he will ask you for initiation.
That's the devotee's prediction. So I said,
I wrote a letter to this man and I kind of forgot about this incident. So next time I then I came to the same city, the first man whom I saw in the airport was this man with all his family members.
He took me to his mansion and he you know washed my feet with the golden bowl and he begged me to get initiation. That's
what it is, because ultimately, even though the first initial psychological reaction is that we we don't want to hear this. But ultimately, if we're bold enough and courageous enough to hear this, we know this is the truth. Deep inside the heart, we know this is the truth.
And we know this is not the place where we have to seek for happiness. The happiness is somewhere else. And someone who says this to us, who says all these not very nice things to us, is actually our best friend.
Because as Srila Prabhupada says here that you're searching for happiness, and Jada Bharata is saying here, you're searching for happiness in a place where there is no happiness. Why should you do this?
Why should you waste your time by trying to search happiness when there is no happiness? There is no even hope for happiness.
Social pressures and family life struggles
Why don't you go to the place where happiness really exists? So
this is the point that, you know, Prabhupada beautifully explains all these complicated situations in purport to this particular verse, Jada Bharata himself will explain that these big mountains which one has to climb over in the family life is the different ceremonies which one has to do to maintain his status. Because if you are Indian, you know, to marry your daughter, to marry your son, it's just a mountain to climb over.
You have to spend whatever you collected through your life, you have to spend just within one day for the marriage ceremony of your daughter or your son.
People they work hard and hard and hard just to maintain the social status because unless you do it, you are an outcast. You are not really accepted as a member of the civilized society.
In other words, there is such a heavy social pressure. When we leave, you know, if we consider deep down in our heart, we don't need much.
But usually when we, you know, there is a heavy social pressure that we have to be up to the standard. If we live in the society, our house has to be little bigger than the house of our neighbor.
Or at least our car has to be better. You know, it has to be. If it's not, we kind of lose our dignity and we lose our you know status or standing in the society.
And this heavy social pressure is what basically pushes one to climb over these mountains. We have to, you know, go and go and go. And there are so many pricks, you know, there are so many different pebbles and torrents
and while we're climbing over these mountains. That's social life, and social life means family life, and that's-that's what it is. Uh, those people who don't want to have social life, they renounce this world and they go to the forest.
And then besides that, despite of all the endeavors, despite of whatever you do, you will never be able to satisfy your family members. Everyone knows this, you know.
No matter how hard you try, no matter you know, you try and try and try and try. It just doesn't work. And because you try so hard and nobody is satisfied, you become angry.
You become furious, and you yell at your wife, and you yell at your children, and you know, everyone is in this psychological condition.
It is actually sad, Prabhupada explains very beautifully that how poor women and children are unprotected in family life.
Not because man doesn't want to give them protection, he wants, but because the condition of this material world is so heavy, he feels that he doesn't fit the bill, that he just doesn't really do what he's supposed to do.
And therefore he gets angry and yells at them. Because he cannot satisfy them properly, he yells at them even more. It is said there is a statistics nowadays that 90%
of all the divorces are being done on the initiative of women because they just cannot tolerate it anymore. They just cannot stand it anymore.
And that's what's going on, and Prabhupada says that in Kali-yuga, everyone is so self-centered. And basically, because of this, the whole family life, the whole family structure falls apart.
And because of this, nobody is happy. And therefore Prabhupada says everyone divorces.
So I you know i if you want to divorce why not go to the forest and just renounce renounce the family life immediately you know he said if you're anyway going to be divorced. Why not go to Vrindavan and take some yes?
That's the advice which we do not want to hear.
Yamaraja's four questions to Yudhisthira
But ultimately what it gives us and the real meaning of all these verses is that it reminds us what is the real happiness in life. Actually this is the question which Yamaraj asked Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira.
We know that there is this story about the Arani wood in Mahābhārata when Yamarāja wanted to test Mahārāja with his and his wisdom. And he asked so many questions.
And he asked many, many questions about different subject matters. And finally, he said, now I'm asking you four last questions.
And if you answer these four last questions, I will uh I will revive your brothers and I will let you drink this water.
And these four last questions are the most important. And the four last questions is, kaś-ca vārtāḥ, what is the news in this world?
And Kimash Chariam, what is the most amazing thing in this world, and uh Kaha Pantaha, what is the past in this world, and Kaha Modati, who is happy in this world. He asked these four most important questions.
What is the most amazing thing? What is the news in this world? How to find the path? How to find the real way in this world? And who is happy? And Maharaji D. Still, he answers this four questions.
And he knows this is the main test for him. So the first question is very difficult, you know, what is the news in this world? And what is the news? Kavarta, kachavarta. What is the news?
And you know, we know so many news are there.
You open newspapers, this news and that news, you know, Bill Clinton and you know Jimmy Carter and whoever was there, you know the who is now Bush or yeah Bush George Bush and Jim Carrey or whatever it is whoever they are and uh this war and that war and they are fighting it, this are fighting it, this struggle and that struggle.
So Yudhishthira says that the news in this world is this world is the frying pan, this is the news. This whole world is a big frying pan.
And the cook who makes sure that we are very nicely and evenly fried from all sides. He's Yamaraj, the Lord of Death.
Time personified, he is there and he's kind of you know, he's turning us away around so that we would be nicely and evenly fried. So and when we are ready he takes his spoon and you know that's it. So that's the news.
You know, whatever news is there, it's basically this news. You know, whatever whoever is fright and you know, whoever is fighting, whatever war is there, whoever is the president, that's the news.
That's the essence of all news. And then then he says, kimascharyam, you know, ahanyahani butanika chandihayamalayam sheshastavaram chanti. Kimash charyamatak paraminau. Everyone knows that this life is temporary.
Everyone knows that sooner or later I will die. Sheshakstavara Michanti. Still everyone wants Sheshakstavara. Everyone is trying to hold for this material life. Everyone wants to grab it and just not want to let it go.
Everyone is hoping that I will be permanent in this situation. Everyone is seeking for the permanence into the place where everything is temporary. Everyone is seeking for happiness because happiness means temporary.
Oh sorry. Happiness means permanent. Happiness to be called happiness it has to be permanent. You know you cannot be happy in a ship which is goes through a storm, you know.
If you are in a ship and everything is just, you know, you is upside down and you're seasing you know you cannot be happy and this world is this ship which is going
through the stormy sea you know and you you you cannot be happy because everything is shaking. You know there is no solid ground under your feet. Everything is shaking.
So Maharaj Shti says Sheshaks Tabaramichanti, Kimash Taryakh Adaparam. Everyone is hoping to be permanent in this world. And there is nothing more amazing than this.
And then he says, of course, Tarkopratishta Srudyobi Bina, Teshidna Sam, Yasya Matamna Binam, Dharmasya He actually changes the order, which is also very important, significant,
because the third question was who is happy and the last question was how to find a way and uh he answers the third question last he answers this question
who is happy in this world uh last and first he explains what is the path. And by explaining what is the path, you of course know, he first explains what is not the path. He said, by logic you cannot find the path.
By logic there is no way for you to find the way in this material world. And Rishiv Nasavya Samatam Nabinam.
If you go to a philosopher, you know, philosophers will not be able to explain you what is the truth in this world. Philosophers can only bewilder you.
You go to one philosopher and he says, This is I think this is like this, and he thinks that this is like that, and the other one, Hegel thinks that this is like that, and we really don't know what it is.
But if you want to be bewildered, you ask me questions and I will answer those questions. This is Sri Shirna Safya Shyamatam Nabinam. Everyone has his opinion. Everyone.
And there is no way to find a way by asking them questions.
And then he says dharmasya tattva and dihidambuhayam that the truth of dharma the real form because tattma tattva means the real form the real form of dharma is hidden. Where in Guhaya? Guhaya means the cave.
In the cave, in a very deep cave. What is this deep cave? Deep cave is the heart of the pure devotee. It's a deep heart. The real truth of dharma, of religion, is hidden very much in a very deep place.
And this deep place is the heart of a devotee, and therefore he says, mahājanena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. If you want to find a way, you should just follow someone who knows the way.
You should just find somebody who is great, who is really great, and follow him. And he says a very significant word here, Mahajan. And we know of course Mahajan means great person.
But also Mahajan means those who are from Indian background knows that Mahajan means what? Businessman. Mahajan means vaisya. Mahajan means moneylender. Mahajan, like here, merchant.
And mahājanena gataḥ sa panthāḥ, there is a very deep other significance on this. Mahājanena gataḥ sa panthāḥ means that you have to follow the path of mahājana because Mahajan is the rich man.
And Mahajan is somebody who can give you money to traverse this path.
Because to traverse this path, you need to have some strengths or you need to have some resources and Mahajan can give you these resources or strengths to traverse this path.
What is these resources which Mahajan can give you? What is the money which he can give you? The faith. What really Mahajanas can give you is they can instill the face in your heart.
Because to go out from this world, to cut the connection or to cut
or the renounce the pleasures of this world one has to have very strong faith and therefore mahājanena gataḥ sa panthāḥ, you have to get some money, some currency nagata sapantha you have to get some money some currency from someone who has it, strong faith.
And then he says: of course, the last question is: who is happy in this world? And he gives, after giving such highly philosophical answers to the first three questions. He gives a very simple answer to the fourth one.
And seemingly simple answer. Seemingly even naive and trivial answer to this question. Who is happy? He says, he says,
when you ask who is happy in this world, the happy one is who after a very hard day of hard labor comes back home. When the hard day of his labor is over, he comes back home and
he sits, and his wife comes to him, and his wife gives him little food to eat, and he eats little food. Shakam. Shakam means little vegetables. So it you know it doesn't make so much sense if you just take it literally.
Because Maharaji Tishtirafti, especially this is the last question. He gives the main importance to this question. And he answers this and he gives such a strange answer, you know, this is the happiness.
You you know, know you you work hard and then you come home and you hate everything.
And your wife gives you little vegetables and seeds and she wants to speak with you and you tell her shut up, I want to read my newspaper. So this is this is the picture which one can imagine by listening this answer.
You know, he gives this answer, you know, this is this this is the happiness. Who is happy?
Happy someone who comes home after uh uh you know heavy work uh uh and he says uh that someone who doesn't have any debts and someone who doesn't have to travel in foreign countries. So this is his explanation.
And actually, this explanation is up to this point of this comparison of the merchant who goes to the foreign country or to the forest, which is foreign to him, which is not really does not really belong to him, to seek for happiness.
The meaning of course of this verse or this answer of Maharaji Vita Shtira is that the happy one is someone who knows that after this heavy and difficult material life I will go home. What is the home?
Back home, back to God. The happy one is one who has this guarantee, one who is really sure that after this heavy work, which we have to do here, and everyone has to do, no matter who he is, everyone will have to do this.
But if one knows that after that I will go home, and why I go home, and there, prasādaṁ. Mahā-prasādaṁ is waiting for me there. Back home back to Godhead. And then he says, but one is happy who doesn't have any debts.
And that means of course karmic debts. Because we acquire so much debt by living in this world of karma.
If someone is capable of paying off all his debts, in other words if someone really uh cut off all the connections with this world.
Is really clean from the debt of karma. It really doesn't have to come back because of this karma.
And because of this debt, if he uh is capable uh of not traveling in the foreign lands, if he can really come back home back to Godhead, this one this person is happy. And only he is happy.
Only he who knows that this is what is in store for me. And how he can pay all the debts. The Mahajan is there for that. Money lender.
You can take money of faith, the currency of faith from Mahajan, to really renounce your entanglement in this material world. And if you do this, then you can consider yourself happy.
This is what gives you solace and happiness to your heart. And if it's there, then you're really happy, then you're done with all these problems in the material world. And then your life is useful and meaningful.
So that's that's basically it. And Prabhupada, he is our Mahajan. He's also he's Suvarnavanik. He's from this background of Suvarnavanik. Suvarnavanik means moneylenders, those who give gold.
So he came to give us this gold, gold of real faith, faith in the real goal of life. The pure goal of life, which is bhakti only.
And if one has this currency he will be able to pay all the all the debts of his karma and go back home back to God. All right. So you just use the last question is not so trivial. No. No.
He gave a very deep answer to this, very deep. Thank you. Śrīla Prabhupāda.