Similarly the river, the river has its function to supply water all the year. During rainy season the water is collected on the top of the hill. It is stocked there by God's arrangement, and they come down. Just like we, by power pump, we get water down to the top of the roof and stock there. Similarly, on high level of hills and mountains water is stocked. Sometimes they are stocked in ice form, not in liquid form. So according to the seasonal changes the ice becomes melted and the water is supplied. It comes through the river. The same thing is there, but because we have now turned to become demons, the river sometimes overfloods, killing so many men and animals, at the loss. Actually everything is meant for kamam, for supplying our necessities. And as soon as you are disobedient to God, demons, nature will give you punishment. Instead of supplying you water, water is there, it will overflood. You will be in trouble.
   So these rascals, they cannot see how nature is strong and it is controlling everything.

                       prakrteh kriyamanani
                     gunaih karmani sarvasah
                       ahankara-vimudhatma
                       kartaham iti manyate

Everything is perfectly being done by nature. Nature is appointed by Krsna. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram: "Under My control." So prakrti will work very nicely provided you are also nice, Krsna conscious. If you are not nice, then daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya. "My maya, My prakrti, My energy, is very strong, duratyaya." These rascals, they are trying to control this flood, government. So much money they have wasted, but still in this quarter there are havoc. Therefore daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya. You cannot control the nature's way. That is not possible.
   How nature can be controlled? Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te. This is the law of nature. If you become disobedient to God, then prakrti or nature will give you trouble in so many ways. And as soon as you become submissive, surrender to Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there will be no more natural disturbances. I have heard in 1900, 1898--I was born in 1896--so I have heard, I have seen also, I remember, in Calcutta there was a very virulent type of plague epidemic in 1898. So Calcutta became devastated. All people practically left Calcutta. Daily hundreds and hundreds of people were dying. I was one year old or one and a half year old. I have seen what was happening, but there was plague epidemic. That I did not know. I, later on, I heard from my parents. So one babaji, he organized sankirtana, Hare Krsna sankirtana. When there was no other way, so he organized sankirtana all over Calcutta. And in the, in sankirtana, all people, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Parsi, everyone joined. And they were coming, they were going road to road, street to street, entering in every house. So that Mahatma Gandhi Road, 151, you have seen. The sankirtana party we received very nicely. There was light, and I was very small, I was also dancing, I can remember. Just like our small children sometimes dances. I remember. I could see only up to the knees of the persons who were joined. So the plague subsided. This is a fact. Everyone who knows history of Calcutta, the plague was subsided by sankirtana movement.
   Of course, we do not recommend that sankirtana should be used for some material purpose, that is nama-aparadha, nama-aparadha. Shama sa bhakti kriya (?) pramana. Sankirtana, you can utilize sankirtana for some material purpose, but that is not allowed. That is nama-aparadha, because nama, the holy name of Krsna, and Krsna, they are identical. You cannot utilize Krsna for your personal, materiomal benefit. That is aparadha. Krsna is the Lord. You cannot engage the Lord for your service. Similarly you cannot utilize the holy name of the Lord for some material purpose. That is not allowed. So anyway, because ye yatha mam prapadyante. If you wanted some material benefit by chanting Hare Krsna mantra, you'll get it, but that is nama-aparadha. You won't get the ecstasy of loving God. That is the aim of chanting Hare Krsna mantra: how you shall elevate yourself to the platform of loving God. That is required. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje. Not for utilizing the holy name for some material purpose. But this happened, we have got experience, I have heard, I have seen.

[Srimad-Bhagavatam Lecture 1.10.5 Mayapura, June 20, 1973]