Prabhupāda: Your duty is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This duty, artificial. A man doing his duty, suppose a businessman, he starts business with a small amount, he becomes very rich. Another man starts business with big amount, he loses everything. I know one big family...
Guest (2): That is karma?
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Guest (2): That is karma.
Prabhupāda: "That is karma" means that whatever happiness he has to enjoy, that will come automatically. Otherwise, he is destined to have something—that will come. Yathā dukham ajajñātaḥ. So our only point is that human life is very valuable. We should not waste it for nothing. Modern..., modern method of civilization is to develop economic development, to live very comfortably. That's all right. Do it. Everyone do his own business. But you don't forget Kṛṣṇa. That is not good. The point is, our real business is to understand Kṛṣṇa. But people do not try to understand Kṛṣṇa; they simply try for economic development. Their first business should be to understand Kṛṣṇa. Other business should be secondary. So at the present moment, it is very difficult task.
Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Hmm.
Devotee: Wasn't it true when..., when they developed Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that they, at that time even had better economic development, higher economic development, when they were Kṛṣṇa conscious?
Prabhupāda: (laughs) But we don't take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness for developing higher economic position.
Devotee: No.
Prabhupāda: No, that is not...
Devotee: No, but I mean it goes to show that even though no matter how much we try to develop...
Prabhupāda: But that is, that is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām (BG 10.10). Those who are engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, they are never put into distress. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31). Kṛṣṇa's devotee is never vanquished. Even they are artificially put into distresses... Just like Pāṇḍavas, they were put into distresses, artificially. Prahlāda Mahārāja was put into distresses by his father even, but ultimately he came out victorious. So one..., we should not be disturbed, even superficially we see that a devotee is in distress. Devotee, real devotee, he does not take anything as distress. He takes everything as Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo (SB 10.14.8). Otherwise that is not pure devotion. Actually devotee's never in distress. People may see that he is in distress. Just like there is a very good example. You are going to Māyāpur, you'll find. His name was Śrīdhara, Kolaveca Śrīdhara. His income was very poor. At night he would chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra very loudly: "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa..." His neighboring friends would say, "This man has no income, and because he is hungry now he is chanting 'Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa.' He's hungry." So one day Caitanya Mahāprabhu Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to take away his possession, flowers. He was selling, making business, making some donā, donā. What is called donā?
Devotees: Cups.
Prabhupāda: Cup, yes, that was his business. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu take away some of his fruits and donā, as a friend. So one day Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "Śrīdhara, you take benediction from Me." So he said "What benediction, Sir?" "Well, you are so poor that your house is not even properly repaired. There are so many holes in the roof." He, "Still, I have a nice house because it is better than the bird's nest. They have no roof. (laughter) They have no roof, and they live on a tree. I have got a shelter. What is the difficulty? There is no difficulty." In this way Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to offer him so many thing, and he said that "No, I have no trouble for this. If You want to benedict me, please give me pure devotion on Your lotus feet." Bhakti. So that is pure devotion. That we should hanker after, how to fix up our mind always in the service of the Lord. That we are trying to teach, that's all. (end)