advancement
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In the materialistic conception, modern civilization makes enormous arrangements for huge roads, houses, mills and factories, and this is man's conception of the advancement of civilization. People do not know, however, that at any time they themselves ma In this material world, the conception of self-preservation is the first law of nature. According to this conception, one should be interested in his personal safety and should then consider society, friendship, love, nationality, community and so on, which have all developed because of the bodily conception of life and a lack of knowledge of the spirit soul. This is called ajnana. As long as human society is in darkness and ignorance, men will continue to make huge arrangements in the bodily conception of life. This is described by Prahlada Maharaja as bharam. In the materialistic conception, modern civilization makes enormous arrangements for huge roads, houses, mills and factories, and this is man's conception of the advancement of civilization. People do not know, however, that at any time they themselves may be kicked out of the scene and forced to accept bodies that have nothing to do with these enormous houses, palaces, roads and automobiles. Therefore when Arjuna was thinking in terms of his bodily relationships with his kinsmen, Krsna immediately chastised him, saying, kutas tva kasmalam idam visame samupasthitam anarya-justam: "This bodily conception of life is befitting the anaryas, the non-Aryans, who are not advanced in knowledge." An Aryan civilization is a civilization advanced in spiritual knowledge. Not merely by stamping oneself an Aryan does one become an Aryan. To keep oneself in the deepest darkness concerning spiritual knowledge and at the same time claim to be an Aryan is a non-Aryan position. In this connection, Srila Madhvacarya quotes as follows from the Brahma-vaivarta Purana:
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