Text Two 19
people are advised not to collect too many goods, eat too
much or work unnecessarily to possess artificial amenities,
they think they are being advised to return to a primitive
way of life. Generally people do not like to accept plain liv-
ing and high thinking. That is their unfortunate position.

Human life is meant for God realization, and the human
being is given higher intelligence for this purpose. Those
who believe that this higher intelligence is meant to attain a
higher state should follow the instructions of the Vedic
literatures. By taking such instructions from higher authori-
ties, one can actually become situated in perfect knowledge
and give real meaning to life. ;

In Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.9) Sri Sita Gosvami de-
scribes the proper human dharma in this way:

dharmasya hy apavargyasya
nartho ’rthaéyopakalpate
narthasya dharmaikdntasya
kamo labhaya hi smrtah
“All occupational engagements [dharma] are certainly
meant for ultimate liberation. They should never be per-
formed for material gain. Furthermore, one who is engaged
in the ultimate occupational service [dharma] should never
use material gain to cultivate sense gratification.”

The first step in human civilization consists of occupa-
tional engagements performed according to the scriptural
injunctions. The higher intelligence of a human being
should be trained to understand basic dharma. In human
society there are various religious conceptions characterized
