The Material World: Palace or Prison?

(written on August 28, 2019)

The material world is actually compared to a jail, or a prison house. Srila Prabhupada says in a lecture about SB 3.26.5, “Because we have created something pious and impious, something good, something bad, so Krsna says, “You rascal, give up all this bad and good. Your so-called bad and good has no value. The only value is that you surrender unto Me.” And then that is value. Otherwise you concoct, “This is very good; this is very bad.” In the prison house, if you think a first-class prison is very nice, but after all, it is prison house. Your independence is cut down. So you may think that if it is actually first-class prison… Politicians, they are given first-class classification of prison house. Does it mean the politician want to remain there for good? Why they want to come out? So similarly, here in this material world it is simply vicitra, varieties. We call, “This is first class. This is second class. This is third class.” It is simply varieties. Actually, it is all third class. There is no first class, second class. Gunair vicitrah. Just like you like some color... So you may like this color or that color–after all, it is material color.” So Prabhupada is explaining how we actually try to enjoy within the jail, but that is the wrong concept. We should understand our mistakes and learn from them so that we can get out of jail. That is the real enjoyment. So, just like the analogy, we should focus on getting out of the material nature instead of trying to enjoy within it. The material creation is actually a correctional facility.