# Material Civilization *On the shortcomings of modern civilization* --- ### Jaḍa-vidyā Saba Māyāra Vaibhava > They are seeing actually; still, they do not see. Blind. In India the Muhammadans came. They ruled over. Where is the Moghul? The Englishmen came. Where they are? Everything gone. *Paśyann api na paśyati.* This is called *vimūḍhātmā.* That is going on. The material civilization means *ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā.* By false egotism they are bewildered and rascals. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has translated this, that *jaḍa-vidyā saba, māyāra vaibhava:* "All this material advancement of civilization is the paraphernalia of *māyā.*" Because you cannot enjoy it, but you are thinking, "I possess so much. I possess so much." You'll not be allowed to enjoy, but still. Therefore all these material possessions are the paraphernalia of *māyā.* So what is the wrong there? Now, wrong is this: *jaḍa-vidyā saba, māyāra vaibhava, tomāra bhajane bādhā.* They are hindrances for advancement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the aim of human life. That, you forget that. So *tomāra bhajane bādhā, anitya saṁsāre, moha janamiyā.* The result is that he becomes more attached to this temporary world and remains the rascal. Because without being rascal, nobody comes in this material world to enjoy. As soon as anyone has come to this material world, he's a rascal. *Kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā kare, nikaṭa-stha māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare* [*Prema-vivarta 6.2]. — [[spoken/1976/760325mw.del|Morning Walk, Delhi, March 25, 1976]] --- ### Four-Wheeled Dogs > Four-wheeled dogs. That's all. That is advancement. The dog is running with four legs, and he is running with four wheels, "ghar-ghar-ghar-ghar-ghar-ghar." Where you are going? And this is their scientific advancement—competition with dog. Otherwise what they have done? The anthill, and four-legged wheel. That's all. Four-wheel legs. This is animal civilization. Without knowing the aim of life, living in big, big skyscraper building, "Anthill." And running like dog with four wheel car, Mercedes. This is dog civilization. It is not human civilization. Human civilization begins when they take Kṛṣṇa's instructions: *cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ.*. — [[spoken/1977/770331r3.bom|Room Conversation with Scientists, Bombay, March 31, 1977]] --- ### Led by Blind Men > But actually we are misled by the so-called blind leaders. They have no vision what is the actual goal of life. Not only in a particular country; everywhere the same mischief is going on. Therefore, as a blind man, if he leads other blind men, there will be catastrophe, similarly, because we are led by blind men, the whole world is in catastrophe. Nobody is in peace. Everyone is unsatisfied in spite of so much material education, advancement of material education, because the missing point is Viṣṇu. *Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum*. — [[spoken/1971/710331le.bom|Paṇḍāl Lecture, Bombay, March 31, 1971]] --- ### Real Education > Everyone is being educated how to live comfortably with reference to the comforts of the body. This is not education. Real education is to understand oneself, self-realization, and with that purpose one should make progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that beginning with *śravaṇam.* As we are hearing, without *śravaṇa* there is no beginning of spiritual education. — [[spoken/1976/760331sb.vrn|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.23–24, Vrindavan, March 31, 1976]] --- ### Delirious Condition > So Lord Kṛṣṇa says that *bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānām*, those who are too much attached with bodily pleasure, bodily enjoyment, and *tayāpahṛta-cetasām. Apahṛta-cetasām* means those who are illusioned. Because bodily pleasure is not my pleasure. My pleasure is different because I am not this body. Just like a man in a feverish condition or in feverish delirium speaking something, that is not his normal speaking; that is due to the delirious condition. So to bring him to the normal condition, the physician treats him to get out of that delirious condition. So similarly, our position is, because we have got., some way or other, we have been entangled with this material body, therefore our conception of happiness is just like a man in the delirious condition. — [[spoken/1966/660325bg.ny|Bhagavad-gītā 2.44–45, New York, March 25, 1966]] --- ### Working So Hard Is Condemnation of Life > Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva has forbidden, that "This life, human form of life, is not meant for working so hard like hogs and dogs." *Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye.*. This is the advice. But we are advancing in civilization—to get our food, we have to work so hard. This is condemnation of life. Human life should be very peaceful, and without any hard work we shall get our food and save time for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is human life, not that for sense gratification we work so hard like an ass. This is called *anartha. Anartha* means unwanted things. We can see practically. The birds and beasts, they are living very easy and comfortable life without any problem. They rise early in the morning regularly. You have seen. As soon as there is little light, immediately they will rise up and they will talk amongst themselves and go, one tree to another, and he will eat one or two fruits, little fruits, ample fruit. They have no scarcity of food. And live very pleasantly. For eating, sleeping, sex life, they have no problem. These are primary necessities of life. Why there should be problem for these things? But in the human society there is problem. That is called the effect of Kali-yuga. — [[spoken/1975/750424sb.vrn|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.7, Vṛndāvana, April 24, 1975]] --- ### Bodily Concept of Life Is Not Very Sanguine > So my point is that, as stated in the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,* that this bodily concept of life is not very sanguine. *Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke [SB. 10.84.13] .* This body, composition of several things like bones and skins and blood and urine and stool and secretion, so many things, that is not right calculation of self-realization. — [[spoken/1969/690430le.bos|Northeastern University Lecture, Boston, April 30, 1969]] --- ### Madman Civilization > So this civilization, modern civilization, is just like madman civilization. They have no knowledge of past life, neither they are interested in the future life. — [[spoken/1975/750801sb.no|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.50, New Orleans, August 1, 1975]] --- ### Producing Goodyear Tires Instead of Food > Instead of producing food grains, we are producing Goodyear tires. So how we can eat? Now when there is scarcity of foodstuff you cannot eat the Goodyear tires. But people's attention has been diverted in the industrial activities. — [[spoken/1976/760905sb.vrn|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.6, Vṛndāvana, September 5, 1976]] --- *9 verified verbatim quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on material civilization*