by Srila B.R. Sridhara Deva Goswami, from Inner Fulfillment: An Introductory Book.
The idea that I shall have to labor to live is very dishonorable. I have to live, I must labor; that is very dishonorable. So the ancient scholars searched for a position where we can live without labor, where without pain we can live easily. They started a campaign to discover or invent such a position. Sometimes naiskarma (a life without karma) received much appreciation within the society. They want to be without labor troubles. In this way the capitalists use computers and so many machines in place of so much man-labor. The man-labor has been so impertinent that the capitalists want to eliminate it.
The ancient scholars were sometimes very busy to discover a social position for all souls whereby they can live without labor, without karma: naiskarma. They came to consider that self-satisfaction, atmarama, could be achieved by complete withdrawal. To back up this conception they considered that Buddha and Sankara came to give relief by pointing out that there is a stage of samadhi such as we feel in sound sleep. They described that if we can reach that plane of no labor we will still be able to live happily and we will find no trouble there. Sukadev Goswami agreed, “Yes, naiskarma is also found here.” But in Srimad-Bhagavatamhe gave a new form of naiskarma: “You say that work is painful, work is dissipating. You say that labor is wasting energy. But now I am going to give you an ideal of life where there is no dissipation. You will labor, but without dissipation of energy.”
Service, service, service. Don’t be afraid that service is depleting energy. Service is life-giving. It is feeding you properly.
We are to understand that slavery to Krishna is a most dignified position. And everything against that ideal is meanness. The only standard of life for a gentleman is to understand and accept the position of subordination to the Absolute Truth. To admit what is proper and real, and on that basis make one’s life advanced, is not meanness. To understand one’s proper position and to understand one’s proper duty and discharge it—that is a gentleman’s life; to accept what is truth. What is considered to be meanness will be removed very soon. And what is really for our welfare and beneficial to us, that will increase.
You are at present in an adulterated conception of your own life. The mind, intelligence and exploiting energies of different kinds are all adulteration. So from your existence will be eliminated all kinds of adulteration. It will be purified and your real self within will come out in its pristine glory, and you will find you have a happy devotional connection with the Supersoul, the Superknowledge. You will come across knowledge proper—a clear, personal type of knowledge—with its paraphernalia and systematic existence
Whatever you are attracted to at present in this mundane plane will be transferred. Affection proper will be discovered. At present your affection, attraction, and love are misdirected, but they will find their proper place and position. The special characteristic is that you will have a real place and position where these faculties of affection and attraction will find a special support, a proper place to which they will be directed. This is devotion.
