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GTTP Day 20: Goal of Life

Gt Teacher Training Program


Goal of Life

na te vidu svrtha-gati hi viu


duray ye bahir-artha-mnina
andh yathndhair upanyamns
te pa-tantrym uru-dmni baddh
Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material life, and
who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a similar blind man attached to
external sense objects, cannot understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to
Godhead, and engage in the service of Lord Viu. As blind men guided by another blind
man miss the right path and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another
materially attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labor, which are made of very
strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life, suffering the
threefold miseries.
(rmad-Bhgavatam 7.5.31)

Modern Civilizations Goal of Life

This human form of life is not meant for to work so hard like hogs and dogs, simply
for sense gratification. The aim is only sense gratification. In the modern civilization they
have no other aim. They do not know what is God, what is my relationship with God,
what is the ultimate goal of life, how shall I work in this material world. These questions
are rejected. It is very abominable condition of the human society.
The nature of this material world is that without knowing the goal of life they
become leaders. In this material world, especially in this age, people do not know what
the goal of life is. A man does not know what he is. That is the defect. Dehtma-buddhi.
Everyone, all over the world, they are thinking in terms of this body. Accidentally,
somehow or other, because I have got this Indian body I am thinking, I am Indian. And
another person, he has got the American body from America and he is thinking, I am
American. This land also we have demarcated. That is also our creation. Otherwise the
land belongs to God. We have created that This is America, This is India, and This is
England, This is Germany, etc.
So the defect of the modern civilization is andh yathndair upanyamn. Very
few men know what is the ultimate goal of life, what is soul, what is God, what is our
relationship with God, how we have to lead our life, to achieve the ultimate goal of life.
These things are missing very much. We are trying to follow the same principles of
animals. Animals, they are concerned with eating, sleeping, sexual intercourse and
defending. hra-nidr-bhaya-maithuna ca smnyam etat paubhi narnm. Animals
have got these propensities, we have also got the same propensities. Smnyam. We are
similar to the animals in the matters of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Then
where is the distinction? Just like, an animal is eating on the floor. We are eating our
nicely prepared foodstuff on the chair and table. But you are eating. So at the present
moment, we are thinking that because we are eating on tables and chairs, we are
advanced. That is our mistake. That is no advancement. The benefit of eating, whatever
you eat or the animal eats, it is the same. Eating means to maintain the body and soul
together. So advancing in the modes of eating does not mean advancement of
civilization. Advancement in the modes of sleeping does not mean advancement of
civilization. Similarly, advancement in the modes of sexual intercourse does not mean
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GTTP Day 20: Goal of Life

the advancement of civilization. Or advancement in defending, discovering atomic


bombs for killing my enemy, that is also not advancement of civilization. Advancement of
civilization means how much you have advanced to know the soul and the ultimate goal
of the soul, how the soul is transmigrating from one body to another.
The perfection of ones execution of his appointed duties is the ultimate
satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. Everyone desires to achieve the ultimate goal of life,
but in modern civilization the great scientists think that mans life has no plan. This gross
ignorance is very dangerous and makes civilization very risky. People do not know the
laws of nature, which are the rulings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because
they are atheists of the first order, they have no faith in the existence of God and His
rulings and therefore do not know how nature is working. This gross ignorance of the
mass of people, including even the so-called scientists and philosophers, makes life a
risky situation in which human beings do not know whether they are making progress in
life. According to rmad-Bhgavatam (7.5.30), they are simply progressing to the
darkest region of material existence. Adnta-gobhir viat tamisram. The Ka
consciousness movement has therefore been started to give philosophers, scientists, and
people in general the proper knowledge about the destiny of life. Everyone should take
advantage of this movement and learn the real goal of life.
Godly persons want to live a simple life and maintain a high thinking; save time for
understanding of God. The demoniac people are engaged in horrible activities. They
have manufactured so many things. Actually, by the increase of demoniac persons,
common people are not very happy, and they are missing the ultimate goal of life. That
is the defect of the modern civilization. They do not believe that there is an ultimate goal
of life, there is life after death, and what kind of body hes going to get next. These
things are neither in the university education curriculum, nor are people interested. This
is called Kali-yuga. So people are being misled. The form of human life is distinct from
animal life. But if we live like animals, then we are missing the chance. At the present
moment, this is the position. So we are preaching this Ka consciousness movement
strictly on the basis of Bhagavad-gt. In the Bhagavad-gt, everything is explained. If
people take to it, if people are educated, then things will change in a different way.
Theyll be happy and they will be peaceful. Over and above them, they will have a very
blissful next life, full of knowledge, and eternity.

Vedic Societys Goal of Life

When r Caitanya Mahprabhu asked Rmnanda Rya about the goal of life,
Rmnanda Rya described it in different ways, according to the recommendations of
the revealed scriptures, and finally r Rmnanda Rya explained that one may stay in
his own position, whether as a brhmaa, a dra, a sannys or whatever, but one
must try to inquire about lifes goal (athto brahma jijs). This is the proper utilization
of the human form of life. When one misuses the gift of the human form by unnecessarily
indulging in the animal propensities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending and does
not try to get out of the clutches of my, which subjects one to repeated birth, death,
old age and disease, one is again punished by being forced to descend to the lower
species and undergo evolution according to the laws of nature. prakte kriyamni
guai karmi sarvaa [Bg. 3.27]. Being completely under the grip of material nature,
the living entity must evolve again from the lower species to the higher species until he
at last returns to human life and gets the chance to be freed from the material clutches.
A wise man, however, learns from the stras and guru that we living entities are all
eternal but are put into troublesome conditions because of associating with different
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GTTP Day 20: Goal of Life

modes under the laws of material nature. He therefore concludes that in the human form
of life he should not endeavor for unnecessary necessities, but should live a very simple
life, just maintaining body and soul together. Certainly one requires some means of
livelihood, and according to ones vara and rama this means of livelihood is
prescribed in the stras. One should be satisfied with this. Therefore, instead of
hankering for more and more money, a sincere devotee of the Lord tries to invent some
ways to earn his livelihood, and when he does so Ka helps him. Earning ones
livelihood, therefore, is not a problem. The real problem is how to get free from the
bondage of birth, death and old age. Attaining this freedom, and not inventing
unnecessary necessities, is the basic principle of Vedic civilization. One should be
satisfied with whatever means of life comes automatically. The modern materialistic
civilization is just the opposite of the ideal civilization. Every day the so-called leaders of
modern society invent something contributing to a cumbersome way of life that
implicates people more and more in the cycle of birth, death, old age and disease.
The material world exists outside the spiritual sky, and a foolish materialist cannot
estimate the extent of this material sky. What, then, can he know of the spiritual sky?
Materialists simply believe their imperfect senses and do not take instructions from the
revealed scriptures. According to Vedic civilization, one has to see through the authority
of the revealed scriptures. stra-caku: one should see everything through the
medium of the Vedic literature. In this way, one can distinguish between the spiritual
world and material world. Those who ignore such instructions cannot be convinced of the
existence of the spiritual world. Because they have forgotten their spiritual identity, such
materialists take this material world as the all in all. They are therefore called
bahirmukha.
In the Vedic civilization there was no such problem as petrol problem and food
problem. No. The problem was whether the civilization was going nicely, whether the
human civilization is making progress toward the ultimate goal of life; not to bother with
the temporary problems. Temporary problems have been described in the Bhagavad-
gt:
mtr-spars tu kaunteya toa-sukha-dukha-d
gampyino nitys ts titikasva bhrata
There are problems always. This is a world of problems. Just like this summer
season is also problem. The winter season is also a problem. So many people go to
Hawaii because they cannot tolerate too much severe cold in the mainland. Again, when
they go there, when it is too much hot or warm, then they require a fan, refrigerator, etc.
So problem is there. Thus Ka is saying, My dear Arjuna, problems there will be. This
is material world. You cannot avoid problems. But you should tackle with the main
problem, not the insignificant or temporary problem. That is the instruction of Bhagavad-
gt.
The main problem is janma-mtyu-jar-vydhi. That is main problem. So our
cultivation of knowledge, advancement of civilization, should be on the basis of solving
the main problems, janma-mtyu-jar-vydhi, not the temporary problem. For the
temporary problems, it is advised that they come and go. Just like nowadays there is the
petrol problem. Petrol is there, but because the Arabians are restricting supply, it has
become a problem. As soon as there will be some peace agreement between the
Arabians and others, this problem will be solved. Best example is given in the Bhagavad-
gt: toa-sukha-dukha-d. You can solve your petrol problem, but you can never
solve the problem of winter and summer. That will come and go. So it is not that winter
will remain for good, or summer will remain for good. gampyino nity. They will
come and go away. So dont be bothered about them. If you feel botheration, then just
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GTTP Day 20: Goal of Life

try to tolerate. That is not your real problem. Real problem is how to stop the birth,
death, old age and disease, and that is Vedic civilization, and that is depending on the
brahminical culture.
Process of Attaining Goal of Life

According to some, the best process for achieving the highest goal of life is to
execute the duties of the four varas and ramas. In the material world, unless one is
situated in one of the varas (brhmaa, katriya, vaiya or dra) one cannot manage
social affairs properly to attain the ultimate goal. One also has to follow the principles of
the ramas (brahmacarya, ghastha, vnaprastha and sannysa), since these principles
are considered essential for the attainment of the highest goal. In this way they establish
that the execution of the principles of vara and rama for the sake of Ka is the best
way to attain the topmost goal. They thus establish their principles in terms of human
society. r Caitanya Mahprabhu, however, differed when He said that the best process
is hearing and chanting about Lord Viu. According to the supporters of the varrama
system, the highest goal is returning home, back to Godhead, but in r Caitanya
Mahprabhus opinion the highest goal is attaining love of Godhead, in either the
material world or the spiritual world. In the material world this is practiced according to
stric injunction, and in the spiritual world the real achievement is already there.
Everyone is after success in religion, economic development, sense gratification
and ultimately merging into the existence of Brahman. These are the general practices
of the common man, but according to the strict principles of the Vedas, the highest
attainment is to rise to the platform of ravaa krtanam, hearing and chanting about
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed in rmad-Bhgavatam (1.1.2):
dharma projjhita-kaitavo tra paramo nirmatsar sat
vedya vstavam atra vastu iva-da tpa-trayonmlanam
rmad-bhgavate mah-muni-kte ki v parair vara
sadyo hdy avarudhyate tra ktibhi urubhis tat-kat
Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this
Bhgavata Pura propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those
devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from
illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful
Bhgavatam, compiled by the great sage r Vysadeva, is sufficient in itself for God
realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and
submissively hears the message of Bhgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the
Supreme Lord is established within his heart.
This verse of rmad-Bhgavatam rejects as cheating processes all religious
activities that aim at achieving materialistic goals, including dharma, artha, kma and
even moka, or liberation.
According to rdhara Svm, the material conception of success (moka, or
liberation) is desired by those in material existence. Devotees, however, not being
situated in material existence, have no desire for liberation.
A devotee is always liberated in all stages of life because he is always engaged in
the nine items of devotional service (ravaam, krtanam, etc.). r Caitanya
Mahprabhus philosophy holds that devotional service to Ka always exists in
everyones heart. It simply has to be awakened by the process of ravaa krtana
vio [SB 7.5.23]. ravadi uddha-citte karaye udaya (Cc. Madhya 22.107). When a
person is actually engaged in devotional service, his eternal relationship with the Lord,
the servant-master relationship, is awakened. Awakening of this eternal relationship with
the Lord is the ultimate goal of life.
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