20. "Everyone ought to be concerned about and seek out their eternal welfare. Everyone should be selfish in this matter, but most people in this world are engaged in activities that bring about the opposite result."



 It is imperative for every human being to spend their whole day solely in spiritual discussions, yet our whole day is consumed in ordinary activities. Intelligent people must acknowledge that it is not the duty of any human being to spend their invaluable life in material sense gratification.


Everyone ought to be concerned about and seek out their eternal welfare. Everyone should be selfish in this matter, but most people in this world are engaged in activities that bring about the opposite result. Children busy themselves in playing, the youth in family life, and the old in constantly protecting their property and in taking care of their body. This indicates indifference towards one’s true purpose. Hence, due to the desire to accumulate material gain, the people of this world remain indifferent to their own eternal gain. How unfortunate!


Some say that there is no need to worry about one’s eternal welfare at the present, but this is not correct. If a person does not receive a proper education in his childhood, he will face many difficulties on account of it in his youth.


Those who desire the welfare of society, as well as their own welfare, will also be concerned for the welfare of others. It is our duty to endeavour in such a way that our service to God, which is the inherent purpose (dharma) of all living beings, is not hampered by the pursuit of material enjoyment.


- by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda


Translated by the Rays of The Harmonist team
from Śrīla Prabhupādera Upadeśāmṛta


Rays of The Harmonist On-line, Year-4, Issue 12 “Everyone Should Be Selfish About Their Eternal Welfare” by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License to ensure that it is always freely available. You may redistribute this article if you include this license and attribute it to Rays of The Harmonist. Please ask for permission before using the Rays of The Harmonist banner-logo.



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