Just see the value that you cannot get back even a moment of your life by paying millions and millions of dollars. How time is valuable, just calculate. Therefore Chanakya Pandit said, sa chet nirarthakam nitah ka no hanis tato 'dhika: if you waste your time, such valuable time, for nothing, just imagine how much loser you are.

Investment Wisdom

You cannot get more than what you're destined to get

For maintenance of your body you have to secure some monetary benefit—but not more than what you require. People are not satisfied. At the present moment everyone is trying to get more and more and more and more and more. There is no satiation. This kind of endeavor is forbidden. It will not help you. But people are mad after money. If he is getting, say, five hundred rupees, he says, "No, why five hundred? Five thousand." And if he gets five thousand, then he says, "Why five thousand? Five lakhs." And if he gets five lakhs, then he says, "Why five lakhs? Five crores." This is there. The whole world is going on. They are never satisfied. You go to any rich man: "Sir, you have now enough money. Please come to our meeting in the morning, seven-thirty." "No, I have no time." He's earning money. So everyone thinks, "To earn money is my first business. And to work for it, that is my first business." But that is forbidden. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam this is forbidden. Why forbidden? Because you cannot get more than what you are destined to get. That is not possible. If by your karma, karma-phala, by result of your karma, if you are to get some happiness, you will get that much, not more than that. So what is the use of endeavoring? Therefore it is said, tat-prayaso na kartavyo yata ayur-vyayah param. Simply waste your time. Suppose you are doing some business and earning money. And if somebody says that "You cannot get more than five hundred rupees per month," then why you'll work so hard? But because they have no information—they do not take consultation from the right person—therefore they are trying uselessly.

The human life is meant for understanding Krishna. Instead of using the energy for understanding Krishna, they are spoiling the energy unnecessarily to earn money. This is the modern civilization. The whole Western world, how they are spoiling their life unnecessarily. We should be satisfied in the economic position as we are put into. So in another place Narada Muni says,

tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido
na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adah
tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham
kalena sarvatra gabhira-ramhasah

"Persons who are actually intelligent and philosophically inclined should endeavor only for that purposeful end which is not obtainable even by wandering from the topmost planet [Brahmaloka] down to the lowest planet [Patala]. As far as happiness derived from sense enjoyment is concerned, it can be obtained automatically in course of time, just as in course of time we obtain miseries even though we do not desire them." [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.18]

Gabhira-ramhasah, tal labhyate. Your material gain, happiness or distress, you are destined to get. You'll get it. Again the same, duhkhavad anyatah. Anyat natah. Nobody tries to get distress. If you ask anybody, "Why you are working so hard?" nobody says, "I am working so hard, I want distress." Nobody will say. Everyone will say, "I'll be happy. I'll get happiness. Therefore I am working hard." "No, this is distress." "Yes, this is distress, but I'll get happiness after this." This is called maya. He is undergoing distress, but he is thinking, "I'll get happiness." This is called maya. So there is no use. This is shastric injunction. You have to see your future through the shastra. So don't waste your time in that way. This duration of life, human life—Prahlada Maharaja has begun with the words durlabham manusham janma—this life is very, very important, and after many, many births you have got it. So you should always remember that every moment of this life is so important. How much it is important, that is explained by Chanakya Pandit. Anyone can understand. He was not a, I mean, Krishna conscious person, but moralist. He was prime minister. He says, ayushah kshana eko 'pi na labhyah svarna-kotibhih. Your duration of life... You have got a certain years' duration of life. You cannot live more than that. If you have got your duration of life for fifty years, you can live up to fifty years, not hundred years. These are all destined. It is useless. So therefore it is very important. In the Bhagavata in another place it is said, turnam yateta anumritya pateta yavat nihshreyasaya. The same thing repeatedly. Here Prahlada Maharaja also says, durlabham manusham janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam: first of all you have to consider that we have got this human form of life after many, many hundreds and thousands, millions, 8,400,000 of lifetimes. Durlabham. So therefore it is, although temporary... Everyone knows that "I'll not live forever." But even though it is temporary, adhruvam, not eternal, it is arthadam. It is said, arthadam. Whatever little life you have got, you can attain perfection. This is the advantage. You can attain perfection.

Human life's perfection in developing Krishna consciousness

How perfection? Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita,

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam sharanam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
mokshayishyami... [Bg. 18.66]

This is perfection. Krishna says that "You give up all these nonsense engagement. Simply surrender unto Me, and I shall give you relief." Our continuation of material life means full of sinful activities. We act some way, and we get a similar body. And again the life continues and again we get another body, another body, another body. But in the human form of body, you can get the highest perfection, Krishna consciousness, and that will stop your continuation of this material life.

mamaivamsho jiva-bhutah
jiva-loke sanatanah
manah-shashthanindriyani
prakriti-sthani karshati [Bg. 15.7]

By mental concoction and sense gratification he is continuing this material existence.

So every man, the same instruction is there, that this human form of life is only meant for Krishna consciousness. But the rascals, they will not hear. Therefore Narottama das Thakur sings, hari hari biphale janama gonainu: "My Lord Hari, I have simply wasted my time." Actually, if one is not Krishna conscious, he is simply wasting his valuable time. Hari hari biphale janama gonainu. How? Manushya-janama paiya radha-krishna na bhajiya janiya shuniya bisha khainu. The same thing as Prahlada Maharaja says. ...What Prahlada Maharaja said millions of years ago, Narottama das Thakur is saying the same thing. Prahlada Maharaja said, durlabham manusham janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam ["One who is sufficiently intelligent should use the human form of body from the very beginning of life—in other words, from the tender age of childhood—to practice the activities of devotional service, giving up all other engagements. The human body is most rarely achieved, and although temporary like other bodies, it is meaningful because in human life one can perform devotional service. Even a slight amount of sincere devotional service can give one complete perfection."], and the same thing is being repeated by Narottama das Thakur: hari hari biphale janama gonainu["O Lord Hari, I have spent my life uselessly. Having obtained a human birth and having not worshiped Radha and Krishna, I have knowingly drunk poison."].

So, why should we waste our time? Just see practically. We are asking people that "Don't waste your time. We are opening hundreds of centers. You come with us. Little prasadam you require. We shall supply. You chant Hare Krishna." "No, no. I shall do the same thing, trying for this, trying for that, trying for something else, something else. No." Nobody is satisfied that "My life is meant for Krishna consciousness. Here is a chance to develop Krishna consciousness. Let me live here peacefully and let me eat the prasadam and chant Hare Krishna." You'll find no customer. This is maya [illusion].

daivi hy esha gunamayi
mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante
mayamm etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]

It is very, very difficult. But still, Vaishnava, he will advise. A moralist who knows shastra, he will also advise, just like Chanakya Pandit. I was saying, Chanakya Pandit said, ayushah kshana eko 'pi na labhyah svarna-kotibhih. Formerly means of exchange was coins, gold mohan(?). Even in India, even in Muhammadan times, there was gold. Not this paper, cheating—"I give you money, one thousand rupees, some paper. That's all." Where is money? But people are satisfied. "Yes, I have got one thousand rupees." It is written there. But actually money is the gold, gold exchange. So therefore Chanakya Pandit said... At that time there was gold coin exchange. Even in our childhood we have seen in India there were gold coins, silver coins, everywhere, all over the world. In England there was pound, gold coin. So Chanakya Pandit said, svarna-kotibhih. Svarna means gold coins, and koti means ten million. So suppose today is 6th December. Now seven o'clock, morning, seven o'clock, 6th December, passed. Can you bring it again by paying one crores of gold coins? Hm? "Let me get back again seven o'clock, 6th December, 1975, again"? No. It is gone forever. So just see the value that you cannot get back even a moment of your life by paying millions and millions of dollars. How time is valuable, just calculate. Therefore Chanakya Pandit said, sa chet nirarthakam nitah ka no hanis tato 'dhika: if you waste your time, such valuable time, for nothing, just imagine how much loser you are. But we do not know.

Therefore Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, kirtaniyah sada harih: [Chaitanya-charitamrita Adi 17.31] "Your life is meant for chanting. Therefore you should simply chant always, consistently." This is the advice. This is properly using the moments of time.

Therefore Prahlada Maharaja said, tat-prayasa. If you foolishly endeavor for making some economic development, then what is the gain? Ayur-vyayah param. You have got this valuable life. Every moment is so valuable. That means you are wasting your valuable life by such endeavor to improve your economic condition. It is not possible. If you get distress without endeavoring for it, you will get happiness without endeavoring for it, because that is destined. You cannot get more or less. You have to... You'll get it.

Therefore, whatever little life we have got, instead of wasting for improving economic condition, let us use it for advancing in Krishna consciousness. That is life. Who understands this philosophy, this rascal world? Nobody understands this philosophy, but this is real philosophy: not to waste your valuable time for improving your economic condition. That is not possible. You have to utilize every moment to see how you are improving Krishna consciousness.