Eating, Sleeping, Mating and Defending - an essential subject: Difference between revisions
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Eating, sleeping, defending and mating are the four principles of material bodily demands which are common to both the animals and human society. To distinguish human society from the animals there is the performance of religious activities in terms of the social statuses and orders of life. They are all clearly mentioned in the Vedic literatures and were manifested by Brahmā when the four Vedas were generated from his four mouths. | Eating, sleeping, defending and mating are the four principles of material bodily demands which are common to both the animals and human society. To distinguish human society from the animals there is the performance of religious activities in terms of the social statuses and orders of life. They are all clearly mentioned in the Vedic literatures and were manifested by Brahmā when the four Vedas were generated from his four mouths. The bestial civilization of eating, sleeping, fearing and sense-gratifying has misled modern man into forgetting how powerful a soul he has. The soul is a spiritual spark which is many, many times more illuminating, dazzling and powerful than sun, moon or electricity. Human life is spoiled when man only spends his time in eating, sleeping, defending and mating and not in realizing his real identity with his soul. | ||
Srila Prabhupada's books, lectures, conversations and letters offer a comprehensive presentation of this essential subject as seen in the Vaniquotes '''[[Vaniquotes:Category:Eating, Sleeping, Mating and Defending|Eating, Sleeping, Mating and Defending]]''' category. An introduction from his books is given below in the following | Srila Prabhupada's books, lectures, conversations and letters offer a comprehensive presentation of this essential subject as seen in the Vaniquotes '''[[Vaniquotes:Category:Eating, Sleeping, Mating and Defending|Eating, Sleeping, Mating and Defending]]''' category. An introduction from his books is given below in the following 12 quotes. | ||
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== Quotes from Srila Prabhupada's books == | == Quotes from Srila Prabhupada's books == | ||
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{{VaniQuotebox| | {{VaniQuotebox|A Krsna conscious person is never disturbed by the bodily necessities - namely eating, sleeping, mating and defending| One can become faithful to the Lord, devoted to the Lord and attached to the Lord, and thus one can very quickly attain full Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The secret of success in the cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is hearing from the right person. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person is never disturbed by the bodily necessities—namely eating, sleeping, mating and defending. '''(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.29.39-40)'''}} | ||
{{VaniQuotebox| | {{VaniQuotebox|As long as the material body exists, one has to meet the demands of the body, namely eating, sleeping, defending and mating|As long as the material body exists, one has to meet the demands of the body, namely eating, sleeping, defending and mating. But a person who is in pure bhakti-yoga, or in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, does not arouse the senses while meeting the demands of the body. Rather, he accepts the bare necessities of life, making the best use of a bad bargain, and enjoys transcendental happiness in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. '''(Bhagavad-gītā 6.23-23)'''}} | ||
{{VaniQuotebox| | {{VaniQuotebox|Eating, sleeping, mating and defending are problems found in the animal kingdom, and the animals have solved these problems without difficulty. Why should human society be so busy trying to solve these problems?| Every state and every society is busy trying to improve the quality of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. This human form of life is meant for more than these four animal principles. Eating, sleeping, mating and defending are problems found in the animal kingdom, and the animals have solved these problems without difficulty. Why should human society be so busy trying to solve these problems? The difficulty is that people are not educated to understand this simple philosophy. '''(Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya-lilā 9.159)'''}} | ||
{{VaniQuotebox| | {{VaniQuotebox|Eating, sleeping, sex life and fear are the four bodily necessities, but to utilize the full duration of life a person desiring to advance in spiritual consciousness must reduce these activities. That will give him an opportunity to fully use his lifetime| Although one has a maximum of one hundred years of life, by sleeping one loses fifty years. Eating, sleeping, sex life and fear are the four bodily necessities, but to utilize the full duration of life a person desiring to advance in spiritual consciousness must reduce these activities. That will give him an opportunity to fully use his lifetime. '''(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.6)'''}} | ||
{{VaniQuotebox| | {{VaniQuotebox|Extravagance in the matter of eating, sleeping, defending and mating - which are demands of the body - can block advancement in the practice of yoga|Extravagance in the matter of eating, sleeping, defending and mating—which are demands of the body—can block advancement in the practice of yoga. As far as eating is concerned, it can be regulated only when one is practiced to take and accept prasādam, sanctified food. Lord Kṛṣṇa is offered, according to the Bhagavad-gītā (9.26), vegetables, flowers, fruits, grains, milk, etc. In this way, a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness becomes automatically trained not to accept food not meant for human consumption, or not in the category of goodness. '''(Bhagavad-gītā 6.17)'''}} | ||
{{VaniQuotebox| | {{VaniQuotebox|If one is thoroughly trained in household life, he finds all facilities for human life-eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Everything is there if it is executed according to regulative principles| When one accepts a wife, it is to be understood that he is being helped in his progressive march toward liberation. In the beginning of life a person is trained as a brahmacārī and is then allowed to marry a suitable girl and become a householder. If one is thoroughly trained in household life, he finds all facilities for human life-eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Everything is there if it is executed according to regulative principles. '''(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.25.37)'''}} | ||
{{VaniQuotebox| | {{VaniQuotebox|In the various forms of life lower than human life the intelligence does not go beyond the range of life's primary necessities - namely eating, sleeping, mating and defending| In the various forms of life lower than human life the intelligence does not go beyond the range of life's primary necessities—namely eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Dogs, cats and tigers are always busy trying to find something to eat or a place to sleep, trying to defend and have sexual intercourse successfully. In the human form of life, however, one should be intelligent enough to ask what he is, why he has come into the world, what his duty is, who is the supreme controller, what is the difference between dull matter and the living entity, etc. '''(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.25.26)'''}} | ||
{{VaniQuotebox|Knowledge in the matter of the bodily necessities of eating, sleeping, mating and fearing, transformed into various branches of advancement of knowledge, is all temporary|Knowledge in the matter of the bodily necessities of eating, sleeping, mating and fearing, transformed into various branches of advancement of knowledge, is all temporary. A living being is not the material body but an eternal part and parcel of the Supreme Being, and thus revival of his self-knowledge is essential. Without this knowledge, the human life is baffled. '''(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.4.25)'''}} | |||
{{VaniQuotebox|Material life means being fully absorbed in eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Out of these, sleep is taken very seriously|Material life means being fully absorbed in eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Out of these, sleep is taken very seriously. While asleep, one completely forgets the object of life and what to do. For spiritual realization, one should try to avoid sleep as much as possible. The Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana practically did not sleep at all. Of course, they slept some, for the body requires sleep, but they slept only about two hours, and sometimes not even that. They always engaged in spiritual cultivation. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. '''(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.14.20)'''}} | |||
{{VaniQuotebox| The four principal bodily demands-eating, sleeping, mating and defending-can be satisfied under any circumstances, whether one is born in an impious condition or in a pious condition|The four principal bodily demands—eating, sleeping, mating and defending—can be satisfied under any circumstances, whether one is born in an impious condition or in a pious condition. The problem, however, is how to become free from the four principles of birth, death, old age and disease. This is the real problem. It is not "What shall I eat?" The birds and beasts have no such problem. In the morning they are immediately chirping, "Jee, jee, jee, jee." They know that they will have their food. No one is dying, and there is no such thing as overpopulation because everyone is provided for by God's arrangement. '''(Easy Journey to Other Planets 2)'''}} | |||
{{VaniQuotebox|The lower animals, the birds and the bees, have no business or profession, yet they are not dying for want of food. They are all living in nature's way, and they all have the necessities of life provided - namely eating, sleeping, mating and defending| When the Lord is satisfied, all necessities of life are automatically supplied. In the Vedas it is also stated: eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). From the Vedas we understand that He is supplying everyone's necessities, and we can actually see that the lower animals, the birds and the bees, have no business or profession, yet they are not dying for want of food. They are all living in nature's way, and they all have the necessities of life provided—namely eating, sleeping, mating and defending. '''(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.14.20)'''}} | |||
{{VaniQuotebox|When one engages in devotional service in Krsna consciousness, he still has to eat, sleep, defend and mate because these are necessities of the body. But he performs such activities in a regulated way| When one engages in devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he still has to eat, sleep, defend and mate because these are necessities of the body. But he performs such activities in a regulated way. He has to eat kṛṣṇa-prasāda. He has to sleep according to regulated principles. The principle is to reduce the duration of sleep and to reduce eating, taking only what is needed to keep the body fit. In short, the goal is spiritual advancement, not sense gratification. Similarly, sex life must be reduced. Sex life is meant only for begetting Kṛṣṇa conscious children. Otherwise, there is no necessity for sex life. '''(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.33.26)'''}} | |||
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'''Eating, Sleeping, Mating and Defending - [[Vaniquotes:Category:Eating, Sleeping, Mating and Defending|explore more within this category]]'''. | '''Eating, Sleeping, Mating and Defending - [[Vaniquotes:Category:Eating, Sleeping, Mating and Defending|explore more within this category]]'''. | ||
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Latest revision as of 16:15, 22 November 2020
Eating, sleeping, defending and mating are the four principles of material bodily demands which are common to both the animals and human society. To distinguish human society from the animals there is the performance of religious activities in terms of the social statuses and orders of life. They are all clearly mentioned in the Vedic literatures and were manifested by Brahmā when the four Vedas were generated from his four mouths. The bestial civilization of eating, sleeping, fearing and sense-gratifying has misled modern man into forgetting how powerful a soul he has. The soul is a spiritual spark which is many, many times more illuminating, dazzling and powerful than sun, moon or electricity. Human life is spoiled when man only spends his time in eating, sleeping, defending and mating and not in realizing his real identity with his soul.
Srila Prabhupada's books, lectures, conversations and letters offer a comprehensive presentation of this essential subject as seen in the Vaniquotes Eating, Sleeping, Mating and Defending category. An introduction from his books is given below in the following 12 quotes.
Quotes from Srila Prabhupada's books
Eating, Sleeping, Mating and Defending - 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.