228 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 15
not; bibhrati—help; anarthéya—without value (binding one to repeated
birth and death); bhaveyuh—they are; sma—at all times; piirtam
istam—ritualistic Vedic ceremonies; tatha—similarly; asatah —of a ma-
terialistic nondevotee.
TRANSLATION

As professional activities or business profits cannot help one in
spiritual advancement but are a source of material entanglement,
the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies cannot help anyone who is not a
devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

If one becomes very rich through his professional activities, through
trade or through agriculture, this does not mean that he is spiritually ad-
vanced. To be spiritually advanced is different from being materially
rich. Although the purpose of life is to become spiritually rich, unfortu-
nate men, misguided as they are, are always engaged in trying to become
materially rich. Such material engagements, however, do not help one in
the actual fulfillment of the human mission. On the contrary, material
engagements lead one to be attracted to many unnecessary necessities,
which are accompanied by the risk that one may be born in a degraded
condition. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (14.18):

urdhvam gacchanti sattva-stha
madhye tisthanti rajasah
Jaghanya-guna-ovrtti-stha
adho gacchanti tamasah

“Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the
higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets;
and those in the mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds.” Es-
pecially in this Kali-yuga, material advancement means degradation and
attraction to many unwanted necessities that create a low mentality.
Therefore, jaghanya-guna-vrtti-stha: since people are contaminated by
the lower qualities, they will lead their next lives either as animals or in
other degraded forms of life. Making a show of religion without Krsna
consciousness may make one popular in the estimation of unintelligent
