Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. So by His favor we get opulence, riches, but when we are opulent we forget Kṛṣṇa, because māyā is very strong. Māyā will dictate, "Oh, you have got so much money, why don't you enjoy wine and woman?" as it is going on in European and American countries, anyone who gets money, he utilizes it for wine and woman; he has no other engagement. He does not know how to utilize money. Therefore, now the British Empire, we have seen it practically how opulent British Empire was, and now how they are coming down. Recently we have seen in London that people are lying down on bench. So this is the nature. Luxury leads to poverty.
So we should be very much careful. Don't think that, "Because I am now initiated, I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, now everything is guaranteed. Now I shall do whatever I like." No. Then it will deteriorate. We should not utilize this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement for any material purpose. Then it will fall down. Either the man will fall down or the status will fall down, as it has become in India. Practically they have lost all spiritual interest, although India is the country for spiritual advancement of life.
So either individually, collectively, socially, or politically, if we forget God, Kṛṣṇa, then it is sure to deteriorate. But foolish people, they do not know this. They think that, "Our good days will go on like this," as the Britishers thought. I give the example of the Britishers because I have seen in my life how opulent were these Britishers, and I have seen now in London how they are dwindling. Everywhere.
So such thing happened some long, long years ago in the family of Dhruva Mahārāja. Dhruva Mahārāja was a great devotee, and his family members also were great devotees, but gradually it deteriorated. And one king, whose name is Mahārāja Vena, he was so extravagant just like demon. This also happened due to his mother. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. His mother was born of a . . . not of a very good father, so she inherited the nature of his bad father, and her son also inherited the nature of his mother. But the king, the father, was very pious, as it should be. So with his son's behavior, he became so much disgusted that he left home without any notice.
So the king's son, Vena, Mahārāja Vena, he was installed on the throne, but he behaved very badly, and the prajā, or the citizens, were very much unhappy. So the great sages and saintly persons approached the king, because the king is supposed to be directed by saintly persons. And they are advising, nṛpa-varya nibodha etad yat te vijñāpayāma bhoḥ: "My dear King, whatever we are speaking to you, kindly hear it with attention." Āyuḥ-śrī-bala-kīrtīnāṁ tava tāta vivardhanam: "If you kindly hear our advice, then you will live long."
A pious man lives long. Impious man dies very soon. Even one who is pure devotee, he can prolong his duration of life more than what is destined for him. Everyone has got a destination that, "This . . . this person will live for so many years, this person will live for so many years." But a pure devotee, as a yogī can increase the duration of his life, similarly, a pure devotee, although he does not artificially try to increase the duration of life, by God's grace his duration of life is increased.
He is . . . a pure devotee is no longer within the rules and regulation of material nature. Brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). Māṁ ca 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate. Anyone who engages himself in pure devotional service, avyabhicāreṇa, he is no longer under the rules and regulation of this material nature. Brahma-bhūyāya kalpate.
So the sages address the king that, "Kindly hear our instruction and your duration of life will be increased." Not only duration of life—śrī-bala-kīrtīnāṁ. Śrī means beauty. Unless you are healthy, there will be no beauty of your body. So duration of life increased means he is healthy and, therefore, he should look bright and beautiful. Śrī-bala, strength, and kīrtīnāṁ. And if one is actually advanced in spiritual life or if one is actually religious, then his fame also increases. He doesn't require to advertise himself, but if he is pious, if he is devotee, automatically his fame will be expanded.
Just like there is one very nice example, Śrī Mādhavendra Purī. Mādhavendra Purī was going to . . . from this Vṛndāvana. Mādhavendra Purī. Perhaps you do not know the story of Mādhavendra Purī. Mādhavendra Purī was a great devotee in this Gauḍīya-sampradāya, and in this Govardhana there was Gopāla, I mean to say, covered by dirty and jungles and trees. So the Gopāla . . . when Mādhavendra Purī was in Vṛndāvana, the Gopāla in dream expressed Himself, "Mādhavendra Purī, I am very much suffocated. I am covered by this dirt and jungles. Please re-excavate Me from this condition and install Me in the temple."
So Mādhavendra Purī, with the help of villagers, he excavated the earth and found this Gopāla mūrti. And this Gopāla mūrti was installed by the help of the villagers very luxuriantly. For so many days there was festival. That is the way of installing Deity. At least for seven days there must be festival.
So after some days, Mādhavendra Purī was informed in dream that, "Since I was long within the earth, My body is very much heated. So you kindly bring some sandalwood from Jagannātha Purī and smear all over the body the pulp of sandalwood, then I shall be happy."
So Mādhavendra Purī was very old man at that time, and it is order of Gopālajī, so he started for Jagannātha Purī. On the way there is a Gopīnātha temple in Orissa, on the border of Orissa and Bengal in the district of Dant . . . dantarn, that is called Dantan. So he stayed there overnight and he saw that the Gopāla . . . na . . . Gopīnāthajī was offered kṣīra, seven pots of kṣīra. So Mādhavendra Purī thought within himself, "If I could taste little kṣīra, then I would also make such kṣīra to offer my Gopāla in Vṛndāvana."
Then again he thought that, "Oh, I am so stupid that before offering to the Deity I am thinking of eating it." He thought himself to be very much culprit, and he immediately left the temple, "No, I shall not. I am committing offense." It is an offense. Therefore, when you bring bhoga for the Deity, it should be covered so that we greedy men may not see it and try to taste it. You see? Kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs, they sometimes do that. Sometimes they take away something before offering to the Deity. These are great offenses.