Righteous (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"righteous" |"righteously" |"righteousness"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Here in Europe also the two wars was arranged by the German people, they were envious of the English people. So these wars are not right wars, righteous wars. No. They are play of the diplomats, politicians—they engage.

Lecture on BG 2.32 -- London, September 2, 1973: Yuddham means a political fight. Nowadays. Just like in our India, Pakistan and Hindustan, they are always planning fighting. That is political. That is political. When the Pakistan's government cannot manage, nobody is managing nicely, neither Pakistan or Hindustan, but they divert their attention the religious slogan—"Hindus are our enemies." Or "the Pakistan is our enemies." The so-called national slogan. Here also, everywhere. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke [SB 10.84.13]. Here in Europe also the two wars was arranged by the German people, they were envious of the English people. So these wars are not right wars, righteous wars. No. They are play of the diplomats, politicians—they engage. When they cannot manage things very nicely, they engage people into war. That's all. Divert the attention. But war is not meant for that. War is meant for that, when people are not properly being trained up by the king of the state, the other king can attack him.

Nonviolence is good but when there is dharma-yuddha, righteous fighting, there is no question of nonviolence. Violence is approved.

Lecture on BG 2.33-35 -- London, September 3, 1973: So these things are going on, but that is not Bhagavad-gītā. That is nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ. Nāma-aparādha, ten kinds of offenses... This is offense. Just like nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ. We say, the śāstra says, that by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, you become cleansed of your sinful activities. That's a fact. But if somebody thinks that "I shall go on committing sinful activity and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra so it will be adjusted, neutralized, this is the most sinful activity, nāmno balāt, by the strength of chanting, committing sin. So similarly on the strength of Bhagavad-gītā, if one wants to prove his foolish philosophy, that is a great offense. That's a great offense. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā cannot be interpreted by foolish commentators. It must be studied through the paramparā system, ācārya upāsanam. One must worship the ācārya and learn from him what is Bhagavad-gītā. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. This is the Vedic injunction. Who knows things as they are. Ācāryaṁ māṁ puruṣa, one who is under the guidance of ācārya. So you won't find this foolish nonviolence theory from any ācārya. Many ācāryas have commented on Bhagavad-gītā. There is Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, even Śaṅkarācārya. But never said that Bhagavad-gītā is proof of nonviolence. Nonviolence is good but when there is dharma-yuddha, righteous fighting, there is no question of nonviolence. Violence is approved.

Dharma-yuddha means right, righteous fighting, and adharma-yuddha means political.

Lecture on BG 2.36-37 -- London, September 4, 1973: There are two kinds of of fighting. Dharma-yuddha. Dharma-yuddha means right, righteous fighting, and adharma-yuddha means political. That is... One politician, he wants to keep his position, he engages the people in fighting, declares war. That is another thing. But when right thing, violence is required. So Arjuna... Kṛṣṇa is encouraging Arjuna in dharma-yuddha, not unnecessarily killing in the slaughterhouse. Do not misunderstand Kṛṣṇa. The rascals, they misunderstand. By killing, by his whims, he gives the evidence of... Another rascal, although he is learned professor, he says that because this man has killed on the basis of Bhagavad-gītā, therefore Kṛṣṇa is immoral. Just see. This is going on. Without understanding Bhagavad-gītā, even a so-called learned scholar also talking of Kṛṣṇa as immoral. He has encouraged killing. Just see. Such envious persons. And he is teaching Bhagavad-gītā. This is going on.

Similarly, violence, killing is bad. But there is circumstances where violence is righteous, religious.

Lecture on BG 2.36-37 -- London, September 4, 1973: So this is not the fact. The fact is that there must be in the society, four classes of men. Because sometimes violence is required. Just like why government is maintaining the police force, the military force? It is required for keeping law and order. So violence is bad. That's all right. But sometimes it is required. Just like poison. Poison is bad, but sometimes it is required for administering medicine. Even poison is administered. When one's heart is... According to Āyur-vedic system, when the man's heart is almost to fail, at that time, poison is given. So the heart becomes again agitated. In the medical science also. So poison is poison, but sometimes it requires as medicine administration. Similarly, violence, killing is bad. But there is circumstances where violence is righteous, religious. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says dharmyāddhi-yuddha.

Because you are fighting for the right cause, it becomes puṇyavān, righteous.

Lecture on BG 2.36-37 -- London, September 4, 1973: And dying, by dying, you are not loser. Because hato vā prāpsyasi svargam. Even if you die, don't think that you are loser, because immediately you are promoted to the heavenly planets. Because you are fighting for the right cause, it becomes puṇyavān, righteous. The heavenly planet is meant for righteous persons. So by dying, by your death in this righteous fighting, you'll be promoted to the heavenly planets. So both ways you will be profited." Hato vā prāpsyasi svargam and jitvā vā bhokṣyase mahīm. "And if you become victorious, then you enjoy the kingdom. So both ways you are profited. There is no loss on your part. Tasmāt, therefore uttiṣṭha kaunteya yuddhāya kṛta niścayaḥ. Kṛta niścayaḥ. Definitely decide it that: 'I must fight. Fighting must be there.' Yuddhāya. For matter of fighting, uttiṣṭha, get up. Why are you sitting like coward?" Encouraging.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that He comes, He descends, with two purposes: paritrāṇāya sādhūnām [Bg. 4.8], to give relief to the pious, to the righteous, and to vanquish the miscreants, and to establish the real religious principle.

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Montreal, June 14, 1968: So this process is going on because they do not know that their self-interest is that Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that He comes, He descends, with two purposes: paritrāṇāya sādhūnām [Bg. 4.8], to give relief to the pious, to the righteous, and to vanquish the miscreants, and to establish the real religious principle. And what is that real religious principle? That is stated in the last instruction. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. This is real religion, to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That's all. This is done even by great philosophers. He has to do that.

This yogi who is coming to a good family, to a righteous family or rich aristocratic family, they are coming back. But if you are perfect Kṛṣṇa consciousness you are no more coming back.

Lecture on BG 6.35-45 -- Los Angeles, February 20, 1969: So in this way if we can come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness immediately we become free from all contamination. And if we take precaution of these four principles, then our life is pure. And if we can continue this pure life till the time of death you are sure to be transferred to the kingdom of God. Go on. That is stated in Bhagavad-gītā you have already read: tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. By giving up this body, that person who is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he does not come back again to take part in this material world. This yogi who is coming to a good family, to a righteous family or rich aristocratic family, they are coming back. But if you are perfect Kṛṣṇa consciousness you are no more coming back. You are situated in the Goloka Vṛndāvana in the spiritual sky. So we should try not to come back again. Because if I come back again, suppose I have got very nice chance. I have got birth in a very good family, in rich family. But if I cannot utilize it properly, then again I degrade myself to other sort of life. So why should we take this risk. Better complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this life. It is very simple. It is not very difficult. Simply to keep yourself in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa. That's all. It is very simple thing. Then you are assured to your next birth in the spiritual sky in the kingdom of God or in the Goloka Vṛndāvana. Yes.

Lokān means planets. He's transferred to the higher planetary system where all pious and righteous men are living.

Lecture on BG 6.40-42 -- New York, September 16, 1966: Now those who are transcendentally advanced, what is their next life? That was the question of Arjuna. Kṛṣṇa says that next life is that he's transferred to the higher planet. Prāpya puṇya-kṛtāṁ lokān [Bg. 6.41]. Lokān means planets. He's transferred to the higher planetary system where all pious and righteous men are living. Prāpya puṇya-kṛtāṁ lokān uṣitvā śāśvatīḥ samāḥ [Bg. 6.41]. Śāśvatīḥ samāḥ, samāḥ means years and śāśvatīḥ means almost eternal. Almost eternal. Why? Because in the higher planets the duration of life is very great.

Those who are born in such family, in righteous family or rich family, they should take instruction from Bhagavad-gītā, that this is a chance given by God to execute our spiritual life, not for sense enjoyment increasing.

Lecture on BG 6.40-42 -- New York, September 16, 1966: So Kṛṣṇa said that these transcendentally advanced persons, they're transferred to the higher planetary system and live there for many, many years to enjoy life there. Then again they are transferred again here. This is called karma-kṣetra. And one may ask question that when he's transferred again to this planet what does he become? Does he become any animal? Or man? No. He still becomes a man. And what sort of man? Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate. Śucīnām means very pious family, righteous family. Just like in India we have got the brāhmaṇa family, kṣatriya family. High family. Very... Their mode of life is very high standard, clean and righteous, pious, so many things. So śucīnām and śrīmatām. Śucīnām, such pious family you'll find many in India. And śrīmatām. Śrīmatām means rich. So rich family we'll find in your country, America. So that person who is coming again, he is born in a rich family or in pious family. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate. One who was not successful in executing the yoga perfectly, he again... That means to have one's birth in a rich family means he has no anxiety for his bread. He's happy. Now he can happily execute the yoga process. Or in a pious family automatically the yoga process of transcendental life is there. So he can begin also there. That is chance. Those who are born in such family, in righteous family or rich family, they should take instruction from Bhagavad-gītā, that this is a chance given by God to execute our spiritual life, not for sense enjoyment increasing, "Because I have got so much money, oh, let me enjoy senses more, I mean to say, acutely."

To hear about Kṛṣṇa from Vedic literatures, or to hear from Him directly through the Bhagavad-gītā, is itself righteous activity.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Diego, July 1, 1972: To hear about Kṛṣṇa from Vedic literatures, or to hear from Him directly through the Bhagavad-gītā, is itself righteous activity. And for one who hears about Kṛṣṇa, Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is dwelling in everyone's heart, acts as a best-wishing friend and purifies the devotee who constantly engages in hearing of Him. In this way, a devotee naturally develops his dormant transcendental knowledge. As he hears more about Kṛṣṇa from the Bhāgavatam and from the devotees, he becomes fixed in the devotional service of the Lord. By development of devotional service one becomes freed from the modes of passion and ignorance, and thus material lusts and avarice are diminished. When these impurities are wiped away, the candidate remains steady in his position of pure goodness, becomes enlivened by devotional service and understands the science of God perfectly. Thus bhakti-yoga severs the hard knot of material affection and enables one to come at once to the stage of asaṁśayaṁ samagram, understanding of the Supreme Absolute Truth Personality of Godhead.' This is the process. By hearing, you become pious. Those who are hearing in this meeting, even they cannot understand the words which we are discussing, he's, he's becoming purer. He's becoming... Just like one becomes purer by acting piously. So simply hearing, if one cannot understand the whole thing, he becomes pious. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ [SB 1.2.17]. One who is speaking Kṛṣṇa's words, and one who is hearing Kṛṣṇa's..., both of them are becoming purified.

Jijñāsuḥ means inquiry. Four kinds of people who are in the righteous path, whose life is regulated, they will have this enquiry, and they will come to God.

Lecture on BG 10.3 -- New York, January 2, 1967: Go on inquiring. The inquiry is called philosophy. Philosophy means to inquire, research. Or say... You have read in the Bhagavad-gītā, jñānī jijñāsuḥ. Jijñāsuḥ means inquiry. Four kinds of people who are in the righteous path, whose life is regulated, who is not upstart, who follows the rules and regulation of scriptures, and higher authority, or higher principles, such person, not all... That is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā: na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ [Bg. 7.15]. Those who are simply addicted to, I mean to say, sinful activities, they cannot inquire. They will be in the darkness, gone, gone under some intoxication, gone. But those who are actually righteous and pious, they will have this inquiry, and they will come to God.

To deliver the righteous person and to kill the demons, the same thing, because Kṛṣṇa is absolute.

Lecture on BG 13.13 -- Bombay, October 6, 1973: And Kṛṣṇa says, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge: "I come to reestablish. When people become cats and dogs without any religion, then I come down to establish religion." Because we are Kṛṣṇa's sons, we are all sons of Kṛṣṇa, He is very much anxious to see us happy. Just like father wants to see his sons, bewildered sons, to see that he is happy. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām [Bg. 4.8]. That is also the same thing. To deliver the righteous person and to kill the demons, the same thing, because Kṛṣṇa is absolute. His maintaining the devotee and killing the demon, both of them are same thing.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

It is the duty of everyone to hear the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of all righteous persons.

Lecture on SB 1.2.14-16 -- San Francisco, March 24, 1967: In order to understand that Absolute Truth, it is the duty of everyone to hear, śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca, and chant; and dhyeyaḥ, means meditating or remembering, dhyeyaḥ; and pūjya, and worshiping; nityadā, regularly. Whom? Bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of all righteous persons. He's master of everyone, but the devotees, they especially recognize that Lord is the master of everyone.

So these things are obtained by righteous activities.

Lecture on SB 1.2.14-16 -- San Francisco, March 24, 1967: So this is the benefit of being Kṛṣṇa conscious, that whatever we are acting in our past life, and according to that we have got this body... Either impious or pious, whatever you have done, that's all right. Don't think that because we are doing some pious activities we shall be out of the bondage of fruitive activity. No. That is also not possible. I have several times explained that if we do pious activity, then the result will be that we shall be able to get our birth in a very nice family, aristocratic family, rich family, pious family, big family. These are the results. Janma. Or janma aiśvarya. Janma means high birth. A very rich man, born in a rich family or high family, that means automatically he becomes a rich man. Janmaiśvarya-śruta [SB 1.8.26], or somebody becomes very highly or great learned man, śruta. And śrī; śrī means beauty. Or one becomes very beautiful. So these things are obtained by righteous activities. And similarly by acting impious activities we become very ugly, we become fool, we are born in a very low family or animal family and we become very poor. These are the results of different activities.

There are more wrongdoers than righteous men. Therefore Yamarāja has to do (more) work than other demigods who are also authorized agents of the Supreme Lord.

Lecture on SB 1.13.15 -- Geneva, June 4, 1974: Yamarāja is deputed by the Lord to a particular planet, some hundreds of thousands of miles away from the planet of earth, to take away the corrupt souls after death and convict them in accordance with their respective sinful activities. Thus, Yamarāja has very little time to take leave from his responsible office of punishing the wrongdoers. There are more wrongdoers than righteous men. Therefore Yamarāja has to do (more) work than other demigods who are also authorized agents of the Supreme Lord. But he wanted to preach the glories of the Lord, and therefore, by the will of the Lord, he was cursed by Maṇḍūka Muni to come into the world in the incarnation of Vidura and work very hard as a great devotee.

So a sādhu, a saintly person, a righteous person, a religious person, will never be happy by other's killing.

Lecture on SB 7.9.13-14 -- Montreal, August 22, 1968: So a sādhu, a saintly person, a righteous person, a religious person, will never be happy by other's killing. But killing of persons like scorpion and serpent... And the Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that a person who has envious nature, he's more dangerous than the serpent. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has enunciated that sarpaḥ krūraḥ khalaḥ krūraḥ. There are two envious creatures: one is the snake, and another, a man envious, unnecessarily envious of others. So sarpāt krūrataraḥ khalaḥ. That man, envious, he's dangerous, more dangerous than the snake. Why more dangerous? Mantrauśādhi-vaśaḥ sarpaḥ khalaḥ kena nivāryate. You can subdue a snake by herbs and by chanting particular type of mantra. There are many snake charmers in India, by mantra they can charm the snakes. But a person who is envious, you cannot pacify him in any way.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

That is nice. That is righteous. So why should you not accept?

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.106-107 -- San Francisco, February 13, 1967: And the Bhāgavata says, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB 6.3.19]. Dharma, any religion, any religion, or religious principle, sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam, it is compiled and made by the Supreme Lord. Therefore in every scripture, you'll find the beginning is God. Beginning is God. So just like the state laws, the state laws are made by the state administrators. So how can you make change? You cannot make change. The state law is that you must go to the right. Can you make any change? "No, I shall go to the left." Oh, at once you'll be arrested. If you cannot change the laws of your state, how you can change the laws of God? That means the more you violate the laws of God, the more you become sinful. This is called sin. As you violate the laws of the state and become a criminal, similarly, as you violate the laws of God, you become sinful. You become sinful. This is the definition on sin and piety. If you follow the rules of God, then you are pious. Now, in the Bhagavad-gītā, it is said that "Sex intercourse for begetting children is I am." That means this is pious. But if sex intercourse for sense gratification, that is sin. That is sin. Now fools may inquire, "Oh, what is the difference between married sex life and non-married sex life?" That is the fool's question. But if we follow the rules, the rule is that like that, you require sex life, so you just become gentleman: you marry. You get yourself married and peacefully live. That is nice. That is righteous. So why should you not accept? Similarly, there are so many things. In everything, there is God's law. And that is perfect. That is perfect. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness means always to be conscious, in contact with God. That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

"Just to save the pious and the righteous and to vanquish the impious."

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.109-114 -- San Francisco, February 20, 1967: So we have got the experience of this potency, material potency, but there is another potency which is called spiritual potency. So spiritual potency is the internal energy of Kṛṣṇa, and material potency is the external energy. So Kṛṣṇa says that "Whenever I come," yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata [Bg. 4.7], "whenever there is discrepancies in the discharging of religious principles," adharmasya abhyutthānam abhyutthānam adharmasya, "and there is great predominance of irreligiosity," tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham, "I, at that time, I come." Paritra... Why? Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām: [Bg. 4.8] "Just to save the pious and the righteous and to vanquish the impious."