Religion without love for God and pure devotion to Krishna is merely formality and useless labor.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.15–17 — June 19, 1969, New Vrindavan 690619SB-NEW VRINDAVAN [49:38 Minutes] SB-01.05.15–17_690619SB-NEW VRINDAVAN Prabhupāda: ...is not our Vaiṣṇava. If you save, you have to save this also. Yes.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Otherwise keep everything. om ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave-namaḥ [I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance.] śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam [When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?] vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitaṁ taṁ sa-jīvam sādvaitaṁ sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-sahitaṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaṁ śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādān saha-gaṇa-lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṁś ca [I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and of all the other preceptors on the path of devotional service. I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇavas and unto the six Gosvāmīs, including Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī and their associates. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all His devotees, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. I then offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and all the gopīs, headed by Lalitā and Viśākhā.] he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho dīna-bandho jagat-pate gopeśa gopikā-kānta rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te [O my dear Kṛṣṇa, ocean of mercy, You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are the master of the cowherd men and the lover of the gopīs, especially Rādhārāṇī. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.] tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgī rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari vṛṣabhānu-sute devi praṇamāmi hari-priye [I offer my respects to Rādhārāṇī, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vṛndāvana. You are the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, and You are very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa.] hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare [My dear Lord, and the spiritual energy of the Lord, kindly engage me in Your service. I am now embarrassed with this material service. Please engage me in Your service.] [aside:] So you keep there. You can keep here. It is open?
Yes. jugupsitaṁ dharma-kṛte 'nuśāsataḥ svabhāva-raktasya mahān vyatikramaḥ [SB 1.5.15] [The people in general are naturally inclined to enjoy, and you have encouraged them in that way in the name of religion. This is verily condemned and is quite unreasonable. Because they are guided under your instructions, they will accept such activities in the name of religion and will hardly care for prohibitions.] So in our last meeting we have been discussing that śāstras, scriptures, if they simply deal with material activities... Of course, material activities should be regulated to come to the spiritual platform.
But if we do not come to the spiritual platform, simply some regulative principle on the material platform will not help us. Religiosity means to prepare the ground, prepare the ground for being elevated to the spiritual platform. And just like it is said, dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ notpādayed ratiṁ yadi śrama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8] [The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.] Dharma, religious faith—everything is very punctual. One is going punctually to the church or to the temple and executing all ritualistic ceremonies very rigidly, following the rules and regulation. But at the end, if he has not developed love for God, then, Bhāgavata says, śrama eva hi kevalam: "This is simply laboring, formalities." Caste priest, caste gosvāmī, caste spiritual master—simply a formality.
But the objective is not Kṛṣṇa. Objective is material happiness. That sort of religiosity or following the regulative principle will not help. So Vyāsadeva says, jugupsitam: "This is abominable, because if you simply stick to that principle... You are authority.
People will understand that this is religion, nothing more." Na manyate tasya nivāraṇam janaḥ, yad-vākyataḥ. Nanu yad pravṛtti-mārga nindate 'tha nivṛtti-mārge sarva-kriyā-tyāgena parameśvara-sukhasya rūpe anubhuteḥ kiṁ tad yaśaḥ-kathānenāpi tatrāha vicakṣaṇaiti, vicakṣaṇa ati-nipunaḥ kaścid eva nivṛttitaḥ sarva-kriyā-nivṛttya, asya bibhaḥ sukhaṁ nirvikalpaka-sukhātmākaṁ svarūpaṁ vedituṁ jñātum arhati[?]. One may be very expert in the matter of executing religious performances, but that does not mean he can be elevated to the spiritual platform. vicakṣaṇo 'syārhati vedituṁ vibhor ananta-pārasya nivṛttitaḥ sukham pravartamānasya guṇair anātmanas tato bhavān darśaya ceṣṭitaṁ vibhoḥ [SB 1.5.16] [The Supreme Lord is unlimited. Only a very expert personality, retired from the activities of material happiness, deserves to understand this knowledge of spiritual values. Therefore those who are not so well situated, due to material attachment, should be shown the ways of transcendental realization, by Your Goodness, through descriptions of the transcendental activities of the Supreme Lord.] This may be little helpful to rise to the spiritual platform, but unless one is actually engaged in the service of the Lord, it cannot be achieved perfectly. Then Vyāsadeva says, Nārada Muni says, tataḥ karuṇārthe vibhu anātmanaḥ deha-vimāna athaiva guṇaiḥ satyādibhiḥ pravartamānasya guṇair janasya darśaya bhavān iti[?].
"Therefore you write literature in such a way that people will become attracted to Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord." Simply official understanding of Kṛṣṇa—"God is great" or "Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful"—but my attention is only how to improve my material condition... So, this picture was given in our Back to Godhead—perhaps you all remember—that a bridegroom party was to go to the bride's home. In India the marriage party, bridesgroom party, the bride [bridegroom], his father, his relatives, go with the bridegroom, to the bride's home, and the marriage ceremony takes place there in the presence of all kinds of relatives. That is the system. So the marriage was to take place in a different village some miles away, and in Bengal the land is full of rivers. The rivers are considered to be high roads.