Category:Becoming Addicted
Theme Analysis
Śrīla Prabhupāda offers a unique psychological perspective on addiction: the soul is active by nature and must be attached to something. The analysis of these quotes distinguishes between degradational addiction (to intoxication, sex, and gambling) and elevational addiction (to the service of Kṛṣṇa). He points out that secular attempts to cure drug addiction—such as the government's fight against LSD in the West—often fail because they try to create a vacuum. The spiritual solution is not merely to stop the bad habit, but to replace it with a superior "addiction" to the Holy Name and the Lord's pastimes, just as a lover becomes addicted to thinking of their beloved.
- The Nature of Material Addiction: The quotes illustrate how repeated sense gratification, especially sex and intoxication, creates a deep psychological groove, making the living entity "mad" and forgetful of their real identity.
- The Failure of Artificial Restraint: Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that governments spend millions to stop intoxication among the youth but fail because they cannot offer a positive alternative to the pleasure-seeking spirit.
- The Necessity of Spiritual Addiction: To think of Kṛṣṇa constantly—which is the goal of yoga—one must become "too much addicted" to Him. Without this intense attachment, constant remembrance is impossible.
- Transformation of Character: The analysis shows that when one becomes addicted to the service of the Lord, lower attachments naturally fall away, transforming a sinner (like Jagāi and Mādhāi) into a saint.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: From Material Addiction to Becoming Addicted to Kṛṣṇa.
Pages in category "Becoming Addicted"
The following 26 pages are in this category, out of 26 total.
A
- As a rich man’s sons often become addicted to wine and women, so these two sons of Kuvera (Nalakuvara and Manigriva) were also addicted to wine and sex
- As soon as we become addicted to sinful activities, then our real, constitutional position we forget, and we become mad after it, and the disease increases
H
- Here, just like when we become intoxicated, we become addicted to so many sinful actions, it is soma-pah. When we drink soma-rasa, it is just the opposite. We become freed from all sinful reaction
- How you can think of Krsna always? That is not possible unless you become too much addicted. Just like if you love somebody, then you can think of him always
I
- If one gets something superior, he naturally gives up all inferior things. We want enjoyment, but impersonalism and voidism have created such an atmosphere that we have become addicted to material enjoyment
- If we become addicted to sinful activities, the result will be we shall be degraded. But they do not know. Even so-called religious priest, they support killing, astonished
- In the Western countries, the younger generation are becoming too much addicted to this intoxication, LSD habit, and it has become a problem to the government and they have established so many institutions to stop this habit, but they have failed
P
- Persons who are unenlightened do not know the aim of life, which is to return home, back to Godhead. Therefore, both individually and collectively, they try to enjoy so-called material comforts, and they become addicted to wine and women
- Presently human civilization is based on sense gratification, and consequently more and more people are becoming addicted to different types of things. No one respects brahminical culture
T
- The appreciated one point, that the American younger generation, they have become addicted to this LSD, intoxication, and they have spent millions of dollars to stop this, but they could not
- The attraction for material enjoyment is due to an increase of the mode of passion. A person in the material world, when favored by the material opulence of riches, generally becomes addicted to three things - intoxication, sex and gambling
- The conclusion must be that Maharaja Bharata purposefully became over-addicted to the deer and neglected his spiritual advancement
- The grhamedhi becomes addicted to sexual indulgence and cannot act in Krsna consciousness
- The last desire... Because if you become addicted to certain type of desire, that is prominent at the time of death
- The materialistic way of life is based on sex life. Both becoming addicted to sex life and associating with persons who are addicted to sex life are condemned in Vedic literature because such association will simply interfere with one's spiritual progress
- Those who are in full knowledge of the bodily conception of life, who know that this body is composed of nescience, desires and activities resulting from illusion, do not become addicted to the body