Hare Krishna, my intention and attitude in sending you this message, is that Srila Prabhupada wanted us to transmit his teachings to everyone, without wanting anything in return.
Worldly Religion and Eternal Religion, by Haripada dasa
It is very interesting that the Bhagavatam holds in its first pages its own singularity: dharmah projjhita-kaitavo `tra," All supposed religiosity covered by fruitive intentions is here rejected altogether. " (S.B. 1, 1, 2) The fruitive intentions take the form of Kama (complacency of the gross and subtle senses), artha (economic development), dharma (worldly or sectarian religiosity), and even moksa (liberation). These four goals are described as materialistic practices, and they contaminate every attempt at true religion. The motivating force behind each of them is the increase in sensual satisfaction. For example, an ordinary man may practice religiosity (dharma) because he actually seeks wealth (artha). Understanding that there is a Supreme Controller, he seeks to plead with his "god" and, in this way, achieves his goal. This practice, by the way, is often misleading, and a person absorbed in this type of motivated religiosity mistakenly believes himself to be a serious practitioner of the spiritual life. In reflecting, however, it becomes evident that such a religious is actually a materialist, since all his practice is directed towards the wrong end: the acquisition of wealth. Why do you want riches, for the sake of kama, or sense gratification, a goal that is directly contrary to religious principles. Moreover, when someone gets tired of all this business, look for moksa, or liberation. Unfortunately, true liberation could not be further from such a deceived individual, since he has completely missed the purpose of spiritual practice. Although many fall prey to this mentality, the Bhagavatam exhorts its readers to go beyond this situation, and beyond the material illusions that trap even the well-meaning, the student of the Bhagavatam must abandon all mundane goals and strive for achieving total purity. If one desires a lower goal, one should approach an inferior writing. That is why Srila Prabhupada says in the Chaitanya Charitamrita, adi-lila, 17, 169 that the Old and New Testaments and the Qur'an are for the meat-eaters, and they are not eternal scriptures. The Bhagavatam is for those who are serious about the ultimate goal of life: love for God.
The first thing that eternal religion teaches you is that we are not the temporary material body, but eternal spiritual souls. By understanding and accepting this point, it is natural for the person to be more interested in eternal relationships than in temporal ones, temporal relationships are with family, society, friendships and worldly love, and eternal relationships mean with God or Krishna and with His devotees. The result of practicing eternal religion is that one knows God and loves him, and since there is only God or Krishna and His energies will naturally love everyone and everything.
www.fflv.org https://haripadadasa.blogspot.com
Worldly Religion and Eternal Religion, by Haripada dasa
It is very interesting that the Bhagavatam holds in its first pages its own singularity: dharmah projjhita-kaitavo `tra," All supposed religiosity covered by fruitive intentions is here rejected altogether. " (S.B. 1, 1, 2) The fruitive intentions take the form of Kama (complacency of the gross and subtle senses), artha (economic development), dharma (worldly or sectarian religiosity), and even moksa (liberation). These four goals are described as materialistic practices, and they contaminate every attempt at true religion. The motivating force behind each of them is the increase in sensual satisfaction. For example, an ordinary man may practice religiosity (dharma) because he actually seeks wealth (artha). Understanding that there is a Supreme Controller, he seeks to plead with his "god" and, in this way, achieves his goal. This practice, by the way, is often misleading, and a person absorbed in this type of motivated religiosity mistakenly believes himself to be a serious practitioner of the spiritual life. In reflecting, however, it becomes evident that such a religious is actually a materialist, since all his practice is directed towards the wrong end: the acquisition of wealth. Why do you want riches, for the sake of kama, or sense gratification, a goal that is directly contrary to religious principles. Moreover, when someone gets tired of all this business, look for moksa, or liberation. Unfortunately, true liberation could not be further from such a deceived individual, since he has completely missed the purpose of spiritual practice. Although many fall prey to this mentality, the Bhagavatam exhorts its readers to go beyond this situation, and beyond the material illusions that trap even the well-meaning, the student of the Bhagavatam must abandon all mundane goals and strive for achieving total purity. If one desires a lower goal, one should approach an inferior writing. That is why Srila Prabhupada says in the Chaitanya Charitamrita, adi-lila, 17, 169 that the Old and New Testaments and the Qur'an are for the meat-eaters, and they are not eternal scriptures. The Bhagavatam is for those who are serious about the ultimate goal of life: love for God.
The first thing that eternal religion teaches you is that we are not the temporary material body, but eternal spiritual souls. By understanding and accepting this point, it is natural for the person to be more interested in eternal relationships than in temporal ones, temporal relationships are with family, society, friendships and worldly love, and eternal relationships mean with God or Krishna and with His devotees. The result of practicing eternal religion is that one knows God and loves him, and since there is only God or Krishna and His energies will naturally love everyone and everything.
www.fflv.org https://haripadadasa.blogspot.com