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The Nectar of Instruction
interested in material happiness. They attempt to earn money by all means, not considering whether such means are pious or impious. Such people are called  karmīs , or gross materialists. Among the  karmīs  are some  vikarmīs , people who act without the guidance of Vedic knowledge. Those who act on the basis of Vedic knowledge perform sacrifices for the satisfaction of Lord Viṣṇu and to receive benedictions from Him. In this way they are elevated to higher planetary systems. Such  karmīs  are superior to the  vikarmīs , for they are faithful to the directions of the  Vedas  and are certainly dear to Kṛṣṇa. In  Bhagavad-gītā  (4.11), Kṛṣṇa says:  ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham . “In whatever way one surrenders unto Me, I reward him accordingly.” Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He fulfilled the desires of the  karmīs  and  jñānīs , not to speak of the  bhaktas . Although the  karmīs  are sometimes elevated to higher planetary systems, as long as they remain attached to fruitive activities they must accept new material bodies after death. If one acts piously, he can attain a new body among the demigods in the higher planetary systems, or he may attain some other position in which he can enjoy a higher standard of material happiness. On the other hand, those who are engaged in impious activities are degraded and take birth as animals, trees and plants. Thus those fruitive actors who do not care for the Vedic directions ( vikarmīs ) are not appreciated by learned saintly persons. As stated in  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  (5.5.4):
nünaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti na sādhu manye yata ātmano ’yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ