pravrtti & nivrtti

So pravrtti we have got, just like we have got tendency-cent per cent person has it at the present moment-to smoke. This is pravrtti. But we say don't smoke, nivrtti. And if we drink, that is pravrtti. Everyone, even the ant, he is also drunkard. They have scientifically studied, the ants are very much fond of intoxication; therefore they eat sugar. In sugar there is liquor, so the... Loke bhavaya nisamadhya seva nityasta yanto. Every living entity has got this tendency, bhavaya. Bhavaya means sex life; amisa, meat-eating; and mada, liquor. Natural tendency. Therefore the country where these things are indulged without any restriction, that is asura, the country of the asura. So especially in the Western countries, and now we have also learned... In India, either Hindus or Mussulman, drinking was a sin. Now we have got very easily available liquor. Every door there is a shop, and every door there is meat shop. So India, there was time that they were all devatas; now we are imitating the asuras. On the other hand, the boys and girls from the asuric country, they are becoming the devotee, devatas. So there is no exclusive right for a country to become devata or demon. A demon can be turned into the devata and devata can be turned into demon, provided he does not follow this pravrtti, nivrtti. What is pravrtti-marga? Pravrtti-sambhutanam nivrtti tu mahabalam. That is life. "I want to smoke; I have got tendency to smoke," pravrtti. This is pravrtti; everyone has got. But if you can stop it, then your life is successful. Nivrtti. (More...)

Rsabhadeva's instruction: "My dear sons, you practice tapasya." The human life is meant for tapasya. "I have got tendency to do this, but that will not help me, that will degrade me." So tapasya means instead of being degraded, be elevated. This is called tapasya. Tapo divyam. This human life is meant for this purpose, to practice tapasya, or to practice nivrtti. Then our life is successful. Tapo divyam putra... Why tapasya? Why nivrtti? Yena suddhyena sattva. Sattva means here existence is impure. Impure means that you are eternal, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg 2.20], you do not die after the annihilation of this body, but I am subjected to repetition of birth and death, in different species of life. This is my disease. It is not pure condition of life. Pure condition of life, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, yad gatva na nirvartante tad dhama paramam mama. (More...)