Very simple life

Expressions researched:
"very simple life"

SB Canto 4

A devotee should lead a very simple life and not be disturbed by the duality of opposing elements. He should learn to tolerate them.

SB 4.22.24, Translation: A candidate for spiritual advancement must be nonviolent, must follow in the footsteps of great ācāryas, must always remember the nectar of the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, must follow the regulative principles without material desire and, while following the regulative principles, should not blaspheme others. A devotee should lead a very simple life and not be disturbed by the duality of opposing elements. He should learn to tolerate them.

SB Canto 6

A Kṛṣṇa conscious person does not change his profession, for his only profession is to attract the attention of Kṛṣṇa by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and living a very simple life, without following daily changes of fashion.

SB 6.5.14, Purport: Karmīs change their professions at any moment, but a Kṛṣṇa conscious person does not change his profession, for his only profession is to attract the attention of Kṛṣṇa by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and living a very simple life, without following daily changes of fashion. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, fashionable persons are taught to adopt one fashion—the dress of a Vaiṣṇava with a shaved head and tilaka. They are taught to be always clean in mind, dress and eating in order to be fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. What is the use of changing one's dress, sometimes wearing long hair and a long beard and sometimes dressing otherwise? This is not good. One should not waste his time in such frivolous activities. One should always be fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and take the cure of devotional service with firm determination.

SB Canto 7

In the human form of life one should not endeavor for unnecessary necessities, but should live a very simple life, just maintaining body and soul together.

SB 7.14.5, Purport: Being completely under the grip of material nature, the living entity must evolve again from the lower species to the higher species until he at last returns to human life and gets the chance to be freed from the material clutches. A wise man, however, learns from the śāstras and guru that we living entities are all eternal but are put into troublesome conditions because of associating with different modes under the laws of material nature. He therefore concludes that in the human form of life he should not endeavor for unnecessary necessities, but should live a very simple life, just maintaining body and soul together. Certainly one requires some means of livelihood, and according to one's varṇa and āśrama this means of livelihood is prescribed in the śāstras. One should be satisfied with this.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Our request is that you live here, very simple life. Kṛṣṇa will supply all your necessities.

Lecture on BG 10.8 -- July 31, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm): So our request is that you live here, very simple life. Kṛṣṇa will supply all your necessities. He's supplying to the birds and beasts, why not to you, devotee? Be confident that you'll get everything, whatever the necessities of life. Live without any sinful activities. Don't create unwanted troubles. That is called anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. So as soon as we are, stop, full stop, unwanted things, then tato niṣṭhā, then our, that beginning faith becomes firm. That is called niṣṭhā. Tato niṣṭhā tato ruciḥ. Then, taste, that one tasted this sort of life, he cannot give up. This is called taste.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Nobody can create such literature. But Vyāsadeva was leading very simple life, in a cottage.

Lecture on SB 2.3.24 -- Los Angeles, June 22, 1972: Primitive life means simple life. Keeping pace with the nature's law. It is very nice. Primitive life ... It gives you anxiety-free life, and therefore, even if you take it as primitive, the saintly persons, sages, they used to live long, long years, and their brain was so sharp, because they were taking natural food, fruits, grains, and milk that helps to develop human brain for understanding subtle subject matter. So even Vyāsadeva... You have seen the picture of Vyāsadeva. He's writing books just near a cottage only. But he's writing. Nobody can create such literature. But he was leading very simple life, in a cottage.

We can live very simple life. We can sit down on the floor, we can lie down on the floor.

Lecture on SB 3.12.19 -- Dallas, March 3, 1975: I was going from Los Angeles to Hawaii. One priest, he came to me in the plane. So he asked my permission, "Can I talk with you?" "Yes, why not?" So his first question was that "I see your disciples very bright-faced. How it has been done?" He's sincere. So where is the loss? By undergoing, by denying all these things, sinful activities, we are not loser. We can live very simple life. We can sit down on the floor, we can lie down on the floor. We don't require much furniture, neither large amount of gorgeous dress.

Human life should be very easy, very easy. Living very simple life and eating very healthy food, living in open space, no quarrel, no antagonism, everyone is happy, everyone is free.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- London, September 17, 1969: People are now entangled in hard working. Actually, human life should be very easy, very easy. No hard work. Living very simple life and eating very healthy food, living in open space, no quarrel, no antagonism, everyone is happy, everyone is free. That is human civilization. Not to become entangled. But at the present moment we have become entangled. So Ṛṣabhadeva says that mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ [SB 5.5.2]. If we actually want liberation from this entanglement, then we should associate with mahātmās, great souls.

The great sages lived very simple life, very simple life. Not waste time for so-called economic development, skyscraper building, subways and so on, so on.

Lecture on SB 5.5.15 -- Vrndavana, November 3, 1976: The great sages, ṛṣis, they wrote so many books, but they used to live in a cottage. Only the kings, the kṣatriya, because they had to rule over, they used to construct big, big palaces. No one else. They lived very simple life, very simple life. Not waste time for so-called economic development, skyscraper building, subways and so on, so on. This was not Vedic civilization. This is asuric civilization.

A Vaiṣṇava requires very simple life.

Lecture on SB 6.1.39-40 -- Surat, December 21, 1970: One of the qualification, brāhmaṇa, is, ṣaḍ-laksa (?), ārjava, simplicity. The rogues cannot be simple. Always intriguing, making plan, plotting—these are roguisms. But a Vaiṣṇava requires very simple life. Satya-śama-dama-titikṣa-ārjava [Bg. 18.42]. (someone sneezing) Ārjavam means simplicity.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Read our books, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, live very simple life, produce your own necessities. Don't go to the town.

Arrival Address -- Paris, August 11, 1975: You will see practically these boys and girls, they are young men, young girls, they have got so many desires, but they have given up, and they are able to continue like that because they are making progress in spiritual life. So read our books, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, live very simple life, produce your own necessities. Don't go to the town. Of course, for selling books we can go. (laughter) Our policy is not that to decry material advancement of civilization, but our instruction is that do not forget your real business, self-realization.

General Lectures

We live very simple life. Whatever little necessity of money is there, that we can gather by selling these books.

Lecture at World Health Organization -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:

Guest (5): And did you need money?

Prabhupāda: Well, we get money. We sell these books also. If they require money, there is money also. But we live very simple life. Whatever little necessity of money is there, that we can gather by selling these books. Even in Indian parliament, the question was raised, "Wherefrom this ISKCON movement gets their money?" Some Communist member raised this question. And the home member replied, "They get money by selling literature." That's a fact.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

In the Vedic culture the ideal class of men were the brāhmaṇas. Their qualification was: truthful, self-controlled, mind and the senses, and then tolerant, very simple life, full of knowledge, practical application of knowledge in life and full faith in God.

Room Conversation with Richard Webster, chairman, Societa Filosofica Italiana -- May 24, 1974, Rome: Prabhupāda: At the present moment there is all over the world... We are touring all over the world. It is very hard to find out ideal class of men. That is the defect. In the Vedic culture the ideal class of men were the brāhmaṇas. Their qualification was: truthful, self-controlled, mind and the senses, and then tolerant, very simple life, full of knowledge, practical application of knowledge in life and full faith in God. These are ideal character. But such men are not available at the present moment.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Our devotees chant holy name of God, lead very simple life. So we are creating first-class men.

Room Conversation with Mr. & Mrs. Wax, Writer and Editing Manager of Playboy Magazine -- July 5, 1975, Chicago: Prabhupāda: We are trying to raise a group of men who will be ideal. Just like our devotees. You will find their characters different from all others, at least in your country. They do not have illicit sex, they do not eat meat, they do not have any intoxication, even smoking or taking tea, they do not indulge in gambling, they chant holy name of God, lead very simple life. So we are creating first-class men. There is need. It is not that everyone will become first-class man, but at least a section of man must be first-class so that others can see that what is the ideal character of man. So this Gurukula means from the childhood age we are training them so that in future it will be easier. That is the purpose of Gurukula.

So far we are concerned, we shall live very simple life, simply in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Room Conversation -- October 5, 1975, Mauritius: Prabhupāda: Another boy, Alfred Ford, he's the great grandson of Mr. Henry Ford. He has given. He is giving still money. He is prepared with all his money. So those who are after money, material things, we have to induce them that "Spend for me," that's all, and let him earn. So far we are concerned, we shall live very simple life, simply in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa does not go to construct big, big house. He simply constructs his character, and the other kṣatriyas and vaiśyas, they offer him, "Please come here and sit down."

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Live very simple life—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra.

Morning Walk -- April 9, 1976, Vrndavana:

Devotee (2): Which way is India headed towards? The capitalists or the Communists?

Prabhupāda: India has no, had no such ideas. They are borrowing ideas. India's idea is self-realization. Live very simple life—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. The brāhmaṇas, they are living simple life, becoming very learned scholar, pure character, advanced in spiritual life—one class, ideal.

We don't smoke, don't drink. There is no expenditure. Don't go to cinema, don't read newspaper or ordinary magazines, nothing. We have got reading matter. Practically we are noncooperating.

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: We really don't require very much for our maintenance. As you can see, we live a very simple life.

Prabhupāda: Just like these boys, they are practiced to sit down. We have kept two chairs for the visitors. (laughter) We don't require. We can lie down on the floor. We can use only one or two cloths, that's all, throughout the whole year. We have no demands, only bare necessities. We don't smoke, don't drink. There is no expenditure. Don't go to cinema, don't read newspaper or ordinary magazines, nothing. We have got reading matter. Practically we are noncooperating.

Very simple life. Food grains and milk. You can prepare hundreds of nice preparations.

Radio Interview -- July 27, 1976, London: Prabhupāda: We have got many farms all over the world. They are living very happy. Have you got some pictures?

Jayatīrtha: Of the cows?

Prabhupāda: No, of our farms, farmland. Leading very simple life, in your country, in, I mean to say, America, Europe. Very simple life. Food grains and milk. You can prepare hundreds of nice preparations, full of vitamins, nutritious. And they do not know how to live civilized life.

After all Gandhi wanted to live very simple life in a cottage, why he declared war against the Britishers? What was the necessity?

Room Conversation with Life Member, Mr. Malhotra -- December 22, 1976, Poona:

Mr. Malhotra: Gandhi's place, Wardha.

Prabhupāda: Wardha. And I saw his cottage and everything. So I said this is the... After all he wanted to live very simple life in a cottage, why he declared war against the Britishers? What was the necessity? (Hindi) Britishers would never tackled you or objected. The villagers were using. Why so much energy was engaged, to drive away the Britishers?

Mr. Malhotra: No, he wanted the country to be free from the foreign rule.

Prabhupāda: No, now what freedom we have got? (laughter)

Mr. Malhotra: That is a different thing.

Prabhupāda: But that means we do not get such information from Bhagavad-gītā, that "Make your country free." Why he took Bhagavad-gītā and did this business, miscreant (?) business. He took Bhagavad-gītā and he was busy declaring war. Because politically, sometimes required. But the thing is that if your ideal is to live very simple life... His, I mean to say, followers, Jawaharlal Nehru, he did not take up this.

Mr. Malhotra: He used to stay in bhangi colonies, Gandhi. Hm?

Prabhupāda: So, and he was killed in the bhangi colony. No, he was killed in the Birla's place. And there is not a single picture of Kṛṣṇa. Although he was thinking, "This is my life, Bhagavad-gītā," without Kṛṣṇa. What is this?

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

No luxuries. Live very simple life and you save time for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Room Conversation -- October 8, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: No luxuries. Live very simple life and you save time for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Haṁsadūta: Yes, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: That is my desire. Don't waste time for bodily comforts. You have got this body. You have to eat something. You have to cover yourself. So produce your own food and produce your own cloth. Don't waste time for luxury, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is success of life. In this way organize as far as possible, either in Ceylon or in Czechoslovakia, wherever... Save time. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Don't be allured by the machine civilization.