SB 1.2.27 (1962)

SB (1962) Second Chapter - Divinity and Devotional Service

SB 1.2.26 (1962) - SB 1.2.28 (1962)

Compare Versions: SB 1962 with SB 1972-77

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

TEXT No. 27

Rajas tamah prakritayah samashila bhajanti bai Pitri bhuta prajeshadeen Shriha aishwarya praja ipshavah.

ENGLISH SYNONYMS

Rajas—the mode of passion, tamah—the mode of ignorance, prakritayah—of that mentality, shamashila—of the same categories, bhajanti—do worship, bai—actually, pitri—the forefathers, bhuta—other living beings, prajeshadeen—controller of the cosmic administration, shriah—enrichment, aishwarya—wealth and power, praja—aristocracy, isshavah—so desiring.

TRANSLATION

Those who are in the modes of passsion and ignorance and persons of the same category do worship the forms of forefathers, other living beings and the deities of the cosmic administration urged by a desire to be materially benefitted with women, wealth and aristocracy.

PURPORT

There is no need of worshiping demigods of whatsoever category for those who are serious about going back to Godhead. In the Bhagwat Geeta it is clearly said that those who are mad after material enjoyment they only approach the different demigods for temporary benefit which are meant for men with poor fund of knowledge. (BG 7.20-23) We should never desire to increase the depth of material enjoyment. Material enjoyment should be accepted only up to the point of bare necessities of life and not more or less than that. To accept more material enjoyment means to bind up one self more and more in the miseries of the material existence. More wealth, more women and false aristocracy are some of the demands of the materially disposed man because he has no information of the benefit derived out of Vishnu worship. By Vishnu worship one can derive benefit for this life as well as for the life after death. Forgetting these principles, foolish people who are after more wealth, more wives and more children do worship the demigods of different dimentions. The aim of life is just to end the miseries of life and not to increase them.

For material enjoyment there is no need of approaching the demigods. Because the demigods are but servants of the Lord. As such they are duty-bound to supply necessaries of life in the form of water, light, air etc. which are essential parts of living conditions. One should work hard and worship the Supreme Lord by the fruits of one's hard labour for existence and that should be the motto of life. One should be careful about his occupational service with faith in God in the proper way and that will lead one gradually on the progressive march to Back to Godhead.

Lord Sri Krishna when He was personally present at Braja-dhama He stopped the worship of the Indra demigod and advised the residents of Braja to worship their business and to have faith in God. Worshipping the multi demigods for material gain is practically a perversity of religion. This sort of religious activities have been condemned in the very beginning of the Bhagwat as Kaitaba Dharma. There is only one religion in the world to be followed by one and all and that is the Bhagwat Dharma or the religion which teaches to worship The Personality of Godhead and no one else.

(Compare SB 1.2.27 Current Edition)

SB 1.2.26 (1962) - SB 1.2.28 (1962)