There is a drama in Bengali that in a house a doctor came to diagnose. There were two patients, the housewife and the maidservant. So doctor said: "The maid servant's fever is 105, so there is some anxiety. I give some medicine. And the . . . that landlady, she has no fever practically, 99, so there is no anxiety." But the landlady became angry that, "This doctor is useless. I am the landlady. I have got 99, and my maidservant 105. And maidservant should have 98. I should have 110!" (laughter) This is the mentality.
The modern civilization is they are trying to increase the degree of fever to 110 degree. And, you know, as soon as the degree comes to 107 it is death. Do you know that? If the fever increases to hundred and . . . therefore as soon as the high fever is there, the doctor try to decrease it by ice bags and so many things, because to come to the fever degree, 107 or -8, means immediate death.
So the modern civilization, they are trying to increase the degree of material fever, and they have come to the point, 107 degree—atomic bomb. Now they are going to die. You see? The American atom bomb or the Russian atom bomb will kill the whole material scientists' advancement. You see?
So this is the . . . so, and devotee, they want to decrease the fever. Decrease the fever. Therefore the highest, ideal life, according to Vedic civilization: brāhmaṇas, Vaiṣṇavas. They decrease their demands of the body. Minimum demand. You see? There is amongst the brāhmaṇa—not now; in the Vedic system—the uṣca-vṛtti. It is called uṣca-vṛtti.
Uṣca-vṛtti means they will go the paddy field, and after the cultivator takes all the paddies, some paddies are thrown away. They will collect those paddies only. Just like birds, they collect. They collect those paddies, and that they will eat, not even beg, ask anybody for any morsel of food. So completely . . .
And in the Bhāgavata, Śukadeva Gosvāmī recommends that "Oh, this open field is your bed, this is your pillow, this is your pot, and the water in river is sufficient water, the tree is full of fruits, and in the cave, there is sufficient apartment. So why should you go, anyone, to ask for your shelter, for your food?" Kasmād bhajanti kavayo dhana-durmadāndhān (SB 2.2.5): "Why should you approach the materialistic, puffed-up, monied men to give you some help?"
So Śukadeva Gosvāmī was strictly following this. Strictly following. Completely independent. That is not possible at the present day. (chuckles) If we imitate, that will be not good. We have to depose. Our Gosvāmīs, they have prescribed yukta-vairāgya: accept everything in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Then it is yukta-vairāgya. It is also vairāgya. Śuṣka-vairāgya and yukta-vairāgya.
Śuṣka-vairāgya means simply renunciation without assimilation. Māyāvādī sect, Śaṅkara sect, they have got stringent laws for renunciation. But Vaiṣṇavas, they have no stringent law. They accept everything as kṛṣṇa-prasādam, actually: offering Kṛṣṇa, working for Kṛṣṇa, living for Kṛṣṇa. This is the best use.