Our real business is how to get out of this material body. That is, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is real knowledge. One should keep in his thought that "My real distress of life are these four things, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi—to take birth, to die, to become old and to become diseased. This is my problem." But they do not know this. They are now busy with the petroleum problem. Yes. Yes. They have created this petroleum problem, this horseless tin carriage. (laughter) Yes. They are thinking, "Better than horse. Now I have got this tin carriage." As soon as it is old, it has no value; you throw it in the street, especially in your country. Nobody takes care of it. And . . . but one must have this carriage. And it must run on petrol, and take labor, so hard labor, goes within the desert, drill it, and then take out the oil, then bring it in tanks. And it is called ugra-karma.
That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that these rascals, demons, they have created ugra-karma simply for trouble to the whole people. That's all. Kṣayāya jagato 'hitāḥ (BG 16.9), and bringing destruction nearer, nearer. Now they are work going on, and that may be big work, that means destruction, simply for creating a little comfort. Formerly also they were moving. Transport was there. But they do not like to remain in the former ways, because they have no other engagement. Better engagement, that they do not know.
Here is the better engagement: to come before Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and glorify the Lord and to understand our relationship. This is our real, real business, but nobody is interested in the real business. They are interested in superfluous engagement, whole day work in the office, then come here, go to the club, go to the football club, tennis club. In this way they have invented simply how to waste valuable life of this human form. They have done. They have no sense that how this life should be utilized for stopping this, I mean to say, prime problem, janma-mṛtyu-jarā. They do not know.
So this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is giving to the whole world real life, real, what is meant by life. So this . . . these are the etiquette: to take care, especially, of brāhmin, old men, children, women and cows. This is civilization. These living entities should be taken care of. Now these rascals, they are killing cows and making women prostitutes, and killing the children even in the womb. And there is no question of brāhmin respect, and neither there is the brāhmin culture. Then how you can be happy? Huh? And if there is no brahminical culture in the societies, then that society is less than animal society. Therefore we offer our prayers:
- namo brahmaṇya-devāya
- go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca
- jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya
- govindāya namo namaḥ
- (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.19.65)
First deference is given, go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca, jagad-dhitāya. If you actually want to do some welfare activity for the benefit of the whole world, then these two things must be taken care of, go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca, cows and brāhmaṇas. They should be given first protection. Then jagad-dhitāya, then there will be actual welfare of the whole world.
They do not know. Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ—go-rakṣya, vāṇijyam—vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam. This is the duty of the mercantile class of men: to improve agriculture, to give protection to the cows, kṛṣi-go-rakṣya. And vāṇijyam. And if you have got excess food, you can trade, vāṇijyam. This is the business. The brāhmin is meant for doing the brain work. He will give advice. Just like we, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we, we are not meant for the ksatriya's business or vaisya's business, the devotees, but if required they can take. Real business is, brāhmin's business is to know the Vedas, the Brahman, the Supreme Brahman, the Absolute Truth. He, he must know, and he must distribute the knowledge. This is brāhmin. Kīrtayanto. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). This is brāhmin's business.