Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 07 Chapter 12 Purports - The Perfect Society: Four Spiritual Classes
Pages in category "Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 07 Chapter 12 Purports - The Perfect Society: Four Spiritual Classes"
The following 66 pages are in this category, out of 66 total.
A
- A brahmacari should be very careful in associating with men who are attached to women
- A brahmacari should be very careful not to mix with women or with men addicted to women
- A brahmana generally remains a brahmacari throughout his entire life, but although some brahmanas become grhasthas and indulge in sex life, they do so under the complete control of the spiritual master
- A civilization that allows men to mix unrestrictedly with women is an animal civilization. In Kali-yuga, people are extremely liberal, but mixing with women and talking with them as equals actually constitutes an uncivilized way of life
- A mother sometimes cares for her son by combing his hair, massaging his body with oil, or bathing him. Similarly, the wife of the teacher is also a mother (guru-patni), and therefore she may also care for the disciple in a motherly way
- According to the acintya-bhedabheda philosophy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, there are varieties, but all of them constitute one unit. Such knowledge is knowledge of perfect oneness
- Although when he (the brahmacari) goes out to beg alms it is necessary to talk with women and with men very much attached to women, this association should be very short, and he should talk with them only about begging alms, and not more
- Another point to be observed from this verse (SB 7.12.13-14) is that from the brahmacari-asrama one may accept the sannyasa-asrama, vanaprastha-asrama or grhastha-asrama. It is not compulsory for a brahmacari to become a grhastha
- As stated in the Brahma-samhita (BS 5.38), andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham: the Lord is situated within the universe, within the heart of every living entity and also within the atom
- At the present time there are many educational institutions for training and technology, but such knowledge has nothing to do with understanding of the Absolute Truth
- At the present time, in the age of Kali, practically everyone is a sudra, and no one is a dvija. Therefore the condition of society has very much deteriorated
B
- Because the ultimate aim is to understand the Absolute Truth, there is no necessity of going through all the different asramas. Thus one may proceed to the sannyasa-asrama directly from the brahmacari-asrama
- Brahmacarya essentially means the vow not to marry but to observe strict celibacy (brhad-vrata). A brahmacari or sannyasi should avoid talking with women or reading literature concerning talks between man and woman
H
I
- If a butter pot and fire are kept together, the butter within the pot will certainly melt. Woman is compared to fire, and man is compared to a butter pot
- If one desires to advance in spiritual life but he acts whimsically, not following the orders of the spiritual master, he has no shelter. Yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto 'pi
- If the spiritual master's orders allow a grhastha to engage in sex life at a particular time, then the grhastha may do so; otherwise, if the spiritual master orders against it, the grhastha should abstain
- If the wife of the teacher is a young woman, a young brahmacari should not allow such a mother to touch him. This is strictly prohibited
- In spiritual life, whether one is a grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasi or brahmacari, everyone is under the control of the spiritual master
- Indeed, his mind is agitated even if one is in the renounced order of life
- It is not that because one is a grhastha he may marry as many times as he likes and indulge in sex life as he likes. This is not spiritual life. In spiritual life, one must conduct one's whole life under the guidance of the guru
- It is sometimes misunderstood that a grhastha, a householder, is permitted to indulge in sex at any time. This is a wrong conception of grhastha life
M
O
- On the spiritual platform, the learned person not only gives up the duality of man and woman, but also gives up the duality of man and animal. This is the test of self-realization
- One must accept the inconceivable quality of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for no one can understand from the material point of view how the Lord is all-pervasive and yet is situated in His own abode, Goloka Vrndavana
- One must be well conversant with the sources of all the bodily constituents. Then one becomes a self-realized person, or atmavan, one who knows the self
- One must realize perfectly that the living being is spirit soul but is tasting various types of material bodies. One may theoretically understand this, but when one has practical realization, then he actually becomes a pandita, one who knows
- Only one who executes his spiritual life under the direction of the spiritual master can achieve the mercy of Krsna. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah
S
- Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura accepted the sannyasa-asrama directly from the brahmacari-asrama. In other words, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura did not think it compulsory to accept the grhastha-asrama or vanaprastha-asrama
- Studying the Vedic literatures is compulsory for everyone but the sudras and antyajas
T
- Technology is meant for the sudras, whereas the Vedas are meant for the dvijas. Consequently this verse (SB 7.12.13-14) states, dvijo 'dhityavabudhya ca trayim sangopanisadam
- The body is a combination of skin, bone, muscle, blood, semen, urine, stool, heat, breath and so on, which all come from earth, water, fire, air and sky
- The body is an effect of a cause, namely the five material elements (earth, water, fire, air and sky). In other words, one should know perfectly well that the material body is nothing but a combination of the five elements
- The entire Vedic system teaches one to avoid sex life so that one may gradually progress from brahmacarya to grhastha, from grhastha to vanaprastha, and from vanaprastha to sannyasa and thus give up material enjoyment
- The grhastha is allowed to indulge in sex life during the period favorable for procreation and in accordance with the spiritual master's order
- The grhastha must obtain permission from the spiritual master to observe the ritualistic ceremony of garbhadhana-samskara. Then he may approach his wife to beget children, otherwise not
- The injunction restricting association with women is the basic principle of spiritual life. Associating or talking with women is never advised in any of the Vedic literatures
- The ksatriya is allowed to marry more than one wife, but this also must be in accordance with the instructions of the spiritual master
- The living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus one should understand that since the Supreme Lord has entered the atom, the living entities are also there
- The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (BG 9.4): "By Me, in My (Krsna's) unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them." The Lord can defy Himself. Thus there is variety in unity - ekatvam bahutvam
- The members of the three higher sections of society - namely the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas - must learn the Vedic literatures according to their capability and power to understand
- The relationship between the student or disciple and the wife of the spiritual master or teacher is like that between son and mother
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His original form, has not entered everything (apravistah), but in His impersonal form He has entered (pravistah). Thus He has entered and not entered simultaneously
- The Vedic literature gives the knowledge that can lead one to understand the Absolute Truth - Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan. Guru-kula, or the reformatory educational institution, should be used only to understand Vedic knowledge
- The word brhad-vrata refers to one who has decided not to marry, or in other words, not to indulge in sex life throughout his entire life
- There are seven kinds of mothers. These mothers are the original mother, the wife of the teacher or spiritual master, the wife of a brahmana, the king's wife, the cow, the nurse and the earth
- This is the beginning of self-realization. One must first understand how Brahman is present everywhere and how He is acting. This education is called brahma jijnasa and is the real concern of human life
- This knowledge (that material body is nothing but a combination of the five elements) constitutes merging of the material body and the five material elements
- This realization (that God is all-pervasive and yet is situated in His own abode) is possible if one strictly follows the regulative principles of asrama - brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa
- To be self-realized, one must understand the original sources of the various elements of the body
- To study the Vedas and understand them, of course, requires some special intelligence
U
- Unity in variety is real knowledge, and therefore giving up variety artificially does not reflect perfect knowledge of monism
- Unnecessary association with women, even with one's mother, sister or daughter, is strictly prohibited. This is human civilization
- Until one is self-realized, fully independent of the illusory conception of the material body, the duality of man and woman must undoubtedly continue, but when one is actually self-realized this distinction ceases
- Until that time (realize perfectly that the living being is spirit soul), the duality continues, and the conception of man and woman also continues. In this stage, one should be extremely careful about mixing with women
W
- We should understand that whenever the Supreme Personality of Godhead is present, He is present with all His paraphernalia, including His name, form, associates and servants
- When the spiritual master orders, the grhastha may accept sex life. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (BG 7.11): indulgence in sex life without disobedience to the religious rules and regulations constitutes a religious principle
- Without such knowledge (that Brahman is present everywhere), one cannot claim to be a human being; rather, he remains in the animal kingdom. As it is said, sa eva go-kharah: (SB 10.84.13) without such knowledge, one is no better than a cow or an ass
- Without the spiritual master's order, even the grhastha should not indulge in sex life