Category:So-called Civilization
Theme Analysis
The concept of progress in the modern era is fundamentally flawed because it is built upon the bodily concept of life, completely ignoring the eternal soul. Through his uncompromising analysis, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that so-called civilization is merely a polished version of animal life—focused obsessively on eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. By rejecting the authority of the Supreme Lord, society has created massive artificial problems, leading to severe economic anxieties, widespread immorality, and horrifying atrocities like mass animal slaughter. True human civilization is not found in technological achievements or unchecked hedonism, but in sensory control, detachment from temporary matter, and the sincere cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness to return back to Godhead.
- Polished Animalism: Modern society proudly claims to be advanced, yet its citizens act exactly like animals by focusing their entire consciousness on sensory survival and bodily comforts.
- Ignoring the Soul: Because godless education neglects the science of transmigration and the eternal nature of the self, all its so-called achievements are entirely useless and defeating.
- Manufacturing Problems: The Supreme Lord has perfectly arranged for the sustenance of all living entities, but civilized man artificially creates poverty, scarcity, and economic crises through mismanagement and greed.
- Rākṣasa Degradation: By establishing industrial slaughterhouses and engaging in unrestricted sense gratification, human society descends into a demonic state, accumulating severe karmic reactions.
- The Path of Rejection: To achieve actual peace and spiritual perfection, one must reject the empty promises of material civilization and dedicate their life to serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Understanding the Folly of So-called Civilization in Kali-yuga.
Pages in category "So-called Civilization"
The following 64 pages are in this category, out of 64 total.
A
- A dog is afraid whether another dog is coming, so the so-called civilized men, they are also afraid - "Whether Englishmen are coming to attack? Whether Germany . . .? Therefore there must be atomic bomb. I shall throw. Therefore you must give me tax."
- A dog is running from this side to that side. So he's feeling some pleasure. Similarly, we also, so-called civilized man, we are also running on a car, this side and this side. You see? So the same thing - the dog's race
- A godless civilization directed toward the so-called advancement of education is more dangerous than a civilization in which the masses of people are less "educated"
- Actually, he is nothing but a small particle. This egotism (I am the doer of everything) is the root cause of suffering. Discuss all these, amongst yourselves & preach & inform these rascals, so-called civilized scientists & philosopher. That is preaching
- After the death, we have to give somebody, some living entity. So generally, it is given to the vultures. So why to the vultures? Take the civilized men, who are as good as vultures. The so-called civilized men. Yes
- All the problems are in the civilized . . . so-called civilized population
- All these habits (drinking wine, smoking, drinking tea, chewing tobacco), or so-called advancement of civilization, are the root causes of all irreligiosities, and therefore it is not possible to check corruption, bribery and nepotism
- All these habits, or so-called advancement of civilization, are the root causes of all irreligiosities
- All these so-called civilized men, they are not men even. They're all animals. But in the sastra, they have been described as dvi-pada-pasu. They are animals, but they have got two legs. That's all. That is the difference
- At the present moment in Kali-yuga, Raksasa fathers and mothers are killing their own children in the womb, and some are even eating the fetus with great relish. Thus the so-called civilization is gradually advancing by producing Raksasas
- At the present moment, even in the civilized world, so-called civilized, if one man is being killed on the open street, nobody will go and help him because the tendency for showing mercy to others, that is diminishing
B
- Because they (people) are not giving any importance to the instructions of Krsna, the advancement of their so-called civilization resembles the crazy efforts of men in a lunatic asylum
- Because we are so-called civilized, we have created the problems for eating, sleeping, mating. Otherwise there is already arrangement for everyone, by God. Eko bahunam vidadhati kaman
- Birth, death, old age, disease, the real problems of life. It does not mean that because we have advanced in so-called material civilization, you have avoided birth, death
D
- Don't take this so-called material civilization has got any value. Reject it. You see? And be prepared for going back to home, back to Godhead. That should be aim. Don't be allured by these rascal leaders
- Due to their extraordinarily materialistic way of life, the so called "civilized" human society has degraded to the position of the animals
E
- Eliminate the basis for wars, poverty, disease, inequality, insufficient supplies of foodstuffs, and so many other problems that plague our so-called civilized societies
- Everyone thinks in terms, "I am this body," that's all. He is not human being, but every so-called civilized man is thinking like that. So where is the civilization of human being? All go-kharahs, animals
- Everything is complete. It is our mismanagement. We, the so-called civilized human beings, we have created problems
- Except these so-called civilized twenty-five percent human being, other living entities have no problem for eating, sleeping, mating
F
- For meals, the birds, bees, they are not going to office. There are 8,400,000 forms of life. Only the civilized form of, the so-called civilized men, they are undergoing so much trouble for their meals
- Formerly, it was village. They will take it, "This is primitive." But remaining primitive, you are more happy than becoming so-called civilized, creating so many problems
I
- I do not know how the so called "civilized" men are gliding to the stage of animal life and still they are proud of their advancement of education and civilization
- I have several times explained in this class that nobody has got any food problem. Simply the so-called civilized, advanced in science, these people have got problems of food grains
- If a civilized man kills animals regularly in a slaughterhouse to maintain his so-called civilization, using scientific methods and machines to kill animals, one cannot even estimate the suffering awaiting him
- If somebody wants to eat without any discrimination anything . . . there are many persons, even in the so-called civilized world, they eat anything and everything. But that is misuse of life
- If you take vox populi, out of eight million four hundred, eight millions do not require a rascal like you. And out of the so-called civilized men, a few only, they require your service. So what is the value of your service? Others, they have no problem
- In spite of so much advancement of so-called civilization, there is no love between one another. You try to love Krsna, then everything will be perfect
- In spite of their so-called civilization, motor tire civilization, they'll go to hell. But they cannot understand
- In the ancient tribal system, there was some form of religiosity. There was some form of worship of God. The so-called modern civilization doesn't even maintain that
N
O
- One who sticks to KC purification process, will gradually understand what is God, and our relationship with the SP. This is the perfection of human life. Unfortunately, the people of the so-called modern advanced civilization do not know this
- Only the civilized man, so-called civilized man, he creates problem, because duskrtina. He has got merit, but it is being used for sinful activities. Therefore there is problem. Otherwise there is no
- Only the civilized men, they have got problem. Only that small number of civilized men, so-called civilized men, they have got. They do not believe that God protects everyone
- Our modern activities are animal activities but in a polished way. But that does not make any difference between the animal propensity and so-called civilized life
- Out of 8,400,000's of forms of life, mostly 8,300,000 species of life are being maintained by that one maintainer. And some of us so-called civilized, we are trying to maintain ourself
S
- Simply open a factory in which to manufacture nuts and bolts and work very hard and drink, and eat meat? What kind of civilization is this? It is because of this so-called civilization that people are suffering
- So-called human civilization has opened many slaughterhouses for animals in the name of religion or food
- So-called modern civilization, they have no knowledge of God, although they are trying to study the laws of God. But they should accept at least theoretically there must be God
- Still, they cannot assimilate it, so much, so-called civilized men, they cannot understand even the beginning of Bhagavad-gita, tatha dehantara-praptih (BG 2.13), that there is transmigration of the soul, these rascals
T
- The anchor of life remains deeply fixed in the waters of nescience for the purpose of sense gratification, and thus our so-called civilization rots in a stagnant pool. Because we are not moving, we are always in the same port of problematic life
- The cats, dogs and so-called civilized man is simply nunam pramattah kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4), doing all kinds of sinful activities. Why? Yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti: simply for sense gratification. This is material world
- The members of the modern so-called civilization do not know of varnasrama. Therefore they have created a society that is simply a dog's race. The dog is running on four legs, and thay are running on four wheels. That's all
- The modern civilization is simply meant for creating unnecessary necessities of life. That's all. So we are becoming deviated from God. The more we are advancing in so-called material civilization, we are more becoming far away from God
- The present situation is the so-called modern civilization, they have no knowledge of God, although they are trying to study the laws of God
- The rascal civilization, they do not know what is the real problem. They're dealing with petrol problem. Just see. Petrol problem, you have created another problem. Already there is problem. You have created, by so-called civilization, petrol problem
- The real purpose of life is how to become detached from this material life. That is perfection. But people are being educated how to become attached. That is the difference between Krsna consciousness and so-called human civilization
- The so-called civilization of the Kali yuga with its over industrialization, has not been able to give to man the happiness he is seeking
- The so-called civilization, so-called unrestricted sense gratification allowed in the name of freedom, that is disastrous. One must learn how to control. Controlling the senses, this is civilization
- The so-called progressive modern civilization has produced reprobate human beings, whose sins have been accumulating over many lifetimes. Yet if they surrender to Lord Krsna, even they will have all their sins eradicated forever
- Their (the so-called modern civilization) developed consciousness is being used for sense gratification. That's all. They have taken up, sense gratification is the highest aim of life. Hedonism
- There are innumerable hellish engagements in the modern so-called civilization, and by the grace of the Lord's illusory energy people think these hellish engagements are a great fortune
- There are millions of elephants in the African jungle, in Indian jungles. They require one hundred pounds at a time to eat. Who is supplying food? So there is no question of starvation in the kingdom of God. Starvation is for the so-called civilized men
- They have to judge that - What is the difference between animal's activities and our so-called civilized man's activities
- This so-called civilization, human civilization, is falling in the fire of illusory maya, fut! fut! fut! fut! fut! and again and again. Bhutva bhutva praliyate (BG 8.19). Once takes birth, one again dies, again suffers. But we have no brain, mudha
W
- We have seen last time when I went to Nairobi, so many, Africans, they are making progress very nicely, making nice questions, following rules & regulation. So African people, they are not so much sophisticated or so-called civilized to forget God
- We, so-called civilized man, our six senses are all strong. So what is the position
- When a civilized man, so-called civilized man, has no knowledge of God, no knowledge of the laws of God, it is simply animal society, that's all
- Why human being, so-called civilized human being, is so much harassed for these four things? We have got better intelligence
- Without such knowledge, detachment and custom (of Sankhya philosophy), the so-called human civilization is no more than an animal society of eat, drink, be merry and enjoy