The Supreme Shreyas

“According to the shastras, there is shreyas and preyas. Shreyas is the ultimate goal. We should act in such a way that ultimately we will become happy. However, if we want immediate happiness and disregard the future, we want preyas. Preyas is for unintelligent people and children. A child enjoys playing all day; he does not want to be sent to school to be educated. Education is shreyas, the ultimate goal. No one is interested in this. The shastras instruct us to aim for shreyas and not be captivated by preyas. The supreme shreyas is bhakti-yoga.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Teachings of Lord Kapila, Vs 43 Purport)

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“At what point does shreyas turn back into preyas? I like the distinction, that there is a proper identification, in the presentation of the science of self-realization. I know that many people complain about the analogies. They wish they could hear the instruction in a straightforward manner, without reliance on comparison.

“But I think that is nonsense. It is an excuse employed due to lack of comprehension of the material. They cannot follow. Or they simply reject, out of dogmatic insistence or existing affiliation, which they feel is violated in accepting the concepts put forward by the acharya, who is following in the line of instruction of Shri Krishna. These same people invoke analogy all the time. They make similar comparisons when trying to explain concepts to others.

“With preyas and shreyas, the commonly used analogy is to children in school. Their desire to play is preyas. It is an immediate enjoyment. Stay in bed five minutes longer. Skip classes today in order to have fun somewhere else. The presence of enjoyment cannot be denied. They have the desire for a reason.

“Shreyas is the long-term interest or enjoyment. Staying with the school analogy, the same student benefits in the long-term by sacrificing preyas. They give up temporary enjoyment for a higher good. Every person does this, to some degree. The office worker slugging it out through the morning traffic on the highways. The mother getting up in the middle of the night to tend to her child. The employee abruptly laid off, now looking to upskill.

“One thing to consider is that the shreyas might eventually turn into preyas. Do you know what I mean? If I work towards a long-term goal and then later achieve it, just what will I do? I have the big house. I have the huge balance in the bank account. What am I supposed to do now? I worked towards a higher goal, but the benefit of that goal is temporary enjoyment. How is preyas not the same as shreyas, then?”

In the context of the school-aged child, indulging preyas has a deleterious effect. The preyas gets in the way of achieving shreyas. It is a case of knowing better. I am so happy that nature dropped snow in the area, such that the roads are closed. I do not have to go to work. After a few days, I am ready to dig out the snow myself. I want to go anywhere. I do not want to stay at home. My preyas did not benefit me in the long-term.

“According to Vedic civilization, a human being must be God conscious. He should understand what God is, what this material world is, who he is, and what their interrelationships are. This is called shreyas, or ultimately auspicious activity.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi 9.42 Purport)

For the question about shreyas giving a kind of enjoyment equivalent to preyas, this is at the foundation of the appeal of the person following bhakti-yoga and attempting to teach it to others. They engage in prachara in order to help others see the light. They understand that even after elevation to a higher realm, as a reward for pious behavior, there is the vulnerability to falling back. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita.

आ-ब्रह्म-भुवनाल् लोकाः
पुनर् आवर्तिनो ऽर्जुन
माम् उपेत्य तु कौन्तेय
पुनर् जन्म न विद्यते

ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ
punar āvartino ‘rjuna
mām upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate

“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.16)

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada identifies bhakti-yoga to be the “supreme shreyas.” This means that there is no longer a vulnerability. This specific interest, categorized as long-term, is the best one to meet. It is the one most worth striving for. The same is confirmed by Goswami Tulsidas, using the Sanskrit terms of svartha and paramartha. The self-interest and the supreme interest can only merge into one when there is devotion to God the person. Then, there is resolution of the contradictions.

स्वारथ परमारथ सकल सुलभ एक ही ओर
द्वार दूसरे दीनता उचित न तुलसी तोर

svāratha paramāratha sakala sulabha eka hī ora
dvāra dūsare dīnatā ucita na tulasī tora

“When your personal and supreme interests can be easily obtained from one place, it is not sensible for you in weakness to beg at the doors of others, O Tulsi.” (Dohavali, 54)

In Closing:

At this moment can predict,
That teachings to contradict.

Because even for shreyas going,
At end temporary knowing.

Reason for acharya’s appeal,
Towards highest shreyas real.

When to God in strong connection bound,
Infinite and auspicious enjoyment found.