Vedic life

Expressions researched:
"vedic life" |"vedic way of life"

SB Canto 1

SB 1.9.26, Purport: An intelligent man abuses his great qualifications if he does not follow the Vedic way of life. This means he must seriously make a study of the Vedic literatures, especially of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the Bhagavad-gītā.

SB 1.18.41, Purport: In the Vedic way of life, the king is trained to become a rājarṣi, or a great saint, although he is ruling as king.

SB 1.18.45, Purport: The Vedic way of life is the progressive march of the civilization of the Āryans.

SB 1.18.45, Purport: The perfect way of life gives all sorts of instruction in things both material and spiritual. The Vedic way of life does not allow any man to be like the monkeys and dogs.

SB Canto 3

SB 3.30.14, Purport: In the Vedic way of life one has to give up family life when he is strong enough.

SB Canto 4

SB 4.19.23, Purport: No one can introduce any new system into the Vedic way of life; if one does so out of malice, he is to be known as a pāṣaṇḍī, or atheist.

SB 4.29.54, Purport: Unfortunately, so-called followers of Vedic life do not give up their family even at the end of life, unless they are forced by death.

SB Canto 5

SB 5.4.5, Purport: This is the way of Vedic life. One must stop the process of repeated birth and death and return home, back to Godhead.

SB Canto 7

SB 7.11.13, Purport: One should not waste semen on sensual pleasure, violating the principles of Vedic life.

SB 7.12 Summary: A gṛhastha is not meant to enjoy sex life without restriction. Indeed, the whole purpose of Vedic life is to become free from sexual indulgence.

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

SB 10.5.7, Purport: How happy they were. As described elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam, during Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's time the cows were so happy that they used to muddy the pasturing ground with milk. This is Indian civilization. Yet in the same place, India, Bhārata-varṣa, how much people are suffering by giving up the Vedic way of life and not understanding the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā.

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 3.87, Purport: The authentic scriptures are compiled by personalities like Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Asita and Parāśara, who are not ordinary men. All the followers of the Vedic way of life have accepted these famous personalities, whose authentic scriptures conform to the Vedic literature.

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 8.220, Translation: “One who is attracted by that ecstatic love of the gopīs does not care about popular opinion or the regulative principles of Vedic life. Rather, he completely surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa and renders service unto Him.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 4.21 -- Bombay, April 10, 1974: Therefore in the Vedic way of life the beginning of life is tapasya, brahmacārī, brahmacārī. A student is sent to gurukula for practicing brahmacarya. This is tapasya, not comfortable life.

Lecture on BG 4.28 -- Bombay, April 17, 1974, Purport: This is the secret. If one has unflinching faith in Kṛṣṇa and unflinching faith to his spiritual master, then automatically the Vedic knowledge becomes awakened. This is a fact, you can see. They never knew what is Vedic life, Vedic knowledge, but how they have become so nice perfect devotee? That unflinching faith. That is required.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972: The sense gratification process is going on by the hogs and dogs throughout the whole life, but we should not be like hogs and dogs. We should cease at a certain time. Pañcaśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. So far, no more. That should be our model. Not that continue. That, that is Vedic way of life. Pravṛttiṁ-nivṛtti. So long pravṛtti, attraction for household life, and next nivṛtti, "Now I shall be detached.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.3.11-12 -- Los Angeles, September 17, 1972: So there are different terms. So according to our Vedic line of thought, anyone who does not accept the Vedic way of life, he is called atheist. Therefore Buddhist, according to Vedantists, Buddhist are called atheist. Actually Buddha philosophy does not accept God, neither soul.

Lecture on SB 1.8.52 -- Los Angeles, May 14, 1973: So these are four kinds of sinful activities. So out of that, sūnā is one. That is also divided in many divisions, at least five. Willingly, we are not going to kill anybody, but unwillingly... Therefore there is pañca-sūnā-yajña. You have to perform yajña every day to counteract the sinful reaction of your imperceptible killings of animals. That's it. This is Vedic life.

Lecture on SB 1.16.22 -- Los Angeles, July 12, 1974: In this Kali-yuga everything is topsy-turvied. The Vedic way of life... For living condition, we require to eat, we require to take bath, we require to sleep, we require to have sex also. Everything must be in regulative principle. Because human life means regulative principles.

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Boston, May 4, 1968: Guest (3): Well, if everybody remained celibate, Prabhupāda: That you can voluntarily do. That is brahmacārī. That is restraint. That is mahātmā. That is recommended in Vedic life, that you can have sex life only for children. That's all. Therefore sex life without any desire of children is not good. Yes.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6-8 -- New York, July 21, 1971: So Śukadeva Gosvāmī suggests that you should know the responsibility, and according to the gravity of sinful life, you should accept some type of atonement as they are described in the śāstras. Actually, according to Vedic way of life, there is a class of brāhmaṇas who... Just like you go when you are diseased. You go to the doctor for atonement, for paying doctor's bill, similarly, they go to a bhaṭṭācārya. The bhaṭṭācārya is supposed to give him prescription that "I've committed such sins, sir. What is my atonement?" He gives you a prescription that "You do like this."

Lecture on SB 6.1.56-62 -- Surat, January 3, 1971, at Adubhai Patel's House: Ajāmila's qualities were stated at the same time. In the beginning it is stated that kānyakubje dvijaḥ kaścid dāsī-patir ajāmilaḥ. Dāsī-pati. He was attached to a prostitute, dāsī-pati. A prostitute is called dāsī, and wife is called dharma-patnī. These are distinction. There are distinction of dresses also, according to Vedic way of life. The prostitute would separate the hair here, not in the middle. Yes, what is called?

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 32 -- New York, July 26, 1971: You cannot touch others' body, others' property. You cannot touch. That is Vedic life. So in all scriptures it is stated that man should live on fruits and vegetables. Their teeth are made in that way. They can eat very easily and digest.

General Lectures

Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, January 19, 1969: So in the Vedic literature, in India, you know there were many saintly persons, great scholars from time immemorial. Even not very recently, say, five hundred years ago there were such men, personalities. Now it is almost finished, but still, if you find, you will see there are great sages, saintly persons, who understand the meaning of Vedic literature, and they live up to the standard of Vedic life. So that is the definition given by great saints and sages, this definition given by Parāśara Muni, a great sage.

Lecture -- London, September 16, 1969: Therefore in Vedic civilization a certain period is devoted for accepting renounced order of life, sannyāsa. Compulsory. This sannyāsa order, as we have accepted, it is compulsory regulative principle of Vedic way of life. The first twenty-five years brahmacārī, strict life of celibacy, student life, without any sex indulgence completely, up to twenty-five years. Then gṛhastha. That is not for also all. If somebody is unable to remain a brahmacārī all through, then the spiritual master gives him permission to marry a suitable girl and become a householder. This is called gṛhastha life. Then, up to fifty years, he can indulge in householder life. Householder life, according to Vedic civilization, is a sort of license for sense gratification. But not for all the time.

Hare Krishna Festival Address -- San Diego, July 1, 1972, At Balboa Park Bowl: Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of all planets, and one should be Kṛṣṇa's representative to rule over the planet. That is Vedic system. There cannot be any king or emperor who is not representative of God. It is the duty of the representative of God to take charge of a planet and educate the persons, the citizens, into God consciousness. That is Vedic way of life. Not that the chief executive or the government simply levies taxes from the citizens and let them go to hell. This is not good government. The government must be responsible for the uplift of the citizens to the spiritual life. That is real government.

Morning Lecture -- Allahabad, January 15, 1977: This material world is existing on this mithunī-bhāva. So tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam. Therefore you'll find in the Vedic way of life, sex indulgence is restricted. If we indulge in sex life than it is absolutely required, then we are gliding towards hellish condition of life. And if we follow the path of mahātmās, mahat-sevā, that is dvāram āhur vimukteḥ. We are making progress towards liberation.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Auguste Comte: So woman should always be engaged to assist the man in every respect in his religious life, in his social life, in his family life. That is real benefit of conjugal life. But if the woman does not agree with the man, and the man treats the woman as his servant, that is not good. The man should give the woman all protection and the woman should give all service to the man. That is ideal life, family life, conceived in the Vedic way of life.

1970 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- December 12, 1970, Indore:

Prabhupāda: Vedic ways. Yes. You can... The perfect word is Vedic civilization.

Guest (4): Vedic civilization.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is original civilization. Out of Vedic civilization there are so many outcome now, but if you go originally to the Vedic civilization, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find the word is vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15]. That means to follow the Vedic way of life means to become Kṛṣṇa conscious.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 17, 1971, Allahabad: Prabhupāda: There is no question of shown. Kṛṣṇa is accepted higher authority not only by us by big ācāryas like Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, those who are guiding our Vedic life in India, Caitanya. So Kṛṣṇa is accepted the highest authority. [break] Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nāsti: "There is no more higher authority than Me." Then, if you don't accept Kṛṣṇa as the higher authority, that is your business, but we accept Kṛṣṇa as the higher authority.

Room Conversation -- January 17, 1971, Allahabad: Prabhupāda: So in our, this Vedic way of life, to accept guru is essential. Even big, big ācārya... Even Kṛṣṇa, He accepted guru, Sandipani Muni. Lord Caitanya accepted guru, Īśvara Purī. They are perfect, but still, the ways They are showing because They are ācārya. Kṛṣṇa is teaching, taking the part of the ācārya, so he is also accepting, although the fact is as soon as went to, within a few days He learned everything. That is stated in our Kṛṣṇa Book. Within a few days He became expert warrior, expert magician, expert yogi, every..., so many things, all arts. But He learned from a guru. He is perfect Himself, Kṛṣṇa. He is called Yogesvara. He knows all the yoga process, but still, in order to teach us, because He is playing the part of a teacher, He shows us that you must learn from guru. "I am learning from guru."

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- August 30, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: These people are like frogs rotting in the well, and what they can understand of the Vedic knowledge?

David Lawrence: Yes. One of the themes, really, that interested me was this yearning, certainly it was true amongst the Jews, to return to a rural background, you know, to a rural sort of setting. I wondered if you felt much of the Vedas was in fact a firm belief an affirmation if you like, that the most true form of life, the most pure form of life is one that's lived alongside nature, not against nature as we seem to be doing in our urban setting.

Prabhupāda: What, I don't...

Śyāmasundara: In the Jewish tradition, they yearn for a life of living on farms, villages, small communities with cows and agriculture.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: Is this also expressed in the Vedas.

Prabhupāda: Oh yes.

David Lawrence: You feel that strongly.

Prabhupāda: Oh yes. That is real life. Real life means you have to minimize your bodily activities so that you can save time and devote for spiritual understanding. That is real life. And the present civilization based on bodily concept of life is animal life. It is not civilized life. Civilized life means athāto brahma jijñāsā. When one is advanced so much so that he inquires about the spirit soul. But there is no such inquiry. Like the cats and dogs, they cannot inquire what is spirit soul. So Vedic life means to become free as much as possible from the bodily disturbances. Therefore, the first education is to become brahmacārī, celibacy. You see? Now, at the present moment, they are trying to make the abortion as law. But these rascals cannot check their sex life. You see? Their philosophy is that you shall go on with sex life unrestrictedly and when there is pregnancy, kill the child.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Life Member -- Unknown Place 5 April, 1972: As you may know, my plan is to establish in this most auspicious city a unique International Krishna Conscious Training Center, where hundreds of persons from abroad may be educated in the Vedic way of life, while at the same time Indian boys and girls may be trained up for pracara work in foreign countries. We will construct classrooms, workrooms, dormitories, kitchens for large-scale public prasada distribution, a lecture hall, library, and a beautiful temple for the glorification of Radha and Krishna.

Letter to Life Member -- Unknown Place 5 April, 1972: ISKCON is creating men of character. Students are required to follow strictly the regulative principles of Vedic life: 1) No illicit sex-life (i.e. outside of marriage); 2) No intoxicants, including coffee, tea, cigarettes, drugs; 3) No gambling; 4) Vegetarian diet.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Tusta Krsna -- Hyderabad 23 August, 1976: Generally people are spoiling their lives for decorating the dead body and giving no attention at all to the spirit soul within. Our business is just the opposite, to give more time to the spiritual life and accept material necessities only as required. This makes life perfect. This is the Vedic way of life. We do not reject or accept anything until it is seen in the light of our Krsna Consciousness Movement. Anything favorable for Krsna consciousness we accept and anything unfavorable we reject, anukulasya sankalpah pratikulyam-vivarjanam.