“People have manufactured a Civilization based on constant hard Work”

Prabhupada, “The Matchless Gift”: “Maya-sukhaya. Actually this is a fact. We have succeeded in creating a humbug civilization. Every year so many cars are being manufactured, and for that purpose so many roads have to be excavated, prepared and repaired. This creates problems after problems, and therefore it is maya-sukhaya, illusory happiness. We are trying to manufacture some way to be happy, but we only succeed in creating other problems. The United States has the world’s largest number of cars, but that does not solve any problems. We have manufactured cars to help solve the problems of life, but we often experience that this also creates other problems. Once we create cars, we must travel thirty or forty miles just to meet our friends or go to a doctor. We can even go from New York to Boston in less than an hour by plane, but it takes even longer than that just to get to the airport. This situation is called maya-sukhaya. Maya means false, illusory. We try to create a very comfortable situation, but we only succeed in creating another uncomfortable situation. This is the way of the material world; if we are not satisfied by the natural comforts offered by God and nature, and we want to create artificial comforts, then we have to create discomfort also.

Most people, ignorant of this fact, think that they are creating a very comfortable situation, but in actuality they end up traveling fifty miles to go to the office to earn a livelihood and fifty miles to come back.

Due to such conditions, Prahlada Maharaja says that these vimudhas, materialistic persons, have unnecessarily burdened themselves simply for temporary happiness. Vimudhan, maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato. Therefore in Vedic civilization it is recommended that one free himself from material life, take sannyasa, the renounced order, and execute devotional service with no anxiety.
The taking of the renounced order, however, is not always necessary. If one can execute Krishna consciousness in family life, that is also recommended. Although Bhaktivinoda Thakura was a family man and magistrate, he still executed devotional service most excellently. Dhruva Maharaja and Prahlada Maharaja were also grhasthas, householders, but they trained themselves in such a way that even as householders they were not faced with interruptions in their service. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja said, “I have learned the art of always remaining in Krishna consciousness.” What is that art? Tvad-virya-gayana-mahamrta-magna-cittah: simply glorifying the victorious activities and pastimes of the Lord. The word virya means “very heroic.” By reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, we can come to understand that Krishna’s activities, His fame, His associates and everything else about Him are all heroic. In this connection, Prahlada Maharaja said: “I am certain that wherever I go, I can glorify Your heroic activities and be saved. There is no question of my falling down, but I am simply anxious for those who have created a type of civilization in which they are always busy working hard. I am thinking of them.” Prahlada further says:

prayena deva munayah sva-vimukti-kama
maunam caranti vijane na parartha-nisthah
naitan vihaya krpanan vimumuksa eko
nanyam tvad asya saranam bhramato ‘nupasye

“My dear Lord, there are many saintly persons and sages who are very interested in their own liberation. They live in solitary places like the Himalayan mountains, they do not talk to anyone, and they are always afraid of mixing with ordinary people in the cities and becoming disturbed or maybe even falling down. They think, “Better let me save myself.” I regret that these great saintly persons do not come to the cities where people have manufactured a civilization based on constant hard work. Such saints are not very compassionate, but I am anxious for these fallen people who are unnecessarily working so hard simply for the gratification of the senses.” (Bhag. 7.9.44)
Even if there were some point in working that hard, such people do not know what it is. All they know is the sex urge and the brothels that gratify this urge. However, Prahlada Maharaja has compassion for such people: naitan vihaya krpanan vimumuksa eko. “My Lord, I do not need salvation alone. Unless I take all these fools with me, I shall not go.” Thus he refused to go into the kingdom of God without taking all the fallen souls with him. This is a Vaisnava. Nanyam tvad asya saranam bhramato ‘nupasye: “I simply want to teach them how to surrender unto You. That’s all. That is my goal.”