Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.14.36

tāvad rāgādayah stenās

tāvat kārā-griham griham

tāvan moho 'ńghri-nigado

yāvat krishna na te janāh

SYNONYMS

tāvat — for that long; rāga-ādayah — material attachment and so on; stenāh — thieves; tāvat — for that long; kārā-griham — a prison; griham — one's home; tāvat — for that long; mohah — the bewilderment of family affection; ańghri — upon their feet; nigadah — shackles; yāvat — as long as; krishna — O Lord Krishna; na — do not become; te — Your (devotees); janāh — any persons.

TRANSLATION

My dear Lord Krishna, until people become Your devotees, their material attachments and desires remain thieves, their homes remain prisons, and their affectionate feelings for their family members remain foot-shackles.

PURPORT

Apparently, the residents of Vrindāvana, the abode of Lord Krishna, are simple householders engaged in ordinary affairs such as herding cows, cooking, rearing children and performing religious ceremonies. However, all these activities are intensely engaged in the loving service of Lord Krishna. The residents of Vrindāvana perform all activities in pure Krishna consciousness and thus exist on the most exalted platform of liberated life. Otherwise, the same activities performed without Krishna consciousness constitute ordinary bondage to the material world.

Thus, one should not misunderstand the exalted position of the residents of Vrindāvana, nor should one consider oneself highly religious simply because one performs ordinary domestic affairs very enthusiastically, but without Krishna consciousness. By focusing our passionate attachment on our family and society, we are completely deviated from the progressive path of Krishna consciousness. Conversely, if we engage our family in the loving service of the Lord, our endeavors to maintain our family become part and parcel of our progressive spiritual duties.

In conclusion, by studying the extraordinary status of the residents of Vrindāvana, we can see that the essential quality of their lives is pure Krishna consciousness — the rendering of loving service to the Lord without a trace of material desire or mental speculation. Such loving service to the original Personality of Godhead immediately creates the atmosphere of Śrī Vrindāvana-dhāma, the kingdom of God.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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