Category:Dark Well
Theme Analysis
The "dark well" (andha-kūpam) is a striking metaphor used by Prahlāda Mahārāja and Śrīla Prabhupāda to describe the perilous nature of materialistic household life. Just as a deep well covered by grass is invisible to the unwary traveler, the dangers of family attachment are hidden by the allure of society, friendship, and love. Once a person falls into this well, they are trapped in a condition of "spiritual suicide" (ātma-pātam), cut off from the light of spiritual knowledge and surrounded by the "serpents" of time and death. The conditioned soul may cry for help, but in the isolation of their selfish existence, few can hear. The only means of escape is the "rope" of mercy extended by the spiritual master or the Supreme Lord (Gaura-Nitai). The instruction is to give up this blind attachment and take shelter of Kṛṣṇa in the "forest" of Vṛndāvana or the association of devotees.
- The Trap: Household life is like a dry, dark well covered by grass. Animals and foolish humans fall in, unaware of the danger until it is too late.
- Spiritual Suicide: Remaining in this well ensures spiritual death. It is a place of anxiety, devoid of the water of peace.
- The Rope of Mercy: The guru and Kṛṣṇa throw down the rope of instructions. If the fallen soul catches it, they can be lifted out.
- The Solution: One must leave this dark well (hitvātma-pātam) and take shelter of Hari (yad dharim āśrayeta), transitioning from blind attachment to enlightened devotion.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Escaping Dark Well of Ignorance.
Pages in category "Dark Well"
The following 67 pages are in this category, out of 67 total.
A
- A fallen person should take advantage of this rope (the strong rope of spiritual instructions), and then the spiritual master, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, will take him out of the dark well
- A man becomes increasingly entangled in household affairs, so much so that leaving them becomes almost impossible. Thus the household becomes grham andha-kupam, a dark well into which the man has fallen
- A man has fallen in the dark well, crying. You give him one rope: "Catch it." But he'll not catch. Then how you can deliver? Let him suffer
- Any person who has accepted a temporary body and temporary household life is certainly embarrassed by anxiety because of having fallen in a dark well where there is no water but only suffering. One should give up this position and go to the forest
- Atma-patam grham andha-kupam: household life is like a dark well. If one falls into this well, his spiritual death is assured. How Priyavrata Maharaja remained a liberated paramahamsa even within family life is described
B
- Being anxious, he cannot even sleep properly. He thus becomes more and more unhappy, and he gradually loses his intelligence and consciousness. In that state he becomes almost perpetually like a blind man who has fallen into a dark well of ignorance
- Being captivated by a few blades of grass, the animals fall into a dark well & meet death. Similarly, foolish persons, without knowing the importance of the human form of life, spoil it simply for sense gratification and die without any useful purpose
G
- Give up this darkness, hitvatma-patam, "because it will kill you." In this dark well you'll be killed
- Grha, we can take this material world, even up to the sky, that is also another bondage. Either in society, or in country, or in this body, or within this material universe - wherever you are - that is andha-kupam, dark well
H
- He (Prahlada Maharaja) advises, "Give up this darkness," hitvatma-patam, "because it will kill you." In this dark well you'll be killed
- He (Sanjaya) studied the situation in his own way because he did not know that the inner vision of Dhrtarastra has been awakened by Vidura and that he had left home in enthusiastic cheerfulness for a better life after departure from the dark well of home
I
- I have seen one dark well. In your country, when I was guest in John Lennon's house in 1969, we saw in the garden there was a dark well
- If a man is thrown into this dark well as he is in this precarious condition of life, similarly, anyone who is in the material world, he is put into the dark well
- If one falls down in the dark well, it is very difficult to get out, because he may cry very loudly and people may not hear. These dark well are sometimes there in the paddy field
- If one prefers to remain in the dark well of household life because of uncontrolled senses he becomes increasingly entangled by ropes of affection for his wife, children, servants, house money. Such a person cannot attain liberation from material bondage
- If one puts into the bondage of karmic activity his disciple, son or citizen who is bereft of transcendental vision, how will one profit? It is like leading a blind man to a dark well and causing him to fall in
- If one remains a victim of the so-called beauty of his wife, his family life is nothing but a dark well. Hitvatma-patam grham andha-kupam. Existence in such a dark well is certainly suicidal
- In a dark well the frog cannot see the free light of the open sky. The dark well of householder life kills the soul. One should therefore get out of it so that he may see the light of spiritual vision
- In His letter Krsna advised Kalayavana that he should immediately go and find some dark well for his residence, because there was a black snake named Krsna who was very eager to devour all such sinful frogs
- In the dark well of family life, one is always full of anxiety because of having accepted a temporary body. If one wants to free himself from this anxiety, one should immediately leave family life and take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
L
- Last year when I was in India, I thought that Acyutananda would publish them in India but this boy could not help me in the least, and the net result is that I have lost my typewriter, and Rs 2000 are now in the dark well of Hitsaran
- Like a man fallen in the dark well, so it is sure death, atma-ghatam. Unless we are very cautious, this grha-andha kupam, this family life, is very dangerous for spiritual advancement
- Like a man is fallen in a dark well. He's crying, "Save me, save me," and one man drops a rope, "Please catch it, I'll save you." If you don't catch, then whose fault it is
M
- Mucukunda continued, "By the influence of Your external energy, they are attached to the glare of material activities, to so-called society, friendship and love, like dumb animals that have fallen into a dark well"
- My dear the best of the demons. - "I think that is very nice." What is that? - This worldly life, materialistic life, is self-killing just like a dark well. So one should give it up & go to the forest & take shelter of Krsna. That is the best way of life
O
- One should not rot in the dark well of household life till one is dragged out by the will of Yamaraja
- Only the Supreme Lord Himself or His empowered representative can possibly free us from confinement in this dark well. Under their guidance we can come to know of the limitless ocean of the spiritual sky
- Our materialistic way of life is described as grha andha-kupam (SB 7.5.5). This family life is just like dark well. We are already in the darkness, and another darkness is to fall in the dark well
P
- Prahlada Maharaja has likened these pseudo occupational duties to a dark well. Prahlada has purposefully spoken of this dark well because if one falls into this well, he will die. He may cry for help, but no one will hear him or come to rescue him
- Prahlada Maharaja has maintained the philosophical point of view that one should give up the dark well of family life and go to the forest to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- Prahlada Maharaja said that one should retire from family life as soon as possible, and he described family life as the darkest well - hitvatma-patam grham andha-kupam
- Prahlada Maharaja said to his father, - My dear father, if somebody quits this scene of grham andha-kupam, a dark well of this material life, and goes to the forest and takes shelter of Krsna, oh, that is very nice thing
- Prahlada Maharaja says, grham andha-kupam: "If you keep yourself always in this dark well of so-called family life, then you'll never be happy." Atma-patam
S
- Saints and sages mercifully try to uplift fallen souls from the dark well of householder life. An enlightened householder therefore takes pleasure in the appearance of such saints and sages at his house
- Sanatana said: My associations are all abominable, and I am fallen, the most wretched of mankind. I was suffering in the dark well of material enjoyment, and I never knew the actual goal of my life. Indeed, I do not even know what is beneficial for me
- Sometimes other poisonous snakes bite him. Being blind to his consciousness, he falls down into a dark well of hellish life with no hope of being rescued
- Srutadeva thought, "I have fallen into the deep, dark well of householder life and am the most unfortunate person"
T
- The brahmanas said, "They (the wives of the brahmanas) gave up their family connections, which are just like a dark well for the continuation of material miseries"
- The dark well means if we are put into the dark well, you'll be killed. Hitvatma patam grham andha-kupam, vanam gato yad dharim asrayeta (SB 7.5.5). - You should give up this dark well and go to the forest
- The devotee whose heart has been completely cleansed by the process of devotional service and who is favored by Bhaktidevi does not become bewildered by the external energy, which is just like a dark well
- The duty of sages and saints is to go from door to door and thus enlighten the householders in spiritual knowledge. Householder life is compared to a dark well
- The example of a dark well is given because in the fields there are many wells, unused for years and covered over by grass, and poor animals, not knowing of them, fall into them, and unless rescued they die
- The forgetful householder life of the conditioned soul is a soul-killing dark well. This is the opinion of Sri Prahlada Maharaja, the celebrated devotee of the Lord
- The gopis prayed, "The conditioned soul fallen in the dark well of this material existence can very easily take shelter of Your (Krsna's) lotus feet. Thus his deliverance is guaranteed"
- The home is considered to be a dark well covered by grass, and if one falls within this well, he simply dies without anyone's caring. One should therefore not be too much attached to family life, for it will spoil one's development of Krsna consciousness
- The living entity must get strength from Nitai-Gaura, or Krsna-Balarama. Without the mercy of Nitai-Gaura, there is no way to come out of this dark well of ignorance
- The sastras advise that when such a woman (who is attractive and has a beautiful face and sweet voice) comes to serve a man, she should be considered to be like a dark well covered by grass
- The so-called comfortable family position is compared to a dark well in a field. If one falls in a dark well covered by grass, his life is lost, despite his cry for rescue
- There they themselves are pushed into dark wells, where poisonous fumes and smoke suffocate them and they suffer very severely
- They are thinking very happy, husband, wife, living together, enjoying. But that is grha andha-kupam. Andha-kupam means if you are thrown into the dark well, it is like that
- This (that without the protection of Gaura-Nitai one cannot get out of the dark well of ignorance in material existence) is indicated here (in SB 7.15.46) by the word nocet, which means that one will always remain in the dark well of material existence
- This andha-kupam, dark well of ignorance, one must give up. - Then vanam gato yad dharim asrayeta (SB 7.5.5): "He must go to vana." When one goes to vana, it is called vanaprastha
- This family life, grhesu, grha-medhinam, who are very much attached, this is maya. Prahlada Maharaja, from the age of five years he condemned, hitvatma-patam grham andha-kupam (SB 7.5.5): - The grha, this so-called family life, is a dark well
- This material world is a dark well of ignorance. The fallen soul in this dark well must take shelter of the lotus feet of Gaura-Nitai, for thus he can easily emerge from material existence
- Those who are Krsna conscious, that is different thing. But ordinarily, the so-called household life means to be in the darkness, in the dark well
- Those who in this life confine other living entities in dark wells, granaries or mountain caves are put after death into the hell known as Avata-nirodhana
- Thus enlightened by the instructions of the brahmanas Angira and Narada, King Citraketu became fully aware of spiritual knowledge. As an elephant becomes free from a muddy reservoir of water, King Citraketu came out of the dark well of family life
W
- We are thinking we are very happily living with nice wife and children and working very hard, getting money. But sastra says, - You are fallen in the dark well
- When one is thus attracted again by the rogues of visaya - eating, sleeping and mating - the horses and chariot driver are thrown into the blinding dark well of material existence, and one is again put into a dangerous and extremely fearful situation
- Without the protection of Gaura-Nitai - Krsna and Balarama - one cannot get out of the dark well of ignorance in material existence