Material Contamination - an essential subject

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As a drop of water from a cloud - originally pure - becomes contaminated after contact with the earth, so also the original pure spirit soul becomes contaminated after contact with the material world. Material contamination works like the dust on a mirror - distorts reality. Thus the spirit soul starts to be affected by material contamination on different levels - in desires, acts and thoughts and the more energy one gives to deal with all these manifestations of contamination, the more one falls deeper into the mud of material existence.

The light and beauty of the soul becomes covered by thick layers of material contamination and one is lost in the dark ocean of the material world. The pure qualities of the spirit soul transform into materialy infected ones - from love and affection we digress to lust and greed, from knowledge we digress to pride and from eternity to fall to death.

These glum descriptions found in the Vedic literature are balanced by positive remedies. So although contact with this material energy contaminates us, there are very powerful spiritual methods of purification. By the cleansing process of selfless devotional service to God, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we can purify our existence and gradually rise above the influence of all material contamination and regain our pure spiritual existence.

Srila Prabhupada's books, lectures, conversations and letters offer a comprehensive presentation of this essential subject as seen in the Vaniquotes Material Contamination category. An introduction from his books is given below in the following 16 quotes.

Quotes from Srila Prabhupada's books


vanipedia.org 		Material desires in the mind are the trash of material contamination. By such contamination, the living being is faced with so many compatible and incompatible things that discourage the very existence of spiritual identity. Birth after birth the conditioned soul is entrapped with so many pleasing and displeasing elements, which are all false and temporary. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.15.29 )



vanipedia.org 		Although living entities belong to the marginal energy of the Supreme Lord, they are in material contamination. They think themselves enjoyers, but they are not the supreme enjoyer. Here it is clearly stated that the supreme enjoyer is the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His different manifestations and plenary expansions as Nārāyaṇa, Vāsudeva, etc. (Bhagavad-gītā 8.8)



vanipedia.org 		Although qualitatively one with the Lord, the living being, due to contamination of the material world, is pervertedly manifested, and therefore he experiences so-called happiness and distress in the material world. Such experiences are all ephemeral and do not affect the spirit soul. The perception of such ephemeral happiness and distress is due only to the forgetfulness of his qualities, which are equal to the Lord's. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.13.48)



vanipedia.org 		Every living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, and therefore it is the duty of every living entity to serve that supreme whole. Without such service, the living entity falls into material contamination. (Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 16)



vanipedia.org 		Here the word karma-doṣaiḥ means "by faulty actions." This refers to any activity, good or bad, performed in this material world—they are all contaminated, faulty actions because of material association. The foolish conditioned soul may think that he is offering charity by opening hospitals for material benefit or by opening an educational institution for material education, but he does not know that all such work is also faulty because it will not give him relief from the process of transmigration from one body to another. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.27.3)



vanipedia.org 		No one can serve the Supreme Lord as His associate without being situated in his pure spiritual identity. That identity is completely free from all material contamination. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, a materially contaminated person transmigrates to another material body by material consciousness. At the time of death he thinks materially and is therefore transferred into another material body. (Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 31)



vanipedia.org 		When pure consciousness is polluted by material contamination and when identification with the body becomes prominent, one is said to be situated under false ego. Consciousness is the function of the soul, and therefore behind consciousness there is soul. Consciousness polluted by material contamination is called ahaṅkāra. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.26.14 )



vanipedia.org 		Material contamination can be consumed by devotional service because in devotional service these two diseases, namely the desire to lord it over material nature and the desire to become one with the Supreme Lord, are absent. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.27.23 )



vanipedia.org 		Thus by the process of bhakti-yoga, directly accepted, as suggested in this verse, by sufficient hearing of the transcendental message of the Lord, the material contamination is directly eliminated without one's attempting to contemplate the impersonal virāṭ conception of the Lord. And by practicing bhakti-yoga, if the performer is not purified from the material contamination, he must be a pseudodevotee. For such an imposter there is no remedy for being freed from material entanglement. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.2.37 )



vanipedia.org 		The Lord is everyone's friend, but He is especially friendly to the surrendered soul. The simple process, therefore, is that a conditioned soul should remain surrendered to the Lord, and the Lord will give him all protection to keep him out of the clutches of material contamination. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.7.30)



vanipedia.org 		In other words, by understanding this philosophy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engaging in His transcendental service, everyone can become freed from all contaminations of the modes of material nature. Devotional service is a process of spiritual understanding. Wherever devotional service exists, the material contamination cannot coexist. (Bhagavad-gītā 15.20)



vanipedia.org 		Devotional service means attaining peace from all disturbances caused by material contamination. In other words, it is the process by which the mind is cooled. The mind can be peaceful and thoroughly cleansed when one no longer desires anything but devotional service.Even though all dirty things may be cleansed away, sometimes subtle desires remain in the mind for impersonalism, monism, success and the four principles of religious activity (dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa). All these are like spots on clean cloth. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 12.135)



vanipedia.org 		Generally our materially contaminated senses are apt to engage in sense gratificatory activities, but when a person is elevated by wisdom and austerity, the senses then become purified, and they become engaged in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Śiva is the emblem of such perfection, and therefore in the scriptures it is said, vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ: Lord Śiva is a Vaiṣṇava. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.6.35 )



vanipedia.org 		If we want to associate with a sādhu, we cannot expect him to give us instructions on how to improve our material condition, but he will give us instructions on how to cut the knot of the contamination of material attraction and how to elevate ourselves in devotional service. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.20)



vanipedia.org 		The material contamination is so strong that even a yogī fully engaged in the service of the Lord sometimes becomes ensnared; but Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so strong that such an occasional falldown is at once rectified. (Bhagavad-gītā 9.30)



vanipedia.org 		A class of so-called devotees known as sahajiyās try to imitate the Lord's pastimes, although they have no understanding of the amorous love in His expansions of pleasure potency. Their superficial imitation can create havoc on the path for the advancement of one's spiritual relationship with the Lord. Material sexual indulgence can never be equated with spiritual love, which is in unadulterated goodness. The activities of the sahajiyās simply lower one deeper into the material contamination of the senses and mind. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā 4.34)



Material Contamination - explore more within this category.

Vanipedia has now over 903 introductory articles compiled from Srila Prabhupada's books under the series titled Essential Subjects. All these articles can be seen in the Table of Content on the right side of this article and also here in this Umbrella Category. Browse through them to relish the breadth and depth of Srila Prabhupada's teachings - There is a subject for everyone.


   
 

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