Devotee: "Transcendental Knowledge." Text number nineteen. "One is understood to be in full knowledge whose every act is devoid of desire for sense gratification. He is said by sages to be a worker whose fruitive action is burned up by the fire of perfect knowledge."
Prabhupāda: "One is understood to be in full knowledge whose every act is devoid of desire for sense gratification." The opposite is ignorance. Those who are in knowledge of sense gratification, they are devoid of knowledge. Yes. "He is said by sages to be a worker whose fruitive action is burned up by the fire of perfect knowledge."
"He is said by sages to be a worker whose fruitive action is burned up by the fire of perfect knowledge." This is very common thing. Everyone has to act but if he acts in full knowledge, then that is perfection of activity. Just like in our ordinary life, if we do business, or whatever we do, if we are in full knowledge of the state laws and act accordingly, that is perfection of our activities.
Go on.
Devotee: Twenty: "Abandoning all attachment to the results of his activities, ever satisfied and independent, he performs no fruitive action, although engaged in all kinds of undertakings."
Prabhupāda: Yes. "Abandoning all attachment to the results of the activities." Everyone is aspiring some result of his activity. So the plain example is, suppose you are working in an office. So you are not concerned with the result. You have to simply do your duty. The result, the ultimate profit or loss of that establishment, is concern for the proprietors or the directors. But your duty is that the post which you are occupying, you must do your work very nicely—that's your duty—without being attached to the result. The result will be enjoyed by the proprietors of that establishment.
Go on.
Devotee: Twenty-one: "Such a man of understanding acts with mind and intelligence perfectly controlled, gives up all sense of proprietorship over his possessions and acts only for the bare necessities of life. Thus working, he is not affected by sinful reaction."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Suppose a man is a manager, a cashier in the bank. He is receiving millions of dollars daily, but he does not claim the proprietorship. He is simply handling millions of dollars, but he knows that, "I am not the proprietor."
Similarly, in our this material activities we may have the chance of handling millions of dollars. Practically nobody comes here with millions of dollars, neither one goes with millions of dollars. Everyone comes here empty hand. The child comes empty hand and the dead body goes empty hand. So between the birth and death, this small duration of life, we are supposed to possess so many things. That is our false possession. Actually you don't possess.
Just like so long I am cashier in the bank, I am supposed to deal with millions of dollars; but that is not my money. In this consciousness . . . this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to understand everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. If one acts in that way that everything . . . Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1).
The Īśopaniṣad says: "Everything belongs to God," but God has given me chance to handle these things. Therefore my knowledge and intelligence will be there if I utilize for serving God. That is my intelligence. As soon as I utilize them for my sense gratification, then I am entrapped. The same example can be given: if the bank cashier thinks, "Oh, so many millions of dollars at my disposal. Let me something and put in my pocket," then he is entrapped.
Otherwise, you enjoy. You get good salary. You go to get good comforts and do your work nicely for Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everything should be considered as Kṛṣṇa's. Not a farthing mine. That is Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Yes.
Devotee: "He who is satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord, who is free from duality and does not envy, who is steady both in success and failure, is never entangled, although performing actions."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Now if I think that, "I am poor man. Oh, the bank proprietor and directors, they have got so much money . . ." The theory of the . . . communist theory. They have tried to attack others that, "They have snatched our money." Actually one should be satisfied. Just like a bank clerk or a bank cashier should be satisfied with his post and the wages he gets. He should be satisfied. If God pleases, he will be elevated to higher position. That is God's grace. But we should not be disturbed. We should be sati . . . and thus disturbance can be checked only if we are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
You'll be surprised, in 1942 there was an artificial famine in India by politicians, and practically they were starving. And one American gentleman, very responsible man, he was present. He said that, "In our country if such starvation would have happened, there would have been revolution." But the Vedic culture is so nice that nobody even stole a pin from others' pocket. They starved. Because the culture is they are satisfied: "Well, God has put me in this condition. Why shall I encroach upon others' property?" That is Vedic culture. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1).
"Everything belongs to God. Whatever He has allotted to me, that is my possession. I can . . ." Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā: "Whatever is allotted to you, be satisfied." Mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam: "You do not encroach upon others' property."
If anyone is satisfied in this way in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, where is the question of stealing? There is no question of stealing. There is no need of law for the thieves. People will become so honest. He will be satisfied.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is all-pervading. Either you take socially, politically, religiously, scientifically, philosophically—any way you take. Just like sandalwood. Sandalwood, you rub it on the stone in any way, the pulp will be flavored. It is not that if you rub the wood on the stone in this way then the pulp will come flavored. No.
Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice, if you apply it in any field of activities you will see it is perfect—either you apply in industry or in politics or in sociology or in philosophy or in science. Therefore Bhāgavata says that whatever capacity you may have, either you are a scientist or a lawyer or an engineer or a rich man, a capitalist, whatever you may be, your duty is to utilize your talent for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That's all. That is perfection.