So in order to get out of this blazing fire of material existence, which is a combination of rajas-tamaḥ-sattva-guṇa, one has to take to this devotional service, and that can be achieved only by hearing from munibhir mahātmabhiḥ, those who are munis. Munis means they are silent about material affairs. They are simply interested with spiritual advancement of life. To give up something and to accept something... To give up something is negative, but if you do not accept something positive, this give up something will not stay. Simply to become renounced of the material world will not help. Big, big sannyāsīs, they gave up this material world—brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā—but they, because they did not engage themselves in devotional service, they again come back to this material world for philanthropic work, for altruistic work, for charity, for opening school... So simply negative will not help us. We have to accept positive.
So if we accept the positive, the negative will automatically result. Just like here it is said, bhakti-pravṛttā. As soon as bhakti is accepted, then ātma-rajas-tamopahā: you immediately become free. Your soul becomes free from the influence of rajas-tamas. Rajas-tamas means lust and desire. Tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye. If you are entangled in rajas-tamas, then you'll be influenced by lusty desires, kāma and lobha. The lusty desires will never be satisfied. You'll want more, more, more. That is called greedy, lobha, lusty desires and greediness.
You'll never be free if you remain in the kāma, in the rajas-tamas.
- tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ
- kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye
- ceta etair anāviddhaṁ
- sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati
- (SB 1.2.19)
Here the two modes of nature is explained, kāma and lobha, er, rajas-tamas. So if we are entangled with rajas-tamas, then our perpetual desire for lusty sense enjoyment and greediness will not stop. It will drag me more and more, more and more, and entangle me. But sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati. But if we give up these two qualities, the remainder quality means goodness, that sattve, you will give..., you will get, at least, peace of mind. Sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati. Evaṁ prasanna-manasaḥ. When you are in, in the platform of satisfaction, sattva-guṇa... Just like the brahminical qualification: they are satisfied with anything. A brāhmaṇa is not supposed to improve his economic condition. He's not interested. He's simply satisfied: "By the grace of God, whatever I have got, that is sufficient." God is supplying everyone, even birds and beasts and cats and dogs. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He is giving food to everyone. So sattva-guṇa means to remain satisfied whatever is obtained by..., from God, by His free will. That's all. They are not after economic development.
So Vaiṣṇava, being inherently a brāhmaṇa, he should be satisfied: "Whatever Kṛṣṇa has given, that's all right. My business is how to make advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. That is the Vaiṣṇava's business, that simply how to make perfection of life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is Vaiṣṇava's demand; not for any other improvement, economic development or this improvement. No.