Spiritual Life - an essential subject

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Ānanda means pleasure. Enjoyment. Spiritual life does not mean that void of enjoyment, no. It is full of enjoyment. We are seeking after enjoyment, but that enjoyment is hampered by our material existence. We do not know. We are trying to squeezing out the senses and trying to have material pleasure. This is nonsense because we do not know what is spiritual life. Spiritual life means service to Kṛṣṇa. If we do not serve Kṛṣṇa, where is spiritual life? Spiritual life does not mean go on increasing your material necessity and you become spiritual. No. Minimize, to have no more interest in material activities but only in the understanding of God, the Supreme, and His service. How the matter has been simplified, that for attainment of spiritual life people have to undergo so many years under penance and regulation, and here is only, only thing is, that you simply chant the holy name of the Lord.

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

Quotes from Srila Prabhupada's books


vanipedia.org 		Real spiritual knowledge has to be received from revealed scriptures. After this knowledge is attained, one can begin to perceive his actual spiritual life. Any knowledge achieved by speculation is imperfect. One must receive knowledge from the paramparā system and from the guru; otherwise one will be bewildered and will ultimately become an impersonalist. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 25.118)



vanipedia.org 		Sometimes so-called spiritualists seeking a spiritual life come to associate with Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees, but they cannot execute the regulative principles or follow the path of spiritual life. Consequently they leave the association of devotees and go to associate with sense gratifiers, who are compared to monkeys. Again they revive their sex and intoxication, and looking at one another's faces, they are thus satisfied. In this way they pass their lives up to the point of death. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.13.17)



vanipedia.org 		In this age, people in general are short-living and very slow to understand self-realization or spiritual life; they are mostly unfortunate, and therefore if someone is a little bit interested in self-realization he is likely to be misguided by so many frauds. The only way to realize the perfect stage of yoga is to follow the principles of Bhagavad-gītā as practiced by Lord Caitanya. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.15.45)



vanipedia.org 		Even though one may come to the platform of brahma-bhūta (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.30.20) and understand his spiritual identity by speculative knowledge, one cannot enjoy spiritual life without understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is indicated here by the word abhīṣṭa-siddhiḥ. One can fulfill the ultimate goal of life only by engaging in devotional service to the Lord. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.24.52)



vanipedia.org 		Spiritual life aims at stopping this repetition of birth and death and entering into the spiritual world, where one can live eternally cognizant and blissful. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 11.8)



vanipedia.org 		Everyone should try to avoid death and rebirth by cultivating spiritual life and should not submit to death without struggling to survive. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.1.48)



vanipedia.org 		Everyone is engaged in maintaining the body, home and family. Consequently everyone becomes confused at the end of life, not knowing what spiritual life and the goal of human life are. In a civilization of sense gratification there cannot be spiritual life, because a person thinks only of this life. Although the next life is a fact, no information is given about it. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.28.9)



vanipedia.org 		Śrīla Parīkṣit Mahārāja said that the constant hearing of the pastimes of the Lord is the panacea for all material diseases. Everyone, therefore, should hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly. By hearing one can always remain in equilibrium, and thus his progress in spiritual life will not be hampered. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.11.31)



vanipedia.org 		Out of the many millions and trillions of living entities on land, human beings comprise only a small portion. Out of that small number of human beings, most are totally ignorant of spiritual life, are unclean in their habits and have no faith in the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In short, most human beings live like animals. (Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 1)



vanipedia.org 		People are simply wasting time and the valuable gift of the human form because a human being who does not cultivate spiritual life but dies like the cats and dogs is degraded in his next life. From human life, such a person is put into the cycle of continuous birth and death. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.4)



vanipedia.org 		In all the above-mentioned dealings of the Lord, He is the hero in all circumstances, and hearing about Him or about His devotees or combatants is conducive to spiritual life. It is said that the Vedas and Purāṇas, etc., are all made to revive our lost relation with Him. Hearing of all these scriptures is essential. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.36)



vanipedia.org 		Out of that small number of human beings, most are totally ignorant of spiritual life, are unclean in their habits and have no faith in the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In short, most human beings live like animals. These can actually be deducted from the number of human beings that comprise human or civilized life. (Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 1)



vanipedia.org 		One who is advanced in spiritual life should not associate with nondevotees—namely men in government service and men engaged in materialistic activity for sense gratification or in the service of others. Such men are considered viṣayī, materialistic. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 8.36)



vanipedia.org 		Becoming one with the brahma-jyotir does not represent mature knowledge. Only by surrendering unto the Lord completely and developing one's sense of spiritual service does one reach the highest perfectional stage. (Sri Isopaniṣad, Mantra 17)



vanipedia.org 		One who has studied the Vedas perfectly, who is a perfect vipra, or knower of the Vedas, who knows what spiritual life actually is, speaks about Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, as one's sanātana-dharma. Lord Śiva therefore teaches us the principles of sanātana-dharma. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.24.42)



vanipedia.org 		When a person actually revives his consciousness with thoughts of Kṛṣṇa by the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he revives his spiritual life and becomes addicted to the service of the Lord. Only then can he act as an ācārya. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 7.152)


Spiritual Life - 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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