Category:Stumbling Block
Theme Analysis
This category explores Śrīla Prabhupāda's profound instructions regarding the various impediments, or stumbling blocks, that a practitioner encounters on the path of self-realization. Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that uncontrolled senses, deep-rooted attachments to material civilization, and unauthorized philosophical speculations act as formidable obstacles. Whether it is the impersonalist's desire for liberation—which is described as a great obstruction—or the misinterpretations of the Bhagavad-gītā by foolish commentators, these traps entangle the soul in material bondage. Ultimately, Śrīla Prabhupāda assures his disciples that by accepting the strict guidance of a bona fide spiritual master and cultivating unalloyed devotion to Kṛṣṇa, all such stumbling blocks can be effortlessly kicked away, clearing the path to pure, transcendental bliss.
- The Uncontrolled Senses: Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that attraction and repulsion for sense objects act as primary stumbling blocks, keeping the embodied soul bound to material miseries.
- Material Attachments and Civilization: The allure of material advancement, along with undue social freedom and attachments to the opposite sex, strictly obstructs spiritual progress.
- Speculation and Unauthorized Commentaries: Obscure speculative theories and unauthorized interpretations of scripture by mental speculators are dangerous stumbling blocks that mislead innocent followers.
- The Desire for Liberation: Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that even the desire for impersonal liberation can be the most obstructive stumbling block for one seeking pure God realization.
- The Power of the Spiritual Master: Despite the formidable nature of material energy, Śrīla Prabhupāda guarantees that he can kick out all stumbling blocks for those who surrender to his guidance and follow authorized books.
Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Stumbling Blocks on the Path of Self-Realization.
Subcategories
This category has the following 2 subcategories, out of 2 total.
Pages in category "Stumbling Block"
The following 27 pages are in this category, out of 27 total.
A
- A man is still inclined to have sex relationships with other women (than his wife). These propensities are to be curbed; otherwise they will be stumbling blocks on the path of self-realization. BG 1972 purports
- Advancement of material vision or material civilization is a great stumbling block for spiritual advancement. Such material advancement entangles the living being in the bondage of a material body followed by all sorts of material miseries
- All the unauthorized interpretations of the Gita by the class of mayayapahrta-jnana, outside the purview of the parampara system, are so many stumbling blocks in the path of spiritual understanding. BG 1972 purports
- Attraction and repulsion for sense objects are felt by embodied beings, but one should not fall under the control of senses and sense objects because they are stumbling blocks on the path of self-realization
- Attraction and repulsion for sense objects are felt by embodied beings, but one should not fall under the control of senses and sense objects because they are stumbling blocks on the path of self-realization. BG 3.34 - 1972
I
- I can kick out all those stumbling blocks immediately, provided you accept my guidance
- If it were not due to his past fruitive activity, how could he (Bharata) have been attracted to the deer after giving up the association of his own son and family, considering them stumbling blocks on the path of spiritual life?
O
- One cannot be really renounced until one actually becomes disgusted with material activity and sees it as a stumbling block to spiritual advancement
- One cannot be really renounced until one actually becomes disgusted with material activity and sees it as a stumbling block to spiritual advancement. Renunciation should not be phalgu, temporary, but should exist throughout one’s life
- One great commentator explained that desire for liberation is the most obstructive stumbling block on the path of God realization
S
- Social freedom of man and woman, especially among the younger section, is certainly a great stumbling block on the path of spiritual progress
- Sri Ramanujacarya presented his philosophy as visistadvaita-vada, and Sri Madhvacarya presented his philosophy of tattva-vada, both of which are stumbling blocks to the Mayavadis because they defeat their philosophy in scrupulous detail
- Studying the whole scheme of disassociation from women, it appears that a woman is a stumbling block for self-realization, and the Lord appeared as Narayana to teach the principle of womanly disassociation with a vow in life
T
- The impersonalist ceases fruitive activities out of fear, so that the resultant action may not be a stumbling block on the path of self-realization, but the personalist knows rightly his position as the eternal servitor of the SPG. BG 1972 purports
- The nature, the material nature, is putting stumbling block every time. That, to overcome the impediments offered by the material nature and our trial for overcoming that stumbling block, that is our endeavor
- There are principles to regulate attachment and aversion pertaining to the senses and their objects. One should not come under the control of such attachment and aversion, because they are stumbling blocks on the path of self-realization
- They (fools) create instead their own interpretations, which are as foolish as they themselves, and thereby only help to put a stumbling block on the path of real understanding, misdirecting the innocent followers who are less intelligent, or the sudras
- They (pure devotees) do not concern themselves with many obscure speculative theories, which are in actuality so many stumbling blocks on the path of transcendental understanding
- They (Yuyudhana, Virata and Drupada) are mentioned by Duryodhana (in BG 1.4) as great stumbling blocks on the path of victory because each and every one of them was as formidable as Bhima and Arjuna. BG 1972 purports