Irreligious life

Expressions researched:
"Irreligious life"

SB Canto 1

Irreligious life is a barbarous condition.

SB 1.1.2, Purport:

Religion includes four primary subjects, namely pious activities, economic development, satisfaction of the senses, and finally liberation from material bondage. Irreligious life is a barbarous condition. Indeed, human life begins when religion begins. Eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating are the four principles of animal life. These are common both to animals and to human beings. But religion is the extra function of the human being. Without religion, human life is no better than animal life. Therefore, in human societies there is some form of religion which aims at self-realization and which makes reference to man's eternal relationship with God.

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

SB 10.52.30, Translation:

(The Supreme Lord said:) O best of exalted brāhmaṇas, are your religious practices, sanctioned by senior authorities, proceeding without great difficulty? Is your mind always fully satisfied?

SB 11.21.15, Translation:

A mantra is purified when chanted with proper knowledge, and one's work is purified when offered to Me. Thus by purification of the place, time, substance, doer, mantras and work, one becomes religious, and by negligence of these six items one is considered irreligious.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Religious life is distinguished from the irreligious life of barbarism.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 23:

Religion includes four primary subjects: (1) pious activities, (2) economic development, (3) satisfaction of the senses, and (4) liberation from material bondage. Religious life is distinguished from the irreligious life of barbarism. Indeed, it may be said that human life actually begins with religion. The four principles of animal life-eating, sleeping, defending and mating—are common both to the animals and human beings, but religion is the special concern of human beings. Since human life is no better than animal life without religion, in real human society there is some form of religion aiming at self-realization and referring to one's eternal relationship with God.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Arjuna said, "If adharma, irreligious life, is propagated, on account of loss of kula-dharma, then everything is lost, my dear Kṛṣṇa. So why shall I kill?"

Lecture on BG 1.37-39 -- London, July 27, 1973:

If we observe strictly the rules and regulations of kula-dharma... Kula-dharma means if you are a brāhmaṇa, you must observe the regulative principles, the qualitative principles of a brāhmaṇa. If you are in, a kṣatriya, then you must also observe the kṣatriya principles.

All these are described in the Bhagavad-gītā, who is brāhmaṇa, who is kṣatriya, by symptoms. By symptoms we have to accept whether one is brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya or vaiśya, not by birth. That is the injunction of the śāstras. So this has to be observed. If we want actually deliverance from this material entanglement, so these rules and regulations of kula-dharma, we must observe. If we do not observe, then immediately we become irreligious. Dharme naṣṭe kṛtaṁ kṛtsnam adharmam abhibhavati iti uta. Uta, Arjuna said, "It is said." He has learned from higher authorities. Uta, "it is said" means "said by authorities." So "If adharma, irreligious life, is propagated, on account of loss of kula-dharma, then everything is lost, my dear Kṛṣṇa. So why shall I kill?" Other things also will be described later on, that the, when the male members are killed, the female members become widow, and they, their character becomes polluted. So many things Kṛṣṇa will speak about this family life.

At the present moment, there is no such family life, no consideration of religion, no consideration of irreligious life.

Lecture on BG 1.37-39 -- London, July 27, 1973:

So at the present moment, there is no such family life, no consideration of religion, no consideration of irreligious life. Everything, just like animals. Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. If not animals, they are all śūdras, nobody brāhmaṇa, nobody kṣatriya, nobody vaiśya. So it is a chaotic condition of the human society. Therefore it cannot be revived to the original position of systematic institutional position. It is not possible. Everything is lost. Therefore by the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's grace, one thing:

harer nāma harer nāma

harer nāmaiva kevalam

kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva

(nāsty eva) gatir anyatha.

(CC Adi 17.21)

Everything is lost. Now, simply by chanting harer nāma, the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, you become again situated in the original position. Everything is adjusted because it is transcendental. So there is no other way. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is so merciful that from the śāstras he has selected this process of saṅkīrtana movement: ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpanam (CC Antya 20.12). The human life is meant for extinguishing the blazing fire of material existence. But we are not in regulative principles. We have lost everything, our sanātana-kula-dharma, everything. Under the circumstances, Caitanya Mahāprabhu gives us the greatest facility according to śāstra. That is the boon of this age: kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, everyone becomes free from all contamination of this age, mukta-saṅgaḥ, paraṁ vrajet. And he becomes so purified that he becomes fit to go back to home, back to Godhead. So this opportunity, chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, we should not miss. We should... We must. Where is the difficulty, Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting? Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. This is the only savior for the human society of this age.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Rreligious life is barbarous condition. That is not civilized life. There must be religion. And religion means to know God.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 15, 1971:

Pradyumna: "Irreligious life is a barbarous condition."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. Irreligious life is barbarous condition. That is not civilized life. There must be religion. And religion means to know God, that is religion. Go on.

Pradyumna: "Indeed, human life begins when religion begins. Eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating are the four principles of animal life. These are common both to animals and to human beings. But religion is the extra function of the human beings. Without religion, human life is no better than animal life. Therefore, in human societies there is some form of religion which aims at self-realization and which makes reference to man's eternal relationship with God."

Prabhupāda: Now, at the present moment, religion is being sacrificed. So it is animal society. The other day, the gentleman was repeating, "Then we are animals." I said that "You are not only animals. There are other animals. You are Western animals; there are Eastern animals." They're all animals! We can challenge any scientist, any philosopher. Because they're godless, there is no religion, they're all animals. This is our declaration: animals. We don't take as human being. They're simply animals. Let them prove that they are not animals. Let them come here and prove that they're not animals. Mmm.