So everyone should be engaged to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That is the whole philosophy. Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya (BG 18.46). "You work as brāhmaṇa, you work as a kṣatriya, you work as a vaiśya or śūdra. It doesn't matter." Even Kṛṣṇa has advised that "If you, even if you think that I am working as a vaiśya, it is not very good, because sometimes I have to speak lie for business's sake. And brāhmaṇa's business is very nice. No." Kṛṣṇa has advised: sa-doṣam api na tyajet: (BG 18.48) "Even in your profession there are so many faults, you should not give it up. You should go on." But the result must be given to Kṛṣṇa. That is the secret. You may work as a brāhmaṇa, as a kṣatriya, as a businessman, as an engineer, as a doctor, as a warrior, whatever you may be. It is, it is never condemned. No work is condemned. Every work is dignified provided it is meant for Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Dignity
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 1
The brāhmaṇas in society were never attentive to banking money for future retired life. When they were old invalids, they used to approach the assembly of the kings, and simply by praising the glorious deeds performed by the kings, along with their wives, they would be provided with all necessities of life. Such brāhmaṇas were not, so to speak, flatterers of the kings, but the kings were actually glorified by their actions, and they were sincerely still more encouraged in pious acts by such brāhmaṇas in a dignified way. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is worthy of all glories, and the praying brāhmaṇas and others were glorified themselves by chanting the glories of the Lord.
The city of Dvārakā was flourishing, being enriched with the best of things in the material world. The state assembly house is constructed according to the dignity of the particular state. In the heavenly planets, the state assembly house called Sudharmā was deserving of the dignity of the best of the demigods. Such an assembly house is never meant for any state on the globe because the human being on the earth is unable to construct it, however far a particular state may be materially advanced.
The Lord is equal in behavior to all living beings, but He is partial to His pure devotees, being very affectionate toward them. The city of Dvārakā was flourishing, being enriched with the best of things in the material world. The state assembly house is constructed according to the dignity of the particular state. In the heavenly planets, the state assembly house called Sudharmā was deserving of the dignity of the best of the demigods. Such an assembly house is never meant for any state on the globe because the human being on the earth is unable to construct it, however far a particular state may be materially advanced. But during the time of Lord Kṛṣṇa's presence on the earth, the members of the Yadu family forcibly brought the celestial assembly house to earth and placed it at Dvārakā. They were able to use such force because they were certain of the indulgence and protection of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. In other words, the Lord is provided with the best things in the universe by His pure devotees.
SB Canto 2
Such knowledge of devotional service may be divided into two sections, namely preliminary knowledge of the nature of devotional service and the secondary knowledge of its execution. Bhāgavatam is in relation with the Personality of Godhead, His beauty, fame, opulence, dignity, attraction and transcendental qualities which attract one towards Him for exchanges of love and affection. There is a natural affinity of the living entity for the loving service of the Lord.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
He does not hate anything, and he does not desire anything.
Suppose I am working. So suppose I am washing dishes. Oh, so that doesn't matter. I do not hate. Of course, in your country it is very laudable that you can accept any kind of work. It is very good. The same thing is confirmed. There is no question of hating any work. Dignity of labor is always nice. So na dveṣṭi na kāṅkṣati. But after working, the result he does not take. Suppose by doing some lower class of work I get some profit. If that is engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then I am sannyāsī—because I don't hate, but I offer the result to Kṛṣṇa. Oh.
Just you take the example of Arjuna always. In the beginning he was hating fighting. He was hating: "Oh, I cannot fight. This fighting with my kinsmen, it is not possible. I am not..." He was hating. But when he understood Bhagavad-gītā, he took up that fighting; he gave up his hating. But the result? Na kāṅkṣati: he never desired the result. Kṛṣṇa ordered to fight. He fought. That's all.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: Even inborn there is, you must get it confirmed by the superior.
Śyāmasundara: He says that man, because he respects the moral law and practices it, is a personality having infinite dignity. He believes in the dignity of man based upon his adherence to moral principles. If a man follows moral principles, then he has dignity, which is different than any other...
Prabhupāda: That is already explained, that varṇāśrama-dharma, because the brāhmaṇas, they follow the good laws, therefore dignity. A brāhmaṇa is supposed to be the first-class man in the society, and therefore they are honored.
Śyāmasundara: He says everything else has an exchange value or a price, but man alone possesses self-direction or dignity, and this is priceless, and so we should never stoop to sell ourselves. If we sell ourselves like a commodity, then we lose our dignity.
Prabhupāda: That dignity is his inherent quality of obedience to the Supreme. That we should not sacrifice. Here, modern civilization is that he knows that he is not independent, he is subordinate to God's will. Still, artificially, to defy God he is manufacturing so many philosophies, hypocrisy.
Prabhupāda: Yes. To get some popularity, to get some money, to get some adoration, he sacrifices.
Śyāmasundara: He says that the way man should really act is to follow the moral code, and then he has dignity, because he has self-direction. He is determined to follow the moral principles, so he has dignity.
Prabhupāda: The moral codes are there. If anyone follows actually, he has dignity.
Śyāmasundara: He says that man belongs to what he calls the "kingdom of ends," because he looks to the ideal, or the perfect. He sees everything in relation to the perfect end and guides his life accordingly. So the means and the end are both perfect, ideal.
Prabhupāda: And what is that end? That he does not describe.
Śyāmasundara: Because he is not realizing the real nature of man, which is to be dignified and moral.
Prabhupāda: But then he must say what is the real nature of man.
Śyāmasundara: He comes to that. He finds out what is the nature of men through his investigation of morals. He later comes to that point of understanding what is the purpose of man.
Prabhupāda: What does he say is the purpose, ultimate goal of life?
Śyāmasundara: The ultimate goal of life is to attain its own perfection, and to attain...
Prabhupāda: But he does not describe what is perfection.
Hayagrīva: "It is the cause of knowledge and truth, and so while he may think of it as an object of knowledge, he would do well to regard it as something beyond truth and knowledge, and precious as these both are, of still higher worth. And just as in our analogy light and vision were to be thought of like the sun, but not identical with it, so here both knowledge and truth are to be regarded as like the good, but to identify either with the good is wrong. The good must hold a yet higher place of honor. The objects of knowledge derive from the good not only their power of being known, but their very being and reality, and goodness is not the same thing as being, but even beyond being, surpassing it in dignity and power."
Prabhupāda: Yes. So goodness is the position where you can get knowledge. And passion and ignorance is not the platform of knowledge. Therefore the endeavor should be how to bring persons in the basic or base platform, ignorance and passion. So this is very easily done by our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If one hears about Kṛṣṇa, or God, then gradually he becomes freed from the clutches of darkness and passion, and actually he then comes to the platform of goodness. And when he is perfectly in goodness, then this passion and ignorance and their by-products cannot touch him. Tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye (SB 1.2.19).
Hayagrīva: Falsity cannot form the basis of Divine scripture, which has been handed down by the Holy Spirit. That's one mistake one can make in reading scripture. Another, he says, "No one should try to restrict scripture to one meaning to such an extent that other meanings containing some truth and quite possible in relation to the context would be excluded. In fact it belongs to the dignity of Divine scripture to contain many meanings in one text, so that in this way it may be appropriate to the various understandings of men."
Prabhupāda: Meaning is one, but interpreter are different. Just like even in the Bible it is said, "God created the universe." So that is a fact, God created. So unless you interpret in a different way, how you can say that the universe is created by some chunk and this way and that way? So we accept scripture in that sense, without any change; therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. We cannot change the words of God. That is our principle. And interpretation with motive, there are so many interpreter, and that has spoiled the God consciousness of the human society.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
C. Hennis: The International Labor Organization has as one of its major aims to promote social justice, and that means that every class of worker, if you like to accept the four categories that you mentioned—the intellectual, the productive, the protective, and the laboring classes-should each have their proper place in society, should each have a full measure of human dignity, and should each have a proper share in the rewards for labor, both clearly material rewards and honors and dignity and leisure and time for, free time for meditation and so on. In the International Labor Organization, we are not like UNESCO devoted to the more philosophical and cultural and educational aspects for the intelligentsia, but I would draw your attention to the fact that the UNESCO is very much concerned with looking after the head part of society.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So that is my request to you.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Dr. Patel: The government of this country is going on everywhere.
Prabhupāda: We have nothing to do. We are world, but it is in the middle of the street.
Dr. Patel: I have got a killa. (?)
Prabhupāda: Yes. It has dignified.
Dr. Patel: They ought to thicken wall with a little under because this kaccā wall foundation is there. They should make it... This wall. They should dress it up, the foundation, which is above. No? You are going away today?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Haṁsadūta: Yeah. "Forgive them, for they know not what they do. Forgive them for they know not..."
Prabhupāda: Just see how much forgiving. This is saintly character. They're killing, and still forgiving. Kṣamā-rūpaṁ tapasvinaḥ. Christ is very ideal character, but these Christians, they not dignified him-degraded. So you can get on?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...how to respect food grain. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everyone should understand, "This food grain is supplied by Kṛṣṇa for our living. How can I disrespect?" This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore we say, prasāda-sevā, not "prasāda eating." Prasāda-sevā. Prasāda should be accepted as Kṛṣṇa. And our eating means to serve Kṛṣṇa. "Kṛṣṇa has given. Eat them. Yes. That's all."
Prabhupāda: Family right. Family is intelligent, that "You are rascal, why you are trying? Let him die peacefully."
Bali-mardana: They say "Let him die in dignity. Why keep him in the machine?" The family says "Let him die in dignity."
Rāmeśvara: They keep him in coma.
Prabhupāda: After all, you cannot protect. Why you give trouble at the time of death? You cannot protect; your foolish attempt will not help him. This is the same philosophy, that the animal is suffering, to kill him. Mercy of killing, what is called?
Rāmeśvara: Mercy killing.
Prabhupāda: So this is nonsense. Mercy killing. Killing mercy. (laughs) Just see. The action is killing, and that is his mercy. This is their mercy. All contradictory. Killing by mercy? Mercy is killing?
Correspondence
1947 to 1965 Correspondence
They were satisfied to live in the cottages and yet they were perfectly intelligent. Even the famous Canakya Pandit who was the Prime Minister of India during the reign of Candragupta, used to live in a cottage and draw no salary from the State. Such simple habits did not deteriorate his high intelligence and dignity and as such he had compiled many useful literatures which are still read by millions for social and political guidance. Thus the simplicity of Brahmanical culture was an ideal to the subordinate others of the society and in the Deductive way the subordinate orders, namely the the Ksatriyas, the Vaisyas and the Sudras would follow the instruction of the cultured Brahmin. Such ways of approaching the Truth is always simple, plain and perhaps the most perfect.
1967 Correspondence
Out of the goods, you keep one Mrdanga and six pairs of cymbals there at New York and all the balance goods including all the papers or letters therein may be sent here at once. They are arranging kirtana programme at different places and I think the Mrdanga and cymbals will increase the dignity of kirtana.
For the Mrdangas, I personally paid to India. So later as we shall see what is the actual expenditure.
Ranchor has given a packing instruction. Please see that the packing is nicely done as instructed and as illustration is given there. Hope you are all well and with my blessings for all!
1969 Correspondence
On the whole, everything should be very gorgeous; then it will be successful.
Actually, although Radha-Krishna is worshiped in Vrindaban which is like a simple village, but we worship Laksmi-Narayana, and the worship is accepted by the Radha-Krishna Deity. Actually, in our present status, we can not worship Radha-Krishna. But as all the Visnu Murtis are situated in Krishna, therefore, our Radha-Krishna worship is transferred to Visnu, Lord Narayana. Visnu worship is the regulative devotional principles, and Radha-Krishna worship is spontaneous service of eternal feelings. Therefore, as Laksmi-Narayana is the Deity of great opulences, similarly our Radha-Krishna Murtis also should be worshiped with great pomp and dignity. Krishna will give you the proper intelligence to do this very nicely. So far as prayers, you may sing Hare Krishna, Govinda Jaya Jaya, and Govindam Ādi purusam.
| Page Title: | Dignity |
| Compiler: | Rishab, SvayamSampurnaKrsna, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 17 of Feb, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=4, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=7, Con=4, Let=3 |
| No. of Quotes: | 18 |