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Ācāra means

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Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Ācāra means one should learn how to behave. That makes a gentleman and a rough person.
Lecture on BG 16.6 -- South Africa, October 18, 1975:

Nāpi ca ācāraḥ: "They do not know etiquette." Ācāra. Ācāra means one should learn how to behave. That makes a gentleman and a rough person. Nāpi cācāraḥ. Ācāraḥ means... Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. Ācāraḥ, this is... Ācāraḥ means he learns from the śāstra how we should live, that, preliminary, that you must take bath, you must wash your hands after eating or you must take bath after evacuating. So many things are there. Nitya-karma-vidhi. In the Vedic literature you find all these directions, but now they have given up. Especially Vedic culture was there long, long ago all over the world. But now that is finished. Now in India, also, where little Vedic principles were still glowing, that is now being finished also. Nāpi ca ācāraḥ. They are learning from the Westerns how to remain unclean, how to eat meat, how to drink wine, and so on, so on, so many things.

Ācāra means just like to rise early in the morning, to take bath, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, have tilaka, observe maṅgala-ārati. This is called ācāra.
Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hyderabad, December 15, 1976:

Pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca (BG 16.7). They do not know. Where we shall stop our activities and where we shall continue our activities, that they do not know. They are increasing their activities on the platform where they will continually suffer. That has to be changed, and then our life will be successful. So na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāraḥ. Ācāra. Ācāra and vicāra, there are two things. Vicāra means consideration. That is vicāra. Just like vicāra prati. The high-court judge is called vicāra prati. Two opposite party presenting their grievances and he will consider and give his judgment. So vicāra-paṇḍita. Unless one is very learned, he cannot consider things. But ācāra. Ācāra everyone can do. Ācāra means just like to rise early in the morning, to take bath, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, have tilaka, observe maṅgala-ārati. This is called ācāra. Then there is hygienic. And vicāra means consideration. So in the asuras, both things are lacking. Neither there is ācāra nor vicāra. Therefore it is said, na śaucaṁ nāpi ca ācāraḥ. Ācārya, you have heard the name ācārya. Ācārya means he teaches by personal behavior. Just like I teach you, "no intoxication." So if I am addicted to intoxication and if I say that "You don't take any intoxication," then who will care for me? This is therefore ācāra. Ācārati. Practically you have to behave; then you can preach. Otherwise you cannot become ācārya. Ācārya means one who practices the ācāra and then teaches. He is ācārya. So ācāra. Na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro na satyam. Satyam means truthfulness. He is preaching something and doing something. That is not truthfulness. Truthfulness means what you preach, you must do. So these things are lacking in the asuric life, so we have to be careful that we must be very neat and clean. We must behave according to injunction of the śāstra and guru. Then we can get out of the jurisdiction of asuras.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Ācāra means behavior, gentleman's behavior. What is that gentleman's behavior? That we teach, that "You don't take meat, don't have illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication, rise early in the morning, take bath, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, attend maṅgala-ārātrika."
Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Chicago, July 6, 1975:

So this dvija, as soon as he contacted a prostitute... Prostitute, unchaste, puṁścalī. Another name is puṁścalī. Those who are, I mean to say, moved by another person, they are called puṁścalī. They become captivated by another person. So they, another name is prostitute. So this dvija, although he was initiated to make further progress to become brāhmaṇa and Vaiṣṇava, in the middle, he contacted one prostitute. Young man, he became a victim. Therefore kaścid dāsī-patiḥ, contacted and remained as husband, wife, or friend. So by the contact of this prostitute, the result was naṣṭa-sadācāra, he became lost of all gentle activities. Naṣṭa-sadācāra. Sadācāra means... Sat means gentle, and ācāra means behavior, gentleman's behavior. What is that gentleman's behavior? That we teach, that "You don't take meat, don't have illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication, rise early in the morning, take bath, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, attend maṅgala-ārātrika." These are called sadācāra. So on account of his contact with this prostitute, although he was born in a brāhmaṇa family and he was reformed up to the point of initiation, he fell a victim. And as soon as he fell victim to that prostitute, naṣṭa-sadācāra. Dāsyāḥ saṁ... Why sadācāra, why he should lose? Dāsyāḥ saṁsarga-dūṣitaḥ. Because he is associating with this prostitute, therefore the next sequence is that he should be bereft of all gentle behavior.

Ācāra means "behavior."
Lecture on SB 6.1.25 -- Honolulu, May 25, 1976:

Sad-ācāra. Sad-ācāra, just like we are teaching sad-ācāra, rise early in the morning, taking a bath, change your cloth, wash your mouth, and then go to the Deity room and have maṅgala arotika, then study, so many, so many..., simply sad-ācāra. Sad-ācāra means, sat means "that will exist," and ācāra means "behavior." Sad-ācāra So here it is said that Ajamila, he became the husband of a prostitute. It is not the sastric injunction. You can become husband, but not the husband of a prostitute. Then your life is finished. Naṣṭa sad-ācāra. You will be lost all... Therefore so much stress is given that wife should be chaste and husband should be very well behaved, then life will be successful. Arjuna argued with Kṛṣṇa that "You're asking me to kill my brothers and relatives on the other side, so don't You think that if I kill them, their wives will be widowed and they'll be polluted? And as soon as they'll be polluted, there will be varṇa-saṅkara." Varṇa-saṅkara, the practical example of varṇa-saṅkara is the hippies in your country: no caste, no creed, neither useful for the material world, neither useful for the spiritual. That is called varṇa-saṅkara. Then he said, "My...," Arjuna... Strīṣu duṣṭāsu varṇa-saṅkara (indistinct). "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are asking me to kill my... There will be widow, and they'll be polluted, and there'll be varṇa-saṅkara, and (indistinct), and when there'll be varṇa-saṅkara, then the whole world will be hell. It will be no more suitable for habitation of gentlemen. Finished."

Page Title:Ācāra means
Compiler:Rishab, Visnu Murti
Created:08 of Nov, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=4, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:4