All material plans fail because the perishable body and its world cannot provide lasting happiness; only devotion to the permanent Supreme Lord offers true refuge.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.7.40–44 [partially recorded] — March 20, 1967, San Francisco 670320SB-SAN FRANCISCO [15:03 Minutes] Prabhupāda: ...[indistinct] of life. So Prahlāda Mahārāja is recommending that either material prosperity within this planet or in other planet, they are all destructible. They're not permanent. Therefore nirmala, not free from the contamination of material nature.
That is also recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā: ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna [Bg. 8.16], that even if you go to the highest planet, that is also perishable. [From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kuntī, never takes birth again.] So we are not interested in perishable things. Unfortunately, people have no knowledge that what is that unperishable. They are accustomed in the association of perishable things for many, many lives. [aside:] Is not working?
Yes. Therefore they have no information what is the... If we say that "You work for nonperishable things," he'll be astonished, because he has no idea that there can be anything which is not..., which is not perishable. So Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends that "Don't try for nonperishable things... Don't try for perishable things. Try for nonperishable things." And that is bhaktyā uktayeṣaṁ bhajatātma-labdhaye [SB 7.7.40]. [It is learned from Vedic literature that by performing great sacrifices one may elevate himself to the heavenly planets. However, although life on the heavenly planets is hundreds and thousands of times more comfortable than life on earth, the heavenly planets are not pure [nirmalam], or free from the taint of material existence. The heavenly planets are also temporary, and therefore they are not the goal of life. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, has never been seen or heard to possess inebriety. Consequently, for your own benefit and self-realization, you must worship the Lord with great devotion, as described in the revealed scriptures.] As the devotees recommend to worship the Supreme Lord, and the Supreme Lord also confirms it: yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama [Bg. 15.6], that supreme abode, where going, nobody returns... [That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material world.] Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends that "My dear friends, you just worship that Supreme Personality of Godhead, where going, nobody comes back." yad-artha iha karmāṇi vidvan-māny asakṛn naraḥ karoty ato viparyāsam amoghaṁ vindate phalaṁ [SB 7.7.41] [A materialistic person, thinking himself very advanced in intelligence, continually acts for economic development. But again and again, as enunciated in the Vedas, he is frustrated by material activities, either in this life or in the next. Indeed, the results one obtains are inevitably the opposite of those one desires.] In this material world we are making so many plans for permanent settlement, but unfortunately, we are meeting with just the opposite result. That is in our experience.
There is very nice song sung by a Vaiṣṇava poet. He says, sukhere lagiya e baro bhaginu anale puria gelā: "I constructed this house for living happily. Unfortunately, it was set in fire, so everything is finished." That is going on. In the material world we are making so many plans for living very comfortably, peacefully, eternally—but that is not possible. People do not understand it.
They are seeing, experiencing, from śāstra; from scripture we are getting instruction that nothing is imperishable. Everything is perishable in the material world. And we are actually seeing also that perishable agents are always ready. Just like the fire. In New York City, at least, within twenty-four hours, there are at least ten or fifteen places where fire is going on.
And your fire brigade is running on just trying to protect you from fire. The house regulation is all for fire: "How we are protected from fire." Then it will be allowed, certificate of occupation, "You can live." In other words, that fire is always ready to vanish everything, but artificially, somehow or other, we are trying to protect ourself from fire. But we do not take it for granted that this material nature is so made that it will set in fire everything, however we may be strong in protecting ourself. That is the nature. So however we may make plans to live very happily, the nature's law is that it will destroy. daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te [Bg. 7.14] [This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.] So this material nature is very powerful. You cannot protect from the onslaught of material nature. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja advising us that you try to achieve the permanent. The permanent is the soul.
God is permanent. And there is a world, a sky, which is also permanent. So why not transfer yourself to that permanent sky, permanent association, permanent life, permanent supreme knowledge? What we are seeking here in imperfectness? But people have no information.