Category:Progress in Spiritual Life
Theme Analysis
A defining characteristic of devotional service is that it is ahaituky apratihatā—causeless and unchecked. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that progress in spiritual life cannot be obstructed by any material condition. Whether one is in the womb of a mother, like Prahlāda Mahārāja, or facing severe torture and suffering, the flow of spiritual advancement continues if one remains fixed in consciousness. Unlike material endeavors, which depend on favorable circumstances, money, or bodily health, spiritual life depends only on the mercy of the Lord and the spiritual master. However, while external conditions cannot stop progress, internal neglect can. To advance, one must strictly follow the regulative principles, worship the ācāryas (ācāryopāsanā), and maintain a humble attitude (tṛṇād api sunīcena).
- Unstoppable Nature: Spiritual progress is independent of the body. Prahlāda made progress even as an embryo hearing Nārada Muni.
- Tangible Results: In bhakti-yoga, one can directly perceive their advancement, just as a hungry man feels satisfaction while eating.
- Internal Blockages: While the environment cannot stop us, our own bad habits can. Overeating, illicit sex, and lack of sad-ācāra (good behavior) halt progress.
- Role of Humility: Unless one is meek and humble, making progress is very difficult.
- The Test: The ultimate test of spiritual progress is the moment of death.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Progress in Spiritual Life Cannot Be Obstructed by Any Material Condition.
Pages in category "Progress in Spiritual Life"
The following 69 pages are in this category, out of 69 total.
A
- Acaryopasana. We have to worship the acaryas. That is recommended in the Bhagavad-gita for making progress in spiritual life
- According to a Bengali proverb, whatever spiritual progress one makes in life will be tested at the time of death
- After qualifying as a dvija one may study the Vedas, and after becoming well versed one becomes a vipra. A vipra, or a qualified brahmana, thus realizes the Absolute and makes further progress in spiritual life until he reaches the Vaisnava stage
- All these (santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya) rasas, or mellows, are situated on the transcendental platform. Pure devotees take shelter of one of them and thus progress in spiritual life
- Apratihata means in spite of your so-called suffering, the suffering will be reduced or there will be no suffering. But in spite of suffering, you can make progress in spiritual life
- As a resident of Vrndavana, Krsnadasa Kaviraja offered his respects to the Deities in these temples (of Madana-mohana, Govindaji and Gopinatha) and requested God's favor: "My progress in spiritual life is very slow, so l'm asking Your help"
- As a resident of Vrndavana, Krsnadasa Kaviraja offers his respects to the Deities in these temples and requests God's favor: "My progress in spiritual life is very slow, so I'm asking Your help" - CC Intro
- As confirmed in the Vedic injunctions, yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau (SU 6.23). One should have complete faith in the guru, who helps the disciple make progress in spiritual life
- At least a certain percentage of the human society must be brahmin, otherwise the society cannot make any progress in spiritual life. And if we cannot make progress in spiritual life, then our human life is frustrated
B
- Both becoming addicted to sex life and associating with persons who are addicted to sex life are condemned in the Vedic literature because such association will simply interfere with one's spiritual progress
- By bhakti-yoga one can become directly aware of his progress in spiritual life, just as a person who eats can understand that his hunger is satisfied
- By following these principles of devotional service strictly, chanting twenty-four hours a day the maha-mantra one makes positive progress in spiritual life and ultimately becomes completely fit to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face
- By practicing bhakti-yoga, one can directly perceive his advancement in spiritual life. In other practices - like karma-yoga, jnana-yoga and dhyana-yoga - one may not be confident about his progress
- By reestablishing relationship with God, even the most forgotten soul is roused up to the sense of spiritual life, and thus being initiated by the bhakti-vedantas, the people in general gradually progress on the path of transcendental realization
- By serving such guru, bona fide guru, and surrendering unto him, and then questioning him, he can make actual progress in spiritual life, and then he understands properly what is God, what is our relationship with Him
E
- Even for a king like Maharaja Pariksit there was need of a spiritual master for guidance. Without such guidance one cannot make progress in spiritual life
- Even ordinary students who are trying to make progress in spiritual life, they are not interested, amisa-madya-seva (meat-eating and intoxication). They are not interested. This is practical
- Everyone should engage in the performance of yajna, and the sacrificial fire should be ignited everywhere, the entire purpose being to make people happy, prosperous and progressive in spiritual life
- Everyone should hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly. By hearing one can always remain in equilibrium, and thus his progress in spiritual life will not be hampered
F
- For progress in spiritual life, the sastras recommend meditation in Satya-yuga, sacrifice for the satisfaction of Lord Visnu in Treta-yuga and gorgeous worship of the Lord in the temple in Dvapara-yuga
- Forget sleeping, eating, mating. This is all material necessities. If you increase these things, then you cannot make any progress in spiritual life
- From these (aquatics), insects and reptiles evolve, and from them birds, beasts and then human beings and finally civilized human beings. Now, the civilized human being is at a junction where he can make further evolutionary progress in spiritual life
I
- If anyone, even if he is a householder, wants to make progress in spiritual life, he must control his sex life and should not beget a child without the purpose of serving Krsna. BG 1972 purports
- If I become victim of the dictation of the senses, then I cannot make progress in my spiritual life; I am third-class, fourth-class man. Mind wants to steal something. If you can control, "No, why stealing?" Then you are master
- If one is a sincere and pure devotee, the material lust in his heart is completely vanquished as he discusses the lusty feelings between the gopis and Krsna, and he makes quick progress in spiritual life
- If one wants actual success in life, he must strictly follow the instructions of the spiritual master. By following such instructions, one is sure to make rapid progress in spiritual life
- If the wife is helpful in the spiritual progress of life, she is the best friend and philosopher
- In any condition, even when liberated, we should never think ourselves independent of the spiritual master, but must refer to him as soon as there is some doubt regarding our progressive spiritual life
- In Bharata-varsa, all the acaryas contributed their experience, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally appeared to teach the people of Bharata-varsa how to progress in spiritual life and be fixed in devotional service to the Lord
- In order to check this social disturbance (varna-sankara or unwanted population), there are prescribed rules and regulations by which the population can automatically become peaceful and organized for spiritual progress in life. BG 1972 purports
- In order to keep the balance of social tranquility for progress in spiritual life. there are traditional family usages meant for every civilized man. BG 1972 purports
- In other practices - like karma-yoga, jnana-yoga and dhyana-yoga - one may not be confident about his progress, but in bhakti-yoga one can become directly aware of his progress in spiritual life
- In spite of any suffering, you can make progress in spiritual life. Just like Prahlada Maharaja himself. His father put him into so many suffering conditions, but he was not impeded - he made spiritual progress
- In this way he (Prthu Maharaja) lived in the forest and underwent severe austerity, especially in regards to eating. In other words, overeating is not at all recommended for one who wants to progress in spiritual life
O
- Offer something. Just be in love with Him. Then just see how much peaceful you feel. How much tranquility you feel and how you are protected by Krsna, how you avoid insufficiency, how you become pure and how you make your progress in spiritual life
- One has to accept a spiritual master in order to make a solution of his life. In every step of his life the spiritual master guides him. He also makes question to the spiritual master and he guides him so that his progress of life may be systematic
- One has to make progress in spiritual life by not associating with persons who are simply interested in sense gratification and making money. Not only such persons, but one who associates with such persons should be avoided
- One should strictly follow the regulative principles, namely no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication and no gambling, and in this way one should make progress in spiritual life
S
- Sad-acara lost means your progress in spiritual life is lost. Therefore we are stressing so much on the four points: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. This is the way
- So I saw that most of the boys and girls, they are keeping the boyfriend, girlfriend. So I requested them that if you want to make progress in spiritual life, you have to refrain from four kinds of sinful activities
- Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches us, trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna - One should be more tolerant than the tree and humbler than the grass to make progress in spiritual life
- Steadiness means that one should be very determined to make progress in spiritual life. Without such determination, one cannot make tangible progress. BG 1972 purports
T
- That is our real concern, the spiritual progress of life. That is duty of GBC
- The Bhagavatam says: dharmam hi saksad-bhagavat-pranitam - the path of religion is directly enunciated by the Lord. Therefore, mental speculation or dry arguments cannot help one progress in spiritual life. BG 1972 purports
- The entire purpose (of performing yajna) being to make people happy, prosperous & progressive in spiritual life. Of course, these things were possible before the beginning of Kali-yuga because there were qualified brahmanas who could perform such yajnas
- The living entity is eternally the servant of Krsna, but when he desires to enjoy the material world, he cannot progress in spiritual life
- The sastra has made the path so clear in a way, that in either of these infection, either sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna, you can make progress spiritual life. Because we must be in either of these
- The two processes of sravana and kirtana are of primary importance to progressive spiritual life
- The whole thing, our progress of spiritual life, our progress of spiritual realization, is checked only because we have got some misunderstanding of our identification. The identification is that "I am this body." That's all
- The woman is known as his better half, so if she looks after the comfort of the man, a man is working and she is looking after the comfort, then both will be satisfied and their spiritual life will progress
- These marriage things are done very psychologically, scientifically, so that they may become happy, and then, in peaceful mind, combine together, good cooperation, they make progress, spiritual. This is the plan, varnasrama-dharma
- These three guides (saintly persons, standard scriptures and the spiritual master) are very important for progress in spiritual life
- To be too fat is not very good for spiritually advanced life. One should reduce because if one becomes fat it is an impediment to progress in spiritual understanding. One should not eating too much, sleeping too much or remain in a comfortable position
- To give up these bad habits, that is human life. If we can't do that, then we are not making any spiritual progress of life. So long you'll have a little desire for committing sinful life for your sense gratification, you will have to accept a next body
U
- Unless one is meek and humble, to make progress in spiritual life is very difficult
- Unless you accept some institution of making progress in spiritual life, you are animal. Man has got some institution, some social structure, religious structure, political structure. Otherwise, what is the difference between animal
W
- We have to give ourselves a chance to progress in spiritual life, step by step. Otherwise, if we remain attached to material consciousness throughout all our days, we will not perfect our KC, and we shall miss the opportunity of this human form of life
- When a disciple very perfectly makes progress in spiritual life, this gladdens the spiritual master, who then also smiles in ecstasy, thinking, "How successful my disciple has become!"
- When he was in the womb of his mother, Prahlada listened to the words of Narada Muni. One cannot imagine how the baby in embryo could hear Narada, but this is spiritual life; progress in spiritual life cannot be obstructed by any material condition
- When something uncommon happens in one's progressive spiritual life, it should be understood to be incurred by ajnata-sukrti, or pious activities beyond one's knowledge
Y
- Yoga is a very nice process by which you can make your mind very peaceful, and then you can make progress towards spiritual life, sat-pathe
- You study, and chant this Hare Krsna mantra like this, and that is the following the footsteps of Gosvamis. Acaryopasana. We have to worship the acaryas. That is recommended in the Bhagavad-gita for making progress in spiritual life