A Safe Prescription for Epidemic of Misplaced Faith

Bad Investment

It's All Vanity Hansadutta das

Death is a most certain thing and yet there is no program anywhere in human society to prepare a person to die. On the contrary, all the programs of the schools and universities, all the businesses, politics, economics and so on, are all preparing us to enjoy, to live and be happy--although no one will live and no one will be happy. This is ignorance. It is the greatest ignorance to waste one's valuable time, energy and intelligence in pursuing something which has no future. When we take a hotel room for a night or two, we are not going to endeavor to improve the room by purchasing paint, decorating, and putting up new curtains, because we know that this is just temporary. Tomorrow or the day after, we will go. Similarly, we are in transit in this material world. more

Bali-mardan: [speaking of the ISKCON farm in Hawaii] On the island with the farm, the people are, now they are afraid that there will be a volcanic eruption and the whole island will be finished.

Prabhupada: There is such sign?

Bali-mardan: Yes, because that volcano over there it is still active. It is smoking. It is always smoking.

Srutakirti: Siddha-svarupa had said every twelve years it erupts, and I think it's been ten years since the last one or something. So it's expected that in two years...

Prabhupada: The last time it devastated? No.

Srutakirti: I don't know. He said some damage, yes.

Bali-mardan: Partially, not completely.

Paramahamsa: Partial devastation.

Prabhupada: No, when volcano is in smoke, that is dangerous. That is dangerous.

Devotee: Shall we sell our land, then?

Prabhupada: What will come? Trust no future, that's all. We must be always ready for destruction. Material world is like that. Nitya anityatam. Chanakya Pandit says, tyaja durjana-samsargam: "Avoid bad men's company." Bhaja sadhu-samagamam: "Always try to associate with learned, what is, sadhu, with devotees. Avoid this worldly men's association and try to associate with devotees." Tyaja durjana-samsargam bhaja sadhu-samagamam, and then smara nityam anityatam. "And always think that everything here in this material world is for few days." That's all. Tyaja durjana-samsargam bhaja sadhu-samagamam. Anityatam. Let this be the motto of life. We should not associate with the materialistic person, try to associate with devotee, and always think that this world is for few days. That's all.

Ambarisa: This world is what?

Prabhupada: For few days. Nityam anityatam. Kuru punyam aho-ratram: "And act piously, day and night." This should be the motto.

Bali-mardan: That is nice prescription.

Prabhupada: Civilization is just the opposite. Always act sinfully, not kuru punyam aho-ratram. Twenty-four hours act sinfully.

Harikesa: It seems that practically every single person in society today is going to have to go to one of those hells.

Prabhupada: Hmm?

Harikesa: Every single person in society today is going to have to go to one of those hells.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Bali-mardan: If a person reads about the different hells he'll become scared.

Prabhupada: Like animals. The animals... You keep the animals here, and take one of them, slaughter—they will think, "I am safe." This is animal. All of them will think, "Oh, I am safe. He is being taken. That's all." This is their dull brain, the modern animals. These two-legged animals, they will think like that.

Paramahamsa: They say that if you have a herd of sheep and one, the first part of the herd falls off of a cliff, then all the rest of them will simply walk off the cliff.

Prabhupada: Yes. That is called veriya dasan. In Hindi, veriya dasan.

Paramahamsa: What is that called?

Prabhupada: Veriya dasan.

Paramahamsa: What does that mean?

Prabhupada: Veri means lamb or sheep. If you can push one of them in the slaughterhouse, all of them enter. This is called veriya dasan. You haven't got to endeavor to push others. You just push one only. "Fut, fut, fut, fut, fut, fut, fut," they all enter. In Hindi it is called veriya dasan. Just cheat one veri, and all others will be followers.