54 TEACHINGS OF QUEEN KUNTI
holy name of the Lord by addressing Him feelingly, ‘‘O Govinda, O
Krsna.”’ It is said in the sdstras that by once uttering the holy name of the
Lord, the sinner gets rid of a quantity of sins that he is unable to commit.
Such is the power of uttering the holy name of the Lord. There is not the
least exaggeration in this statement. Actually the Lord’s holy name has
such powerful potency. But there is a quality to such utterances also. It
depends on the quality of feeling. A helpless man can feelingly utter the
holy name of the Lord, whereas a man who utters the same holy name in
great material satisfaction cannot be so sincere. A materially puffed up
person may utter the holy name of the Lord occasionally, but he is in-
capable of uttering the name in quality. Therefore, the four principles of
material advancement, namely (1) high parentage, (2) good wealth,
(3) high education, and (4) attractive beauty, are, so to speak, dis-
qualifications for progress on the path of spiritual advancement. The ma-
terial covering of the pure spirit soul is an external feature, as much as
fever is an external feature of the unhealthy body. The general process is
to decrease the degree of the fever and not to aggravate it by maltreat-
ment. Sometimes it is seen that spiritually advanced persons become ma-
terially impoverished. This is no discouragement. On the other hand,
such impoverishment is a good sign as much as the falling of temperature
is a good sign. The principle of life should be to decrease the degree of
material intoxication which leads one to be more and more illusioned
about the aim of life. Grossly illusioned persons are quite unfit for en-
trance into the kingdom of God.

In one sense, of course, material opulences are God’s grace. To take
birth in a very aristocratic family or nation like America, to be very rich,
to be advanced in knowledge and education, and to be endowed with
beauty are gifts of pious activities. A rich man attracts the attention of
others, whereas a poor man does not. An educated man attracts atten-
tion, but a fool attracts no attention at all. Materially, therefore, such
opulences are very beneficial. But when a person is materially opulent in
this way, he becomes intoxicated: ‘‘Oh, I am a rich man. I am an edu-
cated man. I have money.”’

One who drinks wine will become intoxicated and may think that he is
flying in the sky or that he has gone to heaven. These are effects of in-
toxication. But an intoxicated person does not know that all these dreams
are within the limits of time and will therefore come to an end. Because
he is unaware that these dreams will not continue, he is said to be in illu-
sion. Similarly, one is intoxicated by thinking, ‘‘I am very rich, I am very
educated and beautiful, and I have taken birth in an aristocratic family in
