Vaiṣṇavas Are Not Interested in Wine and Women
Śrīla Prabhupāda starkly exposes the illusion of materialistic civilization, which mistakenly equates success and happiness with the accumulation of wealth solely to enjoy wine, women, and gambling. By studying his instructions, we learn how these degraded indulgences completely block self-realization, and how a genuine Vaiṣṇava naturally transcends such lower propensities by tasting the higher, spiritual pleasure of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
The Symptoms of Degraded Civilization
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the primary symptoms of the age of Kali are an overwhelming attachment to wine, women, gambling, and animal slaughter. Modern society promotes relentless economic development, but the ultimate goal of such hard labor is merely to secure these lower-class enjoyments. Consequently, human consciousness becomes so covered that the population is reduced to a status lower than that of a śūdra.
- The symptoms of Kali are (1) wine, (2) women, (3) gambling and (4) slaughterhouses.
- Wine, women and gambling indicate that the population is degraded to less than sudra quality.
- In the modern age the consciousness of people is too much covered by wine, women and flesh. Consequently, people are completely unable to make any progress in self-realization.
- Program for economic development, working hard day and night like hogs and dogs. This is going on. This is going on under the name of civilization. And to satisfy me after hard labor, there is wine and women and flesh. That's all.
Misuse of Wealth and Opulence
When wealth falls into the hands of those lacking spiritual education, it naturally leads to degradation. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that individuals influenced by the modes of passion and ignorance falsely take pride in their money, using it only for sinful activities. Instead of utilizing their resources for spiritual advancement, they pave their way to hell by spending it on wine and women.
- In the mode of passion, when one is falsely proud of wealth, one engages his wealth only for three things, namely wine, women and gambling.
- When one is uneducated but falsely puffed up by wealth, the result is that one engages his wealth in enjoying wine, women and gambling - SB 10.10.8.
- If you have got money, that you should be properly utilized, not for sense gratification - wine, women, and hotel, and cinema. No. Then by your artha you are going to hell. Artha, everything.
- Unfortunately, those who are born in rich family, they take advantage of it that "I have got so much money, let me enjoy sense gratification." Maya dictates, "Oh, you have got so much money. Utilize for wine, woman." That's all.
The Illusion Endures into Old Age
Material desires do not naturally fade away simply because the physical body ages. Śrīla Prabhupāda observes that without the purificatory process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even elderly men—including prominent politicians and business magnates—continue to visit nightclubs. Despite their bodies being too old to properly enjoy, their minds remain intensely attached to the illusion of wine and women.
- Even old man, eighty years old, he is also going to the club. Because in the material world the happiness means wine and women. That's all.
- We have actually seen, especially in the Western countries, that men who have reached more than eighty years of age still go to nightclubs and pay heavy fees to drink wine and associate with women.
- Even very old man, he is working very hard, very big business magnate, very big politician, working very hard, and at night he goes to the nightclubs, pays $50 for entrance fee, and then he spends for wine and women lots of money. So this is his happiness.
- Although such men (who have reached more than eighty years of age still go to nightclubs and pay heavy fees to drink wine and associate with women) are too old to enjoy anything, their desires have not ceased.
Hellish Engagement and Impure Habits
Those who remain ignorant of life's ultimate spiritual goal are forced to work in hellish conditions just to maintain their bodies. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that such individuals, bound by aśuci-vrata (unclean vows), try to relieve their exhaustion by indulging in intoxication and illicit sex. However, these demoniac activities fail to provide genuine rest or peace of mind.
- Factory is another name for hell. At night, hellishly engaged persons take advantage of wine and women to satisfy their senses, but they are not even able to have sound sleep because their various mental speculative plans constantly interrupt their sleep.
- The word asuci-vratah, unclean vow, is very significant in this connection. Such demoniac people are only attracted by wine, women, gambling and meat eating; those are their asuci, unclean habits.
- Instead of hearing about Krsna and His activities they are very much pleased to hear about the political activities of demons and nondevotees and to enjoy sex, wine, women and meat and in this way waste their time. This is not grhastha life, but demoniac life.
- Persons who are unenlightened do not know the aim of life, which is to return home, back to Godhead. Therefore, both individually and collectively, they try to enjoy so-called material comforts, and they become addicted to wine and women.
The Pure Standard of Vaiṣṇavas
Unlike the materialistic population, sincere devotees of the Supreme Lord find genuine fulfillment through transcendental service. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that a true Vaiṣṇava completely loses the taste for lower-class infatuations. Because they experience the superior spiritual pleasure of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the allure of wine and women completely vanishes.
- A Krsna conscious person is no longer interested in material activities and no longer takes pleasure in material arrangements like wine, women and similar infatuations.
- Why are devotees of the demigods greater in number than the Vaisnavas? The answer is given herein (SB 10.10.2-3). Vaisnavas are not interested in such fourth-class pleasures as wine and women, nor does Krsna allow them such facilities.
- Those who are not devotees of Krsna have a taste for women, wine and so forth, and therefore they have been described as hrta jnana, bereft of sense.
- The spiritual quality of serving the Lord out of transcendental affinity will be pervertedly reflected as love for wine, women, and wealth in different forms.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the pursuit of wine, women, and gambling is the defining characteristic of a degraded, śūdra-like civilization. While society fiercely competes for economic development, the resulting wealth is consistently squandered on fleeting, unclean habits that only plunge the soul deeper into illusion. True happiness cannot be bought at a nightclub, nor can material desires be exhausted simply by old age. It is only when one takes to the path of pure devotion and becomes a serious Vaiṣṇava that the heart is cleansed of these material infatuations, allowing one to taste the eternal, satisfying bliss of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
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 Wine and Women. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.