Best policy

Expressions researched:
"best policy"

BG Chapters 7 - 12

The best policy is to follow the principles of Kṛṣṇa; that will make one perfect.

BG 11.43, Purport: Whoever knows Kṛṣṇa's transcendental body, activities and perfection, after quitting his body, returns to Him and doesn't come back again to this miserable world. Therefore one should know that Kṛṣṇa's activities are different from others. The best policy is to follow the principles of Kṛṣṇa; that will make one perfect. It is also stated that there is no one who is master of Kṛṣṇa; everyone is His servant.

SB Canto 1

The best policy is simply to abide by the orders of the Lord without argument.

SB 1.9.16, Translation and Purport: O King, no one can know the plan of the Lord [Śrī Kṛṣṇa]. Even though great philosophers inquire exhaustively, they are bewildered. The bewilderment of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira over his past sinful acts and the resultant sufferings, etc., is completely negated by the great authority Bhīṣma (one of the twelve authorized persons). Bhīṣma wanted to impress upon Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira that since time immemorial no one, including such demigods as Śiva and Brahmā, could ascertain the real plan of the Lord. So what can we understand about it? It is useless also to inquire about it. Even the exhaustive philosophical inquiries of sages cannot ascertain the plan of the Lord. The best policy is simply to abide by the orders of the Lord without argument. The sufferings of the Pāṇḍavas were never due to their past deeds. The Lord had to execute the plan of establishing the kingdom of virtue, and therefore His own devotees suffered temporarily in order to establish the conquest of virtue. Bhīṣmadeva was certainly satisfied by seeing the triumph of virtue, and he was glad to see King Yudhiṣṭhira on the throne, although he himself fought against him. Even a great fighter like Bhīṣma could not win the Battle of Kurukṣetra because the Lord wanted to show that vice cannot conquer virtue, regardless of who tries to execute it. Bhīṣmadeva was a great devotee of the Lord, but he chose to fight against the Pāṇḍavas by the will of the Lord because the Lord wanted to show that a fighter like Bhīṣma cannot win on the wrong side.

SB Canto 3

There cannot be any harmony in the material world. The best policy, therefore, is to act for the sake of the Lord. That will bring about the desired harmony.

SB 3.5.48, Purport: The cosmic creation is working under the influence of the three modes of the external potency of the Lord. Different creatures are also under the same influence, and therefore they cannot act concertedly in satisfying the Lord. Because of this diverse activity, there cannot be any harmony in the material world. The best policy, therefore, is to act for the sake of the Lord. That will bring about the desired harmony.

The best policy for a saintly father like Brahmā is to leave such demoniac sons

SB 3.20.24, Translation and Purport: The worshipful Brahmā first laughed at their stupidity, but finding the shameless asuras close upon him, he grew indignant and ran in great haste out of fear. Sexually inclined demons have no respect even for their father, and the best policy for a saintly father like Brahmā is to leave such demoniac sons.

The best policy is to avoid sex life altogether. That is preferable.

SB 3.27.7, Purport: A devotee should observe the vow of celibacy. Celibacy does not necessitate that one be absolutely free from sex life; satisfaction with one's wife is permitted also under the vow of celibacy. The best policy is to avoid sex life altogether. That is preferable. Otherwise, a devotee can get married under religious principles and live peacefully with a wife.

SB Canto 6

The best policy is to disassociate oneself from the three modes of material nature and be always transcendental to their contamination.

SB 6.1.46, Purport: The actions and reactions of the three modes of material nature are visible in this life. For example, some people are very happy, some are very distressed, and some are in mixed happiness and distress. This is the result of past association with the modes of material nature—goodness, passion and ignorance. Since these varieties are visible in this life, we may assume that the living entities, according to their association with the different modes of material nature, will be happy, distressed or between the two in their next lives also. Therefore the best policy is to disassociate oneself from the three modes of material nature and be always transcendental to their contamination. This is possible only when one fully engages in the devotional service of the Lord.

Message of Godhead

The best policy for doing work is to perform all prescribed duties for the satisfaction of Yajña, the Supreme Being—Viṣṇu, the Absolute Truth.

Message of Godhead 2: To earn a living, one can honorably adopt the profession of a street sweeper, but one must not change his dress to the saffron robes of a renunciate simply to fill up his empty stomach. In the present age of quarrel and pretension, one should prefer to do the ordinary, prescribed duties rather than adopt the life of a sannyāsī, a renunciate. Those who are genuinely renounced understand that they must not give up performing their prescribed daily duties in the social order, because otherwise there will be disaster, plain and simple. When we cannot secure our everyday sustenance without doing any work, how is it possible to give up our prescribed duties? And yet one must not forget the difficult position of one's being in the network of action and reaction by which the spirit soul becomes bound up in material existence. So, to solve this dilemma, the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, advises us as follows: "The best policy for doing work is to perform all prescribed duties for the satisfaction of Yajña, the Supreme Being—Viṣṇu, the Absolute Truth. Otherwise, all actions will produce reactions that will cause bondage. If work is done for the sake of Yajña, then one can become free from all bondages."

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

The best policy to control the mind is to desire how to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 3.26.27 -- Bombay, January 4, 1975: Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura... Here it is said that kāma-sambhavaḥ. Kāma, kāma means desire. So mind is restless, always desiring something, desiring something. So the best policy to control the mind is to desire how to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the best. Kāmaḥ kṛṣṇa-karmārpaṇe. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has said that you cannot be free from desire. That is not possible. This is useless attempt. They say that "You become desireless." No, that is not possible. How can I...? If I become desireless, I become dead. So long I am living entity, I must desire. I cannot check it. Therefore kāma means desire. So at the present moment, we are desiring how to become happy in this material world, how to acquire so much money, how to acquire this, how to acquire this, how to get this, how to get that. This is kāma. So this brain taxation, if you engage in Kṛṣṇa's service—how to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness, how to convince people about Kṛṣṇa, how to take them to the Kṛṣṇa's desire, sarva-dharmān parityajya [Bg. 18.66]—and in this way, if you go on making plan for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then your mind is controlled.

Festival Lectures

If you are anxious to go back to home, back to Godhead, and become associate with Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, then the best policy is to take shelter of Nityānanda.

Lord Nityananda Prabhu's Appearance Day Nitai-Pada-Kamala Purport -- Los Angeles, January 31, 1969: Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is singing that "The whole world is suffering under the blazing fire of material existence. Therefore, if one takes the shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda...," whose birthday is today, 31st, January, 1969. So we should relish this instruction of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura that in order to get relief from the pangs of blazing fire of this material existence, one should take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda because it is as cooling as the moon rays combined together of millions of moons. That means one will immediately find peaceful atmosphere. Just like a man works whole day and if he comes under the moonshine he feels relief.

Similarly, any materialistic man who comes under the shelter of Lord Nityānanda will immediately feel that relief. Then he says,

nitāi-pada-kamala, koṭi-candra-suśītala,

je chāyāy jagata jurāy,

heno nitāi bine bhai, rādhā-kṛṣṇa pāite nāi,

dharo nitāi-caraṇa du'khani

He says that "If you are anxious to go back to home, back to Godhead, and become associate with Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, then the best policy is to take shelter of Nityānanda." Then he says, se sambandha nāhi jā'r, bṛthā janma gelo tā'r: "One who has not been able to contact Nityānanda, then one should think of himself that he has simply spoiled his valuable life."

1974 Correspondence

The best policy is to chant Hare Krishna all together husband, wife, and son at least a half hour daily.

Letter to Dennis -- Bombay 6 December, 1974: Regarding the situation that if you leave your wife and your son, she will be broken hearted, therefore I asked you to stay. It is better for you to remain with your wife and son and chant Hare Krishna as much as possible, and Krishna will personally give you direction. It may be that Krishna will make your wife agreeable to your line of action. And if your wife agrees, and your son he is already doing, that will make your life very happy in Krishna consciousness. The best policy is to chant Hare Krishna all together husband, wife, and son at least a half hour daily. If your wife joins with you in chanting, then the whole problem will be solved.