The Cheating Propensity - A Defect of Conditioned Life
Whenever we attempt to acquire knowledge or build relationships in the material world, we are immediately confronted by our own limitations. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that every living entity who has fallen into the material world is endowed with four unavoidable defects, the most prominent and damaging of which is the innate propensity to cheat.
Four Inherent Defects
No matter how educated or elevated a person may appear to be, if they are materially conditioned, they are fundamentally flawed. Śrīla Prabhupāda often states that every conditioned soul is universally hampered by four strict defects. They are guaranteed to commit mistakes ("to err is human"), they are inevitably subject to illusion, their physical senses are highly imperfect, and they possess a deep-seated tendency to cheat others.
- A conditioned living being is endowed with four principles of malpractice, namely errors, insanity, inability and cheating. These are signs of imperfection, and out of the four the propensity to cheat others is most prominent.
- All conditioned souls have imperfect senses, they are subject to commit mistakes and become illusioned, and they are influenced by the propensity to cheat.
- Every one of us, anyone who is in this material world, they are subjected to these defects: he is sure to commit mistake - "To err is human" - he is subjected to be illusioned, and he has a cheating propensity.
- You are defective in four ways. "To err is human." You must commit mistake; you must be illusioned; your senses are imperfect; and you have got a cheating propensity. These four defects are there.
Exploitation in Ordinary Dealings
This cheating propensity thoroughly infects our daily interactions. According to Śrīla Prabhupāda, the desire to exploit others for personal gain is present in every ordinary transaction. A storekeeper may claim to be a great friend offering a discount, but the underlying motive is always profit. Even among close friends, this subtle, envious drive to cheat inevitably leads to friction, transforming peaceful relationships into bitter enmity.
- Even in ordinary transactions between two people, there is invariably cheating because the conditioned soul is defective in four ways - he is illusioned, he commits mistakes, his knowledge is imperfect, and he has a propensity to cheat.
- In business you go to a storekeeper. He'll say, "Oh, you are my great friend. I am not taking a farthing profit from you." But you must know that he is taking profit, at least fifty percent. So this is called cheating propensity.
- We have often heard a storekeeper say, "Because you are my friend, I won't make any profit off you." But in actuality we know that he is making at least 50% profit. There are so many instances of this cheating propensity.
- Although two friends may be living peacefully together, due to their propensity to cheat they become enemies when there is a transaction between them.
Philosophical and Religious Deception
The urge to deceive is not limited to economics; it extends into the highest realms of philosophy and religion. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights that conditioned souls frequently alter the real purports of the scriptures to justify their own sense gratification or to argue against the eternal, transcendental form of the Supreme Lord. The ultimate manifestation of this cheating propensity is the desire for liberation (mokṣa), where the soul attempts to merge into the Supreme and artificially claim oneness with God.
- In the conditioned stage of existence, all living entities have four basic defects, of which one is the cheating propensity. Sankaracarya has carried this cheating propensity to the extreme to mislead the monists.
- The prefix 'pra' in the word 'projjhita' specifically refers to those desiring liberation or oneness with the Supreme. Such a desire should be understood to be the foremost cheating propensity.
- It is not difficult to compromise the real purport of the magnificent scriptural edicts by selfish motivations and cheating mentality. When this happens, people aspire for show-bottle religiosity, material gain, sense enjoyment, and impersonal liberation.
- Purposely raise a controversy (nondevotees) to defeat the eternity of the transcendental body of the Lord. This is due to the defect called the cheating propensity of the imperfect living entities.
Perfect Knowledge from Flawless Sources
Because the human mind is inherently disqualified by these four defects, we cannot manufacture our own path to perfection. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that absolute truth must be received from sources that are completely immune to illusion, mistakes, imperfect senses, and the cheating propensity. Therefore, one must strictly accept the rules and regulations provided in the authorized śāstra and take shelter of a bona fide guru who purely repeats the message of the Supreme Lord.
- Authorized scriptures like Bhagavad-gita contain the transcendental teachings of the Lord Himself or of self-realized personalities. These scriptures are free from four human frailties: illusion, mistakes, limited senses, and the cheating propensity.
- Sastra is without the four principal defects that are visible in the conditioned soul: imperfect senses, the propensity for cheating, certainty of committing mistakes, and certainty of being illusioned.
- These four principal defects (imperfect senses, the propensity for cheating, certainty of committing mistakes, and certainty of being illusioned) in conditioned life disqualify one from putting forth rules and regulations.
- Why guru should be worshiped? Saksad-dharitvena samasta (Sri Gurv-astaka 7) - because he has no cheating propensity. That is guru.
Conclusion
Recognizing our own cheating propensity is the first step toward genuine humility and spiritual advancement. As long as we rely on our own mental speculation or the theories of imperfect men, we will remain trapped in a cycle of mutual deception. By abandoning the desire to exploit the material energy and humbly submitting to the flawless guidance of the scriptures and the spiritual master, we can rise above our conditioned defects and perceive the Absolute Truth as it is.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
The instructions of the pure devotee are our eternal guide. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Cheating Propensity. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.