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In the material world, even goodness is sometimes contaminated with tinges of passion and ignorance. Therefore in the material world nothing can be in pure goodness

Expressions researched:
"in the material world, even goodness is sometimes contaminated with tinges of passion and ignorance. Therefore in the material world nothing can be in pure goodness"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Sattvic means goodness. So goodness . . . in the material world, even goodness is sometimes contaminated with tinges of passion and ignorance. Therefore in the material world nothing can be in pure goodness.

Prabhupāda: That in the material world there are three qualities: the quality of goodness, the quality of passion, the quality of ignorance. These three qualities are working. We see varieties in this material world due to the interaction of these three qualities. So there are varieties of men. Some of them are in good quality, some of them are in quality of passion, some of them are in the quality of ignorance. Therefore they have got different types of faith also, not that your faith or my faith may be the same, because you may be in the quality of goodness, I may be in the quality of passion or ignorance.

So faith is according to the particular quality of the person who is professing that faith. So the sattvic faith, the faith in goodness, that is faith in Brahman, the Supreme. That is called goodness, brahminical faith. And above this . . . this is sattvic. Sattvic means goodness. So goodness . . . in the material world, even goodness is sometimes contaminated with tinges of passion and ignorance. Therefore in the material world nothing can be in pure goodness.

So one has to transcend the goodness platform of this material world and come to the platform of pure goodness, śuddha-sattva, where there is no more contamination of passion and ignorance. That platform is called God consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Guest (2): Is faith in God more necessary than proper protection? In other words, is this process actually more necessary?

Prabhupāda: Well, when one has got faith in God he must have the necessary activities. Otherwise, what kind of faith it is? Just like if I say that, "I have faith in you, but I don't trust you," what kind of faith I have got? If I say: "My dear friend, I have faith in you," and if you want me to do something, I don't do it, then if I say, "How can I do it?" then what kind of faith that is? So this sort of faith is not required. Faith means real faith.

So whenever there is real faith, there is activity also. That is faith. When there is real Kṛṣṇa consciousness, God consciousness, then there is activity for pleasing the God. Simply I believe in God simply for exacting things from God, that is a different type of faith. That is in the lowest stage. Just like a small child, he has got faith, but if a learned, educated child, he has got different faith, "Oh, my father, my mother, they have done so much for us," oh, he wants to repay. He wants to oblige the father. That is also another faith, the same faith.

So somebody is trying, "O God, give us our daily bread." This is also faith. But somebody is trying how to please God. He is not asking . . . because he knows that "If God is father, then he is supplying bread to animals, to birds and beasts. Why not to me? So my bread is already guaranteed. So let me serve the father." This is higher type of faith. "Why shall I ask, bother, my father? If he is father, then he has already made arrangement for my eating."

That is natural. Does it mean that every day the child asks father, mother, "Mother, father, give me my bread"? Oh, the father is already preparing bread for you. He'll call you. But he is lacking the faith. He is asking. Another is not asking; he is confident that, "Father will give me bread. Now let me serve my father." This is higher type of faith.

So the faith, there are different standards of faith. One faith is trying to exact, and one faith is trying to give everything. So these two types of faith. So which one is better? Anyone can judge. Just like Arjuna, in the beginning he had faith in Kṛṣṇa. He said: "Kṛṣṇa, please give me instruction. I am not talking any more as friend. I accept You as my spiritual master." So he had faith, good faith.

Page Title:In the material world, even goodness is sometimes contaminated with tinges of passion and ignorance. Therefore in the material world nothing can be in pure goodness
Compiler:SharmisthaK
Created:2022-10-11, 08:58:33
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1