Verse 5: Prayer 5

Nastha dharmey na vasunichaye na eva Kamopabhogey yad bhakyam tad bhavatu bhagaban purva karmanurupam. Etad prartham mama bahumatam janmajanmantareypi Tat padambhorahagata nischala bhaktirastu.

Nastha—Not even special attachment.; yad—Whatever; Dharmey—In the matter of religiousity; Bhakyam—Inevitable,; Na—Neither; Tad—That; Vasunichaye—In the matter of accumulating wealth.; Bhavata—Let it be happened; Na—Neither; Bhagaban—Oh my Lord.; eva—even; Parva—Previous; Kamopabhogey—In the matter of sense enjoyment.; Karma—Deeds,; Anurupam—In accordance with

Etad—This much; Anurupam—In accordance with; Prarthyam—Behoves to ask; Tat—your; Mama—on my part; Padambhoruha—Lotus feet; Bahumatam—The most desirable; yuga—Pairs; Janma—Birth; Gata—Rested in; Jamantarey—After birth; Nischala—unflinching; Api—even; Bhakti—Devotional services; Astu—May be there.

Oh my Lord! I have no special attachment for religiousity neither in the matter of accumulating wealth and fortune. Nor I have any inclination for enjoying sense-gratification. Let there be what it may come upon me as they are inevitable in accordance with the result of my past deeds. But this much is my most desirable prayer unto you that let there be an unflinching devotional service attitude unto the pairs of your lotus feet even after repeatation of births after births.

Development of human consciousness attains perfection in the beginning of moral and ethical principals from gross materialistic life of eating, sleeping, fearing and sense-gratification. These ethical principles and moral conventions develop further into religious consciousness culminating into an imaginary presence of God without any practical realisation of truth. All these stages of God Consciousness is called religiousity of varied degrees which promises material prosperity of different grades. People in general who have developed this conception of religiousity, do perform sacrifices, gives in charity and under goes different types of austerity and penances,—with a view of future reward in material prosperity. Such religious men are called fruitive workers whose goal of life is to gain some thing in material reward which is utilised for different types of sense-gratification Material reward is a necessary condition for sense gratification and most people therefore try to be a so called religious

men with a view to material name fame and gain. But actually the purpose of religiousity is different. Apart from the etemological meaning of the english lexicon religion—in sanskrit the synomynous word Dharma means the uniform quality of the living being which is called eternal servitorship or to render service to the Supreme Truth Krishna the Absolute Personality of Godhead. This transcendental qualification of eternal servitorship is misplaced in material conditions under different headings called by the names (1) Fruitive work (2) economic development (3) parapharnalia of sense-gratification and (4) negation of all material variegatedness by frustration, expressed in one word called salvation.

Religiousity therefore does not culminate either in economic development or sense-gratification or salvation. The highest perfection of religiousity is to attain complete satisfaction of the spirit soul which is attained by devotional service to the Lord Who is beyond the perception of the material senses. The eternal servitorship of the living being is related with the eternal Supreme Being and such service attitude is never hampered by any sort of material hindrances. Such transcendental service is above the plane of salvation and therefore it does not aim at any kind of material exchange in name, fame or gain. When one is engaged in such transcendental loving service of the Supreme Being—the servitor attains a stage of contrary status of detachment from material name fame and gain. Material name fame and gain are aspired after by men in ignorance because such materialist does not understand that material name fame and gain are shadows of a real thing. They are not the substance but they are only

the perverted reflections. The pure devotee of Vasudeva is enlightened by the transcendental service attitude of the Lord and has therefore no attraction for such false things called by the name of religiousity, economic development sense-gratificatory parapharnalia or at last by the snare of salvation.

The purpose of performing real religion is to attain an attachment for hearing & chanting the messages of the Kingdom of God. Materialistic people are attached to the country newspapers on account of their lack of spiritual consciousness. The aim of religiousity is therefore to develop this spiritual consciousness without which all labours in the performances of religious rites, are waste of energy only. Religiousity of scriptural direction, in all countries, does not aim at economic welfare, neither economic welfare aims at increasing the means of sense-gratification. Neither frustration of sense-gratification aims at salvation or liberation from the material conditions.

People are advised therefore not to indulge in sense-gratification of different grades by the fruits of their labour. They are advised to work just to maintain the body & soul to-gether with an aim to enquire of the aims & objects of life. The enquiry is for the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is realised in three different phases called by the name of impersonal Brahman, localised Paramatma and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When this highest stage of spiritual realisation is attained before the presence of the Personality of Godhead, the automatic result is like the one prayed by the

King Kulashekhara

This stage of reluctance for false and temporary assets of material nature can be attained only by practice of devotional service of the Lord. Such devotional services are not mental concoctions of depraved persons but are actually received in full congnisance and detachment from the source of the Vedic literatures. Devotional services, without any reference to the Vedic literatures such as the Srutis, Smritis: Puranas, Pancharatra and their rules & regulations,—are not bonafide activities but they create only a regular disturbance on the path of spiritual realisation. Such derogatory psuedo practice of devotional services are considered as null & void by self-realised souls and are soon got rid of all such disturbing elements, only by sincere engagement in the service of the Lord. That makes one qualified gradually and it does not matter even it takes a score of repeatation of birth and death life after life.