Prahlāda Mahārāja is describing how Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be practiced. His proposition is to his friends, young friends, that Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be practiced from very childhood. And he has explained very nicely that as we grow, most of our time is wasted in so many ways.
First of all he has analyzed that although we may have one hundred years of age duration of life, fifty years immediately gone because we sleep at night. And twenty years for playing, and twenty years for disease and other things. So twenty, twenty, plus fifty, so out of hundred years, ninety years gone, wasted. Ten years. That ten years means great attachment.
The more we become entangled in this materialistic attraction . . . the materialistic attraction means the first attraction is sex. This whole world, not only human society, in animal society also . . . there are 8,400,000's of different kinds of societies according to different kinds of species of life.
"Birds of the same feather flock together," as it is said, that a species, a particular type of species of . . . not only that; we human beings, we have flocked together, just like Americans, Indians, Chinese or Russians. We have made so many different kinds of society are flocking together. Birds of the same feather.
This is not very important thing. If you combine together as American or Indian or Chinese or many other names, oh, same thing in there in the lower animals also. Therefore this saying is very nice that, "Birds of the same feather flock together." So this propensity of combination of society, community, amongst the human being, is not very important improvement.
So in this way, our attachment increases. So when we are old enough, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that ko gṛheṣu pumān saktam (SB 7.6.9). The older we are, our attachment for home—home . . . society, friendship, love—increases. The beginning of attachment is sex. That is described in the Bhāgavata. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī etat (SB 5.5.8)
The whole world is attached with one another on the basis of sex. So the sex attraction increases as we increase our products of sex. Gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ (SB 5.5.8). The products of . . . the first combination is with wife, and then we want some apartment or place to live together, then produce children, then we want society; then we want money, wealth. In this way go on increasing, the real purpose of life is forgotten.
The real purpose of life is, especially for the human being, is to how to get away from this material bondage. So in the old age, Prahlāda Mahārāja says, when the attachment is too much . . . Ko gṛheṣu pumān saktam. The attachment for home, society, friendship is natural. But when that attachment is very solid and grown strong, at that time, he says, sneha-pāśair dṛḍhair baddham (SB 7.6.9). When the affection with one another is very firmly settled, how one can leave?
(aside) I am feeling warm. Wretched. I want to take off, yes. It is inconveniently turned.
(pause) Sneha-pāśair dṛḍhair baddham utsaheta. When our attachment becomes too much strong, it is not possible to give up this material society, friendship, love and attachment.
So therefore the whole stress is given, Prahlāda Mahārāja giving, that if we want to begin Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we have to begin immediately, because the more we grow older, our attachment for material things becomes more and more strong, and at that time it is very difficult. Therefore according to Vedic civilization, as I was explaining the other day, at a certain point one has to, by, I mean to say, voluntarily, one has to give up the so-called society, friendship and love and engage fully for cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Now, in this meeting I shall request those who are not very much attached to this materialistic way of life . . . they are seeking after something tangible, for, I mean to say, spiritual consciousness, or spiritual life. So for them I present with submission that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the only solace for the human society if they are actually hankering after something spiritual. So let them understand this science and seriously consider. Do not be misled. If you are actually hankering after something sublime, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the . . . the thing. So we submit for your consideration and take it very seriously.