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Wrong type of...

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 2

The way of materialistic life leads to the wrong type of human civilization.
SB 2.6.26, Purport:

Fruitive action is being carried on by the help of material science and to a little extent by gross material help, but the materialists await a still more subtle advancement in the process of vibrating sounds on which the Vedic hymns are established. Gross material science cannot divert the real purpose of human life. They can only increase the artificial needs of life without any solution to the problems of life; therefore the way of materialistic life leads to the wrong type of human civilization. Since the ultimate aim of life is spiritual realization, the direct way of invoking the holy name of the Lord, as mentioned above, is precisely recommended by Lord Caitanya, and people of the modern age can easily take advantage of this simple process, which is tenable for the condition of the complicated social structure.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Sri Isopanisad

Due to the wrong type of education being imparted in our universities, boys all over the world are giving their elders headaches.
Sri Isopanisad 10, Purport:

In the modern society, even a boy thinks himself self-sufficient and pays no respect to elderly men. Due to the wrong type of education being imparted in our universities, boys all over the world are giving their elders headaches. Thus Śrī Īśopaniṣad very strongly warns that the culture of nescience is different from that of knowledge. The universities are, so to speak, centers of nescience only; consequently scientists are busy discovering lethal weapons to wipe out the existence of other countries. University students today are not given instructions in the regulative principles of brahmacarya (celibate student life), nor do they have any faith in any scriptural injunctions. Religious principles are taught for the sake of name and fame only and not for the sake of practical action. Thus there is animosity not only in social and political fields but in the field of religion as well.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Hog civilization is to work hard day and night to find out where is food, where is shelter, where is sex, and where is defense. Wrong type of civilization. The human civilization means "Where is Brahman, the Absolute Truth?"
Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Manila, October 12, 1972:

Those who are blind, apaśyatām ātma-tattvam, blind about understanding the soul, they have got many thousands and thousands of matter, subject matter for hearing—useless. The human life is meant for understanding what I am and what is God, what is my relationship with God. That is the real purpose of human life. Otherwise, "Where is food?", "Where is shelter?", "Where is service?", "Where is sex?", these are the inquiries of the animals only. The hog also inquiring, "Where is stool? Where is stool? Where is stool?" The stool-eater, he is also working hard, "Where is stool? Where is stool? Where is stool?" Do you think that is very creditable task, to work hard day and night for finding out where is stool? This is hog's business. So at the present moment, the civilization is going on, "Where is food?", "Where is apartment?", "Where is sex?" and "Where is defense?" So these are the inquiries of the animals. They are also searching "Where is food?", "Where is shelter?", "Where is sex?" and "Where is defense?" Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām. The human life is meant for inquiring "Where is God?" That is human life. Not "Where is stool?" That is hog's business. So we should not encourage this hog civilization. Hog civilization is to work hard day and night to find out where is food, where is shelter, where is sex, and where is defense. Wrong type of civilization. The human civilization means "Where is Brahman, the Absolute Truth?" Athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is the Vedānta-sūtra. "Where is God?" "What I am?" These are the inquiries.

People are fed up with this wrong type of civilization. This is not civilization.
Lecture on BG 7.9-10 -- Bombay, February 24, 1974:

People are fed up with this wrong type of civilization. This is not civilization. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. Day and night. This is also warned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma
yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti
na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam
asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ
(SB 5.5.4)

Ṛṣabhadeva said that "These rascals," pramattaḥ, pramattaḥ, "has become mad." Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma: "Always engaged in mischievous activities." These rascals, these materialistic persons. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. "They have become mad, and their business is..." Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). Vikarma, akarma and vikarma. Vikarma means activities which are forbidden in the śāstra. Just like according to Vedic principles, at least a brāhmaṇa, a leader, a king should avoid these four principles of sinful activities. What is that? Meat-eating, illicit sex life, gambling and intoxication. At least, these four men, who is leading the public or who is a brāhmaṇa or who is a king, he must be very much cautious about... But just see what is the... Everyone, practically, they are addicted to these sinful activities.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Human nature should be like that, that "Why should we work so hard, simply for eating, sleeping, mating?" This is a wrong type of civilization.
Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Los Angeles, August 23, 1972:

Human nature should be like that, that "Why should we work so hard, simply for eating, sleeping, mating?" This is a wrong type of civilization. But at the modern age, the human society is so made that one has to work like ass, whole day and night, simply for satisfying these four necessities of life. That is also not guaranteed. We thought that in your country... When I was in India, I was contemplating coming to your country. I thought that America is very rich. "There is no problem for eating, sleeping, mating." Actually, there is nil. There is no problem. But the civilization is so made that there is no shelter. They are lying down on the park, on the street. Why? There was no necessity, but they have created such civilization, that a certain section of people are voluntarily, or being obliged, lying down on the street, on the park, no dress, no food, no fixed..., fixed-up sex life. Everything is topsy-turvied. Everything is topsy-turvied. But this is not civilization, this is not civilization. Then how they can understand God? Their mind is always disturbed and full of anxiety.

Why should we identify ourself as animal—"I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am this"? It is wrong type of civilization, go-khara civilization.
Lecture on SB 2.3.20 -- Bombay, March 24, 1977, At Cross Maidan Pandal:

Everyone has to give up this body, material body. You cannot remain permanently Indian or this party or that party. You have to change your body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). So why should you waste your time in this way, that "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am horse," "I am cat," "I am dog"? There is no difference. If a dog is thinking that "I am dog," and if I am thinking "I am Indian," where is the difference? The mentality is the same: I'm identifying with the body. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke. Anyone who is thinking of this body as himself,

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ
yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij
janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ
(SB 10.84.13)

Go-khara. Go means cow, and khara means ass. Anyone who's identifying with this body as self, he's go-khara, animal. So this animal civilization is not meant for India's culture. India's culture is different. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). This is India's culture. Why should we identify ourself as animal—"I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am this"? It is wrong type of civilization, go-khara civilization.

Instead of utilizing intelligence, if we increase our foolishness, that's the wrong type of civilization.
Lecture on SB 7.6.9 -- Vrndavana, December 11, 1975:

They are constructing big, big roads, motorcars, and skyscraper building, but there is no assurance that you'll be able to enjoy it. That is not possible. At any moment, finished. Your skyscraper building, your big, big road, your big, big motorcars, it will remain where you manufactured and you have to leave. That they do not see. This is called mūḍha. Mūḍho nābhijānāti. They..., they're not They are afraid of death, but on account of foolishness they declare, "Oh, we don't We are not afraid of death." They're afraid.

So actually we should not increase our foolishness. Human life is meant for utilizing our intelligence. That is human life. Instead of utilizing intelligence, if we increase our foolishness, that's the wrong type of civilization. That is not actual civilization. Caitanya Mahāprabhu very kindly inaugurated this civilization, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the same thing as it is confirmed in the Vedas: vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ projitaḥ janayaty āśu vairāgyam Āśu: "very soon." The examples are here. You are Europeans and Americans; you were attached to so many things. But because you have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, means vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogam. This, you have come to Vṛndāvana to worship Vāsudeva or Kṛṣṇa, or in your country you have established some many temples. In account of being engaged in the devotional service of Vāsudeva, although you are young boys and girls, you have given up so many nonsense things. This is called vairāgya. This is called vairāgya, detachment. Meat-eating is the general life of Europeans and Americans, but at the present moment if someone offers you millions of dollars and he requests you that "You take some meat with me," I think you will deny. This is called vairāgya.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

This is nonsense, to give free choice to the child. Child should be protected. That is intelligence. That is the wrong type of consciousness.
Room Conversation with Mr. & Mrs. Wax, Writer and Editing Manager of Playboy Magazine -- July 5, 1975, Chicago:

Prabhupāda: Thank you, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Just see. He is being trained up. Just see how he is taking lesson. So it is possible. So from childhood, if he is trained up, then in future he will become first-class man.

Jayatīrtha: Sometimes people complain that we don't give our children any right of free choice, that we train them in our own way.

Prabhupāda: This is nonsense, to give free choice to the child. This is nonsense. Child should be protected. That is intelligence. That is the wrong type of consciousness. According to Vedic civilization, a child, a woman, a brāhmaṇa, a cow, and an old man they should be given protection, not freedom, but protection.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

This is a wrong type of civilization. A civilization of ignorance. Animal civilization. Just like animals: the cat, the dog, the cow, he does not know what is the working principle in the body.
Interview with Mr. Koshi (Asst. Editor of The Current Weekly) -- April 5, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: This machine, so long it is working, it is valuable. If it does not work, what is the value? Throw it out. Similarly, the machine is not important, but so long it is working, it is important. So we must know what is that working principle. That is knowledge. So generally, people, they are embarrassed with the machine, this body. But they do not know what the power in the machine. Am I right or wrong?

Mr. Koshi: Hm.

Prabhupāda: This is a wrong type of civilization. A civilization of ignorance. Animal civilization. Just like animals: the cat, the dog, the cow, he does not know what is the working principle in the body. So he is jumping and running as a dog, as a cat, and he appears to be very busy. Similarly, the modern civilization, they are jumping and running like cats and dogs, but does not know what is the principle which is helping him to jump and run.

This is a wrong type of civilization only. That Gandhi's program was very nice. We want to revive.
Meeting with Mr. Dwivedi -- April 23, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: And you want cloth. That is primary necessities. So if you become independent about these things, your eighty percent economic problem is solved. So this is a wrong type of civilization only. That Gandhi's program was very nice. We want to revive.

Mr. Dwivedi: No, we... In fact, we have sent our students at Sabarmati Ashram itself, and the person... He is still with us. He's top of the list in the Sabarmati Ashrama, who was doing it.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, we can take up this enterprise immediately. Whether we can induce the villagers, neighboring inhabitants, to cooperate? That is wanted. Otherwise what we shall do with this building?

Page Title:Wrong type of...
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Madhavi
Created:17 of Jul, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=1, CC=0, OB=1, Lec=5, Con=3, Let=0
No. of Quotes:10