Goodness means

Expressions researched:
"goodness means"

BG Chapters 13 - 18

In the Vedic literature it is said that the mode of goodness means greater knowledge and a greater sense of happiness.

BG 14.6, Purport: A man in the mode of goodness is not so much affected by material miseries, and he has a sense of advancement in material knowledge. The representative type is the brāhmaṇa, who is supposed to be situated in the mode of goodness. This sense of happiness is due to understanding that, in the mode of goodness, one is more or less free from sinful reactions. Actually, in the Vedic literature it is said that the mode of goodness means greater knowledge and a greater sense of happiness.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Material quality, goodness means the brahminical quality. Sattva śama damas titikṣā. So devotional service is transcendental to these good qualities also.

Lecture on BG 2.25 -- London, August 28, 1973: When the inquiry is that why one has got the king's body and why he has got, one has got the pig's body. There are so many other bodies, 8,400,000 different types of bodies. So why the difference is there? That difference is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kāraṇam. Kāraṇam means cause. Why these varieties are..., kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. Asya, jīvasya. He is associating with different kinds of qualities, and therefore he's getting a different type of body. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. Therefore our business should be not to associate with the material qualities. Even up to goodness. Material quality, goodness means the brahminical quality. Sattva śama damas titikṣā. So devotional service is transcendental to these good qualities also. In this material world, if somehow or other, he has got the birth in a brāhmaṇa family or he's executing his duties exactly a strict brāhmaṇa, still he's conditioned under the laws of this material nature, still. And what to speak of others, those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance. Their position is most abominable.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Goodness means free from the inactivity of ignorance and the activity of passion, but to see things as they are: "Oh, I am eternal servant of God. So my actions should be to serve God."

Lecture on SB 1.2.19 -- Los Angeles, August 22, 1972: Sleep and inactivity is a sign of ignorance. The more we are inactive and sleepy, that means we are in the modes of ignorance. And passion means activity for sense enjoyment. And goodness means free from the inactivity of ignorance and the activity of passion, but to see things as they are: "Oh, I am eternal servant of God. So my actions should be to serve God." That is goodness. These are the stages. When one is inactive, lazy, sleeping, that means ignorance. When one is very active for sense enjoyment, it is passion; and when one is neither active like the sense gratifiers nor sitting idly like the ignorant, but he is trying to engage himself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, service, that is goodness. And one who is actually serving Kṛṣṇa, that is transcendental platform, liberated platform.

Goodness means intelligence, prakāśa. And ignorance means darkness.

Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Los Angeles, August 23, 1972: Therefore, intelligent person... This is... Goodness means intelligence, prakāśa. And ignorance means darkness. In darkness, we cannot see what is what. So goodness means light. Anyone can see that there are 8,400,000 species of life or forms of life. They are getting their food. They are getting their shelter. They are satisfying their sex. They are also defending without any extra endeavor. By nature, they are doing their own way. So why human being, so-called civilized human being, is so much harassed for these four things? We have got better intelligence.

Goodness means knowledge.

Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1972: Sleeping is very dangerous. It is to be understood that I am under the clutches of māyā, the more we sleep, because the symptom of tamo-guṇa is laziness and sleep. This is the symptom of tamo-guṇa, laziness and sleeping. And symptoms of rajo-guṇa—very active, but just like monkey. Monkeys are very active, but all injurious. Wherever they will sit, they "Gata-gata-gat-gat-gat." Not a single moment they are inactive, but all foolishness. That is passion. And goodness means knowledge. So in the previous verse it is described how to come to the platform of goodness. When one comes to the platform of goodness, then he becomes prasanna-manasa, because he is not attacked by the modes of ignorance and passion, means laziness, sleep and foolishly active. Foolishly active is more dangerous than less active.

Goodness means they can see. One who is qualified brāhmaṇa, he can see what is what, what is this world, what is God, what the human being...

Lecture on SB 1.2.27 -- Vrndavana, November 7, 1972: In the Bhagavad-gītā, the division of the society is given there: cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg. 4.13]. According to guṇa and according to karma, there are four classes of men. The first class men, the brāhmaṇas, because they are on the platform of goodness. Goodness means they can see. One who is qualified brāhmaṇa, he can see what is what, what is this world, what is God, what the human being... Everything is clearly prakāśa. It is called prakāśa, illumination. If one is situated in the modes of goodness, platform of goodness, he can see things as they are.

Goodness means one who is situated almost on the spiritual platform.

Lecture on SB 1.3.26 -- Los Angeles, October 1, 1972: Goodness means one who is situated almost on the spiritual platform. Just like the brahminical qualification: truthfulness, controlling the senses, controlling the mind, simplicity, full of knowledge, practical application of knowledge in life, and completely faith in God. That is brahminical qualification.

Goodness means avoiding these four principles of sinful life.

Lecture on SB 1.8.41 -- Los Angeles, May 3, 1973: Goodness means avoiding these four principles of sinful life. Even if you do not become a pure devotee of the Lord, if you follow the principles, the regulative principles, then you remain in goodness. And if you remain in goodness, then your next life is in the higher planetary systems, even not going back to home, back to... You'll get that opportunity. So everything is there. We have to utilize our intelligence.

Goodness means knowledge. One can see what is what.

Lecture on SB 3.25.18 -- Bombay, November 18, 1974: Śūdras means they do not know what is the aim of life. Just like animal. Animal does not know what is the aim of life. That is ignorance. And passion is power, creative power, or working for sense gratification. That is called passion. And goodness means knowledge. One can see what is what.

Goodness means brahminical qualification: satya śamo damo titikṣa ārjava

Lecture on SB 6.1.20 -- Honolulu, May 20, 1976: If you practice here how to remain in the modes of goodness... Goodness means brahminical qualification: satya śamo damo titikṣa ārjava, to become truthful, controlling the senses, controlling the mind, satya śama titikṣa, tolerant; satya śamo damo titikṣa ārjava, simple, no duplicity; jñānam, full knowledge of everything; vijñānam, practical application; jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyam... Āstikyam means to accept Vedic literature as fact, not imagination. That is called āstikyam, or theistic. Āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam [Bg. 18.42]. This is called to live in the modes of goodness. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to bring every person to the platform of goodness, not even on the platform of passion, no, because ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā [Bg. 14.18]. At least, if you remain on the platform of goodness, then you can be promoted to the higher planetary system.

One has to keep himself in goodness, and that goodness means one should follow the prohibitions.

Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Seattle, October 21, 1968: On the platform of goodness, you can understand the All-good. If you are in ignorance platform, if you are in the passionate platform, how you can understand the All-good? That is not possible. So one has to keep himself in goodness, and that goodness means one should follow the prohibitions. Either you follow the Ten Commandments or these four commandments, the same thing. That means you have to keep yourself in goodness. The balance must be in goodness.

Modes of goodness means those who are brāhmaṇas.

Lecture on SB 7.9.13 -- Montreal, August 21, 1968: So here it is stated that all these demigods, they are in the modes of goodness. Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇa. Modes of goodness means those who are brāhmaṇas. And who are brāhmaṇas? Brahma jānāti: one who knows what is Brahman or the Absolute Truth, he is called brāhmaṇa. And he is situated in the modes of goodness.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Goodness means prakāśa. Prakāśa means knowledge comes out.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.255-281 -- New York, December 17, 1966: Goodness means prakāśa. Prakāśa means knowledge comes out. And so long we are in ignorance and passion, there is no knowledge. In ignorance there is no knowledge at all, in passion there is some glimpse of knowledge, and in goodness there is full knowledge.

Goodness means sober.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.334-341 -- New York, December 24, 1966: Ignorance means laziness. Laziness. That is ignorance. And passion means active. And goodness means sober. So we cannot find all men in this world of the same quality. Some of them are in goodness; some of them are in passion; some of them are in ignorance. But in this age seventy-five percent or more than that, they are in ignorance. And maybe ten or fifteen percent in passion, and hardly five percent, they are in goodness.

Sri Isopanisad Lectures

Spiritual world—complete love of God, without any attachment for this... So Arjuna, this goodness, means attachment for his family. That's all. He was becoming a good man.

Lecture on Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, October 30, 1968: So this is material goodness. People appreciate very much: "Oh, just see. Arjuna is giving up claim on the kingdom." But what Kṛṣṇa replied? Kṛṣṇa said, "Wherefrom you got this foolish idea?" Kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam, anārya-juṣṭam: "This is for non-Aryans, not for Aryans." So this so-called goodness, so-called gentlemanliness, has no value in the spiritual world. Spiritual world—complete love of God, without any attachment for this... So Arjuna, this goodness, means attachment for his family. That's all. He was becoming a good man. Why? Because there is attachment for his family, for his grandfather, for his brother, nephews. So, so long there is attachment for this material world, either in the form of goodness or passion or ignorance, they're all the same.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Goodness means you can understand things. Knowledge. You can know that there is God, that this world is created by Him, and so on, so on, so many things, actual things.

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Bob: I've read about there are three guṇas, passion, ignorance, and goodness, in life. And I was wishing that you could explain this somewhat, especially what is meant by the mode of ignorance and the mode of goodness.

Prabhupāda: Goodness means you can understand things. Knowledge. You can know that there is God, that this world is created by Him, and so on, so on, so many things, actual things. The sun is this, the moon is this, perfect knowledge. Even not perfect, he has got some knowledge. That is goodness. And passion means he identifies with this material body. And he tries to gratify his senses only. That is passion. And ignorance means animal life. He does not know what is God, how to become happy, "why I am in this world." Just like you are taking one animal to the slaughterhouse, it will go. But a man will protest. So this is ignorance. The goat, it is to be killed after five minutes, but if you give him a morsel of grass he's happy, he's eating. Just like a child. You are planning to kill her or kill him, he is happy, he's laughing, because innocent. That is ignorance.

Goodness means charity where charity must be given.

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Bob: That charity is ignorance.

Prabhupāda: Yes. There are three kinds of charities: goodness, passion, and ignorance. Goodness means charity where charity must be given. Just like this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So if anyone gives charity to this movement, that is goodness. Because it is spreading God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is goodness. And if one gives charity for some return, that is passion. And if somebody gives in charity, he does not know what he's going to do, just like the Bowery man, that is ignorance.

Mode of goodness means knowledge. So if you know, if you're well conversant that "This table does not belong to me; it belongs to Swamiji," so you'll not try to take it away.

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Bob: So somebody who is honest will be in the mode of goodness. Would that be correct?

Prabhupāda: Certainly. Certainly. Because mode of goodness means knowledge. So if you know, if you're well conversant that "This table does not belong to me; it belongs to Swamiji," so you'll not try to take it away. Therefore one must know, be thoroughly well conversant; then he can be honest.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Mode of goodness means one must know that we cannot be happy here. That is mode of goodness.

Morning Walk -- October 20, 1975, Johannesburg:

Harikeśa: So it's not possible that anyone's happy? There is no possibility of anyone being happy.

Prabhupāda: No. One who thinks he is happy, he is number one fool.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Everyone is searching after material happiness.

Prabhupāda: Yes. But there is no happiness.

Harikeśa: What about if one is in the mode of goodness? Maybe one or two...

Prabhupāda: Mode of goodness... If he thinks that he is happy, then he is fool. The mode of goodness means one must know that we cannot be happy here. That is mode of goodness. And if he thinks, "I am happy," then he is not in mode of goodness. He's in darkness.