# The Material World *On the nature of this material creation* --- ### Temporary and Full of Miseries > This material world is described as duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam—a place of miseries, and temporary. Everything here is temporary, and full of miseries. So why should we be attached to this place? — [[spoken/1976/760619sb.tor|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.3, Toronto, 1976]] --- ### Not Our Home > This material world is not our home. We are strangers here. We have come from the spiritual world, and we have to go back to the spiritual world. This material world is just like a foreign country. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- ### One-Fourth of Creation > This material world is only one-fourth of Kṛṣṇa's creation. Three-fourths is the spiritual world. So we are living in a very small portion of Kṛṣṇa's creation, and this small portion is full of miseries. — [[spoken/1970/700508ip.la|Śrī Īśopaniṣad, Mantra 6, Los Angeles, 1970]] --- ### Prison House > This material world is like a prison house. Just as the government has prison houses for the criminals, similarly, Kṛṣṇa has this material world for the criminal living entities who have forgotten Him. — [[spoken/1972/721017sb.vrn|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.6, Vṛndāvana, 1972]] --- ### Everything Temporary > Whatever you have in this material world—your body, your family, your country, your wealth—everything is temporary. Today it is there; tomorrow it may not be there. So why be so much attached? — [[spoken/1969/690510r1.col|Room Conversation, Columbus, 1969]] --- ### Created for Correction > This material world is created for those who want to enjoy separately from Kṛṣṇa. It is a correction center. Just like the government has a prison house to correct the criminals, similarly, Kṛṣṇa has this material world to correct us. — [[spoken/1970/700508ip.la|Śrī Īśopaniṣad, Mantra 6, Los Angeles, 1970]] --- ### Kṛṣṇa's Property > Best thing is to return everything to Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And you will not be a loser; you will be gainer, just like Bali Mahārāja. Actually, if you think, everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Nothing belongs to you. — [[spoken/1969/690510r1.col|Room Conversation, Columbus, 1969]] --- ### Suffering in Any Planet > In every planet, in every life, in every species of life, there are three things: eating, sleeping, and sex life. You can get it in any life. You can become a pig; you have got very good facility for eating, sleeping, and sex life. — [[spoken/1976/760619sb.tor|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.3, Toronto, 1976]] --- ### No Real Enjoyment > A patient who is suffering from some disease, he is unable to enjoy, but if he forcibly enjoys, then his life becomes risky. He becomes more implicated. Similarly, we are in diseased condition, and if we want to enjoy in this diseased condition, we become more and more implicated. — [[spoken/1976/760619sb.tor|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.3, Toronto, 1976]] --- ### Get Out > The whole Vedic civilization is how to get out of this material world. Not how to improve material conditions. That is not possible. You may improve for some time, but again you will fall down. So the real business is how to get out. — [[spoken/1972/721017sb.vrn|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.6, Vṛndāvana, 1972]] --- *10 quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on the material world* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]