They do not know what is their actual self-interest

Now you protect yourself and your property, your skyscraper building, everything. Now you protect.” So therefore mudha. He does not know how to protect things, but he is creating things. That is called mudha. Just like I am collecting lakhs and millions of money, but next moment there is standing somebody, he will take away. So that I do not know, that one man is waiting. I am collecting. There was a caricature picture when India was struggling for independence. So the Gandhi’s picture, Gandhi was fishing with the tackle, and Jinnah was standing behind with a knife and plate, that “Let this rascal struggle for independence, and as soon as he’s get, I will take share and go away, Pakistan.” Actually he did so. He never went to jail, but he took the share and made Pakistan. So Gandhi, therefore, was not in favor of partition. But he had to do, accept it. Because the Britishers were very intelligent, that “Let us divide it so that India may not become a strong power.” So that still, it is going on, the animosity between Pakistan and Hindustan. It is British plan. That is politics.

So similar plan is always there, that we are struggling for existence and accumulating so many things. Just like you have got this nice city, Chicago. Not only Chicago; there are many others in America. But the people are not thinking that “How long I shall remain American and enjoy this? Maybe fifty years, twenty-five years or utmost hundred years. But everything will be taken—my American citizenship, my body, my wealth—everything will be taken by death. So what insurance I am doing for that purpose, that it will not be taken, I shall enjoy it?” Therefore mudha. There is reason why they are called mudhas, rascals. They do not know their actual interest. Everyone, not only you, everyone, the whole material world, they do not know what is is actual interest. Everyone should be self- interested. That is very good. But the fools, rascals, do not know what is his actual self-interest. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. Svartha-gatim means the self-interest. Svartha. Sva means own, and artha means interest. He does not know. Therefore he is mudha. He does not know his self-interest. It is very good that you become self-interested, but if you do not know what is your self-interest, then you are a mudha.

So actually, that is the position of all living entities within this material world. Encaged by maya, illusion, they have forgotten what is the self-interest. The self-interest is: go back to home, back to Godhead. That is real-self interest. So every intelligent man should first of all see to his self-interest, how to become free from this repetition of birth and death and go back to home, back to God. That is self-interest. And if we do not know, we do not execute in that way—that means Krsna consciousness—then however we may be philanthropist, affectionate, very good economist, very good philosopher, everything is nonsense, mudha. That is the statement, that we should not remain mudha; we should become intelligent and see to our self-interest, and that is the success of life.
Thank you very much. (end)

Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.26
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chicago, July 11, 1975