Self-preservation is the first law of nature
Expressions researched:
"Self-preservation is the first law of nature"
|"Self preservation is the first law of nature"
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 6
SB Canto 7
In this material world, the conception of self-preservation is the first law of nature. According to this conception, one should be interested in his personal safety and should then consider society, friendship, love, nationality, community and so on, which have all developed because of the bodily conception of life and a lack of knowledge of the spirit soul. This is called ajñāna. As long as human society is in darkness and ignorance, men will continue to make huge arrangements in the bodily conception of life. This is described by Prahlāda Mahārāja as bharam. In the materialistic conception, modern civilization makes enormous arrangements for huge roads, houses, mills and factories, and this is man's conception of the advancement of civilization. People do not know, however, that at any time they themselves may be kicked out of the scene and forced to accept bodies that have nothing to do with these enormous houses, palaces, roads and automobiles. Therefore when Arjuna was thinking in terms of his bodily relationships with his kinsmen, Kṛṣṇa immediately chastised him, saying, kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam anārya juṣṭam: "This bodily conception of life is befitting the anāryas, the non-Āryans, who are not advanced in knowledge." An Āryan civilization is a civilization advanced in spiritual knowledge. Not merely by stamping oneself an Āryan does one become an Āryan. To keep oneself in the deepest darkness concerning spiritual knowledge and at the same time claim to be an Āryan is a non-Āryan position. In this connection, Śrīla Madhvācārya quotes as follows from the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa:
- ka ātmā kaḥ para iti dehādy-apekṣayā
- na hi dehādir ātmā syān
- na ca śatrur udīritaḥ
- ato daihika-vṛddhau vā
- kṣaye vā kiṁ prayojanam
- yas tu deha-gato jīvaḥ
- sa hi nāśaṁ na gacchati
- tataḥ śatru-vivṛddhau ca
- sva-nāśe śocanaṁ kutaḥ
- dehādi-vyatiriktau tu
- jīveśau pratijānatā
- ata ātma-vivṛddhis tu
- vāsudeve ratiḥ sthirā
- śatru-nāśas tathājñāna-
- nāśo nānyaḥ kathañcana
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
The status is brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. In every human society these natural division of the society are already there. The intelligent class of men, they should study all the śāstras, all these Vedic literatures, thoroughly, and they should advise the politicians, "My dear Mr. Minister, you get rule, make the rulings like this, on this principle." They will advise, the brāhmaṇas, intelligent class of men. And the kṣatriyas, they will administer and see that the people are executing actually religious life. That is the duty of the state. The police is there not for harassing you if you take a twig from the tree and he'll come, "Why you have taken?" You have got that experience? Because they have no other business than trifle things, they are very busy: "Oh, come on with me," arrested. They have built up their empire by exploiting the whole world, and if somebody takes a twig from the St. James Park, he's arrested. You see? Because there is no religious life. Fools, rascals, they do not know how to rule over. On trifle things they will, "Come on." And when there is a pickpocket, they will go away. You ask police, they will pass by. You see?
So without religious life, so-called economic development, it means implication. He's becoming implicated. Sat-saṅga chāḍi' kainu asate vilāsa, te-kāraṇe lāgila ye karma-bandha-phāṅsa. Why there should be thieves? If the society is based on religion, why there should be thieves? Why there should be rogues? There cannot be. Because they're not trained. The same boys and girls, European boys, American boys and girls... Just think of your past life and now this life. Why there is difference? Because it is based on religion. Based on religion. Therefore religion, then economic development. Dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ. Ātma-dharma or bhāgavata-dharma. Ātmānaṁ sarvato rakṣet. The śāstra says to protect yourself, that is a... What is called? In English there is a proverb: "Self-preservation is the first law of nature"? What is that? So self means soul. Your soul may not fall down. That is your first business. Ātmā, ātmā means soul, mind, and the body. So we have taken body. Everyone is prepared... Now people are not even anxious how to protect this body. They violate so many laws of eating, sleeping, mating, and become diseased. Even they do not know how to protect this body, what to speak of the mind and the soul. They're so rascal. Ātmānaṁ sarvato rakṣet tato dharmaṁ tato dhanam.(?) That is the version in the Vedic literature, that "Try to protect yourself first, then dharma, then your religious principle, then dhana, then money." But at the present moment they don't care for the self; they don't care for religion. They want simply money.General Lectures
Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: I guess if you look at it, every object that we relate with, we are concerned about it or for it only because it gives us or supplies us our pleasure.
Prabhupāda: That is my concern. I am keeping my things in the closet, locked. Why? (So that) my things may not be taken by somebody. This is real concern. I am keeping gun, (so) one may not hurt me, or may not attack me. That is called self-preservation. That is the concern. Self-preservation is the first law of nature. So that is in the animal kingdom. Everyone is (indistinct). Defence, what you call defence, that we are defying, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. Our concern are divided into four parts. My first concern is where shall I eat, how shall I eat. And the next concern is where shall I sleep. And next the concern is how shall I enjoy my senses, who will be my partner. And next concern is how shall I live, how shall I defend. These are the concerns. And these concerns are there in the animals. So how human beings becomes better than animals? If the human being has got the same concern as the animals, then how the human being is better than the animals? What is that concern?
Śyāmasundara: He said that...
Prabhupāda: I'll give you just time to point out how that philosophers are less intelligent.Conversations and Morning Walks
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Paramahaṁsa: If I get insurance policy then they will have some money after I go...
Prabhupāda: No, no, that is natural, that you think of future. But the foolishness is you don't think of your future. That is foolishness. This is natural. Because every living entity is eternal, therefore he has future. But for himself he is thinking, "There is no life, next." And he is thinking of the life which will come as his grandson or son, what will be their future. And he is blind about the own future. This is fourth-class man. Suppose some danger is coming. So shall I take care of you: "How you will be saved? How you will be saved?" How I will be saved—that is my first business. That he does not know. There have been many cases. There is all of a sudden fire. The man has left everything, and his baby was there. He was crying, "Oh, I have left my..." The natural tendency—"First of all save me." Self preservation is the first law of nature. So why did he forget about his baby? Now, when he comes out, he is thinking about baby. This is natural, that he does not think about himself; he is thinking about future generation. "What nonsense will come as my son or grandson?" Just see. This is fourth-class man.
Amogha: So he should first save himself, then think about how to save others.Page Title: | Self-preservation is the first law of nature |
Compiler: | Sahadeva, Serene |
Created: | 22 of Apr, 2009 |
Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=2, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=5, Con=1, Let=0 |
No. of Quotes: | 8 |