20 The Nectar of Instruction

as Hindu, Christian, Hebrew, Mohammedan, Buddhist and
so on, for without religion, human society is no better than
animal society.

As stated above (dharmasya hy dpavargyasya nartho
’rthayopakalpate), religion is meant for attaining emancipa-
tion, not for getting bread. Sometimes human society
manufactures a system of so-called religion aimed at ma-
terial advancement, but that is far from the purpose of true
dharma. Religion entails understanding the laws of God be-
cause the proper execution of these laws ultimately leads one
out of material entanglement. That is the true purpose of
religion. Unfortunately people accept religion for material
prosperity because of atydhdra, or an excessive desire for
such prosperity. True religion, however, instructs people to
be satisfied with the bare necessities of life while cultivating
Krsna consciousness. Even though we require economic
development, true religion allows it only for supplying the
bare necessities of material existence. Jivasya tattva-jijndsa:
the real purpose of life is to inquire about the Absolute
Truth. If our endeavor (praydsa) is not to inquire about the
Absolute Truth, we will simply increase our endeavor to
satisfy our artificial needs. A spiritual aspirant should avoid
mundane endeavor.

Another impediment is prajalpa, unnecessary talking.
When we mix with a few friends, we immediately begin un-
necessary talking, sounding just like croaking toads. If we
must talk, we should talk about the Krsna consciousness
movement. Those outside of the Krsna consciousness move-
ment are interested in reading heaps of newspapers,
magazines and novels, solving crossword puzzles and doing
