Category:That Is Material Life
Theme Analysis
The philosophical essence of this category defines the grim reality of material life as a state of complete forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that material life begins when the eternal spirit soul misuses its independence, desiring to enjoy separately from God. This rebellious mentality traps the living entity in a physical body, forcing them into a grueling, anxiety-ridden struggle for existence characterized by constant birth, death, old age, and disease. Instead of solving problems, materialistic individuals continuously create new ones by fabricating unnecessary necessities and remaining stubbornly attached to sense gratification—specifically the demands of the tongue and genitals. In this conditioned state, everyone acts like a thief, stealing God's property for personal enjoyment while remaining envious of others. Ultimately, material life is nothing but a temporary, miserable concession granted by the Lord, and true freedom is found only when one revives their original consciousness as an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.
- Misusing Independence: Material life begins when the soul misuses its God-given independence, rejecting the service of the Lord to try and enjoy independently in the material world.
- A World of Anxiety and Suffering: Unlike the spiritual world which is full of bliss, the material world is defined by constant anxiety, struggle, and the inescapable problems of disease, old age, and death.
- The Trap of Sense Gratification: The driving force of material existence is the desire to satisfy the bodily senses—especially the tongue and genitals. This pursuit entangles the living entity in a web of temporary, unfulfilling attachments.
- Creating Artificial Necessities: Materialistic people needlessly complicate their lives by creating artificial necessities, becoming thieves who use God's property for their own luxury rather than for His service.
- The Need for a Change in Consciousness: The only difference between material and spiritual life is consciousness. When one stops working for personal enjoyment and starts working for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction, the miseries of material life are completely vanquished.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Forgetfulness of the Supreme Enjoyer - That Is Material Life.
Subcategories
This category has the following 2 subcategories, out of 2 total.
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Pages in category "That Is Material Life"
The following 39 pages are in this category, out of 39 total.
A
- A madman will say, "I have no anxiety." But no sane man will say that "I am free of anxiety." This is material life. So if you want to become free of anxieties, then you come to the spiritual life. That is the only remedy
- Anyone - either human being or animal or bird - anyone who has got this material body is full of anxiety. Even a sparrow, you will see, he is eating something, he is in anxiety. That is material life
I
- If a person who is working in the factory, if you stop sex, he cannot work. And when he's unable to enjoy sex life, then he takes intoxication. This is material life. So energy must be there. Here in the material world the energy is sex
- Independently we want to enjoy without Krsna, without God. That is called material life. So such persons are called demons
M
- Material life means - when you desire to gratify your senses, that is material life. And when you desire to serve God, that is spiritual life. That is the difference between material life and spiritual life. Now we are trying to serve our senses
- Material life means to be involved with so many unwanted things. That is material life. At the present moment, especially in this Kali-yuga, we are very, very much fallen
- Matsarata means envious. I am envious of you, you are envious of me. This is material life. Therefore in the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that this Krsna consciousness is not for the people who are envious
O
- Of course, it will not be very palatable to hear, but actually we are all thieves. We have stolen God's property. That is material life. Anyone who has got anything without sense of God, it is to be understood that he has stolen the property
- Our life is simple. We don't want luxury. We don't want luxury, but as we are accustomed in so many ways, as far as possible. But life should be very simple. To increase unnecessary things unnecessarily, that is material life
T
- The business is that we have to increase our attachment for God. This is our main business. We are attached to so many things. That is material life
- The difference between material life and spiritual life. When one works for his own sense gratification, that is material life. And when works for Krsna's satisfaction, that is spiritual life
- The dog is crying, is crying at night because he has lost that woman. Is it not? Just see, even in the dog, what to speak of human being. So this is material life, to be affectionate unnecessarily
- The highest pleasure in the material world is sex. But you cannot enjoy it twenty-four hours. That is not possible. You can enjoy it for few minutes. That's all. Even if you are forced to enjoy, you'll reject it: "No, no more." That is material
- The living entity never takes birth, never dies. Then why even Brahma dies? Brahma is also dying. That is material life. That is bondage
- There is not much difference between the activities of material life and spiritual life. Only the consciousness has to be changed. When my consciousness is to lord it over the material nature, that is material life
- This body is meant for suffering miseries, and the land is meant for suffering miseries. That we do not understand. But we are placed in a miserable condition all round. That is material life
- This is material life. We are rounding sometimes this way, sometimes that way, and we are thinking "new." (devotees laugh) Ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona
- This material life is a concession to us, given by God, for gratifying our senses. This is material life. Krsna does not want that you become entangled in this material world. That He doesn't want. Why He should want?
W
- We are always full of anxieties, and at last there is death. This is material life. We work very hard, struggle for..., struggle hard for existence, and that also, at the end, we die
- We are creating unnecessary necessities of life and becoming entangled. This is material life. But if one becomes Krsna conscious, interested in Krsna, then he becomes detestful: "What is the use?"
- We cannot see Krsna. That is material, forgetfulness of Krsna. But when you remember Krsna even in this material world, then it becomes spiritual
- We have come to this material world for sense gratification. This is pravrtti. Pravrtti means that is our natural propensity, inclination. We are simply making plans how to satisfy our senses. That is material life
- We have taken this material world as very fascinating, very attractive. We want to stay here and enjoy. This is material life
- When the soul misuses the independence, then he falls down. That is material life. Material life means misusing the independence of soul
- When we forget that we are eternal servant of Krsna, that is material life. Otherwise, if we remain servant of Krsna, even in this material body, still, we are liberated
- When you live in Krsna consciousness. Then all our actions will not be binding upon us. Otherwise any little thing we do, yajnarthat karmano 'nyatra loko 'yam karma-bandhanah, we shall be entangled. And that is material life
- Why shall I surrender? That is our mentality. If somebody says, good man, that "You surrender. I shall give you good instruction," "Oh, why shall I surrender to you?" That is material life
Y
- You can turn this material world into Vrndavana provided you agree to fulfill the desires of Krsna. That is Vrndavana. And if you want to fulfill your own desires, that is material. This is the difference between material and spiritual
- You cannot be happy in this material world. Tell me if anyone is happy. Nobody is happy. The problem, only problem, beginning from the womb of mother up to the again, next death, simply problems - this is material life
- You want to solve something; instead of solving, you'll create so many problems. This is material life. Because our life is not meant for solving problems and creating problems. Our life is meant for understanding God
- You'll have to fight, struggle for existence. This is material life. And at the same time, if you make compromise, that "Never mind, it is full of miseries. I shall stay here," no, you cannot be allowed. You'll be kicked out