2.2 Prosperity without you is invisible poverty

nahe keno āniben
ei ugra-sthāne

Why else would you bring me to such a terrible place—

so lost in illusion, so void of grace?

My dear Lord, great devotees are never enamored by material opulence, as seen in Srila Prabhupada’s description of America as an ugrasthān—a terrible place. While most people across the world, including India, dream of America as a land of liberty, opportunity, and prosperity, Srila Prabhupada saw it differently: as a land spiritually impoverished, where people knew neither you nor love for you. Outwardly, they appeared prosperous; inwardly, they were impoverished, struggling to find lasting meaning or joy.

Yet Srila Prabhupada’s vision was not one of condemnation but of compassion. O Lord of Vrindavan, he came from a land where nearly every heart beat with your name, to a land where your name was scarcely known. Though he had left Vrindavan outwardly, his heart had never left it. Indeed, we may take a devotee out of Vrindavan, but we cannot take Vrindavan out of the devotee. Srila Prabhupada carried Vrindavan within his heart and longed to manifest it in America.

O Lord of love, bless me that I may never be captivated by material prosperity but remain ever dedicated to devotion—to seeking it, savoring it, and sharing it. May I, in my small way, follow Srila Prabhupada by carrying the essence of Vrindavan within me wherever I go, and may my life become a window through which your holy abode shines into this world.