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- dEsPeraTe cRaNky -
A devotee was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, “Lord, I would like to know what heaven and hell are like.”
The Lord led the devotee to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the devotee looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of soup which smelt delicious and made the devotee’s mouth water.
The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles and each found it possible to reach into the pot of soup and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The devotee shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, “You have seen hell.”
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of soup which made the devotee’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The devotee said, “I don’t understand.”
“It is simple” said the Lord, “It requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. While the greedy think only of themselves.”
Lord Krishna declares in the Bhagavad-gita, “There are three gates leading to this hell — lust, anger and greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul.”
In the mode of passion, people become greedy, and their hankering for sense enjoyment has no limit. One can see that even if one has enough money and adequate arrangements for sense gratification, there is neither happiness nor peace of mind. That is not possible, because one is situated in the mode of passion. If one wants happiness at all, his money will not help him; he has to elevate himself to the mode of goodness by practicing Krishna consciousness. When one is engaged in the mode of passion, not only is he mentally unhappy, but his profession and occupation are also very troublesome. He has to devise so many plans and schemes to acquire enough money to maintain his status quo. This is all miserable.
The Lord led the devotee to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the devotee looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of soup which smelt delicious and made the devotee’s mouth water.
The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles and each found it possible to reach into the pot of soup and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The devotee shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, “You have seen hell.”
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of soup which made the devotee’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The devotee said, “I don’t understand.”
“It is simple” said the Lord, “It requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. While the greedy think only of themselves.”
Lord Krishna declares in the Bhagavad-gita, “There are three gates leading to this hell — lust, anger and greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul.”
In the mode of passion, people become greedy, and their hankering for sense enjoyment has no limit. One can see that even if one has enough money and adequate arrangements for sense gratification, there is neither happiness nor peace of mind. That is not possible, because one is situated in the mode of passion. If one wants happiness at all, his money will not help him; he has to elevate himself to the mode of goodness by practicing Krishna consciousness. When one is engaged in the mode of passion, not only is he mentally unhappy, but his profession and occupation are also very troublesome. He has to devise so many plans and schemes to acquire enough money to maintain his status quo. This is all miserable.
