Blind Materialism

"After a Lapse of Fifty Years"
~

(which corresponds to Spring 2006)

By His Divine Grace

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Founder-Acarya of the

International Society for Krishna Consciousness

"By the grace of the illusory energy of Godhead we are now engaged more and more in the dangerous type of work in this machine-age. The machine-age is the result of dangerous type of work. When we leave aside the culture of spiritualism, we are entangled in the dangerous type of work. Nobody can live for a moment without work and therefore when finer elements are made to stop working, gross materialism occupies the devil's brain. The result is that we have now come to the age of nuclear weapons for the destruction of material civilization. By the law of nature, the nuclear weapons have been produced for crushing the result of blind-materialism. The peace move(ment) of different powers of the world, by the false gesture of suspending the experiments of dangerous weapons--may be very much pleasing to the comparatively weak nations--but these temporary peace-moves will prove useless by the law of material nature. When the dangerous weapons are produced, they must be utilised for annihilation of blind materialism by the plan of the Daivi Maya or the external energy of Godhead. The problem can be solved when they are taught about their spiritual identity. The soul-killing civilization is progressively taking to the dangerous type of work by invention of huge mechanical means. The illusory energy is creating this atmosphere for blind materialism and on the other hand she is arranging for their destruction also. Such opposite methods are called illusory energy. The human energy is thus misused for breaking the same thing which is produced by the same energy. It is something like blazing the fire and extinguish it by pouring water simultaneously--a sign of insanity or spoiling the valuable human energy meant for spiritual culture. History has been repeated so many times and many many leaders of materialism like Napoleon, Hitler and others now remain in name only without any sign of the material progress planned by them. De-Stalinisation has already begun in Russia. Nobody is enjoying the result of civilization created by atheists like Ravana, Kansa, Aurangzeb, Napoleon or Hitler. Everything is in oblivion and this teaches us the lesson that the materialistic plans of the present age will also meet with the same fate after a lapse of 50 years. Therefore blind materialism does not bring in any permanent relief in the world. The mode of spiritual plan is explained very clearly in the II Chapter of the Bhagwat Geeta. This plan is called 'Buddhiyoga' which has neither any destruction nor any lapse. Even a slight progress in the line of 'Buddhiyoga' can save the performer from many many dangerous types of work. In order to save the people from blind materialism they have to be trained up in the art of 'Buddhiyoga' or the transcendental loving service of the Personality of Godhead. 'Buddhiyoga' is another name of 'Bhaktiyoga' or devotional activities."

(Srila Prabhupada B.T.G. Article April 20th 1956 "Blind Materialism" )