Bare Necessities Of Life - The Principle of Plain Living and High Thinking
The pursuit of material luxury is a never-ending cycle that distracts the living entity from its true spiritual nature. According to the Vedic scriptures, the intelligent human being recognizes that the material body is a temporary vehicle that requires only minimal maintenance. Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings emphasize that by restricting our intake and lifestyle to the bare necessities of life, we liberate our time and consciousness to pursue the highest perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
The Purpose of Minimized Living
Human life is a rare opportunity to escape the cycle of birth and death. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the basic principle of Vedic civilization is to save time for spiritual cultivation. When an individual is satisfied with the bare necessities—eating, sleeping, and shelter—their attention is naturally diverted toward spiritual development and self-realization, which is the actual aim of human birth.
- The human form of life is meant for saving time for spiritual cultivation. We should be satisfied with the bare necessities of life, and the time should be saved to cultivate self-realization. That is the basic principle of Vedic civilization.
- The aim of the varnasrama divisions - brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa - is to train one to control the senses and be content with the bare necessities.
- True religion, however, instructs people to be satisfied with the bare necessities of life while cultivating Krsna consciousness.
- One should act accordingly (spiritual advancement is necessary), accepting only the bare necessities of life and depending more on God's gift without diversion of human energy for any other purpose, such as being mad for material enjoyment.
The Philosophy of Yukta-vairāgya
A devotee does not practice dry or extreme renunciation. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes the concept of yukta-vairāgya, where one accepts the material part of life only up to the point of necessity. By accepting only the bare minimum required to keep the body fit for service, the devotee makes the "best use of a bad bargain," enjoying transcendental happiness while avoiding the traps of sense gratification.
- A person who is in pure bhakti-yoga, or in Krsna 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 Krsna Consciousness.
- The exact adjustment is in Vaisnava philosophy, which is called Yukta Vairagya, means that we should simply accept the bare necessities of our material part of life, and try to save time for spiritual advancement.
- In the BRS (1.2.108), it is said: The bare necessities of life must be accepted, but one shouldn't superfluously increase his necessities. Nor should they be unnecessarily decreased. One should simply accept what is necessary to help advance spiritually.
- Material wealth and opulence attained through previous pious activities can be fully utilized for one's benefit in this life and the next if one is Krsna conscious. One should not try to possess more than he needs for the bare necessities.
Contrasting Vedic Simplicity with Modern Scarcity
Modern civilization thrives on the creation of artificial needs. Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that this approach leads to contention and the eventual unavailability of even the most basic requirements. In the Age of Kali, the struggle for food and clothing becomes a major obstacle to self-realization, as energy is diverted away from God-given "plain living" toward complex material complications.
- The civilization which aims at this utmost perfection never indulges in creating unwanted things, and such a perfect civilization prepares men only to accept the bare necessities of life or to follow the principle of the best use of a bad bargain.
- Even the bare necessities of life, namely food and clothing, become objects of contention and control. And so arise all sorts of obstacles to the traditional, God-given life of plain living and high thinking.
- This is the symptoms of Kali-yuga. The bare necessities of life will not be available. There is no protection.
- The net result is scarcity all over the world, so much so that even the bare necessities of life, namely food and clothing, become objects of contention and control.
Practical Application in Spiritual Communities
For those living in temples or spiritual farms like New Vrindaban, the standard of living must remain austere. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that temple life is meant for renounced persons whose material needs are almost nil. By producing their own food grains and being satisfied with food and shelter provided by the community, devotees can remain self-independent and fully focused on the mission of book distribution and chanting.
- Any householder devotee who is working full-time (with his wife) as a sankirtana book distributor, of temple managerial duties, artist, cook, etc. shall be provided food, shelter, and other bare minimum necessities by the temple itself.
- The New Vrindaban idea is that persons who live there will accept the bare necessities of life to maintain the body and soul together and the major part of time should be engaged in development of Krishna Consciousness.
- Go on chanting, offering prasadam. You have got your food grains. Don't be dependent on anyone else. Become self-independent. And don't be after money. Simply produce your bare necessities of life.
- The temple cannot pay for anything beyond the bare necessities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the acceptance of the bare necessities of life is not a sign of poverty, but a hallmark of spiritual intelligence. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the more we complicate our material lives, the more we distance ourselves from our eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa. By choosing to live simply and depending on God's arrangement, we save the precious time required to purify our consciousness. This standard of "plain living and high thinking" ensures that we remain fit to serve the Lord and are prepared to return to the spiritual sky at the end of this lifetime.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Bare Necessities Of Life. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.