Category:Becoming Spiritually Advanced
Theme Analysis
Becoming spiritually advanced is a dynamic transformation of consciousness, often compared by Śrīla Prabhupāda to an iron rod becoming fire. It is not a sudden, magical occurrence but a scientific result of following specific practices. This category explores the shift from a material to a spiritual worldview, emphasizing that true advancement leads to the minimization of material necessities and the expansion of spiritual bliss.
- The Fire of Purification: Just as an iron rod becomes red-hot in fire, a neophyte becomes spiritually advanced through constant association with the "fire" of Kṛṣṇa consciousness—specifically chanting and prasādam.
- Incompatibility with Material Enjoyment: A crucial point is the impossibility of dual loyalty. One cannot aspire to become spiritually advanced while simultaneously maintaining a desire for material sense gratification. Advancement requires the cessation of unwanted habits (anarthas) like illicit sex and intoxication.
- Adjustment, Not Neglect: Interestingly, spiritual advancement does not hamper practical life. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that material necessities are "nicely adjusted" rather than neglected. A spiritually advanced person can perform duties (like a householder or farmer) perfectly because their consciousness is centered on Kṛṣṇa.
- The Test of Advancement: The symptoms of becoming advanced include a universal vision (seeing no difference between living entities), a taste for chanting that increases rather than stagnates, and the humble attitude of becoming the "servant of the servant."
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Transformation - Becoming Spiritually Advanced.
Pages in category "Becoming Spiritually Advanced"
The following 55 pages are in this category, out of 55 total.
A
- A devotee is never contaminated by material conditions, but persons subjected to material conditions can become spiritually advanced and blissful upon seeing the behavior of a pure devotee
- As we become advanced in spiritual conception of life, then we can understand what is the actual position in spiritual, transcendental life
B
- Brahmana has six kinds of livelihood, sat-karma. Pathana pathana yajana yajana dana-pratigraha. Even such brahmana, if he's not Vaisnava, then he cannot become a guru. Avaisnava
- By helping the other three sections of society cultivate spiritual values, the householder also makes advancement in spiritual life. Ultimately every member of society automatically becomes spiritually advanced and easily crosses the ocean of nescience
- By immediately offering obeisances (dandavat) unto the spiritual master and by strictly following his directions, the student becomes advanced. Maharaja Priyavrata was doing all these things regularly
- By the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, one can certainly become spiritually advanced. Indeed, no one can estimate the results of His mercy
G
I
- I will wait until I become old man, then I will become spiritually advanced. No, it is better if one starts immediately
- If anyone becomes spiritually advanced, the agents of maya will criticize. So therefore you have to become tolerant
- If anyone has the desire to become spiritually advanced while at the same time enjoying material life, that is not possible. These are two contradictory aspirations. One must become determined to be happy in spiritual life. That is real happiness
- If one somehow or other comes in contact with the Hare Krsna movement, without consideration of his being a sudra, vaisya, Jagai, Madhai or even lower, he becomes advanced in spiritual consciousness and immediately develops love of Godhead
- If the rod is put in the fire, it is becoming warm, warmer, and when it is red hot it is no more rod, it is fire. So beginning of life, neophyte stage, is the beginning. When he actually becomes advanced in devotional service, that is designationless
- If we follow the process regularly, then we gradually become advanced in spiritual consciousness. Material world and spiritual world. Material world means dirty things, and spiritual world means clean
- If you cannot control your tongue, you cannot control your senses. Taste prasadam and become spiritually advanced. You can have this process at your home: offer vegetarian foods to Krsna, chant the Hare Krsna mantra and offer obeisances
- If you go on dancing in the club and eating in the club, then gradually you become diseased materially. And the same dancing and same eating here, you become spiritually advanced. So nothing has to be stopped
- In the beginning the students of our KC movement agree to live with devotees, and gradually, having given up four prohibited activities - illicit sex, gambling, meat-eating and intoxication - they become advanced in the activities of spiritual life
- It does not require to become poor to take to Krsna consciousness, but if anyone has the desire that "I will become spiritually advanced; at the same time I shall enjoy this material life," that is not possible
- It is not that one may meditate for 15 minutes, and he becomes spiritually advanced, it is not possible. So the Krishna Consciousness movement is training people how to be absorbed in the thought of Krishna, 24 hours
M
- Maharaja Bali also later became a mahajana. One mahajana follows another mahajana, and by following the parampara system of mahajana activities one can become advanced in spiritual consciousness
- Material advancement does not become hampered by spiritual knowledge. That is a wrong impression. Rather, if you become spiritually advanced, your material necessities will be very nicely adjusted
- Material advancement does not become hampered by spiritual knowledge. That is a wrong impression. Rather, if you become spiritually advanced, your material necessities will be very nicely adjusted. That is the injunction
- More you become advanced in spiritual consciousness, the material necessities become minimum
O
- One cannot become spiritually advanced without acquiring the brahminical qualifications and giving protection to cows
- One cannot offer prayers to the Lord with mundane words. One must become spiritually advanced by controlling the mind and senses. Then he can find suitable words to offer in prayers to the Lord
- One might say that becoming advanced in spiritual life also involves tapasya, voluntary acceptance of some inconvenience. However, such inconvenience is not as dangerous as material attempts to mitigate all miseries
- One side, a person should cultivate Krsna consciousness, and another side, he should try to give up all the unwanted things. Not that whatever you like, you can eat; whatever you like, you can do; at the same times you become spiritually advanced
- One who is serious about spiritual life is given by Krsna the intelligence to come in contact with a bona fide spiritual master, and then by the grace of the spiritual master one becomes advanced in Krsna consciousness
T
- That is the test; how much you have become advanced in devotional service, you can experience yourself. Just like a hungry man, if he's given food, if he eats, then he experiences himself that he's getting strength, his hunger is being satisfied
- The chanting is transcendental, and therefore, simply by vibration, one gradually becomes spiritually advanced, and thus he offers himself to become my disciple. In that discipleship also, I do not charge anything. Neither do I offer anything new
- The duty of a father is to give his son complete freedom to make his choice after becoming spiritually advanced by following the instructions of the spiritual master
- The idea is that when a person becomes spiritually advanced then there is actual peace and unity. So, we are trying to establish this spiritual unity on the basis of love of God
- The land is in your possession, you can cultivate as you like. Similarly, this body is land, & I am the tiller. I am the krsaka, or agriculturist. So by using the land, I can become spiritually advanced or I can become materially advanced. It is up to me
- The Lord says, "In other words, I wish to help him become more and more advanced in spiritual life. Such a person is to be understood as having already achieved sarsti"
- The mind is generally addicted to self-centered processes; but when the mind turns to the Supersoul, one becomes advanced in spiritual understanding. BG 1972 purports
- The more we become servant of the servant, the more we become advanced. It is very difficult to understand from material stand. Here, everyone wants to become master of the master
- The more you advance in Krishna Consciousness chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna the more you become spiritually advanced and happy in all respects
- The more you become expert in arcana, ye yatha mam prapadyante (BG 4.11), then the more you become realized, then more you become advanced. So therefore, for kanistha-adhikari, he has to raise himself
- The more you chant, the more you become spiritually advanced. This is called anandambudhi-vardhanam. Otherwise, how one can be satisfied simply by chanting, chanting Hare Krsna
- The temple is meant for giving chances to the nondevotees. Some way or other, if he comes in the temple, bows down, dances with us, takes the prasadam, takes caranamrta, that means he is becoming spiritually advanced
- The varnasrama-dharma is meant for imperfect, conditioned souls. It trains them to become spiritually advanced in order to return home, back to Godhead. A civilization that does not know the highest aim of life is no better than an animal society
- The Vedas indicate that simply by chanting the holy names of the Lord one can without a doubt become spiritually advanced
- They (so-called svamis and yogis) even publicly announce that there should be no more sastras, no more books. "Just come to me," they say, "and I shall touch you, and you will become immediately spiritually advanced."
- This chanting is open without any secret, and we do not ask anyone to pay for it. But the chanting is transcendental, and therefore, simply by vibration, one gradually becomes spiritually advanced, and thus he offers himself to become my disciple
- To become spiritually advanced means, "Just try to question about Krsna and try to understand the answers about Krsna." Then your life is. It is so nice
W
- We are going to give education how to become spiritually advanced. That is our purpose
- We may chant, "Mr. John, Mr. John, Mr. John," but after an hour we will be fed up. However, the more we become spiritually advanced, the more bliss we will derive from chanting Hare Krsna
- When one actually becomes spiritually advanced, he does not see the difference between one living entity and another. This platform is attained by determination
- Without sex life one cannot be materially enthusiastic. And if you stop sex life, then you become spiritually advanced. This is the secret