Spiritual life means...(Books and Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"spiritual life means"

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 8.66, Purport: Spiritual life means becoming detached from material life and engaging in the loving service of the Lord. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore asked Rāmānanda Rāya to explain something transcendental to devotional service mixed with speculative knowledge. A pure devotee is completely surrendered to the lotus feet of the Lord, and only by his love does he conquer Kṛṣṇa, who cannot be conquered by anyone.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Easy Journey to Other Planets

Easy Journey to Other Planets 2: Spiritual life means release from this botheration and misery. Those who are intelligent, therefore, do not try to elevate themselves to any planet of this material world. Men are trying to reach the moon, and although it is very difficult to gain entrance to that planet, if we do gain entrance the period of our lives will be enhanced. Of course, that does not apply to life in this body. If we were to enter the moon with this body, instant death would be certain.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973: So this is the education, that we should understand what is our material life and what is our spiritual life. Spiritual life means sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]. Sat-cit-ānanda. Sat means eternal, cit means full of knowledge, and bliss means full of jubilation, ānanda, pleasure. This is our constitution. This is God's constitution. This our constitution.

Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Hyderabad, November 21, 1972: These different transformation, different changes of nature, body, and everything, one should not be disturbed by all these things. These are external. We are spirit soul. It is external body, or external dress. That is changing. So if we understand nicely, na vyathayanti, and you are not disturbed by these changes, then saḥ amṛtatvāya kalpate, then he's making progress, spiritual progress. That means, spiritual progress means, he's making progress towards eternal life. Spiritual life means eternal, blissful life of knowledge. That is spiritual life.

Lecture on BG 2.15 -- London, August 21, 1973: People do not know that there can, we can become immortal. Immortal we are, but we have been embodied in this material body. Therefore we have to accept mortality, birth and death. These things stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, this is the beginning of spiritual life. Spiritual life means how to become immortal. They come to ask me, "Sir, do you know some spiritual magic? Kuṇḍalinī, yoga? This? That?" All for material benefit. Spiritualist means something magic so that you can get some material benefit. If by stretching your hand you can get some little quantity of gold, then you are spiritualist: "Oh, here is a man, wonderful spiritualist. He can create gold. He can cure disease by simply..." What is called? Fooing.(?) Like that. They want to see magic only for material benefit. What is called? Miracles. That is spiritualist. (aside:) Not in that way; let him sit backside this. Spiritual life means how to become immortal.

Lecture on BG 2.40-45 -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1968: This is the test. If you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, if you are improving in spiritual life, proportionately you'll be detached from materialistic way of life. That is the test. Simply thinking that "I am meditating so much, I am making very good advance," is not. You have to test. The test is that your... Improvement of spiritual life means that you become detached to the materialistic way of life.

Lecture on BG 3.1-5 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1968: Prabhupāda: Sometimes it is thought that spiritual life means to retire from active life. That is general impression. People think that for cultivation of spiritual knowledge or self-realization they should go to some Himalayan caves or some secluded place. That is also recommended. But that sort of recommendation is meant for persons who are unable to engage themselves in activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Lord Kṛṣṇa is teaching Arjuna how one can remain in his position. Never mind whatever he is, still he can become perfectly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the whole substance of the teachings of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 3.13-16 -- New York, May 23, 1966: Prabhupāda: Spiritual life does not mean that void of enjoyment, no. It is full of enjoyment. We are seeking after enjoyment, but that enjoyment is hampered by our material existence. We do not know. We are trying to squeezing out the senses and trying to have material pleasure. This is nonsense because we do not know what is spiritual life. Spiritual life means unlimited, unlimited pleasure.

Lecture on BG 4.10 Public Meeting -- Rome, May 25, 1974: Prabhupāda: Yes, the soul does not manipulate. It simply... Just like you had your childhood body, boyhood body. Now you have got a body of young man, youthhood body. And again you will get an old man's body, just like I have got. So these bodies are changing. Here everyone can remember that "I had a small body," but that body is not existing anymore. But I know that I possessed such body. Similarly, when this body will be finished, you will accept another body. You may forget it. Death means forgetting. But the body changing of body is going on perpetually, and spiritual life means how to stop this change of body and remain in the spiritual body. That is blissful and full of knowledge.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Vrndavana, August 2, 1974: And here we have got one quality, that fear, always fearing. Just like we are having these railings, why? We are afraid, we may not be attacked. The material life means āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. We must eat, we must sleep, and we must be afraid of, and we must have sex. This is material life. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam. And spiritual life means minus this. No more fear, no more attachment, no more sex life.

Lecture on BG 4.21 -- Bombay, April 10, 1974: Because spiritual life means tapasya. Formerly great, great saintly persons, they underwent very, very severe tapasya for thousands of years, hundreds of years. Then they attained success. In the Kali-yuga it is not possible to undergo such severe tapasya. There is concession. The concession is that you live a pure life and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. This will make sufficient. A pure life: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling. This is pure life.

Lecture on BG 6.4-12 -- New York, September 4, 1966: The first qualification is called vijitendriyaḥ, sense control. Advancement in the yoga system means yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ. Yoga means to... Because our whole life is disturbed due to the senses. Senses. This material life means sense gratification. That's all. The sum and substance of materialistic life means sense gratification. Therefore advancement of material science means giving you products for your sense gratification. Unnecessarily, so many things are produced just to satisfy my senses. That is the material advancement. So material life means sense gratification, and spiritual life means detached from sense gratification. So vijitendriyaḥ.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Francisco, September 10, 1968: Spiritual life means full of knowledge, full of bliss, eternal life. So therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "If you understand this knowledge, the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa or the science of Kṛṣṇa, or the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness," yaj jñātvā na iha bhūyo. Bhūyo means "again." Anyaj, "anything more." Anyaj jñātavyam, "understandable," avaśiṣyate, "there remains." That means "If you understand as I am speaking to you, in science, practical and theoretical, if you understand this knowledge, then you'll have nothing to know. There is nothing more knowable to you in this world. That means your knowledge becomes full."

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- San Francisco, September 11, 1968: Being pure means spiritual. Spiritual life means pure life, and material life means contaminated life. Just like we have got this body, material body. This is impure body. Therefore we suffer from disease, we suffer from old age, we suffer from birth, we suffer from death. And in our actual, pure form, spiritual form, there is no such suffering. There is no birth, there is no death, there is no disease and there is no old age.

Lecture on BG 8.12-13 -- New York, November 15, 1966: Those who are in devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, they are not interested in any planets of this material world. Why? Because they know. In any planet you can, you can raise yourself, you can elevate yourself, you can go there, but the four principles of material existence are there. What is that? Birth, death, disease and old age. Any planet you go. Your duration of life may be very, very longer than this earth, but death is there. Death is there. But those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness or those who are otherwise, those who are not interested in this material life... Material life means birth, death, disease and old age, and spiritual life means relief from these botherations—no more birth, no more death, no more ignorance, no more misery.

Lecture on BG 9.5 -- Melbourne, April 24, 1976: Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, can one be in spiritual life if they're not worshiping the Deity? Prabhupāda: Spiritual life means service to Kṛṣṇa. So if you don't serve Kṛṣṇa, where is spiritual life? That is the difference between material life and spiritual life. In the material life you serve but you don't serve Kṛṣṇa. Or you serve Kṛṣṇa indirectly under pressure. But actually when you serve Kṛṣṇa then you are situated in spiritual life. māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate [Bg. 14.26] So spiritual life means to serve Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise material life.

Lecture on BG 13.2 -- Melbourne, April 4, 1972: Material happiness means sense gratification. This is material happiness. Everyone is materialistic, or materially advanced, means he has got better facility for satisfying the senses. That is material life. And spiritual life means he does not satisfy his own senses, but he satisfies the senses of God. That is spiritual life.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Miami, February 27, 1975: The process is very simple: chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. That's all. [break] ...twenty-four hours. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ [Cc. Ādi 17.31]. This is not my word; this is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have to associate with kīrtana. The reading is also kīrtana, and chanting on the beads, that is also kīrtana. There is no difference. So make your life in such a way. Either chant Hare Kṛṣṇa or read books. And when you are hungry, you take little prasādam. Don't take much. Then you will sleep more. Take as little as possible. Then you will also sleep... Our business is to conquer over the demands of the body. The demands of the body is eating, sleeping, sex and defense. So spiritual life means make it almost nil.

Lecture on BG 16.10 -- Hawaii, February 6, 1975: One emperor, he was king, so naturally he was lusty also. So he gave up this life, became a devotee. So when he was perfectly situated, so he said, Yāmunācārya—he was the guru of Rāmānujācārya—so he said, that yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde: "Since I've trained my mind to be engaged in the service of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa," yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt, "daily I am offering service to Kṛṣṇa. I am getting new, new pleasure." The spiritual life means... If one is actually situated in spiritual life he'll get spiritual pleasure, transcendental bliss, by serving more and more, new and new. That is spiritual life

Lecture on SB 1.2.16 -- Los Angeles, August 19, 1972: Sometimes they, in papers they say that "These Hare Kṛṣṇa people are nice. We want more of them." They say. So this appreciation is also an, also a lift for such person. If he doesn't hear, doesn't come, simply one says "It is very nice. Yes." Just like small children, a baby, he's also appreciating, trying to stand up with his cymbal. Appreciating. From the very beginning of life, appreciating, "It is nice." He knows or does not know, it doesn't matter. Simply appreciation is giving him a touch of spiritual life. It is so nice. Śraddhā. If they do not go against, simply appreciate, "Oh, they are doing nice..." So development of spiritual life means development of this appreciation, that's all. But degrees, there are appreciation.

Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1972: Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Spiritual life means ānandamaya. There is no displeasure. Always ānanda. That is spiritual life. Spiritual life means ānanda, and material life means anxiety. You can distinguish. If you are always put into anxiety, that is material life. And if you are always jolly, that is spiritual life. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt.

Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1972: Because one has taken to bhakti-yoga, he must be prasanna manasa, very joyful. If you are full of anxiety, how you can understand the science of God? That is not possible. So evaṁ prasanna manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ [SB 1.2.20]. By execution of bhakti-yoga you come to the platform of transcendental bliss, prasanna-manasa. Transcendental, spiritual life means eternal, blissful life of knowledge. That is spiritual platform. And material life means temporary life of miserable condition. Temporary life of miserable condition. That is material life. And spiritual life means eternal, blissful life of knowledge. This life is temporary, but when we are transferred to our spiritual life that is eternal. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1].

Lecture on SB 1.3.23 -- Los Angeles, September 28, 1972: So you see so many pictures of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is playing with His cowherd boys; Kṛṣṇa dancing with His girlfriends, gopīs; Kṛṣṇa is stealing butter; Kṛṣṇa is doing so many—simply happiness, simply happiness. You won't find Kṛṣṇa is morose and sitting or crying. (laughter) Even if He is killing some demon, very laughingly, as easy job. You see? So either He is killing or dancing, He is happy. So we are giving this information of happiness, the topmost happiness, without any... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said that spirit soul, the Supersoul or the individual soul, their nature is to become happy. Ānandamaya. Happy. Spiritual life means happiness. There is no distress. But that happiness can be attained in cooperation with the Supreme.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 16, 1969: If you want to know what is your healthy life, normal life, spiritual life... Spiritual life means normal life, and material life means diseased life. Therefore we are always suffering in materialistic way of life. Diseased condition means suffering. So when we have got suffering, how we can say, "It is normal life. It is healthy life"? The common sense. Can any materialistic way, those who are living in a materialistic, can say that "I am very happy"? No. That cannot be. That cannot be. This is diseased condition. One who is intelligent, he can understand that "This is diseased life. Why I am suffering?" That is intelligence.

Lecture on SB 1.7.30-31 -- Vrndavana, September 26, 1976: What is the difference between the spiritual world and the material world? The difference is that if you go to the spiritual world, then you will not return again in this material world. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. Spiritual life means punar janma naiti. Punar janma means this material world. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate [Bg. 8.19]. One janma, then death, again janma, again death. And between the death and birth or birth and death there is disease and old age.

Lecture on SB 1.15.29 -- Los Angeles, December 7, 1973: Prabhupāda: Hm. And even Mr. Nixon is in such exalted post, he's also full of anxiety, when he'll be kicked out. You see. So find out any man who is not in anxiety. Not only human being but also animals, birds, beasts—everyone. That is the symptom of material existence, anxieties. So spiritual life means anxiety-less. This is the difference between material life and spiritual life. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā [Bg. 18.54], in the Bhagavad-gītā it is described what is spiritual life. As soon as you are identified with the Absolute Truth, Brahman, then symptoms will be prasannātmā, jubilation: "Oh, I do not belong to this material world. I belong to the spiritual world. I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Why should I suffer so many things?" That is jubilation. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā [Bg. 18.54]. The prasannātmā means na śocati na kāṅkṣati. He has no lamentation, no hankering.

Lecture on SB 3.25.1 -- Bombay, November 1, 1974: They have no sufficient eating even. I cannot give them to their standard. Still... Why? Because they don't want this material happiness. That is the test. That is the test. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt [SB 11.2.42]. When one will become detestful to material enjoyment, you will know, or he'll know. Personally one can understand how much he is advanced in spiritual life. Spiritual life does not mean that a sannyāsī is smoking and drinking tea, one gallon of tea. That is not spiritual life. He must be detestful. So this dharma, or spiritual life, means to have no more interest in material activities but only in the understanding of God, the Supreme, and His service. That is spiritual life.

Lecture on SB 3.25.25 -- Bombay, November 25, 1974: So amṛtatvāya kalpate. Amṛta means no more birth and death. Mṛta means birth and death, mṛtyu, but amṛta means to stop birth and death. The whole spiritual life means to stop this birth, death, old age and disease, to get amṛta, no more birth, no more death. That is the real aim of spiritual life. Of course, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, the spiritual life begins if one is pious, if one is pious. Ārto arthārthī jijñāsuḥ. Catur-vidhā bhajante mām. Kṛṣṇa said, "Four classes of men..." Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtinaḥ arjuna. Sukṛti. Sukṛti means pious. One who has got background, pious life, not impious life, sinful life, such pious men, out of them, four classes of men, catur-vidhāḥ, they come to devotional life, begins.

Lecture on SB 3.26.16 -- Bombay, December 25, 1974: When I cannot tolerate other increasing in opulence, I become envious. This is material life. The spiritual life is different. Spiritual life means if somebody has advanced in spiritual life, and somebody, one, he is still in the neophyte stage, he will eulogize, "Oh, how fortunate he is. He has advanced. He is serving Kṛṣṇa in such a nice way. When I can get that position." There is no enviousness. That is glorifying. That is the distinction between material life and spiritual life. Spiritual (material) life means enviousness: "How to kill you, how to stop you." But spiritual life means to see you advancing, one becomes happy, "Oh, how fortunate he is." This is spiritual life. Therefore spiritual life is meant for a person who is completely not envious. That is spiritual life.

Lecture on SB 3.26.43 -- Bombay, January 18, 1975: So therefore whole process of spiritual life or peaceful life... Spiritual life is peaceful life. Material life is not peaceful life. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā. There are so many varieties of desires in material life. Therefore one cannot be peaceful. That is not possible. But when one enters into spiritual life... Spiritual life means to revive our spiritual consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then we can become happy.

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Boston, May 4, 1968: Guest (1): Is there a process of training to become swami, a process of training? Prabhupāda: Yes. The real aim is spiritual realization. But for realizing perfect spiritual life one has to undergo some training. Just like if one is serious of being cured of a certain type of disease he has to undergo certain type of training or regulation as prescribed by the physician. Then he gets cured. Similarly, we are all materially diseased at the present time. So spiritual life means completely freed from material disease. The material diseases are birth, death, old age, and bodily diseases. They are material disease. Because I am spirit soul, I am eternal. I have no death. I have no birth. But because I am contaminated with this material body, therefore with the birth and death of this body I am thinking that I am taking birth and dying. That is my material condition of life. Actually I am not subjected to birth and death. These things are very nicely described in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1 -- Melbourne, May 21, 1975: If you know what is God factually, then that is your qualification to go back to home, back to Godhead. But if you do not know, then your spiritual life has not begun. You must know what is God. That is knowledge.

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante

jñānavān māṁ prapadyate

vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti

sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ

[Bg. 7.19]

The spiritual life means to understand yourself and understand God and understand your relationship with God and act accordingly. That is spiritual life. It is not difficult. How to understand God? You can understand just like you understand so many things from books. So there is book, God is explaining Himself, "I am like this." So you understand Him. Then you become qualified.

Lecture on SB 6.1.25 -- Honolulu, May 25, 1976: Aśuci means unclean. Spiritual life means purification. So if you purify and again become unclean, that we have discussed hasti-snāna, the elephant. Elephant takes bath very nicely, and as soon as come on the shore, take some dust and throw on... Kuñjara śaucavat. Parīkṣit Mahārāja said that "What is this cleaning?"