Modern civilization means that increase the activities of sense gratification. And especially . . . of course in India, still there are peaceful land. But in the Western countries, from five o'clock in the morning we see on the streets thousands and thousands of motorcars, they are going to work. Thousands and thousands. And they will come at night. This has begun also in India. We see in big, big cities like Calcutta and Bombay, they are coming early in the morning from home, and going, night, going at home at night, ten o'clock, eleven o'clock, and then sleep for two or three hours and again go to work. So there is a story that like a little child . . . because when his father comes back, he is asleep, and when the father goes out of home, he is asleep. So one night he saw one man is lying there. So he is asking his mother, "Who is this man? Who is this man?" Actually this is the position, that we are working day and . . . Bombay and Calcutta we have seen that they are hanging on the, what is called, local trains, and there are sometimes accidents. So in this way, the gradually, we are coming to very dangerous, I mean to say, pattern of living condition with the age, with the advancement of this age of Kali. And it is said that for earning our bread we have to work like an ass in this Kali-yuga.
This is not civilization. The civilization is . . . that is really Vedic civilization, that ayaṁ deha. Nāyaṁ deha nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān. We should make our life so simple and easy that we can get our necessities of life without any hard labor and save time to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is perfect civilization. This is not perfect civilization. There is every chance of being influenced by these lusty desires, and that is going on, especially in the Western country. They lusty for fulfilling these lusty desires. There are so many clubs at night, nightclubs, bottomless and topless and so many advertisements. This is not civilization. Civilization is peaceful life, and we should be satisfied in simple mode of life and always think of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Vṛndāvana life is like that, Vṛndāvana life, especially those who are engaged in devotional service. So we have opened this temple to give facility to the elderly section of the human being to come and live with us. We invite all elderly persons, especially retired person, they should come and live with us. We have got a nice guesthouse, and if required, we can construct many other guesthouses. At least those are retired. Everyone should retire after fiftieth year. That is the injunction of the śāstras, that pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. After fifty years one should give up family life and vanaṁ vrajet. Pañcāśordhvaṁ vanam. Vanam means Vṛndāvana. Vanaṁ vrajet. Similarly, Prahlāda Mahārāja has advised:
- tat sādhu manye asura-varya dehināṁ
- sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt
- hitvātma-ghātam gṛham andha-kūpaṁ . . .
- hitvātma-ghātam gṛham andha-kūpaṁ
- vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta
- (SB 7.5.5)
Vanaṁ gato. One should go in the vana, in Vṛndāvana. Then what to do there? Harim āśrayeta. Otherwise, if we live in Vṛndāvana like monkeys and other animals, that will not be beneficial. Harim āśrayeta. Come here, live here, and take shelter of Hari. That is the ultimate goal. Therefore Hari personally says, Kṛṣṇa, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Harim āśrayeta.