12 THE SCIENCE OF SELF-REALIZATION
God. Our business is not to ask God for our necessities. God gives
necessities to everyone—even to one who has no religion. For example,
cats and dogs have no religion, yet Krsna supplies them with the
necessities of life. So why should we bother Krsna for our daily bread?
He is already supplying it. Real religion means to learn how to love Him.
The Srimad-Bhagavatam [1.2.6] says,
Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati
First-class religion teaches one how to love God without any motive. If I
serve God for some profit, that is business—not love. Real love of God is
ahaituky apratihata: it cannot be checked by any material cause. It is un-
. conditional. If one actually wants to love God, there is no impediment.
One can love Him whether one is poor or rich, young or old, black or
white.
Ms. Nixon: Do all paths lead to the same end?
Srila Prabhupada: No. There are four classes of men—the karmis, the
jnidnis, the yogis, and the bhaktas—and each achieves a different goal.
The karmis work for some material profit. For example, in the city, many
‘’ people work hard day and night, and their purpose is to get some money.
Thus, they are fruitive workers, or karmis. A jidniis a person who thinks,
‘‘Why am I working so hard? The birds, bees, elephants, and other crea-
tures have no profession, yet they are also eating. So why should I un-
necessarily work so hard? Rather, let me try to solve the problems of
life— birth, death, old age, and disease.”’ Jiidnis try to become immortal.
They think that if they merge into God’s existence, then they will
become immune to birth, death, old age, and disease. And yogis try to
acquire some mystic power to exhibit a wonderful show. For instance, a
yogi can become very small: if you put him into a locked room, he can
come out through any little space. By showing this kind of magic, the yogi
is immediately accepted as a very wonderful man. Of course, modern
yogis simply show some gymnastics—they have no real power. But a real
yogi has some power, which is not spiritual but material. So the yogi
wants mystic power, the jidni wants salvation from the miseries of life,
and the karmi wants material profit. But the bhakta—the devotee—
doesn’t want anything for himself. He simply wants to serve God out of
love, just as a mother serves her child. There is no question of profit in a
