Category:Western People
Theme Analysis
Śrīla Prabhupāda analyzes the condition of Western civilization, characterizing it as a precarious, soul-killing environment deeply entrenched in the modes of passion and ignorance. He observes that while Western people have achieved great material advancement—described as "zeros"—they lack the spiritual substance, or the "one," which is Kṛṣṇa. Despite the difficulties Westerners face in understanding the distinction between the body and the soul and giving up sinful habits like intoxication and meat-eating, Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes their intelligence and potential. He outlines a specific strategy for their deliverance, relying on the leadership of Western devotees to spread Vedic culture, utilizing practical methods like the chanting of the holy names and prasadam distribution, and establishing comfortable situations for spiritual practice that accommodate their background.
- The Soul-Killing Civilization: The modern Western civilization is described as a soul-killing atmosphere where people are addicted to sense gratification, godlessness, and animal killing, keeping them in the risky mode of ignorance.
- Challenges to Spiritual Life: It is difficult for Western people to grasp the difference between the body and the soul or to accept spiritual discipline, as they are accustomed to sinful habits and taught to reject authority.
- Intelligence and Potential: Despite their materialistic conditioning, Westerners are not fools but are intelligent and misguided; they possess material opulence that can become valuable if connected with Krsna consciousness.
- The Responsibility of Western Devotees: Śrīla Prabhupāda envisions that Western disciples must take up the leadership of spreading Vedic culture globally, as the world imitates the West, and it is their duty to save their own countrymen.
- Practical Methods of Deliverance: Recognizing the difficulty of austere renunciation for Westerners, the movement offers a simple formula of chanting, dancing, and eating prasadam, along with comfortable facilities to facilitate their spiritual growth.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Delivering Kṛṣṇa Consciousness to Western People.
Pages in category "Western People"
The following 41 pages are in this category, out of 41 total.
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- For example, the animal-killing. The Western people are mostly Christians. Now, Lord Jesus Christ said that "Thou shall not kill." But the result was that two thousand years passed, but the people of the Western countries, they are still killing
- From the Vedic angle of vision, the Western people are the most uncivilized. Only money is covering them. When they introduced that mini-skirt for the girl, how much abominable it was considered in India
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- I am deputed by my Guru Maharaja to spread this Krsna consciousness movement in the Western world. That is his grace. He wanted that Western people, who are intelligent, they should learn what is Krsna consciousness
- I think for management of our Indian branches we shall require men from Western countries. Formally Western people used to come to India to teach them how to develop industries. Now Western people have to take the leadership of spreading Vedic culture
- It is very difficult for the Western people to give up all these four principles of life (illicit sex life, gambling, meat-eating, intoxication), because these are ordinary dealings. Here people are accustomed to all these habits from the very beginning
- It is very difficult for the Western people to understand that body is not important thing; the soul is important thing. First of all, they do not know what is soul, and then consideration of importance
- It may be sometimes misunderstood that western people are only under the influence of Kali. Because the world is under the influence of Kali. Not that in your country only this intoxication, illicit sex. No, everywhere it is
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- Of course it is very difficult for the western people to understand this philosophy of being cent per cent dependent on the mercy of God. Therefore, the easiest method for us is to popularize the Sankirtana movement everywhere
- One thing is, however, clear, that the Western people are searching after some spiritual enlightenment in the real sense of the term. Bhagavad Gita with the right presentation and the program of Krishna Consciousness is the right prescription
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- The entire world is imitating the materialistic civilization of the West, and therefore the Krsna consciousness movement is very much interested in giving the Western people knowledge
- The father married again, the mother married again. They were not happy, and the business also closed. So by one instance I can understand that how in the Western countries people become out of social structure. The root cause is godlessness
- The Hare Krsna movement is now delivering the people of the Western world wherever devotees are chanting the holy names. This is all being done by the Lord’s mercy
- The Krsna consciousness movement therefore offers a great opportunity to the people of the West. They have an overabundance of the zeros of materialistic life, and if they simply add Krsna their life will become sublimely valuable
- The leaders of the Western world, the Americans and Europeans, have become the idols of modern civilization because the Western people are very sophisticated in temporary activities for the advancement of material civilization
- The sunrise is first visible from the eastern side - the Bay of Bengal - and gradually it progresses toward the west. It is practically experienced that people in the West are more addicted to sense gratification
- The Western people keep themselves in the modes of ignorance. That is very risky civilization. So at least you Europeans and Americans, you should know it, and you distribute this knowledge. It is your duty to save them
- The Western people, they are not fools, but misguided. So you take the charge of guiding them; then Krsna consciousness movement will be successful. They will appreciate, they will take it up and reform, and their life will be successful
- The Western people, they are now opposing this movement, so they are not fortunate. So everywhere there are fortunate and unfortunate. But mostly in this age they are unfortunate
- The word tirascam refers to degraded life. Human life, of course, provides an opportunity for the best living conditions. As Western people think, from the monkeys come the human beings, who are more comfortably situated
- They (Western people) work very hard in the office or factory, and again they spend three or four hours in transportation returning home. Then they retire at ten o'clock and again rise early in the morning to go to their offices and factories
- This KC movement through music, philosophy, spiritual culture, and personal behavior culminating in ideal character of the devotees. All these heavenly contributions combined together will certainly bring about a major change in the life of Western people
- This kind of hard labor (of Western people) is described in the sastras as the life of pigs and stool-eaters
- This vairagya is not possible for the Western people. Therefore we require this building. That is the contribution. Unless they live comfortably, it is not possible. And we have to preach all over the world
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- Western people are now becoming more and more interested in yoga practice, but unfortunately because they have no authorized source of information, they are being mislead by unauthorized teachers and concocted methods
- Western people have brilliantly developed in mundane matters, they are tossed about in a sea of despair and listlessness. Similarly, the Indians, although trying to feel grateful for their mundane development, are experiencing the same and dissatisfaction
- Why the Western people, those who are on the top of educational and social position, they try to understand what is spirit life and follow them, and place an ideal life so that others may follow
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- Yes, the students should agree to be malleable by the Spiritual Master, then his success is sure. In your western part of the world, people are falsely taught not to become slavish
- You keep yourself always in goodness. Then your position is all right. Otherwise, it is very risky. But these people, the Western people, they do not do that. They keep themselves in the modes of ignorance. That is very risky civilization
- You write to say that you do not know what is my desire, but my desire is an open secret. I simply want all over the Western countries people may take this simple formula of chanting, dancing and eating Krishna Prasadam, and being happy