924 Srimad Bhagavatam [Canto 2, Ch. 9
na mam duskrtino madhah prapadyante naradhamah
mayaya ‘pahsta-jiana dsurarh bhavam asritah (Bg. 7.15)
The so-called great leaders of human society, because they are ignorant
of this great knowledge of bhakti-yoga and are always engaged in the
ignoble acts of sense gratification, bewildered by the external energy of
the Lord, are stubborn rebels against the supremacy of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, and they never agree to surrender unto Him
because they are fools, miscreants and the lowest type of human beings.
Such faithless nonbelievers may be highly educated in the material sense
of the term, but factually they are the greatest fools of the world because
by the influence of the external material nature all their so-called acquisi-
tion of knowledge has been made null and void. Therefore all advancement
of knowledge in the present context of things is being misused in terms of
the cats and dogs fighting with one another for sense gratification, and all
acquisition of knowledge in science, philosophy, fine arts, nationality,
economic development, religiousness and great activities are being spoiled
by being used as dresses for dead men. There is no utility in the dresses
used for covering a coffin of the dead body save getting a false applause
from the ignorant public. The Srimad-Bhdgavatam therefore says again
and again that without attainment of the status of bhakti-yoga, all activi-
ties of the human society are to be considered as absolute failures only.
It is said:
parabhavas tavad abodha-jato
yavan na jijndsata atma-tattvam
yavat kriyds tavad idam mano vai
karmatmakam yena sarira-bandhah (Bhag. 5.5.5)
As long as one is blind to inquiring after self-realization, all material
activities, however great they may be, are all different kinds of defeat
because the aim of human life is not fulfilled by such unwanted and
profitless activities. The function of the human body is to attain freedom
from the material bondage, but as long as one is fully absorbed in material
activities, his mind will be overwhelmed in the whirlpool of matter, and
thus he will continue to be encaged in the material bodies life after life.
evarh manah karma-vasarm prayunkte
avidyayatmany upadhiyamane
pritir na ydvan may vasudeve
na mucyate deha-yogena tavat (Bhag. 5.5.6)
