Go to Vanipedia | Go to Vanisource | Go to Vanimedia


Vaniquotes - the compiled essence of Vedic knowledge


Honest dealings

Expressions researched:
"behavior must be very honest" |"dealing must be very honestly" |"dealings must be very honest" |"dealings should be very honest" |"honest dealings" |"honest in dealing" |"honest in our dealings" |"honest in their dealings" |"honest, simple-dealing" |"honest, to be gentle, fair-dealing" |"which do You call honest"

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Preface and Introduction

All the sannyāsīs there were very much pleased with the Lord for His honest dealings, and they unanimously replied that they would not be offended by whatever He replied.
SB Introduction:

All the sannyāsīs there were very much pleased with the Lord for His honest dealings, and they unanimously replied that they would not be offended by whatever He replied. The Lord then spoke as follows:

"Vedānta-sūtra consists of transcendental words or sounds uttered by the transcendental Personality of Godhead. As such, in the Vedānta there cannot be any human deficiencies like mistake, illusion, cheating or inefficiency. The message of the Upaniṣads is expressed in the Vedānta-sūtra, and what is said there directly is certainly glorified. Whatever interpretations have been given by Śaṅkarācārya have no direct bearing on the sūtra, and therefore such commentation spoils everything.

"The word Brahman indicates the greatest of all, which is full with transcendental opulences, superior to all. Brahman is ultimately the Personality of Godhead, and He is covered by indirect interpretations and established as impersonal. Everything that is in the spiritual world is full of transcendental bliss, including the form, body, place and paraphernalia of the Lord. All are eternally cognizant and blissful. It is not the fault of the Ācārya Śaṅkara that he has so interpreted Vedānta, but if someone accepts it, then certainly he is doomed. Anyone who accepts the transcendental body of the Personality of Godhead as something mundane certainly commits the greatest blasphemy."

The Lord thus spoke to the sannyāsī almost in the same way that He spoke to the Bhaṭṭācārya of Purī, and by forceful arguments He nullified the Māyāvāda interpretations of the Vedānta-sūtra. All the sannyāsīs there claimed that the Lord was the personified Vedas and the Personality of Godhead.

SB Canto 2

There is no harm if one becomes the richest man in the world by honest dealings, but one should not sacrifice the honest means of livelihood simply to accumulate wealth.
SB 2.8.21, Purport:

One should also not accumulate money to become puffed up in the material world. One should earn his livelihood easily and honestly, for it is better to become a coolie for an honest livelihood than to become a great man in society by hook and crook. There is no harm if one becomes the richest man in the world by honest dealings, but one should not sacrifice the honest means of livelihood simply to accumulate wealth. Such an endeavor is harmful to devotional service.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

In dealings between lovers, we find that there are three classes of men. One class simply receives, another class reciprocates favorably, even if the lover is very contrary, and the third class neither acts contrary nor answers favorably in dealings of love. So out of these three classes, which do You prefer, or which do You call honest?"
Krsna Book 32:

Showed special favor to the gopīs, who were the selected beauties of all creation. Having gotten their most beloved Lord, the gopīs began to please Him by moving their eyebrows and smiling and also by suppressing their anger. Some of them took His lotus feet in their laps and massaged them. And while smiling, they confidentially expressed their suppressed anger and said, "Dear Kṛṣṇa, we are ordinary women of Vṛndāvana, and we do not know much about Vedic knowledge—what is right and what is wrong. We therefore put a question to You, and since You are very learned, You can answer it properly. In dealings between lovers, we find that there are three classes of men. One class simply receives, another class reciprocates favorably, even if the lover is very contrary, and the third class neither acts contrary nor answers favorably in dealings of love. So out of these three classes, which do You prefer, or which do You call honest?"

In answer, Kṛṣṇa said, "My dear friends, persons who simply reciprocate the loving dealings of the other party are just like merchants. They give in loving affairs as much as they get from the other party. Practically there is no question of love. It is simply self-interested or self-centered business dealing. Even those without a tinge of loving affairs are better than these merchants. Better than the first class is the second class of men, who love in spite of the opposite party's contrariness. Such sincere love can be seen when the father and mother love their children in spite of their children's neglect. The third class neither reciprocate nor neglect. They can be further divided into two classes. One comprises the self-satisfied, who do not require anyone's love. They are called ātmārāma, which means they are absorbed in the thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and so do not care whether one loves them or not. But another class comprises ungrateful men. They are called callous. The men in this group revolt against superior persons. For instance, a son, in spite of receiving all kinds of things from loving parents, may be callous and not reciprocate. Those in this class are generally known as guru-druhaḥ, which means they receive favors from the parents or the spiritual master and yet neglect them."

Light of the Bhagavata

In ancient days the citizens were God conscious and honest in their dealings, and the kings were responsible for the welfare of the state.
Light of the Bhagavata 2, Purport:

In ancient days the kings were taught lessons in political philosophy by ideal teachers, and the citizens from village to village were taught the principles of self-realization according to the Vedic codes for both the material and the spiritual upliftment of society. Therefore the citizens were God conscious and honest in their dealings, and the kings were responsible for the welfare of the state. The same basic principles are accepted in the democratic governments of the present day, for the irresponsible party of the people is always voted out of power and must yield to the responsible party for a better government. In the cosmic administration there is only one party, which consists of the servants of God, and the responsible deities of the various planets maintain the cosmic laws in terms of the orders of the Supreme Lord. But the people suffer on account of their own folly.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

One must be very honest in dealing.
Lecture on BG 2.13-17 -- Los Angeles, November 29, 1968:

One must be enthusiastic, one must be patient, one must be confident, one must execute the duties, one must associate with devotees, and one must be very honest in dealing. Six things. If these six things are there, sure success.

Your dealings must be very honest, not duplicity.
Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Ahmedabad, December 14, 1972:

Don't be disappointed. Go on with your regulative principles, as they are advised in the śāstra and the guru... Sādhu-guru-śāstra-vākya. We have to stick to the principles. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī says, utsāhād dhairyād niścayāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, sato vṛtteḥ saṅga-tyāgāt ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati. The first thing is utsāha. Utsāha. Simply on the words of Kṛṣṇa, that Kṛṣṇa says sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), we must be very enthusiastic, that "I must surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Although my mind is going outside, but I must be determined that I must surrender." Utsāha. This is called utsāha, enthusiasm. Dhairya. Dhairya means patience: "Oh, I wanted to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. My mind is going somewhere else. This disturbance." Therefore the dhairya. You must be patient. Utsāhād dhairyād niścayāt. Niścaya means must be confident. "Kṛṣṇa has said that 'You surrender unto Me,' and He will give me protection. He must give me. So I must surrender." This is called niścaya. Utsāhād dhairyād niścayāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt. And you must execute your business as it is advised by the śāstra and guru. So utsāhād dhairyād niścayāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, sato vṛtteḥ. Your dealings must be very honest, not duplicity. Tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt sato vṛtteḥ saṅga-tyāgāt.

Therefore this association is required. Sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.54). Sādhu-saṅga is very powerful thing. Therefore we have opened this society. Society means if you come to the society, and if the society is nice, then automatically you learn, you become attached. Just like if we mix, intermingle with drunkard society, gradually we become drunkards. Similarly, if we intermingle with the sādhus, with the devotees, then automatically we become devotee.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

Dealings must be very honest. No duplicity. Very frank, plain.
The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 24, 1972:

You have to execute the routine prescribed duties. Tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt. You cannot go against the principles of devotional service. With patience, you must execute. Tat-tat-pravartanāt. Sato vṛtteḥ. Sato vṛtteḥ means dealings must be very honest. No duplicity. Very frank, plain. Sato vṛtteḥ, sādhu-saṅge, and in association of devotees. Ṣaḍbhir bhaktir praṇasya..., uh, prasidhyati. In this way, our propensity for, of love for Kṛṣṇa will increase.

General Lectures

We are trying to educate people to be honest, to be gentle, fair-dealing, but actually, the result is people are becoming dishonest, miscreant, rogue, thief, due to (lack of) God consciousness.
Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972:

Anyone who has got devotion to the Lord, he is qualified with all the good qualities. Just like you are God conscious, so you have invited us to hear because you..., the good qualities are there. So without God consciousness there cannot be any good qualities. We are trying to educate people to be honest, to be gentle, fair-dealing, but actually, the result is people are becoming dishonest, miscreant, rogue, thief, due to (lack of) God consciousness. Just like in the airport, all gentlemen are searched out. What does it mean? That every one of us (is) dishonest. That is to be understood. So what the education has produced? Simply dishonest men. Why? Because godlessness.

Departure Talks

Dealing must be very honestly, no hypocrisy.
Departure Lecture -- Caracas, February 25, 1975:

Although we are determined to go back to home, back to Godhead, so we should patiently follow the rules and regulations. So these are the six principles: enthusiasm and firm determination and patience and executing the regulative principles, tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, and sato vṛtteḥ, means behavior must be very honest, no duplicity, and utsāhād dhairyāt niścayāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, and sato vṛtteḥ, dealing must be very honestly, no hypocrisy, tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, sādhu-saṅga, and in the association of devotees. If you follow these six principles, namely enthusiasm, determination, patience, and executing the regulative principles and keep yourself honest and in the association of devotee, if you follow these six principle, then your success is sure.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

People were God-fearing, honest, simple-dealing.
Conversation on Roof -- December 26, 1975, Sanand:

Everything, God's property. You enjoy for livelihood what is given to you. That's all. That is perfect philosophy. "I am the proprietor." That was the system in Vedic civilization. God is proprietor. King is the representative of God. He knows.... He gives you some land, that "You take this land, produce your livelihood, utilizing this land, and whatever you produce, one fourth give me." Not a fixed tax. "If you produce, one fourth is mine. If you don't produce, there is no tax." This was the system. And that includes all tax. No botheration. So people were God-fearing, honest, simple-dealing. So "I have produced a hundred mounds of rice. The king, you can take twenty-five mounds. That is my obligation." And king is also satisfied. By distributing that grain, he maintains the whole government.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Rūpa Gosvāmī has said: "The dealings should be very honest."
Room Conversation With Radha-Damodara Sankirtana Party -- March 16, 1976, Mayapur:

One who has no other business than to serve Kṛṣṇa, he is sādhu. So the association of such sādhu.... Sādhu, sato vṛtteḥ sādhu-saṅge. Whatever a sādhu does, there is no fault. Everything is right. But still, because we are in this material world, we shall act in such a way that nobody can accuse us. Sato vṛtteḥ. Sādhu is above all this vṛtti, but still, you keep pace with the material world, otherwise your activities will be hampered. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī has said sato vṛtti: "The dealings should be very honest." Sato vṛtteḥ sādhu saṅge, ṣaḍbhiḥ, six items. Utsāhān, enthusiasm; dhairyāt, patience. Utsāhān dhairyāt niścayāt, with confidence. So enthusiasm, patience, confidence. Tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt. You have to act according to the prescribed way, and sato vṛtteḥ, and dealings very honest, and sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). Everything perfect.

Page Title:Honest dealings
Compiler:Labangalatika, Madhavananda
Created:29 of Sep, 2009
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=2, CC=0, OB=2, Lec=5, Con=2, Let=0
No. of Quotes:11