Loving relationships alone can satisfy our hearts. No amount of wealth, power, strength, prestige can satisfy us to the extent relationships can. Subtle material opulence give very superficial satisfaction. Soul sitted in the heart is not deriving any joy from the profit, prestige and adoration. In fact, Radhanath Swami Maharaj says, "Desire for profit, prestige and adoration (puja, labha, pratishtha) is perverted reflection of our hankering for love. We think that these things of the material world can give us the love that we all are looking for." What to speak of gross material opulence. Maharaj narrates a personal instance wherein he goes to meet a very wealthy person. He describes various attributes of him - He has palatial house, chandeliers, statues from different countries, every sitting place is like that for a king etc... and his servants dress more opulently than CEOs of many companies !! But that man has boil on his foot and its not going away. That person is in total distress and complete anguish just because of that single boil. He complains, "I have paid thousands of rupees to many doctors but they are not able to do away with this boil. I am willing to exchange it for anything, Anything!" This is what I can remember, to read detailed version visit:
http://radhanathswamionline.com/nature/oh-my-toe/
Nevertheless, message is clear - nature of this material world is that if you have slightest discomfort, you can not enjoy no matter whatever amount of pleasures you may amass. And distresses or miseries will come because Krsna Himself has certified this. Citraketu Maharaj is another famous example. That's why Prahlad Maharaj advises, "If you want to be happy in this world, do not try to be happy." We have observed ourselves that whatever plan we make to enjoy, sooner or later, by inconceivable time they are shattered. We hanker for things, we invest time, energy and intelligence in attaining them. We struggle so hard amidst all difficulties for few moments of pleasure. But we are left with more hankering and lamentation - hardly any satisfaction is there in the end. Just like a thirsty person in desert is offered only few drops of water. So in short:
- Sufferings dominate pleasures in the material world
- Pleasures of this world are temporary and therefore can not fully satisfy us
- For acquiring one moment of sense gratification, hundreds of moments are spent in anxiety, uncertainty, fear, anguish and distress - all pathetic situations.
Therefore, Krsna says in BG that we are in illusion thinking that sensory pleasures of the body can satisfy us. Even worse is that we do not give up this false hope despite realizations. A child gives up a toffee for a chocolate. Similarly if we taste the sweetness of loving devotional relationship with the Lord Who is eternally blissful and resrvoir of all pleasures - Whose every aspect is madhura, we can easily give up the lowly attractions of the dead matter. Most appropriate example is of Srila Hari Das Thakur. He was not even slightest bit disturbed by the approaches of the most beautiful prostitute because he was tasting the sweetness of the holy names of the Lord. With such devotion, love and humility he was chanting that Krsna reciprocated and satisfied him completely. That's wonderful - no hankering and no anxiety and no lamentation, only bliss. May we also remember Krsna, our eternal father and our best well wishing friend, with the same loving devotion as Hari Das Thakur did. May he bless us with the same humble attitude, tolerant desposition and genuine compassion required to chant Lord's holynames feelingly.
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