If everything unconnected with Krishna is Maya, then are all systems for valuing different things differently also Maya?

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Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
The question is, here the verse is saying that anything that is connected with Krishna, it has no value, it is maya.
But then there is a system of valuation. You know, you may say, some metal is cheaper, gold is a more expensive material. Or like that, certain emotions are more stimulating than others.
Ultimately, Lakshmi Devi is the goddess of fortune, so all fortune comes from her. So, we have a system of evaluation in the material world. If everything material is maya, then what is the nature or basis or reality of the system of valuation? There are different ways of looking at things.
See, in the Bhavad Gita, in 6.8, Krishna says, He says, One who is spiritually realized, that person sees stone, pebbles and gold equally. Let’s focus on stone and gold equally. Now, that person sees stone and gold equally.
Means what? The very fact that the two names are being used, stone and gold, that means there is some differentiation still there, isn’t it? If they are entirely equal in all respects, there is no need to use two names also. So, in a practical way, if we look at it, different things definitely have different utilities. So, if we say, because anything connected with, without, anything disconnected from Krishna is maya, so everything is equally valueless.
That is true from the absolute perspective. But, this is not the complete understanding of either illusion or reality. That everything in this world is maya, is also a form of maya.
We see this Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s past time, when he was a small child, he was once, he went and sat on the dirty pots. In the traditional household, they would eat in pots and throw the pots away. So, he went and sat on those pots.
And then his mother called him, you are a brahmana son, why are you sitting like this? I said, what is dirty? What is pure? Ultimately, all this is just a conception. So, he said, okay. Then his mother said, no.
She was also a brahmana’s wife, she was intelligent. See, if you see everything is a conception, but, within this conception, there are differences. You can say that mud, everything is made ultimately of mud.
But, mud cannot hold water. But, if you make a mud pot, mud pot can hold water. So, then Nimaaya says, yes mother, you are right.
He says, therefore, now I will not eat mud. I will eat sweet rice. Give me sweet rice.
So, the point is that there is differentiation in the material world and that is real. Real means that things do exist differently. Samalostrasana Kanchana means that independently, none of these things can give us pleasure.
In an ultimate sense. So, gold may definitely give me more pleasure than stone. But then gold can cause me more trouble than stone also.
If I am carrying stone, nobody is going to know. If I am wearing, somebody is wearing an earring made of some stone. Nobody is going to cut the ear to taste the ear.
Nothing. These can do terrible things if they want to steal gold or whatever. So, then when we say something is a source of greater pleasure, it can be a source of greater misery also.
So, from that perspective, the fundamental illusion is to think that anything can give me pleasure separate from God. That is a mistake. Once we understand that things have to be connected with God, after we understand that, then we also understand that different things have different levels of value in connection.
Now, if somebody says I want to give stone as donation for the deities, well, okay, if it is marble for decorating the altar, that is fine. But stone, if somebody wants to give gold for donation for the deities, then we take that and use it to make ornaments for the deities. So, once things are connected with the absolute truth, then different things can have different value.
And that sense of valuation is a part of the ultimate reality. And that comes from Krishna. So, Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha, these are four Purusharthas.
Artha and Kama, both are considered Purusharthas. Purushartha means the goals of life. Meaningful goals of life.
So, it is not that these themselves are illusion. It is when these are pursued independent of everything else. When people make only Artha and Kama, sense of economic prosperity, as the only goals of their life.
And that becomes an illusion. But when our life is spiritually directed, everything can be used in Krishna’s service. And then different things can be used in different ways.
If, say, somebody sings very nicely and somebody sings very poorly and say, we have to choose someone to lead kirtans. We can’t say everything is equal. Isn’t it? No.
Here, one person sings nicely, we use that in Krishna’s service. So, the essence of illusion is the disconnection from Krishna. But once we see the connection with Krishna, we also understand that different things have different potentials when they are connected with Krishna.
So, there are different things which can be used in different ways. Relatively, some things will be more valuable than others. And we do recognize that the system of validating things, that ultimately comes from the absolute truth.
So, the material world has its counterpart, or rather material world is a reflection of the spiritual world. And in spiritual world also there are various things. So, Radharani and the Gopis, they have used ornaments which are made of precious metals.
They decorate themselves with that. And that is used in Krishna’s service over there. So, the material world is a reflection of the spiritual world and whatever is of value there, that value is reflected and distorted away here.
The primary distortion is that we see things separate from Krishna. And we need to avoid that. So, that means at the level of illusion, when we are in illusion, we say, this is very valuable, this is useless.
We think of that differentiation. When we come to an impersonal level of realization, we see everything as illusion. That is all useless.
Nothing is of any use. But when we come to a devotional level of realization, so when Krishna is talking about Samalosh Trashma Kanchena, there if you see in the 6th chapter, 6.8, he is not directly talking about Bhakti. So, he is talking about more the path coming from Karma Yoga towards higher levels of realization.
There he is not talking about Bhakti. So, he is talking about Yogis who detach themselves from the world. They see stone and gold equally.
But once we come to the level of Bhakti, then we start seeing stone and gold differently, not in terms of how much they can give me pleasure, but in terms of how well they can be used in Krishna’s service. So, something can be used in Krishna’s service. A devotee is very interested in that.
Satsvarupa Maharaj writes in one of his books that when they had first made his corn press and they had these big, big machines in the printing press to print the books and Prabhupada was brought to the machine. Prabhupada was looking at all the devotees. Prabhupada did not even notice the machines.
And then another devotee said, Prabhupada, you know with this machine we can print so many books in so little time. Oh, really? Then Prabhupada immediately became interested in the machine. How does this work? Prabhupada had actually used printed books in India, so he was interested in printing.
But Prabhupada was not interested in technology for technology’s sake. He was interested in technology for Krishna’s sake. So, if we are going to use things, nowadays we have internet, we have mobile, we can use it to communicate very easily with people.
But that communication can be positive, it can be negative. So, it is for us to stay connected with Krishna. And different things, so, with a you know, with some old walkie-talkie and with a modern smartphone, the number of people with whom I can connect, that is different.
And that is a natural object, that difference is an object to reality. So, if I am, if you are managing a festival, you can connect with somebody who is nearby through walkie-talkie. But if some devotee is far away in a different place, then you need a cell phone.
So, the difference between things is a reality. But when we think that this difference will be the source of pleasure, that is an illusion. Because I have this old-fashioned phone, so I am miserable.
If I get this smartphone, then I will become smart. That is an illusion. But, once we recognize this illusion and recognize that it is the connection with Krishna which will give us happiness, that is what we should be doing, then different things can connect us with Krishna in different ways.
And for that purpose, we do recognize the difference in different things and use them appropriately in Krishna’s service. Does it answer your question?