Here it is said, dharmasya hi āpavargyasya. Religion means how to get out of these pavargas. That is dharma. Bhāgavata says, dharmasya hy āpavargyasya na arthaḥ arthāya upakalpate. Generally, people go to church, to temple, for some material benefit. Therefore śāstra says, "No, no. Dharma is not meant for that purpose." People have become materialistic more and more because, just like in our country, "If you want economic development, then why you should go to temple?" The Communist theory is also like that, that, "If you want material happiness, why you are going to church and accepting, 'O God, give us our daily bread'? The bread, you manufacture. You just work for it." In one side, it is good. But this is also fact, that without God's mercy, you cannot get even bread. Although bread you can manufacture, but the ingredients of the bread, the wheat, that is not in your hand. You cannot manufacture in the factory.
That is in the hand of prakṛti, nature, and prakṛti is working under the control of the Supreme Lord. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). So it is the prakṛti's business to control food supply when people become godless. That is prakṛti's business. Because prakṛti . . . these statements are there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the story of Mahārāja Pṛthu. So prakṛti said that, "Because people have become godless, demons, I have restricted my supply." Therefore everything depends on the mercy of the Lord.
So therefore dharma means to abide by the laws of God—that is dharma—so that you can get out of the entanglement of this pavarga. Dharmasya hy āpavarga na artha upakalpate. Not for economic development. Don't go to the church, don't go to the temple for your economic development. Although in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, ārtaḥ arthārthī jñānī jijñāsuḥ, catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna (BG 7.16): "Four kinds of men—those who are artha, distressed, arthārthī, in need of money—they come to Me." That is also good. But that is not the meaning of dharma. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. You have to execute religious system only to get out of the entanglement of this pavarga. That is the purpose. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya nārthaḥ arthāya upakalpate. Not for economic development.