Religious life means

Expressions researched:
"Religious life means"

CC Madhya-lila

Unless one follows the regulative principles of religious life, human life is no different from animal life. Religious life means following the principles of varṇa and āśrama.

CC Madhya 24.94, Purport: Su means “auspicious,” and kṛtī means “meritorious” or “regulated.” Unless one follows the regulative principles of religious life, human life is no different from animal life. Religious life means following the principles of varṇa and āśrama. In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa it is said:

varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān

viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam

[Cc. Madhya 8.58]

According to religious life, society is divided into four social divisions—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra—and four spiritual divisions—brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. One needs to be trained to become a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra, just as one is trained to become an engineer, doctor or lawyer. Those who are properly trained can be considered human beings; if one is not trained socially and spiritually—that is, if one is uneducated and unregulated—his life is on the animal platform. Among animals there is no question of spiritual advancement. Spiritual life can be attained by proper training-either by following the principles of varṇa and āśrama or by being directly trained in the bhakti school by the methods of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam/ arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam [SB 7.5.23].

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

To become religious means to become free from material entanglement. Not that to take to religious life means to, I mean to say, to develop economic condition.

Lecture on SB 1.2.24 -- Vrndavana, November 4, 1972: It is not that to take to religious life for some material gain. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya na arthaḥ arthāya upakalpate [SB 1.2.9]. We have discussed these verses. To become religious means to become free from material entanglement. Not that to take to religious life means to, I mean to say, to develop economic condition. Generally, people take to religious to make economic development very easily. Therefore at the modern age the educated public, they are not interested in religious life because they think that in primitive stage the people were taking to religious life for economic development.

Then real religious life means dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB 6.3.19], to abide by the orders of Bhagavān, the Supreme Person.

Lecture on SB 1.15.27 -- New York, March 6, 1975: Then real religious life means dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB 6.3.19], to abide by the orders of Bhagavān, the Supreme Person. Śrī Bhagavān says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru: [Bg. 18.65] "You simply always think of Me, man-manāḥ, you become My devotee, worship Me, and offer your obeisances. Then you are sure that you are coming back to Me." Very simple method. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa... and here is Kṛṣṇa present. Just offer Him obeisances and worship Him, decorate Him, give Him nice food. In this way you become devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Then your life is successful. Where is the difficulty?

Religious life means to approach God, and God is pure.

Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- Surat, December 16, 1970: Some rascal says that "You can do whatever you like. It has nothing to do with your religiousness." This is nonsense. Religious life means to approach God, and God is pure. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān [Bg. 10.12]. Pavitra. Kṛṣṇa is addressed by Arjuna, pavitram. In the Upaniṣad it is said, Īśopaniṣad, apāpa-viddham. God cannot be infected by sinful activities. That is God's... Just like we are infected by sinful activities, God is not like that... There is Absolute. So He is always pure. So we have to make ourselves purified before we can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The spiritual life or religious life means that one should make advance towards back to home, back to Godhead, not that religious life should be followed to make some material improvement. That is not religious life.

Lecture on SB 6.2.12-14 -- Allahabad, January 17, 1971, at Kumbha-mela: The spiritual life or religious life means that one should make advance towards back to home, back to Godhead, not that religious life should be followed to make some material improvement. That is not religious life. Dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa [SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90]. These are the principles for elevating a living entity to the highest platform. But they have taken it, generally... They perform religious ritualistic performances for getting some more money, artha. Of course, we require some money for our maintenance. That is necessary. But if we simply perform religious performances to acquire money only, that is misguided. Generally people do so. They give in charity so that they may get more money. They open dharmaśālā so that they can get more houses. That is their purpose. Or they may be elevated to the heavenly kingdom. Because they do not know what is his actual interest. The actual interest is to go back to home, go back to Godhead.