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Unless you accept some institution of making progress in spiritual life, you are animal. Man has got some institution, some social structure, religious structure, political structure. Otherwise, what is the difference between animal

Expressions researched:
"Unless you accept some institution of making progress in spiritual life, you are animal" |"Man has got some institution, some social structure, religious structure, political structure. Otherwise, what is the difference between animal"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Unless you accept some institution of making progress in spiritual life, you are animal. That is the difference between animal and man. Man has got some institution, some social structure, religious structure, political structure. Otherwise, what is the difference between animal.

What is God, the idea is given in the Vedas, Upaniṣad, na tasya kāryam. First thing is that He has nothing to do personally. That is first qualification of God. If He has to do something personally, then He is not God. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate: "Nobody can be equal to Him or greater than Him." This is definition of God. Any subject matter. Suppose opulence, riches. So nobody can be richer than God or nobody can be equal with God. This is greatness. "God is great." How He is great? That is defined every . . . particularly. He is great because nobody equally rich with Him. Nobody is richer than Him. That is God. Everybody is poorer than Him. Therefore na tat-samaḥ. Sama means equal, and adhika means greater. How God can be great? If somebody is greater than Him, how God is great? If somebody is equal to Him, then how He is great? Just see how the definition is given perfectly.

Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate: "He has nothing to do." Because He is great, why He should work? All the subordinates will work. We are all subordinate; therefore we shall work for God. But we have made our formula that, "God shall work for me." "God, give us our daily bread. We have nothing to do. Simply give us our bread." What is this? But the Vaiṣṇava idea is that "Without giving bread to God, God will die." Yaśodā-māyi is thinking, "If I do not give Kṛṣṇa to eat something nice, Kṛṣṇa will become lean and thin." That is love of Godhead, how to serve Kṛṣṇa, how to serve God. Sevonmukhe. That is real religion. When we are not to take service from God, but we are ready to give service to God, that is real religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Adhokṣaje. God is beyond our senses, therefore He is Adhokṣaja.

So that type of religion which teaches the followers how to serve God, how to love God, that is perfect religion. It doesn't matter whether it is Christian religion or Hindu religion. No. If the followers are trained up how to love God, how to serve God, that is perfect. That is being taught here. In this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, there is no such teaching to ask from God. No. To give everything to God. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That is required. So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja is a devotee. Therefore, although he was the powerful emperor, still, he is now sacrificing his life for the service of the Lord. This is human civilization. At least, at a certain point of your life, you must sacrifice. If you haven't got anything, money, then you can sacrifice your life.

Prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā etāvaj janma-sāphalyaṁ dehinām iha dehiṣu (SB 10.22.35). This human form of life can be perfected. How? How it can be perfected? Prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā. Prāṇa means life. Artha means riches. Prāṇair arthair dhiyā. Dhiyā means intelligence. And vācā, vācā means words. So we have got four things. We have got our life, and everybody has got some riches, either one pound or one million pound. Everybody has got something. This is called artha. Prāṇa, artha, and everyone has got intelligence, and everyone has got the power to speak. So we have to engage all these four things. Either four or three or two, at least one, we must engage. Prāṇair arthair dhiyā, śreya-ācaraṇaṁ sadā. This is the principle of religion, or perfection of life. Etāvaj janma. Then our life will be . . . there are many other ślokas in Bhāgavatam.

ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā
varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ
svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya
saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam
(SB 1.2.13)

This varṇāśrama-dharma we have already explained. So any civilized man must be within this category of varṇāśrama-dharma. Otherwise he is animal. Unless you accept some institution of making progress in spiritual life, you are animal. That is the difference between animal and man. Man has got some institution, some social structure, religious structure, political structure. Otherwise, what is the difference between animal? The animal, they haven't got any president or senate house or parliament or church. That is the difference.

Page Title:Unless you accept some institution of making progress in spiritual life, you are animal. Man has got some institution, some social structure, religious structure, political structure. Otherwise, what is the difference between animal
Compiler:SharmisthaK
Created:2022-09-24, 06:28:51
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1