There are so many millions of people, they are trying for economic development, but still you'll find somebody is living in palace building and somebody is living in slum.

Aiming for the Good Life

Real improvement of standard of living is to stop the cycle of birth and death

tat-prayaso na kartavyo
yata ayur-vyayah param
na tatha vindate kshemam
mukunda-charanambujam

"Endeavors merely for sense gratification or material happiness through economic development are not to be performed, for they result only in a loss of time and energy, with no actual profit. If one's endeavors are directed toward Krishna consciousness, one can surely attain the spiritual platform of self-realization. There is no such benefit from engaging oneself in economic development."

This is the essence of instruction of all Vedic instructions. What is that? Na tat prayaso kartavyo. Everyone is engaged for developing economic condition. The whole world is engaged how to develop economic condition. There were so many empires, especially in the Western countries. The British Empire, what was their aim? To develop economic condition. Bring money from all over the world in London, and become lord, baron, this, that. So Prahlada Maharaja says, "Don't endeavor for all these things." Don't endeavor. "Why not? Shall I not?" "No," he said, "No, you should not." Why? Yata ayur-vyayah. "You are simply wasting time." Wasting time. The so-called economic development may be temporary. Actually, you cannot improve. We can see practically, so many people, in big, big cities, they are trying to develop their economic condition to improve their status of life, but do you think that everyone is successful? In big, big cities, in our country India, Calcutta, Bombay, at least, we have seen it that everyone, there are so many millions of people, they are trying, but still you'll find somebody is living in palace building and somebody is living in slum. "Everyone has got equal chance in big, big cities. They can improve." No. That is not possible. In Western countries, when I did not come to your country I thought USA or in Europe, there is no poor man. I was thinking like that. But when I came, I actually saw there are so many poor men. Why they could not take advantage of the facilities in the Western countries and be equal? No, that is not possible. According to the nature's arrangement, there are three modes of condition: sattva-guna, raja-guna, tamo-guna [mode of goodness, mode of passion, mode of ignorance]. So every one of us is under either of these sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. So always you'll find three classes of men: first-class, second-class, third-class. Also fourth-class, fifth-class. But we are taking the first three. Or, in other words, some class richer, some class middle class men, and poor men. Everywhere you'll find, all over the world. Either in USA or in Europe or in India. You cannot change that. That is not possible. But because we are not educated in the aim, understanding what is the aim of life, we are misled.

That is also, Prahlada Maharaja says in another place, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi vishnoh durashaya ye bahir-arthah-maninah. People in general, they do not know what is the aim of life. The aim of life is this: back to home, back to Godhead. This is aim of life. There is no other aim. Om tad vishnoh paramam padam sada pashyanti suraya. That is the aim of life: how to reach Vishnu-pada [the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu]. And here it is also said, mukunda-charanambujam. This is aim of life. Without attempting how to regain the shelter of mukunda-charanambujam, if you simply waste your time for economic development or improving the standard of your living, it is simply waste of time. This is the law of nature. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja says, tat-prayaso na kartavyo [advising against endeavor for economic development, ultimately to attain sense gratification]. Tat-prayaso means in the previous verse it is said that sukham aindriyakam daitya [for pursuit of material happiness]. Everyone is trying. Why they are working so hard? Sukham aindriyakam, just to get some sense gratification. That's all. This is the only aim.

In another place Rishabhadeva says,

nunam pramattah kurute vikarma
yad indriya-pritaya aprinoti
na sadhu manye yata atmano 'yam
asann api kleshada asa dehah

"When a person considers sense gratification the aim of life, he certainly becomes mad after materialistic living and engages in all kinds of sinful activity. He does not know that due to his past misdeeds he has already received a body which, although temporary, is the cause of his misery. Actually the living entity should not have taken on a material body, but he has been awarded the material body for sense gratification. Therefore I think it not befitting an intelligent man to involve himself again in the activities of sense gratification by which he perpetually gets material bodies one after another." [SB 5.5.4]

The real problem is that how to stop to get another another body. Where is that education? They do not know what is material body or there is spiritual body. No knowledge. Big, big scientists, philosophers, but they have no knowledge even that "What I am." Everyone is thinking, "I am this body." And in the shastra if anyone is thinking like that, he's no better than the dogs and cats because dog is also thinking like that.

yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke
sva-dhih kalatradishu bhauma ijya-dhih
yat tirtha-buddhih salile na karhichij
janeshv abhijñeshu sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]

Animals. Go means cows and khara means ass. So without self-realization, without understanding what I am, whether I am this body or something other than the body, without this knowledge, it is animal civilization.

Therefore Prahlada Maharaja says, "Don't waste your time in the matter of animal civilization." Na tat prayaso kartavyo. "Don't waste your time."