Category:Good Citizens
Theme Analysis
Śrīla Prabhupāda uses the simple analogy of state citizenship to explain the true meaning of religion and human responsibility. Just as a good citizen is expected to know and strictly abide by the laws of the government to live peacefully, a true human being must know the Supreme Lord and abide by His divine laws. Religion (dharma) is not a fabricated sentiment; it is the direct order of God. To create good citizens, society requires systematic education and character reform, specifically by avoiding sinful activities and implementing the scientific social division of varṇāśrama. When citizens surrender to the Supreme Lord, just as they surrender to state laws, society becomes free from anxiety, and individuals are perfectly prepared for ultimate spiritual liberation.
- The Definition of Religion: Religion simply means abiding by the laws of God, just as good citizenship means abiding by the laws of the state.
- Character Reformation: A society cannot produce good citizens if it allows illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication, and gambling.
- The Role of the State: The primary duty of the government and kṣatriya leaders is to protect law-abiding citizens and punish rogues.
- Education and Varṇāśrama: Scientific training through the varṇāśrama system is essential for creating responsible, spiritually conscious citizens.
- The Ultimate Goal: By satisfying the supreme government of Kṛṣṇa through devotional service, one becomes a perfect citizen of both this world and the next.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Good Citizenship Means Strictly Following the Laws of the Government.
Pages in category "Good Citizens"
The following 50 pages are in this category, out of 50 total.
A
- Actual religion is that God is one and religion means the orders, the law given by God. That's all. Simple definition. Just like state is one, government is one, and to become good citizen means to abide by the laws of the government. That's all
- As a citizen, good citizen, you are expected. Similarly, we must know what is dharma, what is God. That is humanity
- As indicated here (in SB 9.10.50) by the words sva-dharma-nirata varnasrama-gunan-vitah, the people were good citizens (of Lord Ramacandra's kingdom) because they accepted the institution of varna and asrama
G
- God is the supreme controller. And we have to learn how to remain peacefully under the supreme controller. Just like citizens and the government. Good citizenship means one who lives under the control of the government
- Good citizen means who follows the laws of the state. He is good citizen. Good citizenship means strictly following the laws of the government. Similarly, first-class human being means who follows the laws of God
- Good citizenship means living under the direction of the government. That is good citizenship. Similarly, human life means to live nicely under the direction of God. The cats and dogs, they cannot understand
- Government gives protection to the good citizen, and those who are rogues, punish them. Law and order. Two things are there: maintenance and law and order. So similarly, our Krsna consciousness is also the same thing
H
- Hari-tosanam - whether by your duty, by your action, the Supreme Lord is satisfied. Just like we want to satisfy... In the schools, colleges, we want to satisfy our professor, teachers, principal. Or as good citizen we want to satisfy our government
- Human society is so arranged that the people, the members of the human society, should be free from all anxiety. Therefore we require good citizens, good father and mother, good system of government, and pious, virtuous, cooperation between God and nature
I
- If we act for Krsna, that is called yajna. Yajna means to act for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or the supreme authority. Just like a good citizen. A good citizen means who is acting exactly to the regulative laws
- If you allow people to indulge in sinful life, how you can expect good citizen? That is not possible. Their character must reform. So we have taken from the root. We are making men of character, knowledge, sincerity, God conscious
- If you do not become a good citizen, then you are put into the prison house, good citizen and bad citizen. Similarly, the aim of human life is to approach Visnu
- If you do not know what government desires, expects from you, then what is the meaning of your good citizenship? There is no meaning. Similarly, to become religious without any clear understanding of God is bogus, is cheating. That is cheating
- If you do not take education, if you remain fools and rascals, then you will suffer and create disturbance for others also. Therefore everyone must be educated, good citizens. It is good for him, good for others
- In the prison house sometimes the head of the country goes to visit, to see, to inspect how the prison life is going on or to give them some instruction, some good lesson, that "Why you are rotting in prison? You become good citizen"
J
- Just like good citizen means he knows what is the government and what is the law of government. He is following. Similarly, religious person means he must know what is God and what are the words of God
- Just like good citizen means one who satisfies the government. Law-abiding. Good citizen. Similarly, good karma means who satisfies Lord Visnu, the Supreme Lord
- Just like good citizen means well-behaved, to abide by the state laws. So first thing is religion, to learn how to become God conscious. This is the first business of human society
- Just like good citizenship means to abide by the laws of the state, of the government. That is good citizenship. Similarly, a real religious person means who is abiding by the orders of the Supreme Lord
- Just like law means obedience to the state, and one who obeys the laws of the state, he is good citizen, similarly, the laws given by God, one who obeys the law, he is religious or saintly person
- Just like we are living in a state, either in England or in Germany or in America or in India, there are state rules and regulations. Good citizen means who are abiding by the state laws. Similarly, a devotee means who is abiding by the laws given by God
O
- One must know God, and one must know what God desires. That is religion. Just like you must know your government, and you must know what government wants, expects from you. If you do that, then you are a good citizen
- One who does not know the law of the state, he's not a good citizen. He's a fool, rascal. What to speak of humanity
- One who obeys this law, he's good citizen. One who disobeys, he's rascal. Similarly, dharma means the order of God. So one who obeys the order of God, he is really religious
- Other man, he's very honestly living as a good citizen, as a good family member and good brahmin, good ksatriya. He's sticking to his own principle of life, but he's not a Krsna conscious devotee, then what is his gain?
R
- Religion means to abide by the orders of God. That's all. Just like good citizen means who abides by the order of the government. That's all. There is no difficulty to understand what is good citizen
- Religion means to surrender. A good citizen means to surrender to the government law. Similarly, a religious person means who has surrendered to God
S
- So dharma means to abide by the laws of God. Just like good citizen means to abide by the state laws
- So if you surrender to these principles, that means you surrender to Krsna. Just like a good citizen surrenders to the state. What does it mean? He abides by the law. That's all
- So in the spiritual world there are so many varieties - four-handed, two-handed living entity. They're all nitya-mukta. They're all everlastingly liberated. So we have been just like a prisoner is. Although he's a prisoner, he can be also good citizen
T
- The citizens were trained according to the varnasrama system. A class of men were brahmanas, a class of men were ksatriyas, a class were vaisyas, and a class were sudras. Without this scientific division, there can be no question of good citizenship
- The duty of a son is to perform the sraddha ritualistic ceremony after his father's death so that his father may be promoted to a planetary system where he may become a good citizen and devotee
- The king gives you some law, and if you are a good citizen, you are to obey those laws, and you live peacefully. This is crude example. Similarly, dharma or religion means to obey the laws of God, that's all
- The meaning of religion is to abide by the laws of God, just like a good citizen means who abides by the laws of the state, of the government. Because we have no understanding of God, therefore we do not know what is the laws of God
- The solution is we have to surrender unto the Supreme. Just like if you are arrested by the police, then it is very difficult to get out of their clutches. But if you are a good citizen, surrendered soul to the state, there is no problem
- The state functions protecting the good citizen and punishing the criminals. That should be the state business. Wherefrom this idea came? What is called? Law and order department, or what is that
- The state gives us some rules & regulation to live, & one who follows the rules and regulation or the laws of the state, he is called good citizen, & those who do not follow, they are called outlaws or rogues. Similarly, religion is very simple thing
- The training was compulsory not only to create good citizens of the state, but also to prepare the boy's future life for spiritual realization
- These (illicit sex life, meat-eating and intoxication and gambling) are the four pillars of sinful life. If you allow people to indulge in sinful life, how you can expect good citizen? That is not possible. Their character must reform
- This (schools and colleges to train students to become brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas, sudras, brahmacaris, grhasthas, vanaprasthas and sannyasis) will provide the preliminary condition for good citizenship - varnasrama-gunan-vitah
W
- What is dharma? Just like it is the duty of good citizen to abide by the laws of the state, similarly, dharmi, a person who is religious, means who is abiding by the laws of God. That's all. And who is not abiding, he is adharmi. That is the difference
- What is the difference between good citizen and outlaws? The difference is a good citizen is always trying to satisfy the government by abiding the laws given by the government. So therefore our ultimate goal is to satisfy the supreme government, Krsna
- Whatever the government gives you law, and if you follow, then you are a good citizen. Similarly, there is order by God, and anyone who follows that order, he's religious
- "Why you are rotting in prison? You become good citizen." Now, suppose the head of the state goes to the prison and "Oh, he is also a prisoner. The head of the state who has come to instruct, he is also one of the prisoners, like us."