Verse 2 of The Nectar of Instruction says:
Nectar of Instruction, Verse 2
atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca
prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ
jana-saṅgaś ca laulyaṁ ca
ṣaḍbhir bhaktir vinaśyati
"One's devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities: (1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) overendeavoring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4) practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically; (5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; and (6) being greedy for mundane achievements."
Six Unfavorable Principles
- Atyāhāra – eating or collecting more than necessary
- Prayāsa – overendeavoring for mundane things difficult to obtain
- Prajalpa – talking unnecessarily about mundane topics
- Niyamāgraha – incorrect attitude towards rules
- Jana-saṅga – associating with worldly-minded people
- Laulya – greed, desire for mundane achievements
Commentary by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Human life is meant for plain living and high thinking. Since all conditioned living entities are under the control of the Lord's third energy, this material world is designed such that one is obliged to work.
Three Energies of the Lord
Antaraṅga-śakti
Internal potency
Taṭasthā-śakti
Marginal potency
Bahiraṅga-śakti
External potency
1. Eating or Collecting More Than Necessary (Atyāhāra)
The main problem that conditioned souls face in every life is birth, old age, disease and death. In the material world, one has to work to live, but what to do so that work helps to develop Krishna consciousness? Food, clothing, money, etc. are needed to maintain life, but one should not accumulate more than necessary to satisfy the most essential needs.
In nature, living beings in lower evolutionary stages do not eat or accumulate more than necessary. Therefore, there are no economic problems or lack of necessities in the animal kingdom. If we leave a bag of rice on the street, birds will come, eat a few grains and fly away. Meanwhile, a human being will take the whole bag.
Atyāhāra includes: accumulation of knowledge by speculative thinkers, activities of karmis, desires of bhukti-kāmis (those desiring material happiness), mukti-kāmis (those desiring liberation) and siddhi-kāmis (those desiring mystic yoga perfection).
2. Overendeavoring for Mundane Things (Prayāsa)
Accumulation and overeating require huge and completely senseless efforts (prayāsa). God arranged that every person, if he has a plot of land and a cow, could live peacefully.
Unfortunately, so-called civilized man, who does not care about knowing God, uses his intelligence to grab more. God has created perfect conditions so that no one in the world would lack grain and milk, but "intelligent" people use it to create what they do not need or even what harms them.
Thus factories, slaughterhouses, brothels and liquor stores appear. People understand the advice not to accumulate much, not to overeat and not to waste their energy on unnecessary comforts as an attempt to return them to the state of primitive man.
3. Talking Unnecessarily About Mundane Topics (Prajalpa)
Another obstacle on the path of spiritual advancement is prajalpa, unnecessary talking. When we meet with friends, we immediately start talking nonsense, croaking like frogs. We should talk about the Krishna consciousness movement.
Those not participating in the Krishna consciousness movement read heaps of newspapers, magazines, novels, solve crosswords and engage in other nonsense. In Western countries, people who have reached a respectable age and retired from active life play cards, fish, watch television and pontificate about politics and life.
4. Incorrect Attitude Towards Rules (Niyamāgraha)
Following scriptural rules for immediate benefit is called niyama-āgraha, and ignoring shastric rules is called niyama-agraha. The word āgraha means "eagerness to accept", and agraha – "eagerness not to accept".
Those interested in Krishna consciousness should follow rules not to prosper materially, but to advance in Krishna consciousness. Strictly following regulative principles means giving up illicit sex, meat eating, gambling and intoxication.
5. Associating with Worldly-Minded People (Jana-saṅga)
Jana-saṅga – is association with those who are not interested in Krishna consciousness. Such association should be completely given up. That is why Śrīla Narottama dāsa Thākura advised us to live with devoted followers of Krishna (bhakta-sane vāsa).
One must constantly serve the Lord, serve Him together with other devotees. Association with those who work together helps to achieve good results.
6. Greed for Mundane Achievements (Laulya)
The desire to expand one's consciousness by practicing mystic yoga, merging into Brahman existence or achieving material prosperity is greed (laulya). Any pursuit of material success or effort to make so-called spiritual advancement is an obstacle on the path to Krishna consciousness.
Modern armed conflicts between capitalists and communists arise because Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmi's advice to give up atyāhāra is ignored. Capitalists have accumulated more than necessary, and communists want to nationalize it out of envy.
Example of a $100 banknote:
- One person takes the found banknote for himself (Thief)
- Another leaves it lying because "it's not mine" (Ignorant)
- The third picks it up and finds the owner (Wise)
All wealth belongs to Krishna. True society understands: "Everything animate and inanimate in this universe belongs to the Lord" (Īśopaniṣad, Mantra 1).
Śrī Īśopaniṣad, Mantra 1
īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvaṁ
yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat
tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā
mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam
"Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong."
Self-Check Questions
- List the six factors that destroy devotional service.
- Give examples illustrating modern atyāhāra.