122 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 1, Ch. 2

rajas tamah prakrtayah
sama-sila bhajanti vai

pitr-bhiita-prajesadin
Sriyaisvarya-prajepsavah

rajah—the mode of passion; tamah—the mode of ignorance;
prakrtayah—of that mentality; sama-silah—of the same categories;
bhajanti—do worship; vai—actually; pitr—the forefathers; bhiita—other
living beings; prajesa-ddin—controller of cosmic administration; sriya—
enrichment; aisvarya—wealth and power; praja—aristocracy; ipsavah—so
desiring.

TRANSLATION

Those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance worship the
forefathers, other living beings and the demigods who are in charge of
cosmic activities, for they are urged by a desire to be materially benefited
with women, wealth, power and aristocratic birth.

PURPORT

There is no need to worship demigods of whatsoever category if one is
serious about going back to Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gita (Bg. 7.20, 23)
it is clearly said that those who are mad after material enjoyment approach
the different demigods for temporary benefits, which are meant for men
with a poor fund of knowledge. We should never desire to increase the
depth of material enjoyment. Material enjoyment should be accepted
only up to the point of the bare necessities of life and not more or less
than that. To accept more material enjoyment means to bind oneself more
and more to the miseries of material existence. More wealth, more women
and false aristocracy are some of the demands of the materially disposed
man because he has no information of the benefit derived from Visnu
worship. By Visnu worship one can derive benefit in this life as well as in
life after death. Forgetting these principles, foolish people who are after
more wealth, more wives and more children worship various demigods.
The aim of life is to end the miseries of life and not to increase them.

For material enjoyment there is no need to approach the demigods. The
demigods are but servants of the Lord. As such, they are duty-bound to
supply necessities of life in the form of water, light, air, ete. One should
work hard and worship the Supreme Lord by the fruits of one’s hard
labor for existence, and that should be the motto of life. One should be
