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One second of wasted time cannot not be purchased, even with millions of dollars.

16ROUNDS is presenting an awareness called Krishna Consciousness. Krishna Consciousness is perfectly dis­tinct from the ways of modern materialistic society, which is considered by the Krishna Conscious advocates to be merely a waste of time.

The whole universe, or for that matter all material existence, is simply for planning business to make one’s position very comfortable or secure, although everyone sees that this existence is neither comfortable nor secure and can never become comfortable or secure at any stage of development. Those who are captivated by the illusory advancement of material civilization (following the way of phantasmagoria) are certainly mad.

The whole material creation is a jugglery of names only; in fact, it is nothing but a bewildering creation of matter like earth, water and fire. The buildings, furniture, cars, bungalows, mills, factories, industries, peace, war or even the highest perfection of material science, namely atomic energy and electronics, are all simply bewildering names of material elements with their concomitant reactions of the laws of nature.

Since advocates of Krishna Consciousness know them perfectly well, they are not interested in creating unwanted things for a situation which is not at all reality but simply names of no more significance than the babble of sea waves. The great politicians and leaders fight with one another in order to perpetuate their names in history. They are forgotten in due course of time, and they make a place for another era in history. But true transcendentalists realize how much history and historical persons are useless products of flickering time.

The materialistic worker aspires after a big fortune in the matter of wealth, sex, and worldly adoration, but those who are fixed in perfect reality are not at all interested in such false things. For them it is all a waste of time.

Since every second of human life is important, an enlightened person should be very careful to utilize time very cautiously. One second of human life wasted in the vain research of planning for happiness in the material world can never be replaced, even if one spends millions of dollars.

Therefore, the transcendentalist desiring freedom from the clutches of the illusory activities of life is warned not to be captivated by the external features of materialistic actors. Human life is never meant for sensual gratification but for self-realization. Krishna Consciousness instructs us solely on this subject. Human life is simply meant for self-realization.

The civilization which aims at this utmost perfection never indulges in creating unwanted things, and such a perfect civilization prepares its citizens only to accept the bare necessities of life or to follow the principle of the best use of a bad bargain.

Our material bodies and our lives in that connection are bad bargains because the living entity is actually spirit, and spiritual advancement of the living entity is absolutely necessary.

Human life is intended for the realization of this important factor, and one should act accordingly, accepting only the bare necessities of life and depending more on God’s gifts without diversion of human energy for any other purpose, such as being mad for material enjoyment.

The materialistic advancement of civilization is called “the civilization of the unfortunate,” which ultimately ends in wars and scarcity.

Srila Prabhupada

1 September 1896 – 14 November 1977. The founder and the spiritual guide (the acharya) of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

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