Go to Vanipedia | Go to Vanisource | Go to Vanimedia


Vaniquotes - the compiled essence of Vedic knowledge


Your love of materialistic life or love of this world is increasing, love of sense gratification is increasing - that is not religion. That is not religion. Test of religion is how much you are increasing your love of God

Expressions researched:
"your love of materialistic life or love of this world is increasing, love of sense gratification is increasing—that is not religion. That is not religion. Test of religion is how much you are increasing your love of God"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

"That is first-class religion." What is that? "Where love of God is enthused." That is first-class religion. And if you follow ritualistic processes and your love of Godhead is gone to hell—your love of materialistic life or love of this world is increasing, love of sense gratification is increasing—that is not religion. That is not religion. Test of religion is how much you are increasing your love of God.

Religion does not mean to follow some ritualistic process. That helps us to approach, but they are not, I mean to say, primal necessity. That ritualistic process may be different. Hindus may be following a different kind of ritualistic process. The Christian may be following a different kinds of ritualistic process. That does not matter. Just like the same example: your relationship with the state. You Americans, you follow the state laws, keep the car right, "Keep right." In India and in England I have seen also that, "Keep to the left." So the process may be different, but the actual obedience to the state is there, either in India or in America or in England or everywhere.

Similarly, religion means love of Godhead. Now, that love of Godhead you may learn under certain process, I may learn under certain process. Just like love between boys and girls may be different from India to America. In India there is still. No young man can mix freely with a young girl, but still, there is love. So process may be different, but we have to accept the basic principle. Basic principle is love of God. That is religion. Don't bother about the ritualistic process. Just try to see how much you are increasing your love of God. Then you are religious. That's all. That is bhāgavata-dharma.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6):

"That is first-class religion." What is that? "Where love of God is enthused." That is first-class religion. And if you follow ritualistic processes and your love of Godhead is gone to hell—your love of materialistic life or love of this world is increasing, love of sense gratification is increasing—that is not religion. That is not religion. Test of religion is how much you are increasing your love of God.

So here it is said: "Whenever and wherever there is decline in religious practice . . ." What is that religion practice? That religion practice is whenever there is decline of love of God. That's all. When people becomes lover of mammon, matter, that means decline of religion. And when people increase love of Godhead, that means real religion. So Kṛṣṇa comes, or Kṛṣṇa's servant or representative comes, to adjust things. When people forget love of Godhead, somebody, either Kṛṣṇa, God Himself or His representative comes to adjust things.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is incarnation. They are teaching love of Godhead. We are not teaching some ritualistic process that, "You become Hindu," "You become Christian," "You become Muhammadan." We are simply teaching, "You try to love God. You have forgotten love (God). You have declared, 'God is dead.' These are all nonsense. God is there. You are here. You are suffering because you have forgotten God. You try to love God. Your normal life will come back. You will be happy." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. There is nothing artificiality.

Page Title:Your love of materialistic life or love of this world is increasing, love of sense gratification is increasing - that is not religion. That is not religion. Test of religion is how much you are increasing your love of God
Compiler:Nabakumar
Created:2022-10-31, 18:02:34
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1