View source for According to the atheists, dharma, or religious principles, are meant to establish an imaginary God to encourage one to become moral, honest and just so that the social orders may be maintained in peace and tranquillity

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{{terms|"According to them, dharma, or religious principles, are meant to establish an imaginary God to encourage one to become moral, honest and just so that the social orders may be maintained in peace and tranquillity"}}
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{{compiler|Labangalatika}}
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[[Category:According]]
[[Category:God and the Atheists]]
[[Category:Dharma]]
[[Category:Religious Principles]]
[[Category:Is Meant For]]
[[Category:Establishing God]]
[[Category:Imagining God]]
[[Category:Encouragement]]
[[Category:One (as in someone)]]
[[Category:To Become]]
[[Category:Morality]]
[[Category:Honesty]]
[[Category:Justice]]
[[Category:So That]]
[[Category:Social]]
[[Category:Order]]
[[Category:May Be]]
[[Category:Maintain]]
[[Category:Peace]]
[[Category:Tranquillity]]
[[Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 04 Chapter 21 Purports - Instructions by Maharaja Prthu]]
[[Category:Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 04 Purports]]
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<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam" class="section" sec_index="1" parent="compilation" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam"><h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
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<div id="SB_Canto_4" class="sub_section" sec_index="4" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam" text="SB Canto 4"><h3>SB Canto 4</h3>
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<div id="SB42130_0" class="quote" parent="SB_Canto_4" book="SB" index="859" link="SB 4.21.30" link_text="SB 4.21.30">
<div class="heading">According to atheists, dharma, or religious principles, are meant to establish an imaginary God to encourage one to become moral, honest and just so that the social orders may be maintained in peace and tranquillity. Pṛthu Mahārāja, however, did not accept the authority of such atheists, headed by his father, who was the grandson of death personified.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:SB 4.21.30|SB 4.21.30, Translation and Purport]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="trans text"><p style="display: inline;">Although abominable persons like my father, Vena, the grandson of death personified, are bewildered on the path of religion, all the great personalities like those mentioned agree that in this world the only bestower of the benedictions of religion, economic development, sense gratification, liberation or elevation to the heavenly planets is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.</p>
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<div class="purport text"><p>King Vena, the father of Pṛthu Mahārāja, was condemned by the brāhmaṇas and saintly persons because of his denying the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and rejecting the method of satisfying Him by performance of Vedic sacrifice. In other words, he was an atheist, who did not believe in the existence of God, and who consequently stopped all Vedic ritualistic ceremonies in his kingdom. Pṛthu Mahārāja considered King Vena's character abominable because Vena was foolish regarding the execution of religious performances. Atheists are of the opinion that there is no need to accept the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be successful in religion, economic development, sense gratification or liberation. According to them, dharma, or religious principles, are meant to establish an imaginary God to encourage one to become moral, honest and just so that the social orders may be maintained in peace and tranquillity. Furthermore, they say that actually there is no need to accept God for this purpose, for if one follows the principles of morality and honesty, that is sufficient. Similarly, if one makes nice plans and works very hard for economic development, automatically the result of economic development will come. Similarly, sense gratification also does not depend on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for if one earns enough money by any process, one will have sufficient opportunity for sense gratification. Insofar as liberation is concerned, they say that there is no need to talk of liberation because after death everything is finished. Pṛthu Mahārāja, however, did not accept the authority of such atheists, headed by his father, who was the grandson of death personified.</p>
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