Category:Absence
Theme Analysis
Śrīla Prabhupāda uses the concept of absence to explain multiple dimensions of both material illusion and spiritual perfection. In the material world, the absence of the spirit soul renders the physical body and mind completely inactive, just as the absence of qualified brāhmaṇas and pious kings plunges society into chaos. However, in the spiritual realm of Vaikuṇṭha, absence takes on a transcendental, absolute nature. The spiritual sky is conspicuous by the complete absence of material miseries, dualities, and the modes of passion and ignorance. Furthermore, Śrīla Prabhupāda describes the highest echelon of spiritual emotion, viraha, where the pure devotees and even Kṛṣṇa Himself experience profound, ecstatic agony in the absence of one another. Ultimately, spiritual advancement is marked by the complete absence of the desire to lord over material nature, bringing the soul to the peaceful brahma-bhūta platform.
- Conspicuous by Absence: The spiritual world is defined by the total absence of material miseries, the modes of nature, and the influence of time.
- The Absence of Material Dualities: The Supreme Lord and His pure devotees are completely free from the false distinctions of "mine" and "yours."
- The Ecstasy of Separation: In the transcendental realm, the absence of Kṛṣṇa or His pure devotees evokes an intense, ecstatic love known as viraha.
- The Inactive Senses: The physical senses and the material body are entirely useless and lifeless in the absence of the mind and the spirit soul.
- Societal Chaos: Without the presence of strong, pious kings and qualified brāhmaṇas, the entire world falls into distress and disorder.
- The Perfection of Detachment: True liberation means the complete absence of hankering, lamentation, and the selfish desire for sense gratification.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: The Transcendental Nature of Absence.
Subcategories
This category has the following 14 subcategories, out of 14 total.
A
C
G
K
P
Pages in category "Absence"
The following 129 pages are in this category, out of 129 total.
1
A
- A certain brahmana (Canakya) will betray the trust of King Nanda and his eight sons and will destroy their dynasty. In their absence the Mauryas will rule the world as the age of Kali continues
- A human being is a living entity, and the devotees in the spiritual world are also living entities, but in the human beings who are not Krsna conscious the real symptoms of life are absent
- Above the body and mind is the dormant spirit soul whose absence from the body makes the whole range of bodily and mental selfishness completely null and void
- After the birth ceremony, Nanda Maharaja decided to go to Mathura to pay the annual tax to the government of Kamsa. Before leaving, he called for the able cowherd men of the village and asked them to take care of Vrndavana in his absence
- All three (adhidaivika, adhyatmika and adhibhautika) may assail one at one time, or one misery may be absent and the other present. Thus the living entity is full of anxiety, fearing misery from one side or the other
- As far as perfections in mystic power are concerned, there are 18, and as far as types of liberation from material bondage are concerned, there are 5. The state of being where all varieties of enjoyment are conspicuous by their absence is called ahaituki
- As we have learned from the Second Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the ruling power of the demigods and the influence of material nature are conspicuous by their absence in the spiritual world
- Aspiring to possess more and more for personal sense gratification is simply ignorance, and this ignorance is conspicuous by its absence from the heart of a brahmana or Vaisnava
- Attachment means accepting things for one's own sense gratification, and detachment is the absence of such sensual attachment. BG 1972 purports
B
- Bharata Maharaja considered himself most unfortunate, for due to the animal's absence, there was nothing auspicious for him in the presence of the sun
- Bharata Maharaja was very noble and exalted, and therefore when the deer was absent from him he thought himself unworthy to give it protection. Due to his attachment for the animal, he thought that the animal was as noble and exalted as he himself was
- Both the trees in the spiritual world and those in the material world are living entities, but in trees here the living symptoms are absent
D
- Delusion is the perverted image of reality and is the hallmark of maya, the Lord's external energy. This delusion is totally absent in His internal, spiritual potency
- Desire cannot be completely absent because I am living entity. So my desire should be not to forget Krsna. That's all, that one desire. That is real desire. All other desires, they are foolish. We cannot be desireless, but we should desire only bona fide
- Devahuti is indirectly asking Kardama Muni to leave a representative so that in his absence she might be relieved of her anxieties by a suitable son. A householder is not expected to remain at home for all his days
- Devahuti is indirectly asking that in his (Kardama Muni's) absence from home there be at least one male child to give her relief from her anxieties. This relief means spiritual instruction. Relief does not mean material comforts
- Dhruva Maharaja was the lost child of Queen Suniti, but during his absence she always meditated upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is able to rescue His devotee from all dangers
- Due to your long absence from your kingdom while fighting the demons on behalf of the demigods, your queen, your children, your relatives and your ministers have all passed away in due course of time
- During Anavasara, after the Snana-yatra ceremony, Lord Jagannatha is absent from the temple for fifteen days so He can be renovated. This occurs annually
- During the lifetime of your Spiritual master you bring the prospective disciples to him, and in his absence or disappearance you can accept disciples without any limitation. This is the law of disciplic succession
E
- Even if victory awaited the side of Arjuna (and their cause was justified), still, if the sons of Dhrtarastra died in battle, it would be very difficult to live in their absence. That would be another kind of defeat for them. BG 1972 purports
- Everywhere, Krsna’s beauty merges everyone in the ecstasy of transcendental bliss. Actually the activities of yogamaya are absent in the spiritual sky and the Vaikuntha planets
H
- He (Yudhisthira) has always invited the heavenly King, Indra, to take part in the yajnas (sacrifices). Because King Indra was thus absent so often from Sacidevi, she had to pass much of her time pining over Indra's absence, with her cheeks upon her hands
- His (Krsna's) friends, being controlled in such a way, could not understand that for one whole year they were absent from the Yamuna's bank and were under the spell of Brahma's illusion
I
- I can understand very well that Upendra is feeling very much disturbed on account of Citralekha's absence, it is quite natural, but what can I do?
- I have heard also from Brahmananda that he plans to spend 3 days per week at Boston, but I have also heard that during his absence 3 devotees have left the temple. So things should be managed so nicely that our devotees may not leave us
- I have heard from reliable sources that Christ was absent from his home for twelve years, and he went to India for studying
- If one is absent-minded, he cannot work nicely because mind is absent or not in order. Therefore our method of controlling the senses is to engage the senses in the service of the Lord
- If the mind were absent, in spite of having eyes we could not see, and in spite of having ears we could not hear. Therefore the mind is considered the eleventh sense
- In case of the absence of such an opportunity, one should try to engage in the service of the Lord everything for which one has specific attraction, and that is the way of peace and prosperity
- In his absence you can take charge of printing French edition of Back To Godhead, that is nice. But the thing is it must be regularly published every month
- In the absence of reality, we put our faith and love in cats and dogs. Love is always there, but it is distorted into the form of lust
- In the absence of voluntary restraint, there is propaganda for family planning, but foolish men do not know that family planning is automatically executed as soon as there is search after the Absolute Truth
- In the age of Kali these three requisites (namely austerity, cleanliness and mercy) to spiritual culture are almost absent
- In the devotional mellow of santa, or neutrality, such devotional enthusiasm may be absent, but because such a mood of devotion attracts the Lord's love, it is fully spiritual
- In the material world everyone is very active in earning more and more money and in increasing eating and sleeping and gratifying the senses; such is the mission of most people's lives. But these activities should be absent from the life of a devotee
- In the spiritual sky there is no change because time has no influence. Consequently, the influence of maya, the total external energy, which induces us to become more and more materialistic and forget our relationship with God, is also absent there
- In this age, as Bibhisana indicated, both brahmanas and kings are in a wretched condition. Actually there are no kings or brahmanas in this age, and due to their absence the whole world is in a chaotic condition and is always in distress
- In tiffin hours, the hours when the teachers were absent from the classroom, the students called Prahlada Maharaja, wanting to play with him
- In Your absence all these people have been exactly like thirsty cataka birds crying in disappointment. Kindly accept them
- Intimate association (with maya) is completely absent in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu
- It is not necessary for the king to live in every room of that palace for it to be his. He may be physically absent from the rooms, but still the entire palace is understood to be his royal domicile
- It is said that because Krsna was constantly performing various types of sacrifices and was inviting the demigods from the higher planetary systems, the demigods were almost always absent from their consorts
J
- Jiva Gosvami says, although the sun is the only light, the sunshine which is exhibited in seven colors, & darkness, which is the absence of sunshine, are not different from the sun, for without the existence of the sun such differentiations cannot exist
- Just like Krsna says that tad viddhi, that, that thing which is spreading consciousness, that is soul. Now you can perceive there must be something which is now absent, otherwise why there is no consciousness?
K
- Krishna devi may not come with you because she is in mature condition. If you think your absence at this stage will not be advisable for Krishna devi's mature stage, then don't come
- Krsna has four extraordinary transcendental qualities absent in Lord Narayana. These four qualities are (1) His wonderful pastimes, which are compared to an ocean, (2) His association in the circle of the supreme devotees in conjugal love (the gopis)
- Krsna has four extraordinary transcendental qualities absent in Lord Narayana. These four qualities are, (3) His playing on the flute, whose vibration attracts the three worlds
- Krsna has four extraordinary transcendental qualities absent in Lord Narayana. These four qualities are, (4) His extraordinary beauty, which surpasses the beauty of the three worlds. Lord Krsna's beauty is unequaled and unsurpassed
- Krsna was very much afflicted by Radharani's absence and, being thus mentally distressed, began to search Her out along the banks of the Yamuna. Failing to find Her, He entered the bushes of Vrndavana and began to lament
L
- Let us know through the authority of Srimad-Bhagavatam of the nature and constitution of the transcendental world beyond the material sky. In that sky the material qualities, especially the modes of ignorance and passion, are completely absent
- Live peacefully, husband and wife, and now you will be happy in the management of the temple. Both of you are initiated, and as it is necessary for you to work, your wife may take care of the temple in your absence
- Living entities are dancing under the direction of Krsna's maya & are thinking that they are equal to Krsna. This is not a fact. In KC, this misconception is absent, for a person in KC knows that Krsna is the supreme master & everyone else is servant
- Lord Narayana has sixty transcendental qualities. Over and above these, Krsna has four extraordinary transcendental qualities absent in Lord Narayana. These four qualities are (1) His wonderful pastimes, which are compared to an ocean
- Lord Narayana has sixty transcendental qualities. Over and above these, Krsna has four extraordinary transcendental qualities absent in Lord Narayana. These four qualities are (3) His playing on the flute, whose vibration attracts the three worlds
- Lord Narayana has sixty transcendental qualities. Over and above these, Krsna has four extraordinary transcendental qualities absent in Lord Narayana. These four qualities are (4) His extraordinary beauty, which surpasses the beauty of the three worlds
M
- Maharaja Bharata lamented that although the sun was going to set, due to the poor animal's absence, he could not find anything auspicious
- Maharaja Yudhisthira observed some discrepancies in his kingdom, and therefore he became very anxious about Arjuna, who was long absent, and there was also no news about Dvaraka's well-being
- Material contamination can be consumed by devotional service because in devotional service these two diseases, namely the desire to lord it over material nature and the desire to become one with the Supreme Lord, are absent
N
- Nahusa was officiating for Indra while Indra, absent from heaven, was going here and there to gain release from his sinful reactions
- Nanda Maharaja recalled the prophecy of Vasudeva and considered him a great sage and mystic yogi; otherwise, how could he have foretold an incident that happened during his absence from Vrndavana?
- Narayana has sixty transcendental qualities. Over and above these, Krsna has four extraordinary transcendental qualities absent in Narayana. These four qualities are (2) His association in the circle of the supreme devotees in conjugal love - the gopis
- No material planet, even Satyaloka, is comparable in quality to the spiritual planets, where the five inherent qualities of the material world - namely ignorance, misery, egoism, anger and envy - are completely absent
- Now I have enclosed three sacred threads duly chanted by me. In Rupanuga Maharaja's absence, you may obtain a tape and instructions from Bali Mardan Maharaja in New York and hold one fire sacrifice
O
- One who acts on the mental platform must descend to material activities. Material contamination, however, is completely absent from the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His pure devotee
- Only in Krsna's own abode is there a total absence of misery. In that abode there is no need of light from sun, moon or fire. The planets are self-luminous. Life there is perpetual and full of knowledge and bliss. That is what is known as sanatana-dharma
- Out of affection, King Bharata accepted the small deer as if it were a prince. This is called moha. Due to his anxiety over the deer's absence, the King addressed the animal as though it were his son. Out of affection, anyone can be addressed as anything
P
- Potency of transcendental sound is never minimized because the vibrator is apparently absent
- Prahlada Maharaja said: When our father, Hiranyakasipu, went to Mandaracala Mountain to execute severe austerities, in his absence the demigods, headed by King Indra, made a severe attempt to subdue all the demons in warfare
- Pundarika Vidyanidhi, the third big branch, was so dear to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu that in his absence Lord Caitanya Himself would sometimes cry
S
- Salva said, "In the great assembly at King Yudhisthira's Rajasuya-yajna, while my friend Sisupala was a little absent-minded, You took an opportunity to kill him"
- Since the quality of passion is conspicuous by its absence in the Vaikuntha planets, nothing there is created; everything there is eternally existent. And because there is no mode of ignorance, there is also no question of annihilation or destruction
- Sivananda Sena's nephew, Srikanta, the son of his sister, felt offended, and he commented on the matter when his uncle was absent
- Such sentiments (anger and mercy) are definitely not absent in the Absolute, as the impersonalists think, making their mundane estimation of the transcendental world
T
- Take books as much as you like and with the local man's help immediately open a center and try to stay there as long as possible. In your absence the local man may manage. Train him in that way
- The activities of yogamaya are absent in the spiritual sky and the Vaikuntha planets. She simply works in the supreme planet, Goloka Vrndavana, and she works to manifest the activities of Krsna when He descends to the material universe
- The Adityas are sons of Aditi, and there are twelve Adityas. Aryama is one of the twelve Adityas, and therefore it was quite possible for him to take charge of the office of Yamaraja during his one hundred years' absence in the form of Vidura
- The bodily limitation whereby one part of the body cannot act as another part is totally absent from the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The citizens of Ayodhya, upon seeing their King return after a long absence, offered Him flower garlands, waved their upper cloths, and danced in great jubilation
- The demigods (in the forest of material existence) control the different directions, and the cricket is the harsh words spoken by our enemy during our absence
- The dualities found within this material world, such as beginning and end, mine and theirs, are all absent from the personality of the Supreme Lord
- The evening in the rainy season is dark all around. There is no sight of the twinkling stars on the horizon or the pleasing moon. They are covered by clouds. & the insignificant glowworms become prominent in the absence of the luminaries in the open sky
- The Lord (Caitanya) felt that this message (of His residence at Jagannatha Puri) must be spread very elaborately in Bengal, and in His absence there was not a second person capable of doing it
- The love of a woman, that potency and pleasure, is absent in man, and therefore a man wants a woman. But this is not the case with Krsna, who is full in Himself
- The love of a woman, that potency and pleasure, is absent in man, and therefore a man wants a woman. But this is not the case with Krsna, who is full in Himself - CC Intro
- The material world is a manifestation of the three modes of material nature, but one has to become free from these modes to come to the spiritual world, where their influence is completely absent
- The Mayavadi sannyasis generally carry one staff, or danda. Taking advantage of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s absence, Srila Nityananda Prabhu broke the staff into three parts and threw it into the river later known as the Danda-bhanga-nadi
- The perfection of the rasa dance was considered to be complete due to Radharani's presence, and in Her absence Krsna considered the dance to be disrupted. Therefore He left the arena to search Her out
- The Personality of Godhead, being full of all conceivable and inconceivable potencies, is the absolute Supreme Whole. Impersonal Brahman is a partial manifestation of the Absolute Truth realized in the absence of such complete potencies
- The sense of intimacy by which one thinks of Krsna as one’s only shelter and friend is absent in santa-rasa because one accepts Krsna as impersonal Parambrahma or localized Paramatma. This understanding is based on the speculative knowledge of the jnani
- The senses cannot work if the mind is absent. Therefore we call "attentively, concentrating your mind." So mind is above the senses
- The soul was there and its presence is known by the life symptoms and when the soul departs its absence is perceived by the stopping of the exhibition of life symptoms by the body
- The three kinds of miserable conditions-adhyatmika, adhibhautika & adhidaivika (miseries inflicted by the body & mind itself, those inflicted by other living entities & natural disturbances) - were all absent during the reign of Ramacandra or Yudhisthira
- The Visnudutas made Ajamila aware of devotional service so that He might immediately become fit to return home, back to Godhead. To increase his eagerness to glorify the Lord, they disappeared so that he would feel separation in their absence
- The water moves, but the moon does not move. Similarly, the living entities appear to be tainted by material qualities like illusion, lamentation and miseries, although in the pure soul such qualities are completely absent
- There are no kings or brahmanas in this age, and due to their absence the whole world is in a chaotic condition and is always in distress
- This rope almost always hung from the shoulders of the boys, and it was not absent from the shoulders of Krsna and Balarama
U
- Unfortunately in Kali-yuga, due to an absence of yajna, there are many big trees in the forests, but they do not supply sufficient fruits and honey. Thus everything is dependent on the performance of yajna
- Unfortunately, this (As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death) spiritual education is completely absent from modern human civilization
V
- Vidura was so dear to the members of the Kaurava family that his long absence from the palace was comparable to inactivity. All of them were feeling acute separation from Vidura, and therefore his return to the palace was joyful for all
- Visnujana Maharaja tells me that in his absence, while he is opening one center in San Antonio, you three boys are maintaining nicely there in Austin. So you are all very qualified and you have been trained up under the expert guidance of Visnujana Swami
W
- We are all part and parcel of God. Therefore, just like you are part and parcel of your parent, so there is some intimate relationship with your parents. It cannot be broken, even if you are absent from home for many years
- When he learned that the dog had not been supplied food in his absence, he was very unhappy. He then immediately sent ten men to find the dog
- When his (Narada's) mother was engaged in serving great devotees, Narada also became engaged, and sometimes, in the absence of his mother, he would serve the great devotees himself. BG 1972 purports
- When Jagannatha was absent from the temple, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who could not see Him, felt separation and left Jagannatha Puri to go to a place known as Alalanatha
- When Lord Ramacandra, was the King of this world, all bodily and mental suffering, disease, old age, bereavement, lamentation, distress, fear and fatigue were completely absent. There was even no death for those who did not want it
- When one sleeps, the senses are inactive, but this does not mean that the senses are absent. When one is awakened, the senses become active again
- When Radharani left the area of the rasa dance out of anger at not receiving special treatment, Krsna became very sorrowful to see Her absent
- When Ramacandra entered the forest and Laksmana was also absent, the worst of the Raksasas, Ravana, kidnapped Sitadevi, the daughter of the King of Videha, just as a tiger seizes unprotected sheep when the shepherd is absent
- When the brahmana (God As a Brahmana) asked the woman (Vaidarbhi) who the man lying on the floor was, she answered that he was her spiritual master and that she was perplexed about what to do in his absence
- When the citizens could not find any trace of the King after searching for him everywhere, they were very disappointed, and they returned to the city, where all the great sages of the country assembled because of the King's absence
- When the great sage Rcika returned home after bathing and understood what had happened in his absence, he said to his wife, Satyavati, "You have done a great wrong"
- When the things we possess are destroyed then there will be lamentation. This is called material life. Material life- hankering and lamentation. And when you are in the brahma-bhḻta stage then these two things will be absent
- When there is full knowledge of Krsna's superiority and yet in dealings with Him on friendly terms respectfulness is completely absent, that stage is called affection
- When there is no illumination, knowledge is absent. BG 1972 purports
- When these five (adoration, service, friendship, paternal affection, and conjugal love) are absent, love is present indirectly in anger, wonder, comedy, chivalry, fear, shock and so on
- When they (the Pracetas) came out (of the water), they saw that everything had been neglected due to the King's (Pracinabarhisat) absence. They first observed that food grains were not being produced and that there were no agricultural activities
- While Dhruva Maharaja was absent from his home, not only did he undergo severe austerities in the forest of Madhuvana, but at home also his mother (Queen Suniti) prayed to the Supreme Lord for his safety and good fortune
- While Lord Balarama was absent in Vrndavana, this King Paundraka, the King of the Karusa Province, being foolish and puffed up, sent a messenger to Lord Krsna
Y
- You (Mother earth) are probably now thinking of those activities and feeling sorry in their absence
- Your absence from New York is not advisable while I (Prabhupada) am not there. Therefore I have postponed your journey to Montreal. Please take care of the bill of Lading for clearing the Mrdangas
- Yudhisthira said, "Material distinctions - 'This is me,' 'This is you,' 'This is mine,' 'This is yours' - are all conspicuous by dint of their absence in You (Krsna)"
- Yudhisthira said, "Such material distinctions are visible in the lives of everyone, even the animals, but pure devotees are freed from these false distinctions. Since these distinctions are absent in Your devotees, they cannot possibly be present in You"