Aśeṣa-vasudhādi. Vasudhā means planet where the living entities can reside. This is the meaning of vasudhā. No planet is without any living entities. Every planet is full of living entities. Vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam. But each planet is particularly opulent in a particular way. Just like you can see the moon planet is particularly opulent by some particular feature: it is very cold. Similarly, sun planet, it has got a particular feature: it is very hot. So each planet has got a different particular type of feature. Vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam.
So this is the creation. Sarvam idam. Therefore the Vedic injunction, sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.14.1): "There is nothing except Brahman." But the Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not accept the varieties. They accept varieties as false. But we Vaiṣṇava philosophers, we don't accept varieties as false, but it is temporary. That is the difference. Actually it is so. Just like your body. Now if I say: "Your body is false. Let me kill you," will you agree? Then why should you call it is false? If it is false, then don't mind whether it is killed or it is left. No, it is not false. The theory of the Māyāvādī, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā . . . jagat, this material world, they say it is false. We don't say it is false; it is temporary. That is the real termination, or terminology, that it is not false.
So because it is temporary, so we have to make the best use of this temporary body. Don't take it as false. Just like a train . . . you have no experience in your country. In India we have got experience. When there is a little more stoppage of a mail train . . . the people of India, they are accustomed to take bath daily. So immediately they take some advantage, and they begin to take bath. And there are so many water taps in the station, and every tap is engaged. So to make the best use. Because they think that, "We have got a half an hour at our disposal, so let us finish it properly." So once taken bath, then the whole day's journey is pleasant.
Similarly, this body is not false. Not only this body; everything material. We don't take it is false. We take it as temporary. And temporary, how it should be utilized for our best purpose? Just like the mail passengers in the train, they are using the half an hour time for taking bath, utilize. Similarly, although this body is temporary, we can utilize it for the best purpose. What is that best purpose? Realization of Kṛṣṇa. If we can utilize this temporary body for utilization . . . for understanding Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be fixed up in that Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the best use of the bad bargain.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja therefore says in this verse, prāṇaṁ punāti sa-kulam (SB 7.9.10). One who has engaged himself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, aravinda-nābha pādāravinda, lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, he purifies himself as well as his family. Purifies his whole family. Sometimes a Vaiṣṇava born in a village, he purifies the whole village. These are statement in authentic scriptures.
So apart from village, a Vaiṣṇava born in a family can give the best service to his family, because he purifies. Sa-kulam. The host of his ancestors and forefathers, everyone is purified. Na tu bhūrimānaḥ. But the person who is simply proud of being born of a brahmin family, and even if he has all the good qualities of a brahmin, but if he's simply proud, he has not engaged his qualification in understanding Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that he is useless.
Better than him is he who has engaged his everything, prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā (SB 10.22.35). "Everything" means I have got my body, I have got my mind, I have got my words. I can serve you by my words, just like I am serving you. Somebody can serve by his mind, somebody can serve by his bodily service. So everything should be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then he is glorious. He is glorious. He is better than that person who is simply materially qualified and proud of his material qualification and acquisition but does not engage himself in the service of the aravinda-nābha, Viṣṇu.
So somebody may question, "What is the profit? Suppose I am prepared to engage my life, my mind, my words, my wealth and everything in the service of the Lord. Then what is my profit? I become insolvent, because I give everything to Kṛṣṇa. Then what I keep myself, for me?" So Prahlāda Mahārāja is very . . . Kṛṣṇa yei bhaje sei baḍo catur. Anyone who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he's very intelligent. So this question he is replying.
Because the next question should be like this: "Suppose I am prepared to engage everything, whatever I have got, in the service of Kṛṣṇa. Then what is my profit?" Because we are always after profit. That should be. Any intelligent man should not do anything without any profit. But they do not know what is that profit.
That is also answered by Prahlāda Mahārāja somewhere else: na te viduḥ svārtha gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). The foolish human society, they do not know that their real profit is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa conscious, the same thing. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They are trying to be profitable by the external world. They are thinking that "I shall make profit by becoming a very big businessman," just like Ford and Rockefeller and so many; in our country, Birla. No. Durāśayā. That is your . . . what is called, durāśayā? The hope which is never to be fulfilled. What is called that in English language?
Devotee: Lacking?
Prabhupāda: Huh . . .
Devotee: Lacking?
Prabhupāda: No. The hope. Suppose you are hoping something, but will never be fulfilled. What is called?
Devotee: Frustration.
Devotee: Dreams?
Prabhupāda: No. Utopian, yes. That is the exact word. You are thinking something, building castle in the air. So Bhāgavata says durāśayā, utopian theory (chuckles). He's thinking that "I shall be very great by doing this business or doing . . . having this education," or this or that. So many things. Everyone has got his own plan. But Bhāgavata says durāśayā, "This is utopian." Why this utopian they have taken? They are so much educated, they are so much wealthy, beautiful and intelligent. Why durāśayā, utopian? Because bahir-artha-mānina (SB 7.5.31): they have taken their basic platform the external energy.
So what is the fault there? Because external energy is itself temporary. The Māyāvādī philosophy, it is called false, but we say temporary. So what is the profit by temporary achievement? Just like . . . there are many instances. President Kennedy, with great endeavor he became a president. Temporary. The post is temporary, say five years or four years. But still, the people, they exert so much energy.
And even if he is president, if there is something wrong in somebody's mind, he is killed. So is it not utopian? His energy should have been utilized for self-realization, "What I am?" But if somebody wastes his energy to capture some utopian post which will be finished at any moment, so is it not utopian?
Therefore Bhāgavata says they do not know their self-interest. Bahir arthaḥ maninaḥ, "being captivated by the external energy." Na te viduḥ svārtha gatiṁ hi viṣṇum durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. But why they are so much captivated?
- andhā yathāndaiḥ upanīyamānās
- te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ
- (SB 7.5.31)
Because they follow rascal leaders. Their leadership is andha. Andha means blind. And they are following the blind leadership. They are themselves blind. Why blind? They cannot see future. They do not know what is going to . . . because they have no understanding that "I am eternal." This temporary body is only a flash in my life. I've changed so many bodies. Just like in this present existence I have changed my body so many times, from my childhood to this old age. Similarly, I am changing my body.
So this life, this body is temporary. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Andhā, and I do not see my future; therefore I am blind. And the leader which is leading me, he is also blind. So a blind man leading other blind men, what is the result? The result is catastrophic. Therefore in spite of so many great leaders, politicians, scientist, educationist, the result is that problematic. The whole world is full of problems. They do not know what is their interest. The interest is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That they do not know.