(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Srimad Bhagavatam 4.28.55)
It takes maturity to come to the point where one becomes very serious and says, “No, I will no longer play with the material energy. It’s not worth it! I’m simply going to be very serious now about making spiritual advancement.”
It is this seriousness that has to develop in us. Srila Prabhupada, after the first initiation that he ever gave; in that initiation people were not quite sure what they were promising because Srila Prabhupada wrote the promises on a piece of paper the next day, ‘No gambling; no illicit sex; no intoxication; no meat, fish or eggs and no frivolous sports.’ Yes, to be frivolous, who’s not frivolous?
Some people are laughing in a little group, “Oh, lets see what is happening there? Yes, let’s check it out.”
Frivolous nature is so strong; always playing, joking and wasting their time. Actually, the situation is serious because it ends with death and that is inevitable and when it does happen then everyone is shocked. “How could this happen, of all people to this person? No, I can’t believe it?”
It happens to every person, why can’t we believe it!? This is what Yudhisthira said. Yudhisthira made that point, the most amazing thing is that everyone is seeing that his relatives have died and so many people have died, but it doesn’t register that it can happen to us!
So, therefore the situation is serious because the opportunity is there and yet, we see that Srila Prabhupada who took Krsna consciousness completely seriously was also joking, was also playful. So seriousness doesn’t exclude playfulness.
