Prabhupāda Teaches His Disciples What They Must Be Avoiding
The journey toward spiritual perfection requires profound discrimination between that which elevates consciousness and that which degrades it. To safeguard his followers from the subtle traps of the material energy, Śrīla Prabhupāda meticulously outlined the various habits, thoughts, and associations they must actively avoid. By steering clear of sinful behaviors, mental concoctions, and mundane distractions, practitioners maintain the purity required to steadily advance on the path of devotion.
Avoiding Sinful Activities and Offenses
The foundation of all spiritual progress begins with the absolute rejection of behaviors that anchor the soul to the material world. It is strictly required that devotees avoid the four sinful activities—meat-eating, illicit sex, intoxication, and gambling—as these destroy all religious principles. Furthermore, practitioners must be extremely vigilant in avoiding the ten offenses against the holy name, understanding that treating chanting as a license to commit sin is the greatest spiritual danger.
- Those who are in the modes of passion, they will remain here and those who are very addicted to all abominable habits, they are clearing their way to hellish life. So to abominable life is these four principles. That we are trying to avoid.
- I have already explained the four kinds of sinful activities you should avoid. But if you think that you are chanting, therefore there will be no reaction of sinful activities, that is the greatest sin, greatest offense.
- If you follow this simple process (chanting sixteen rounds and avoiding ten offenses) faithfully under the direction of your Spiritual Master and try to understand our philosophy by regular study, you will continue to progress your lives in Krsna consciousness.
- There are ten kinds of offenses. You'll get the list. So we shall try to avoid. Then our chanting will be purified. And when the chanting is purified, then immediately you are liberated.
Avoiding Material Entanglements and Distractions
The material world offers an endless variety of temporary engagements that can easily divert a devotee's attention from their ultimate goal. To ensure steady focus on the preaching mission, disciples were advised to avoid unnecessary business ventures and excessive material entanglements. Even within family life, one must be careful to avoid affection based solely on bodily sense gratification, instead cultivating a cooperative atmosphere centered entirely on pleasing the Supreme Lord.
- Don't be entangled with these material affairs. Don't be entangled. Try to avoid. But if you are still unable, your sex impulse is very strong, all right, then you go and marry.
- I must caution that we must be careful to avoid so far as possible affection for family based on sense gratification. Be happy in your family life by working cooperatively to please Krishna, and she should be your assistant.
- Try to avoid too much business as this distracts us from our real mission. If Krishna sees that we are very active to spread information about Him, He is Master of the Goddess of Fortune, He will give everything!
- Your remark that we cannot make Krishna our order supplier is very appropriate. We should always try to supply everything to Krishna and we shall try to avoid any return by Krishna. That is Vaisnava philosophy.
Avoiding Mental Speculation and Mundane Topics
The purity of a devotee's consciousness is heavily influenced by what they choose to hear, read, and contemplate on a daily basis. Therefore, indulging in mental speculation, mundane news, and the useless chatter known as grāmya-kathā must be strictly avoided. Instead of consulting materialistic astrologers or reading ordinary magazines, practitioners are directed to immerse their minds entirely in absolute knowledge, talking only of topics related to transcendental realization.
- This (observing the regulative principles strictly and chant at least sixteen rounds of beads daily) is essential for understanding our philosophy practically to advance in Krishna Consciousness. And we should always avoid mental speculations.
- We always advise, "Don't read newspaper. Don't read any other book," because it is full of gramya-katha. These externally very attractive news, we should avoid it completely. We shall simply talk of Krsna.
- We shall try to avoid the Beatles or hippy's articles, because they have no spiritual importance.
- You should not listen to any of these so-called astrologers—strictly avoid. Don't even see them. What is the use of seeing them? Astrology is meant for the materialist, but a spiritualist does not care for the future.
Maintaining Purity in Publishing and Preaching
As the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement expanded its public presence, safeguarding the integrity of its literature and presentation became a top priority. Editors and managers were sternly instructed to avoid publishing transcendental articles in hodge-podge mundane journals or accepting degrading advertisements. By keeping confidential topics out of general publications and avoiding unnecessary changes to established temple standards, the society effectively maintains its high spiritual prestige.
- So far my writings, avoid publishing them in hodge-podge journals.
- Strictly we should avoid publishing these confidential topics in Back To Godhead. This is dangerous for the conditioned soul.
- I wish to inform you that the advertisements are not very congenial to our prestige, especially the hippy kind of advertisements. So we have to think over how we can avoid the advertisements and publish at the same time.
- I want that a high standard should be maintained, but unnecessarily changing and redecorating is also not good. So once you have established a very nice standard, avoid too much changing it again and again. That is wasting Krishna's money unnecessarily.
Conclusion
True spiritual advancement is cultivated not only through positive actions but through the disciplined avoidance of anything that hinders devotional service. By expertly guiding his disciples away from sinful habits, mental speculation, and useless mundane associations, Śrīla Prabhupāda provided them with an impenetrable shield against material illusion. When devotees remain vigilant in avoiding these subtle and gross pitfalls, their path back to Godhead remains clear, steady, and free from unnecessary obstacles.
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 Our Avoiding (Disciples of SP). We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.