Instructions for Civilized Human Beings from Srimad Bhagwatam

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Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

•Those who are advanced in knowledge of religious principles must avoid five kinds of irreligion, known as vidharma, para-dharma, dharmābhāsa, upadharma and chala-dharma. • One must act according to the religious principles that suit his constitutional position; it is not that everyone must adhere to the same type of religion.

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Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

• A general principle is that a poor man should not unnecessarily endeavor for economic development. • One who refrains from such endeavors but who engages in devotional service is most auspicious. • One who is not satisfied with the mind must fall to degradation.

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Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

One must conquer lusty desires, anger, greed, fear, lamentation, illusion, fright, unnecessary talks on material subjects, violence, the four miseries of material existence, and the three material qualities. That is the objective of human life.

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Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

• One who has no faith in the spiritual master, who is identical with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, cannot get any benefit from reading śāstra. • One should never consider the spiritual master an ordinary human being, even though the members of the spiritual master’s family may think of him as such.

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Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

Meditation and other processes of austerity are useful only if they help in advancement toward Kṛṣṇa consciousness; otherwise, they are simply a waste of time and labor. For those who are not devotees, such meditation and austerity cause falldown.

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Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

Every householder should be very careful because even though a householder may try to conquer the senses, he becomes a victim of the association of relatives and falls down. He must chant the oṁkāra mantra or Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and in this way he will perceive transcendental bliss within himself.

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Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

• When one assumes a role in goodness by starting philanthropic and altruistic activities, such activities become impediments on the path of devotional service. • The best process for advancing in devotional service is to abide by the orders of the spiritual master, for only by his direction can one conquer the senses.

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Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

Unless one is completely Kṛṣṇa conscious, there is a chance of falling down. Of course, in performing ritualistic ceremonies and other fruitive activities there are also many dangers at every moment.

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Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

Fruitive activities have been divided into twelve portions. Because of performing fruitive activities, which are called the path of dharma, one has to accept the cycle of birth and death, but when one takes the path of mokṣa, or liberation, which is described in Bhagavad-gītā as arcanā-mārga, one can get relief from the cycle of birth and death.

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Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

• The Vedas describe these two paths as pitṛ-yāna and deva-yāna. Those who follow the paths of pitṛ-yāna and deva-yāna are never bewildered, even while in the material body. • A monistic philosopher who gradually develops control of the senses understands that the objective of all the different āśramas, the statuses of life, is salvation. One must live and act according to śāstras.

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Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

• If one who is performing the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies becomes a devotee, even if he is a gṛhastha, he can receive the causeless mercy of Kṛṣṇa. • The objective of a devotee is to return home, back to Godhead. Such a devotee, even though not performing ritualistic ceremonies, advances in spiritual consciousness by the supreme will of the Personality of Godhead.

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Instructions for Civilized Human Beings

One may actually become successful in spiritual consciousness by the mercy of devotees, or one may fall from spiritual consciousness by being disrespectful to devotees. (Courtesy: Srila Prabhupada)

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