Category:Becoming Free From Designations
Theme Analysis
Śrīla Prabhupāda identifies "designations" (upādhis) as the root cause of worldly conflict and spiritual blindness. These designations are temporary labels based on the body: "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Christian," "I am rich," "I am poor." The analysis of these quotes reveals that spiritual life cannot truly begin until one starts becoming free from designations. The core text cited repeatedly is the definition of bhakti from the Nārada-pañcarātra: sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam. This verse teaches that one must become free from all false identities and purify the senses by engaging them in the service of the Lord. Only in this "designationless" state can one realize the universal brotherhood of all living beings.
- The Definition of Upādhi: An upādhi is an artificial covering. Just as a red flower makes a crystal appear red, the body makes the pure soul appear to be a certain nationality, race, or religion.
- The Meaning of Mukti: Liberation is re-defined not as a change of location but as a change of consciousness. "When you give up this designation, that is called mukti."
- The First Step: Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that becoming free from designations is the "first step" in spiritual realization. Without this, one remains on the animal platform of bodily identification.
- The Common Platform: Peace and unity are impossible as long as people hold onto their designations. The only common platform is the spiritual one: "I am an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa."
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ - Becoming Free from Designations.
Pages in category "Becoming Free From Designations"
The following 31 pages are in this category, out of 31 total.
A
- A diseased man, when he gets back his healthy life, he becomes very happy. Similarly, as soon as we become freed from this designation life, we come to the real life of spiritual life
- American, or Indian, or German, or Englishman; cat or dog, or bee or bat, man or wife: all these are designations. In spiritual consciousness we become free from all such designations
- As soon as we take this vow, that "From this day my life is dedicated to Krsna. Krsna wants everyone to surrender. I surrender. I believe," from that day you become free from all designation
I
- I am thinking, "I am this body." I am thinking, "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Russian," "I am Pakistani." These are upadhis. But if you practice devotional service, Krsna consciousness, then you become free from this contamination of designation
- If one actually wants to take a Ph.D. degree from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and be approved by Ramananda Raya, he must first become free from all material designations
- In the Narada Pancaratra it is clearly stated that one has to become free from all material designations. So long as one is under the cover of material designations, he cannot serve Krishna
O
- One has to become free from all designation or false egotism and thus become purified. When we engage our senses in the service of the Lord, the desires or the inclinations of the senses can be perfectly fulfilled
- One has to become freed from such designative (material) activities (sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170)) and become pure in order to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead through purified senses
- One has to become purified by freeing himself from all designations. This is the first step. We are now under different designations
- One so absorbed (in thought of paramatma) becomes free from all duality and false designations
S
- So long you identify with this material body, either you become a sannyasi with some beard or a grhastha without some beard, the same thing, identifying with the body. So ceto-darpana-marjanam means to become free from the bodily designation
- So one has to become free from all designation. This designation is bodily. I am not this body. Aham brahmasmi. I am spirit soul
- So our real business is how to become free from all these designations. Yes. Then we come to the real consciousness
- So when we become free from all designations, then we are pure, and in that pure state we can understand what is God. So God is pure, and when you become pure you can understand what is God
- Suppose somebody is Christian. He sees Krsna Consciousness as a movement of the Hindus. But actually it is not. Therefore, he has to become free from the designation of becoming an American
T
- The bhakti line is so nice that if you take to bhakti line, automatically you'll be designationless. Now you have to decide whether you want to keep designation or become free from designation
- The modern civilization is based on bodily designation - American, India, German - but our proposition is to become free from these artificial designations, & unless one becomes free from these artificial designations there can't be any God-consciousness
- The more one advances in Krsna consciousness, the more he becomes free from bodily designations and this material entanglement
- These material senses cannot be engaged in the service of the Lord; therefore one has to become free from all designations. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tatparatvena nirmalam - CC Madhya 19.170
- This is bhakti definition. When one becomes freed from all designation. "I am American." This is designation. "I am Indian." This is designation. "I am brahmana." This is designation. "I am ksatriya." This is designation
- To become free from designation means "I do not belong to any of these categories (I am Hindu, I am Muslim, I am Christian). I am eternal servant of God." If you come to that position, then that is the common platform
W
- When one's mind is absorbed in the material conception, he thinks that he belongs to a particular nation, family, country or creed. These are all called upadhis, designations, and one has to become freed from them
- When we at last become free from these designations and begin to render transcendental loving service to the Lord, we attain our perfectional state. We then become established in our true dharma
- When we become free from the designation of this material body and we come to the pure stage of original, spiritual senses, that senses when applied to the service of the supreme master of senses, God, that is called bhakti
- When we become free from these designations, sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam. And you become purified, nirmala. Mal means dirt and nirmala means without any dirt, without any dirty things, simply spiritual
- When we can become free from these designations (that, "I am the master of all I survey"), that is to say when the dust has been cleared from the mirror of the mind, we will be able to see ourselves in our actual position as eternal servants of Krsna
- When you become free from all designations of this world - sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam - and you become purified, without any contamination, in Krsna consciousness, then your real business, real life, begins
- When you give up this designation, that is called mukti. Mukti does not mean that you get some extraordinary position. Mukti means to become free from these material designations. It is same attachment, diversion of attachment to Krsna