(8) Proper Utility

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sriman Nityananda Prabhu's appearance day
Sri Ekachakra Dham, evening class
17 February 2019, part 8

Should we have to leave all our jobs and daily duties? 'Following the example of Vaishnavs, we do everything, but we do not take to the path of karma (fruitive work). No matter what the life circumstances are, those who do everything to serve the Lord with their body, mind, and speech are called "favourable souls", or "souls liberated during their life. True renunciation is when people detach themselves from mundane enjoyment and ardently become attached to the affairs of the Lord by accepting what is favourable to the service of Krishna.'

We also do that. You can see this great building here in Ekachakra. There used to be a wild field before – if we had not made this temple here, nobody would be able to come and sit here. So, there is a necessity for great buildings as well. So, if something is favourable to the service of the Lord, we should not call such things 'visaya' ('material things'). Sometimes, a car is necessary for service, some money is also necessary for service, some people are also necessary to do some services – for example, so many people come here to take prasad, so we need somebody to distribute prasad. We do not reject all this. We do not reject anarthas – unwanted, material things; rather, we use such anarthas in service. People say that wealth and money (artha) are the root of all evils (anartha), but artha should be used in proper way, then it will not be anartha. Even money has its purpose – it should be used in service to the Lord, in service to Vaishnavs.

Is it devotion to imagine some idol of a God, offering Him flowers, Tulasi, ring the bell, recite verses in His praise and sit in front of Him and do japa, meditate? 'The Lord is transcendental, i.e. He defies all perceived knowledge of the jiva soul and freely dispenses eternal regulations and His own dominion of religion. This transcendental form of the Supreme Lord is perceived through transcendental senses. Therefore, making a show of imagining some deity according to one's liking to worship it with flowers, Tulasi, etc. or to ring a bell in front of it is not devotion – it is enjoyment. There are so many kinds of implicit enjoyment in the market that are promoted as devotion.' This is Srila Prabhupad's answer. We must not make anything up in our minds – we must follow what our guru and Vaishnavs tells us to do.

Enjoyers need money, but devotees call money 'stool' and consider that it is must be given up. Is this correct? 'Money works as stool for those who seek enjoyment; it is fuel for enjoyment and destroys both society and individuals. Because devotees of the Lord are neither enjoyers nor renunciates they risk destroying themselves while trying to "hijack" mundane enjoyers – by hook or by crook, they accept Narayan's wealth (money) and engage enjoyers in the service to the master of all wealth (Narayan). Servants of the Lord do not renounce things that are related to Krishna – they use them in service to Krishna.' People say, 'I am doing it', 'I will eat', 'I will wear clothes' – but sadhus come to such people, take some things from them and use those things in service to the Lord. 'Servants of the Lord do not renounce things that are related to Krishna – they use them in service to Krishna.' You must always remember this and always serve the Lord in this way. That is my prayer to you all.

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