Avoided in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness - The Path of Purity
Advancement in spiritual life requires both accepting what is favorable and rejecting what is unfavorable. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that certain activities, habits, and associations must be strictly avoided in Kṛṣṇa consciousness to protect the practitioner from falling back into the miserable cycle of material entanglement.
The Four Pillars of Sinful Life
The foundation of spiritual life is basic morality. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the absolute prerequisite for entering the realm of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the strict avoidance of the four primary sinful activities, which perpetually bind the soul to material suffering.
- We prescribe, "No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling." These are the four pillars of sinful life. If we avoid these thing, then we can stay on the platform of purity. And God consciousness, Krsna Conciousness, is based on this morality.
- We first advise all the disciples in our Krsna consciousness movement to avoid illicit sex, which is the beginning of all abominable life and which is followed by meat-eating, gambling and intoxication, one after another.
- To enlighten them (the poor, we are opening centers) in Krsna Consciousness and reform their character by teaching them how to avoid illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling, which are the most sinful activities and which cause people to suffer, life after life.
- In this Krsna consciousness movement the devotees are forbidden to have illicit sex. Thus they avoid so many difficulties.
Transcending the Urge for Sex Pleasure
Material existence is driven by the desire for sensual enjoyment. Śrīla Prabhupāda states that spiritual realization and unrestricted sex pleasure are fundamentally incompatible; therefore, the sex impulse must be either completely avoided or strictly regulated within marriage.
- A person engaged in Krsna consciousness can work with greater vigor without sex pleasure, which he avoids. That is the test in spiritual realization. Spiritual realization and sex pleasure go ill together.
- Advanced Krishna Consciousness student should know it well that sex life also should be dovetailed with Krishna consciousness. Better to avoid it; if not possible, to have in a regulated married life.
- The basic principle is that in executing Krishna Consciousness sex life should be avoided as far as possible, and it may be utilized only for begetting Krishna Consciousness children. This is the basic principle that should be followed as far as possible.
- When Thakura Haridasa was tempted by a public prostitute at the dead of night, he avoided the allurement because of his perfection in Krsna consciousness. That is the difference between a Krsna conscious person and others.
Avoiding Unfavorable Association
The company one keeps determines the direction of one's consciousness. Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that jana-saṅga—associating intimately with materialistic persons, pseudo-spiritualists, and those not interested in devotional service—must be actively avoided.
- Jana-sanga refers to associating with persons not interested in Krsna consciousness. One should strictly avoid such association. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura has therefore advised us to live only in the association of Krsna conscious devotees.
- The members of the Krsna consciousness movement must be convinced that without Krsna one cannot be happy. Thus the Krsna conscious person avoids all kinds of pseudo spiritualists, transcendentalists, meditators, monists, philosophers and philanthropists.
- Devotees in Krsna consciousness should be very careful to avoid such demons. One should strictly follow the vidhi-marga regulative principles in the worship of Laksmi-Narayana, although the Lord is present in the temple as Radha-Krsna.
- Not only children but also elderly persons should be very careful to protect their sense of Krsna consciousness and avoid unfavorable circumstances so that they may not forget their prime duty.
Escaping Material Entanglement
By carefully avoiding sinful actions and materialistic mentalities, the devotee is protected from the painful reactions of karma. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that this process of avoidance is not a deprivation, but the practical means to permanently escape the miseries of material life.
- Both of these pitfalls - rejection of the body as false and acceptance of the body as all in all - can be avoided when one is fully situated in Krsna consciousness.
- We must try to avoid becoming too much overly organized like the material businessmen. Our business is to ourselves become Krishna conscious, advance in spiritual life, and to preach to others how they can also take advantage.
- All these things (illicit sex, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, being punished in the same way the next life) can be avoided by remaining on the transcendental platform of Krsna consciousness. In this way one does not commit sinful activity.
- One can avoid this entanglement of birth, death, old age and disease simply by becoming Krsna conscious.
Conclusion
In conclusion, advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness inherently requires a high degree of discrimination. The material world is filled with allurements that drag the soul into deeper ignorance, specifically through the avenues of illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication, and gambling. By voluntarily and strictly avoiding these four pillars of sinful life, a devotee establishes a firm foundation of purity. Furthermore, one must be extremely vigilant to avoid the association of nondevotees and pseudo-spiritualists, as such company quickly extinguishes the desire for pure devotional service. Ultimately, the process of avoiding material entanglements is made effortless when one is fully attracted to the supreme beauty of Lord Kṛṣṇa. By remaining steadily on this transcendental platform, the sincere soul successfully avoids the entire miserable cycle of birth, death, old age, and disease, securing their eternal return to the spiritual sky.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Avoided in Krsna Consciousness. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.