Category:Nationalism
Theme Analysis
Nationalism is fundamentally an illusion born from the bodily conception of life. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that it is merely an expansion of individual selfishness. Instead of working solely for one's own senses, a materially conditioned soul extends this attachment to their society, country, or countrymen, adopting various "isms" to justify their actions. However, because this identification is rooted in the temporary material body and the specific land of birth, it is ultimately asat (impermanent) and acts as a massive hindrance to spiritual advancement. The temporary relationships built on national borders offer no lasting benefit and keep the soul trapped in the cycle of birth and death. True unity and universal brotherhood cannot be established through political slogans or nationalistic fervor; they are only realized through Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which addresses the spiritual reality that all living entities are eternal servants of the Supreme Lord.
- The False Bodily Conception: Nationalism stems from the false identification of the eternal spirit soul with the temporary material body and the land where it was born, binding humanity to artificial designations.
- The Illusion of Expanded Selfishness: While nationalism and altruism are often glorified as noble causes, they are ultimately just expanded forms of selfish sense gratification, driven by the same material rasa that motivates personal enjoyment.
- Decorating a Dead Body: Engaging in mundane benevolent activities without God consciousness is a waste of human energy. Without devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, all nationalistic achievements are merely like costly garments decorating a corpse.
- The True Universal Solution: Actual unity and peace cannot be achieved through the crippled, tribal ideas of nationalism. Real international brotherhood is established only through the all-embracing spiritual platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Nationalism - The Illusion of Expanded Selfishness.
Subcategories
This category has only the following subcategory.
Pages in category "Nationalism"
The following 79 pages are in this category, out of 79 total.
A
- A philanthropist works in the same way for love of the greater family, and a nationalist for the cause of his country and countrymen. That force which drives the philanthropist, the householder and the nationalist is called rasa
- A politician or so-called nationalist who is inordinately attached to the land of his birth will certainly be reborn in the same land after ending his political career
- Activities performed for the satisfaction of Krsna are permanent and good, but asat activity, although sometimes celebrated as philanthropy, altruism, nationalism, this "ism" or that "ism," will never produce any permanent result and is therefore all bad
- Acts of sense gratification may be performed under the cover of public welfare, nationalism, religion, altruism, ethical codes, Biblical codes, health directives, fruitive action, bashfulness, tolerance, personal comfort, liberation from material bondage
- Actually not only the problem of nationalism, but every problem of the world is due to a lack of Krsna consciousness. That is the only scarcity
- All acquisition of knowledge in science, philosophy, fine arts, nationalism, economic development, religion and great activities are being spoiled by being used as dresses for dead men
- All these so-called nationality, big, big nations, big, big races, caste and so on, so on, what is their position? The position is that all of them are animals. That's all. This is the verdict of the sastra
- An ordinary man works for his own sense enjoyment, and when this principle of sense enjoyment is extended to include his society, nation or humanity in general, it assumes various attractive names such as altruism, socialism, communism, nationalism etc
- Anyone who misunderstands this perishable body to be the self and who works for it in the name of sociology, politics, philanthropy, altruism, nationalism or internationalism, under the false plea of the bodily conception of life, is certainly a fool
- At that time, I was a young man and a nationalist, admirer of Mahatma Gandhi and C.R. Dass
B
- Bhagavad-gita says you are not this body. That is the beginning of education. And now education means be nationalist
- Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is not meant for Indians only. That is not the idea. But nowadays everything is seen through national consciousness. But in the BG you will not find anything as so-called nationalism or communism. That is spiritualism
- Bodily concept of life, it is not education. That "I am this body," "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brahmana," "I am ksatriya," "I am white," "I am black," this education is going on in the name of nationalism, communism, socialism
C
- Creating temporary relationships in terms of society, friendship, love, nationality and community, which are all finished at death. These temporary relationships did not exist in the past, nor will they exist in the future
- Cripple-minded persons, always engaged in satisfying their senses, sometimes expand their activities in order to do good for others through some "ism" like nationalism, humanitarianism or altruism
E
- Everyone is attached. And this is ignorance. This is illusion, that developed society, community, nationality. But what is that? That attachment. But that attachment has to be taken away. That is knowledge
- Everyone is working under some impure consciousness, just like nationalism: "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Englishman," "I am German." This desire is polluted, because I am spirit soul, part and parcel of Krsna
- Everyone requires protection. That is nationalism. Not that crippled ideas: "I am good, my brother is good, and everyone is bad." That is not nationalism
F
- Faith means unflinching trust in something sublime. When one is engaged in the duties of Krsna consciousness, he need not act in relationship to the material world with obligations to family traditions, humanity, or nationality. BG 1972 purports
- False bodies create various associations in the name of family, community, society and nationality
- Family or society, that is the increase of the same affection. So the so-called nationalism is also materialism. There is the simply expansion. Just like you have got a party of rogues. And a big party or small party, the business is plundering
H
- He (the individual soul) is accepting different positions in material bodies and being designated according to many divisions of nationality, community, society, species and so on
- His Divine Grace, my spiritual master, somehow or other liked me, that I should take up this responsibility. And on the first day I met him, I was at (that) time a very young man, a nationalist, and engaged in a very responsible office
I
- I am thinking in so many different consciousness. I am thinking in consciousness of nationality, community, society, friendship - so many ways - but without Krsna consciousness. Therefore our consciousness is impure
- Identification with the body and the place where the body is obtained under different conceptions of socialism, nationalism, family affection, and so on and so forth is all due to forgetfulness of the real nature of the living entity
- If one is not Krsna conscious, bhagavata-bhakti-hinasya, then his big nationality, jatih, his achievement, japas tapah, his activities, everything, bhagavad-bhakti-hinasya jatih japas tapah kriyah, all these things are like decoration of the dead body
- If they (materialists) are without knowledge of devotional service to the Lord, then great nationalism, fruitive, political or social work, science or philosophy are all simply like costly garments decorating a dead body
- If we work very hard under their (Marxists, Freudians, nationalists and industrialists) guidance instead of adopting the process practiced by Nara-Narayana, we shall waste our valuable human form of life. Thus we shall certainly be cheated and misled
- In other ways some are worshipers of race, nationality, birds, beasts, evil spirits, satans, etc
- In our ignorance we may create nationalism, philanthropy, internationalism, science, philosophy and so many other things. The basic principle behind all these is ignorance
- In the material world, even if one is a philanthropist, a nationalist and a good man according to materialistic estimations, these conceptions of life form a hindrance to spiritual advancement
- In the Vedic civilization there is no such thing as nationalism. You won't find. Have you seen in the Bhagavad-gita any word, "nationalism?" No such thing. This is the original ideas of the tribes
- In the Vedic civilization there is no such thing as nationalism. You won't find. Have you seen in the Bhagavad-gita any word, "nationalism?" No such thing. This is the original ideas of the tribes. In the jungle there is...
- In this age there are different forms of so-called advanced scientific knowledge, such as anthropology, Marxism, Freudianism, nationalism and industrialism
- In this world they have invented so many things - philanthropism, altruism, nationalism, this "ism," that "ism" - but without Krsna. It is the same position. Without Krsna consciousness he's going to hell, however moral he may be
K
- Kalatra means wife, and through wife there are children, society, friendship and love and so many things. Sva-dhih. And that is our own thing. Yasyatma-buddhih. The nationalism is also like that
- Krsna consciousness is not a sectarian religious movement. Rather, it is meant for all-embracing welfare activities for the world. One can enter this movement without discrimination in terms of caste, creed, religion or nationality
M
- Many men have dedicated their lives for many engagements in the name of philanthrophy, altruism, nationalism, humanitarianism and so on, but all of them will be finished along with the end of life of this body. Our dedication of life or Krishna-ism
- Modern capitalists accumulate more wealth than necessary, and the communists, envious of their prosperity, want to nationalize all wealth and property
N
- Nationalism has developed in different parts of the world due to the cultivation of nescience by the general people. No one considers that this tiny earth is just a lump of matter floating in immeasurable space along with many other lumps
- Nationalism, socialism, this "ism," that "ism" - but the action of the dog and hog and the human society, so-called civilized, the point is the same
- Nationality means expanded selfishness. They are very much fond of nationality, but that nationality is also selfishness - by combined effort
- Now everyone is mad after bhauma. Bhauma means the land. Because my body, by accident, my body is produced in certain land, therefore I take this land as worshipable. Now it is going on, nationalism
O
- One should know that the association of society, friendship, love, nationalism, and so on are nothing but creations of maya. One's only business is to become Krsna conscious and render service unto Krsna as extensively as possible for a living being
- One who engages in mundane activity - be he a so-called jnani, yogi, karmi, philanthropist, nationalist, or whatever - cannot attain the higher stage of mahatma. He remains a duratma, or cripple-minded person
S
- So many nationalists, economists and other ambitious persons have tried for happiness, individually or collectively, but history proves that they have all been frustrated
- So unless you come to Krsna consciousness, this so-called nationalism, philanthropism, altruism, this "ism" - that is all rascaldom. It has no value. Real value is here: mahatma, vimanyavah, sadhavah, suhrdah
- Social work, nationalism, and altruism are some of the activities for such materially designated persons. BG 1972 purports
- Sociology, Communism, and this "ism," that "ism," philanthropism, altruism, internationalism, nationalism - many, many duties they have created. That is all material
- Such bewildered persons (such as nationalists or altruists) may even be engaged in such primary moral principles of life as nonviolence and similar materially benevolent work. BG 1972 purports
T
- That is the whole teachings of Bhagavad-gita. We should stop all this nonsense, benevolent work, "I am nationalist," "I am socialist," "I am this," - I am that
- The demons, instead of accepting the exclusive proprietorship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, claim the property of the universe for themselves through demarcations of nationalism
- The foolish and forgetful living being is always busy with false forms and false names. Modern nationalism is the culmination of such false names and false forms
- The innumerable living entities within this material world are being carried by the waves of material nature. Sometimes the waves bring them together, & they form friendships and relate to one another on a bodily basis of family, community or nationality
- The living being's conception of nationalism is another type of ignorance. Because of ignorance, a living being identifies himself with the land of his birth and moves with the misconceptions of national ideas
- The rasas derived from our feelings in social life, in family life or in the greater family life of altruism, philanthropy, nationalism, socialism, communism, etc., do not guarantee that one's next life will be as a human being
- The so-called nationalism, socialism and communism - simply moha, moha, exactly the same way as the small, that insects, under some illusion, moha, they come to the light and sacrifice their life
- The whole process is how to get out of the affection of this family, community, nationalism. This is the process. This is illusion. But at the present moment, this illusion is being increased
- There are many traditionally pious activities in human society, such as altruism, philanthropy, nationalism, internationalism, charity, sacrifice, penance, and even meditation in trance
- There are two kinds of bhauma ijya-dhih: those who worship the land of their birth, such as nationalists, who make many sacrifices for the motherland, and those who condemn the worship of the form of the Lord
- There is no feeling of nationality because they are not thinking of the nation; they are thinking of their own pocket, that's all. Where is the nationality? They are simply bogus slogans. Actual unity, nationality, universality, is in Krsna consciousness
- There is no harm in becoming a family man, or an altruist, a socialist, a communist, a nationalist or a humanitarian, provided that one executes his activities in relation with isavasya, the God-centered conception
- There is no question of cast, creed, nationality, color, richness. No. Everyone has got the tongue, by the grace of God. Everyone can chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
- There is no question of limitation according to nationalism. Whether one lives in India or outside of India, he is called a yavana or mleccha if he does not follow the Vedic principles
- There is no question of separate attempt - philanthropy, philosophy and nationalism, this "ism," that "ism." We have discovered so many things and diversion of the real duty. That we shall have to concentrate. That is siddhanta
- This (thinking the body & the land where it was born is all in all) is the basic principle behind nationalism, socialism and communism
- This is most crude idea of civilization, nationalism. This is tribalized. It is nothing but development of just tribalism. And eating also the same. They are not advanced in civilization. This nationalism is another form of tribalism, that's all
- This is the pity of the thing. Now you should reform them in this Krsna consciousness movement, and real United Nations will be formed. There will be no question of nationalism
- This material knowledge, this nationalism, this socialism, they are simply spoiling time. Real knowledge is the Vedic knowledge and the knowledge of Krsna. That is real knowledge
- Those who are enlightened in spiritual life, should not try to agitate such materially engrossed persons (such as nationalists or altruists). Better to prosecute one's own spiritual activities silently. BG 1972 purports
W
- We do not approve this so-called nationalism. Therefore we have named "Internationalism," "International," no distinction between this nation or that nation, this religion or that religion
- When one thinks that he is the best friend to his countrymen, to society or to humanity and he engages in various nationalistic, philanthropic and altruistic activities, all that is just so much concentration on sense gratification
- Wrong civilization, rascal civilization. And this is due to this rascaldom, nationalism, "This is my land." And at any moment he will be kicked out. Still, he claims, "It is my land"