Category:Our Bad Habits (Disciples of SP)
Theme Analysis
The quotes in this category address the practical reality that new practitioners, especially those from Western backgrounds, often carry a heavy burden of deeply ingrained material addictions. Understanding this conditioning, Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes that the powerful combination of chanting the mahā-mantra, following the regulative principles, and engaging in deity worship is the ultimate cure for these destructive behaviors. He emphasizes that while transforming a degraded lifestyle takes time, sincere devotees must be treated with deep patience and compassion, even if they occasionally falter due to their past conditioning. However, he also issues severe warnings to his leaders and established students, clarifying that deliberately reviving old habits or becoming loose in one's practice will inevitably lead to spiritual ruination and spoil the entire mission.
- The Transformative Process: Immersing oneself in active devotional service, particularly by loudly chanting the holy names, naturally awakens a higher taste that effortlessly destroys all lower material addictions.
- Overcoming Cultural Conditioning: Practitioners raised in modern societies are thoroughly habituated to meat-eating, intoxication, gambling, and illicit sex, requiring immense spiritual strength to abandon these practices.
- The Cure Through Strict Practice: Sticking rigidly to the prescribed daily routine of chanting sixteen rounds and tending to the deities guarantees protection against the resurgence of nasty personal traits.
- Compassion for Sincere Struggles: If a dedicated devotee makes an accidental mistake due to lingering past habits, they should still be considered a sādhu and must be lovingly rectified rather than immediately rejected.
- The Severe Danger of Relapse: Leaders carry a heavy responsibility to maintain strict personal standards, as reverting to their old loose habits will quickly mislead the entire congregation into spiritual ruin.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: How Prabhupāda Guides His Disciples to Overcome Their Bad Habits.
Pages in category "Our Bad Habits (Disciples of SP)"
The following 33 pages are in this category, out of 33 total.
A
- All of our devotees in the Western countries give up their old habits of illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. Of course, five hundred years ago these practices were unknown in India - at least in eastern India
- All of you are coming from backgrounds of bad habits, so to make progress in Krishna Consciousness we must overlook the faults of others. You must be patient with your husband
- American boys are very beautifully chanting Hare Krsna. They are chanting loudly. They are eagerly hearing Gita and Bhagavata siddhanta. They are also practicing sadacara, leaving all bad habits. Also, they are taking Mahaprabhu's mahaprasada
- As for Kanupriya, if he returns to the U.S.A. he will not stop this nasty habit and it will be worse if he goes there than if he remains in India with his family. So he may remain wherever he likes in India
B
- Because it (sex urge) is an old habit we are unable to check it unless we can understand the nature of feeling, willing and then action, and how by proper use of intelligence and prevent thoughts which must come from maturing into actions
- By association with undesirable companions we have learned so many bad habits and similarly by association with pure persons or devotees we can become purified of our acquired bad habits
- By sticking to Krishna Consciousness, chanting our required rounds loudly, and tending the deities, these items will surely save you (from nasty habits). So always be seriously engaged in serving Krishna & pray to Krishna to help you with your frailties
H
I
- I never believed that again you would go back to your old habits, giving up the Krsna Consciousness Movement in a whimsical way
- I say that you cannot take meat, you cannot smoke. So all my students, they were accustomed to this habit, but by my order they have restrained
- I understand that Govinda dasi has recommended Jadurani to take Iron pills and almost all the girls here are taking them. It is compensating the deficiency due to their past habit of meat taking
- I want that what I have established may go on nicely, but I see that some of the devotees are reviving their old "good'' qualities. That is the difficulty. If the old habits come back, then everything is finished
- If he is not satisfied with the standard of lectures in our temple, then he should be permitted to give some lectures himself, but this habit of going outside to hear others should be stopped immediately
- If one is found doing mistake or doing something wrong, but because he is sticking to this principle of Krsna consciousness, he is sadhu. Sadhu means a holy man. He is holy. He is not doing any wrong consciously. But due to habit
- If we take to Krsna consciousness full, even due to our past habits, we are attached to all things, Krsna says it doesn't matter. But you keep yourself always in Krsna consciousness
- If you are loose in your habits, then everyone in your temple will also be loose in their habits. So, as one of my elder disciples, be strong. Do not deviate and you will be blessed
- It is not that all our students were free from this alcoholic habit or meat-eating or illicit sex, no. They were habituated. But because they have taken to the devotional service, this is all finished
- It is understood that everyone has some nasty habits but by sticking to Krsna consciousness, chanting our required rounds loudly, and tending the Deities, these items will surely save you
O
- One life, just take little trouble. It is no trouble; it is very happy life. But because we are accustomed to these material habits, we think it is trouble. No. It is not trouble. It is very pleasing. Su-sukham kartum avyayam
- One thing we should always remember is that all of our devotees picked up here are accustomed to all of these bad habits in their past life, so if sometimes they reveal their old characteristics, instead of rejecting them, it is up to us to rectify them
- Our students are strictly observing the four rules or restraints from impure habits and they are factually living according to the highest standard of religious life
T
- The difficulty is that we cannot come to the pure stage of chanting Hare Krsna mantra. Due to our past habits our mind is disturbed. We cannot concentrate. Therefore we have fixed up the minimum
- The inner member shall not indulge in unnecessary indoor or outdoor games, sporting or gambling habit
- They are chanting loudly. They are eagerly hearing Gita and Bhagavata siddhanta. They are also practicing sadacara, leaving all bad habits. Also, they are taking Mahaprabhu's mahaprasada. By doing this their lives are becoming successful
W
- We cannot expect that all of a sudden, being addicted to so many bad habits, your countrymen, will give up eating flesh, taking intoxication, sex-life, and so many other nasty things, and become overnight great self-realized souls. That is not possible
- We have practical experience that anyone who accepts this fruit (of love of Godhead) and sincerely tastes it immediately becomes mad after it and gives up all his bad habits, being intoxicated by Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s gift, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra
Y
- You are one of the important leaders, so if you are feeble and you are still victim of such habits, then the other members who are following your example will be led to ruination by you only
- You should change your habits. You have lost now a good soul, and either he comes back or if you know his address then if he does not like to live with you, he may come at once and live with me personally