Greed or Lauly

All Glories to HDG Srila Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Maharaj

All Glories to HDG Stila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada

Of the six faults that have to be avoided  for one aspiring to cultivate pure devotional service the last mentioned  is greed. The commentary ,upedeshprakshika states that just as a wanton prostitute takes on one lover after another   similarly the  wayward pilgrim sometimes  attempts to  strive  to  advance  in works  after that in the field of knowledge and then to that path  of devotional service in a restless way such that in the end his devotional creeper simply becomes destroyed. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur describes this  greed (laulya) as to be under the dominion of various scriptural beliefs all at the same time .Laulya stands for greed or to be attracted and attached to minor things. From unnecessary talks ,one  may become implicated by offences to the Vaishnavas and from greed usually , there arises the tendency to worship the demigods in an independent way. Om Vishnupada Srila BhaktiSiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada writes the desire for liberation and enjoyment as the usual mundane hankering for material enjoyment is all under the category of greed. The six namely overeating ,useless striving, mundane chatter ,simply endeavoring to maintain  scriptural regulations without advancement, bad association and lastly greed ,all are impediments to obtaining pure devotional service of the Lord consequently, the surrender to the Supreme Lord does not take place. On the contrary , one  usually tries to become the master to  exploit the material nature for fulfilling his various desires and at that time the fact that devotion to Krishna is the highest path is not  at all understood . In the fold of this greed there is the presence of duplicity and  while pretending to be saintly outwardly instead  with malign intentions internally. The main reason for this is the desires for enjoyment and liberation. Although even if one is able to overcome these desires for the sake of devotion still due to restless of the mind one succumbs to fruitive action then again to aspiring for material gains and sometimes  straying  as in the quest  of the non differentiated Brahman. That aspirant is simply not able to fix his bearings totally on the path of  devotional service. Faith is defined as complete and determined in that shelter. Without this type of faith there is no question of devotion  able to take proper root in our heart. Faith is the seed of the creeper of devotion. By watering the seed of this creeper or faith as through  the limbs of devotion like  hearing and chanting gradually and with weeding out all unfavorable practices, one is able to come to the platform of pure devotion. It is because of the impediment of laulya or greed that this  seed of devotion or faith does not become established in one .Just as in weeding out the other  faults that hamper devotion ,similarly one has to take recourse to chanting and hearing in the association of advanced devotees to weed out this greed. In the shelter of saintly devotees by continuously  hearing the transcendental pastimes of the  Supreme Lord , the desires of enjoyment and liberation soon becomes slack. Gradually ,as  duplicity becomes diminished in the aspirant ,renewed faith takes a hold in him and as restlessness vanishes with the strengthening of one' faith,  one becomes unalloyed on  the path of devotion to attain loving devotion. The pastimes of the Lord as spoken by the saintly devotees are powerful in being able to cut away our attachments to all sorts of material attachment and  impersonal beliefs. In that stead then our actual  inclination for service to the Supreme Lord becomes awakened ,By the actual use of this greed for service to the Lord one is able to obtain the fifth and highest goal of life which is pure devotion and there is no other way besides this .Without developing an attraction for hearing about the pastimes of the Lord there is no way we can curtail our desires for sense gratification. The teacher of all loving mellows, Raya Ramananda has emphasized that greed is the main ingredient for being unalloyed in the cultivation of  pure  devotional service other wise even after practicing devotional service for millions of life times yet one will not qualify to enter the path of pure devotion.  krishna bhakti rasa bhavita matih kriyatam yadi krto pi labhyate tatra laulyam pi mulyam ekalam janma koti sukrtenaiva labhyate. If one can be able to engage the mind in the  mellows of devotion in one way or the other, that is considered the best of all endeavors and  as for the living entity, there is no other greater or beneficial path. But this cannot be obtained by the pious activities from millions of births. The results of pious activities only serves to enmesh us in deeper in the path of works for attaining all types of material enjoyment  but without any possibility of devotion to the Lord. False renunciation on the other hand will entrap us in secondary knowledge bereft of the highest goal of devotion to the Supreme Lord .The foundation of this pure devotion is the intense greed to acquire it without question, This is the greatest truth and  one has to bare his soul to uncover it ,But who actually is interested in this measure? If indeed one desires to taste the mellows of pure devotion that it is the real life saver for nothing else can give that same satisfaction and bliss .It is my misfortune that I have no such relish.