Demonism

Expressions researched:
"demonism"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Everything belongs to God. So if you don't use it for God, that is called demonism. And if you use it for God, that is devotion.

Lecture on BG 1.15 -- London, July 15, 1973: In the Eleventh Chapter it is said, sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat, "God has His hands and legs all over the universe." What is that? This, our hand, our legs, this is God's hands, God's leg. He is the master. I am claiming, "This is my hand," but as soon as God withdraws the power of your hand, it is paralyzed, you cannot repair. Therefore the real proprietor is Kṛṣṇa. You are not proprietor. You have been given the facility to use it, for..., use it not for your sense gratification, but for the satisfaction of the Lord. Then your life is perfect. Because the things belongs to Kṛṣṇa. He is Hṛṣīkeśa. He is the master. Just like we are sitting in this house. Somebody has given us. Similarly, everything belongs to God. This is self-realization. My body belongs to God, my mind belongs to God, my intelligence belongs to God, I am spirit soul, I am part and parcel of God. Therefore everything belongs to...Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1]. Everything belongs to God. So if you don't use it for God, that is called demonism. And if you use it for God, that is devotion. That's all.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

We go, "My dear sir, we have got these books to understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. So you kindly read this book. You will be benefited." "Ah, what is God? Who is God? I am God." This is demonism.

Lecture on SB 1.15.34 -- Los Angeles, December 12, 1973: So what is the difference between a demon and devotee? A demon is puffed up. That's all. Falsely. That is demon. And a devotee is submissive, meek and mild. This is the difference. The demons will... We go, "My dear sir, we have got these books to understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. So you kindly read this book. You will be benefited." "Ah, what is God? Who is God? I am God." This is demonism. And demigod or a devotee means "Oh, here is a book, something about God, Kṛṣṇa. All right, let me read it." That is the difference. Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ means they don't care for God. That is the disease. Although they are under the stringent laws of God, still, they don't care for God.

When Kṛṣṇa's energy is utilized for our sense gratification, that is called demonism.

Lecture on SB 3.26.46 -- Bombay, January 21, 1975: Earth, water, air, fire, sky—these are all different energies of Kṛṣṇa. Bhinnā prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā. So it has got some relationship. So when it is utilized for Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's energy is utilized for Kṛṣṇa, that is bhakti. And when Kṛṣṇa's energy is utilized for our sense gratification, that is called demonism. The same thing. Same thing you utilize for Kṛṣṇa—that is bhakti. And same thing you utilize for your sense gratification—that is demonism. You... Actually, you cannot do so. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Suppose something belongs to me, and if you do not utilize it for me, you utilize it for you, so I must be sorry, that "How is that? My things are being utilized for you." Of course, this is a crude example. But the philosophy is: everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1]. Sarva... Kṛṣṇa said, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram [Bg. 5.29]. He is the proprietor. So because He is the proprietor, He is the proprietor of my body also. Therefore it should be—everything should be—utilized for Kṛṣṇa. This is bhakti. We should not give up. You cannot give up anything.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Demon's position is always to challenge God that "I know better than you." That is demonism.

Room Conversation with Krishna Tiwari -- May 22, 1973, New York:

Prabhupāda: You have become a demon.

Krishna Tiwari: Huh?

Prabhupāda: From brāhmaṇa you have become a demon.

Krishna Tiwari: I have not become demon, and God knows it. I am much more better man, right now...

Prabhupāda: Demons always know better than God.

Krishna Tiwari: Is that right? I don't know better than God. Oh, I never said that. What I'm saying is God knows I'm not a bad man. I'm not a demon. (laughs)

Prabhupāda: Demon's position is always to challenge God that "I know better than you."

Krishna Tiwari: I never said that. (laughing)

Prabhupāda: That is demonism. That is demonism.

Krishna Tiwari: No, Swamiji, you did not hear me.

Prabhupāda: Yes, I hear, I know.

Krishna Tiwari: I said that God knows I'm not a demon. I did not say I am better than God.

You cannot stop communism. You have to stop demonism. That is your real business. Communism is another type of demonism.

Morning Walk -- December 13, 1973, Los Angeles:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They want to stop spread of communism.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Similarly, now America has to do the same thing to stop demonism. Then your nation will be leader. You understand; you have trust in God. Now it is your business to trust in real God and work for Him. You cannot... I have explained already. You cannot stop communism. You have to stop demonism. That is your real business. Communism is another type of demonism. So if you remain a demon, so what is the use of stopping another demonism? The same example: stool, the upside is dried up. You cannot say, "Because it is upside of stool, it is better side." Stool is stool. Guer ei pita en opita. (?) (dog barking loudly) Come on. That's all right. He cannot make the condition of the world better by... Just like Professor Kotofsky. He was saying that there must be revolution. I was talking of authority. So the authority you must have to accept. So he said that authority is accepted upon revolution.

Similarly, these demons they cannot understand what is demonism.

Morning Walk -- December 13, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prajāpati: As soon as we define what demoniac civilization is, then no one will support us because they'll see that they themselves are demons.

Prabhupāda: Yes, because they are demons they cannot understand. Just like one Christian priest went to some quarters, mine, gold mine. So he was describing that "If you do not worship Lord Jesus Christ, you will go to hell." So they asked, "What is hell?" So when he began to describe—"It is always wet. It is dark. There is no sufficient air, so on, so on"—they could not understand what is hell because they are already in the hell, in the mine. They could not make any distinction that darkness is a very horrible thing. Similarly, these demons they cannot understand what is demonism. Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ [Bg. 7.15]. What is that āsura-bhāva? Not to accept God. This is āsura-bhāva. This is demonism. This is the basic principle of... Everyone is trying to deny God. Therefore they are demons. Who was telling that the medical man is considered to be first-class authority?

Medical man also does not understand what is that thing missing which makes this body dead. And still, he is placing himself as authority, as scientific man, and people are accepting. That is demonism.

Morning Walk -- December 13, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prajāpati: That's what the people believe. They have more trust in medical men than they do in anything else.

Prabhupāda: Yes. But medical man also does not understand what is that thing missing which makes this body dead. And still, he is placing himself as authority, as scientific man, and people are accepting. That is demonism. He cannot explain. A man is dying. He is applying his scientific processes, what is called that gas, oxygen gas, and other injection, and in spite of doing all these things, he finds at a moment that the man is dead. And when you ask him that "In spite of your all scientific appliances, why the man is dead?" And still, he has become authority, such foolish man that this man cannot explain that in spite of all his efforts, scientifically, a man is dead. Now what he will answer? He has seen his all kinds of scientific appliances and applied but the man is dead. Now let him explain why the man is dead. Can he explain?

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Only for begetting nice child one should have sex life. This is ideal life. Not that you use sex life, contraceptive method. This is all demonism.

Morning Walk -- May 27, 1974, Rome:

Bhagavān: Some people would be engaged in copying books.

Prabhupāda: No, you engage yourself. If you want book, that book, you copy yourself. Why someone should be engaged for you? You have got enough time. You are not going to the factory or hundred miles for your earning livelihood. You are on the local space. You have got enough time. You just take, copy. That's all. Minimize your unnecessary waste of time. Save time. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Go back to home. This is our idea. Instead of chanting twenty-five rounds, you chant hundred rounds. That is utilization of proper time. Instead of begetting cats and dogs, you just beget one child, Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is the ideal life. What is the use of using sex life unnecessarily? Therefore only for begetting nice child one should have sex life. This is ideal life. Not that you use sex life, contraceptive method. This is all demonism. But they cannot do without it. Because they have no other engagement, they do not know how nice Kṛṣṇa is and how pleasurable it is to reciprocate with Kṛṣṇa, Therefore they go to the dog's pleasure, sex life on the street and there, on the beach. That's all. They have been educated like dogs. Therefore they want it.

So one day he said, "Why you always say Bhagavān, God?" Just see, an old man and still he is such a rascal. He did not like. That is called demonism.

Morning Walk -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

Prabhupāda: So poor Christ has taken all concern. He will be crucified, and they will enjoy life. This is very easy religion. "I have nothing to do, and besides that, if Christ says something to do, that also we can neglect because he has taken guarantee. So although Christ says, 'Thou shalt not kill,' I can neglect that." And then, if still he is captured, he will say, "Bible is very old."

Haṁsadūta: How can we accept it?

Prabhupāda: (laughing) How they have made easy life, that see. They are... There is a story that a boy went for examination. So when he came back, his father asked, "My dear boy, how you have written your question paper?" "Yes, very nice." "How?" "No, those questions which were very difficult, I could not answer. And the easier questions, what is to write? I know everything. (laughter) Easier questions, there is no need of writing. I know everything." Both ways he has not written anything. So these rascals, both ways they will not follow anything. And still, they will credit... Not only Christians, everywhere these people want to banish God. Simply we are canvassing "God, God, God." Otherwise nobody cares. Say about 1945, so in front of my house there was an old man. So as neighbor, we had very good talks always. So as soon as I say, "Bhagavān," he will be angry. "God." So one day he said, "Why you always say Bhagavān, God?" Just see, an old man and still he is such a rascal. He did not like. That is called demonism. Even the father of Prahlāda Mahārāja, that five years old boy, he was doing nothing harm, simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa—he became angry: "No, no." So big enemy that he wanted to kill him. This is demoniac. Some bad smell?

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

......rascals will use any excuse to reject all of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is atheism or demonism.

Morning Walk -- December 10, 1975, Vrndavana:

Indian man: But the rascal philosophers, they have put in their book that you don't need to go to a spiritual master. Like one lady, she is staying in our temple now. She is a life member from, I think from Kanpur. So I was discussing with her yesterday. She said that "Your devotees, they are forcing me," that she should accept Śrīla Prabhupāda as spiritual master. She said, "No. I know Kṛṣṇa. I am reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam." And she told me that she has read in the book that one not need to go to spiritual master.

Prabhupāda: But what she is? Why she is staying here? Huh? You have asked them to go? No?

Akṣayānanda: This is the first I have heard of it.

Indian man: I am going to tell her to go if she will not... She told me...

Akṣayānanda: I never heard this before.

Prabhupāda: No, no. No. Is she is staying there as a paying guest or what?

Indian man: No, she want... She paid us eleven hundred rupees in Kanpur and, I don't know... The devotees, they promised her she can come and she can stay in our temple but they never told her the four regulative principles and to accept the guru.

Prabhupāda: No, no.

Akṣayānanda: No, that is not true.

Indian man: So she wants the money back.

Prabhupāda: So give. Give her back.

Akṣayānanda: She can have it back. That's no problem.

Indian man: So she should go.

Prabhupāda: Give her back. So why don't you give and immediately?

Akṣayānanda: Yes, I will give her. She never asked me. I didn't know this.

Indian man: She asked Gopāla Kṛṣṇa, I think. So we will arrange. She should go, you know. She made a great confusion yesterday.

Akṣayānanda: That's all right. Let her have.

Prabhupāda: Let her return the receipt or give a receipt and let her go away. Nobody can stay more than three days.

Indian man: Yes. We will do that.

Akṣayānanda: That we are doing.

Prabhupāda: She can come, but not more than three days in a month. [break]

Harikeśa: ...rascals will use any excuse to reject all of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Prabhupāda: That is atheism or demonism. [break]

Harikeśa: Chinmayananda, when he lectures, he only lectures on the verses that are important. He says all the other ones, they're not really important. He picks out the ones that count.

Prabhupāda: So why don't you cut his head and say that "It is not important. You are talking nonsense. Cut your head."