religion neglected
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Imported quote 14895 Following the instruction of his father, Maharaja Priyavrata, Maharaja Agnidhra ruled the inhabitants of Jambūdvipa according to religious principles. These principles are exactly contrary to the modern principles of faithlessness. As clearly stated here, the King protected the citizens the way a father protects his begotten children. How he ruled the citizens is also described here-dharmaveksamanaḥ, strictly according to religious principles. It is the duty of the executive head of a state to see that the citizens strictly follow religious principles. The Vedic religious principles begin with varnasrama-dharma, the duties of the four varnas and four asramas. Dharma refers to principles given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The first principle of dharma, or religion, is to observe the duties of the four orders as enjoined by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. According to people's qualities and activities, society should be divided into brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sūdras and then again into brahmacaris, grhasthas, vanaprasthas and sannyasis. These are religious principles, and it is the duty of the head of state to see that his citizens strictly follow them. He should not merely act officially; he should be like a father who is always a well-wisher of his sons. Such a father strictly observes whether his sons are performing their duties, and sometimes he also punishes them.
(More...) Imported quote 15712 In the lower stage of human civilization there is always a competition in lording it over material Nature; or in other words, there is a continuous rivalry for satisfying the senses. And, driven by this consciousness of sense gratification, religiousness is performed. Pious activities or religious functions are performed with an aim generally for some material gain. If such material gain is obtainable in another way, then the so-called religiousness is neglected, as we can see in the modern human civilization. The economic desires being seemingly fulfilled in another way, nobody is interested in religion now. The church, mosque, or the temple is practically always a vacant place, and people are more interested in the factories, shops, and cinemas than in the religious places formerly erected by the forefathers of different paths of religiousness. This proves definitely that religiousness is performed for economic development, and economic development is needed for sense gratification. And where one is baffled in the matter of sense gratification, he takes to the cause of salvation in order to become one with the Supreme Whole. Therefore, all these stages are different examples of the same aim of life, namely sense gratification.
(More...) Imported quote 17149 Just like we can see. Formerly, our forefathers, they used to construct churches, temples, mosque, synagogues, but nowadays nobody is preparing. In the modern history you won't find. They are constructing big, big skyscraper buildings. That we can see. But you don't see anywhere a magnificent church or temple or mosque is being constructed. That means people are going down in the matter of understanding God. They are thinking these buildings are waste of money, unproductive creation. "If we manufacture a skyscraper building, immediately there will be some income. But if I construct a gigantic temple, it will be simply waste of money." They are thinking like that. That means the standard of understanding God is finished. Not to speak of constructing new churches, but... We are practically purchasing many churches. They are vacant. I have seen in London, hundreds of churches are vacant. Nobody goes there. Nobody goes there.
(More...) Imported quote 18107 So therefore these discussions which are going on, that is only for how to get liberation from the four principles of material condition, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi. That is called moksa, moksa, or liberation. So the... It is just like beating the dead horse. Nobody is interested about moksa. Or nobody can conceive even that there is something as moksa. Moksa means to get free from this condition of birth, death and old age. That is called moksa, liberation. So at the present moment modern educated persons, they do not know that there is something like moksa and it can be achieved, and there is process, and the whole Vedic sastra is trying to educate us for getting moksa. They do not know it. So we have become so dull. Therefore, in this age, Kali-yuga especially, our conditions are described as manda, very, very bad or very, very slow. Mandaḥ sumanda-matayaḥ. And if one little interested, they will take some path which is not approved. Which is not approved. They will invent something, so many "isms."
(More...) Imported quote 19994 But in the present age in the absence of such high culture there is hardly any difference between the temples, mosques and cathedrals and the high commercial buildings in a busy city. If the culture is to be revived it is quite possible to do it even in your parliamentary buildings in New Delhi or in the commercial buildings of New York. As the Socratesian ways of reasoning is not bound up within the walls of Athens so also the Brahminical culture is not bound up within the walls of India. You can find out the nine prescribed qualifications of a Brahmin, the seven qualifications of Ksatriyas, the three qualifications of Vaisya and the one qualification of a sudra, world wide. You can therefore pick up Brahmins and other orders of society all the world over. Gandhiji although born in a Vaisya family, possessed almost all the nine qualifications of a Brahmin and if possible we can find out such Brahmin in other parts of the World.
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