Akbar the Great asked his minister Birbal, "What is your idea of sex life? How long it continues?"

He answered, "Up to the point of death."

"No, no. I don't believe it."

"All right."

So one day all of a sudden Birbal came to Akbar's house, "Sir, you have to go with me immediately with your youngest daughter." So Akbar summoned his daughter, king's daughter, very beautiful. So the father and the daughter and Birbal went to see one dying man. Birbal instructed Akbar, "You simply see his face." So when Akbar and his daughter were entering the room, that man was looking to that young girl, not at Akbar, the king. He was looking over that young girl. Then Akbar understood, and turning to Birbal, said, "Yes."

And our shastra [Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.45] says yan maithunadi-grihamedhi-sukham hi tuccham:

"Sex life is compared to the rubbing of two hands to relieve an itch. Grihamedhis, so-called grihasthas who have no spiritual knowledge, think that this itching is the greatest platform of happiness, although actually it is a source of distress. The kripanas, the fools who are just the opposite of brahmanas, are not satisfied by repeated sensuous enjoyment. Those who are dhira, however, who are sober and who tolerate this itching, are not subjected to the sufferings of fools and rascals."

What is the happiness of the grihastha life? Grihastha is different from grihamedhi. There are two words. Grihastha means husband and wife living together, but the aim is Krishna consciousness. And grihamedhi means he has no Krishna consciousness; therefore his life is sex. That is the difference. Therefore, this word is used, grihamedhi. Yan maithunadi. What is the standard of happiness? Maithu, sex, that's all. Yan maithunadi. All these grihamedhis, you will find they are accumulating money, they are enjoying sex life, then daughter's sex life, son's sex life, grandson's sex life. They are busy. Especially in India you will find, they spend thousands lakhs of rupees for son's and daughter's and grandson's sex life. Is it not? That is their happiness. "I am enjoying sex life." Just like my grandmother-in-law. She was concentrating on sex life. She was old, she had no opportunity. Let grandson-in-law, granddaughter. One who is impotent, he wants to see others enjoying sex life. You know this? He enjoys. He cannot do it. There are many persons, he is impotent, so he brings another man to his wife, then he watches. You know this? This is going on. Sex. They will see the dog's sex life, how he is enjoying. Cow's sex life. Dog is having sex, and there will be crowd. This is the basic principle of material life: sex. In this way, prostitution, this way, that way, that way, that way, this is the only point. There is no other aim. Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45]. And this kind of happiness is most abominable. Most abominable. But that is the center of life. Is it not? Yan maithunadi-grihamedhi-sukham hi tuccham. Most abominable part of the body for passing urine, obnoxious smell, but that is the point of life. How much degraded this material life. Yan maithunadi-grihamedhi-sukham. The shastra has pointed out most abominable thing, that is the point of pleasure. Yan maithunadi. Either he himself, or for his son, for his grandson, for his great-grandson, the family. Very aristocratic. So if we study analytically, we can understand that how much we are in illusion. This most abominable thing, we are taking it is the center of happiness.

Therefore, Vaishnava feels compassion. Maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan, shoche tato vimukha-chetasa [SB 7.9.43]. These rascals, they are enjoying a certain type of most abominable happiness. So Prahlada Maharaja says, "I am simply thinking of these rascals. For me, I have no problem. All problems solved. I am not afraid of this material world because I have learned how to enjoy life simply by thinking of Your pastimes. But I am unhappy." Why? "These rascals who have no Krishna consciousness, they have made huge arrangement simply for sex."