SB 7.11.8-12

Srimad-Bhagavatam - Seventh Canto - Chapter 11: The Perfect Society: Four Social Classes

SB 7.11.7 - SB 7.11.13

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

TEXTS 8-12

satyaṁ dayā tapaḥ śaucaṁ

titikṣekṣā śamo damaḥ

ahiṁsā brahmacaryaṁ ca

tyāgaḥ svādhyāya ārjavam

santoṣaḥ samadṛk-sevā

grāmyehoparamaḥ śanaiḥ

nṛṇāṁ viparyayehekṣā

maunam ātma-vimarśanam

annādyādeḥ saṁvibhāgo

bhūtebhyaś ca yathārhataḥ

teṣv ātma-devatā-buddhiḥ

sutarāṁ nṛṣu pāṇḍava

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ cāsya

smaraṇaṁ mahatāṁ gateḥ

sevejyāvanatir dāsyaṁ

sakhyam ātma-samarpaṇam

nṛṇām ayaṁ paro dharmaḥ

sarveṣāṁ samudāhṛtaḥ

triṁśal-lakṣaṇavān rājan

sarvātmā yena tuṣyati

SYNONYMS

satyam — speaking the truth without distortion or deviation; dayā — sympathy to everyone suffering; tapaḥ — austerities (such as observing fasts at least twice in a month on the day of Ekādaśī); śaucam — cleanliness (bathing regularly at least twice a day, morning and evening, and remembering to chant the holy name of God); titikṣā — toleration (being unagitated by seasonal changes or inconvenient circumstances); īkṣā — distinguishing between good and bad; śamaḥ — control of the mind (not allowing the mind to act whimsically); damaḥ — control of the senses (not allowing the senses to act without control); ahiṁsā — nonviolence (not subjecting any living entity to the threefold miseries); brahmacaryam — continence or abstaining from misuse of one's semen (not indulging in sex with women other than one's own wife and not having sex with one's own wife when sex is forbidden, like during the period of menstruation); ca — and; tyāgaḥ — giving in charity at least fifty percent of one's income; svādhyāyaḥ — reading of transcendental literatures like Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata (or, for those not in Vedic culture, reading of the Bible or Koran); ārjavam — simplicity (freedom from mental duplicity); santoṣaḥ — being satisfied with that which is available without severe endeavor; samadṛk-sevā — rendering service to saintly persons who make no distinctions between one living being and another and who see every living being as a spirit soul (paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18)); grāmya-īha-uparamaḥ — not taking part in so-called philanthropic activities; śanaiḥ — gradually; nṛṇām — in human society; viparyaya-īhā — the unnecessary activities; īkṣā — discussing; maunam — being grave and silent; ātma — into the self; vimarśanam — research (as to whether one is the body or the soul); anna-ādya-ādeḥ — of food and drink, etc.; saṁvibhāgaḥ — equal distribution; bhūtebhyaḥ — to different living entities; ca — also; yathā-arhataḥ — as befitting; teṣu — all living entities; ātma-devatā-buddhiḥ — accepting as the self or the demigods; sutarām — preliminarily; nṛṣu — among all human beings; pāṇḍava — O Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira; śravaṇam — hearing; kīrtanam — chanting; ca — also; asya — of Him (the Lord); smaraṇam — remembering (His words and activities); mahatām — of great saintly persons; gateḥ — who is the shelter; sevā — service; ijyā — worship; avanatiḥ — offering obeisances; dāsyam — accepting the service; sakhyam — to consider as a friend; ātma-samarpaṇam — surrendering one's whole self; nṛṇām — of all human beings; ayam — this; paraḥ — the supermost; dharmaḥ — religious principle; sarveṣām — of all; samudāhṛtaḥ — described fully; triṁśat-lakṣaṇa-vān — possessing thirty characteristics; rājan — O King; sarva-ātmā — the Supreme Lord, the Supersoul of all; yena — by which; tuṣyati — is satisfied.

TRANSLATION

These are the general principles to be followed by all human beings: truthfulness, mercy, austerity (observing fasts on certain days of the month), bathing twice a day, tolerance, discrimination between right and wrong, control of the mind, control of the senses, nonviolence, celibacy, charity, reading of scripture, simplicity, satisfaction, rendering service to saintly persons, gradually taking leave of unnecessary engagements, observing the futility of the unnecessary activities of human society, remaining silent and grave and avoiding unnecessary talk, considering whether one is the body or the soul, distributing food equally to all living entities (both men and animals), seeing every soul (especially in the human form) as a part of the Supreme Lord, hearing about the activities and instructions given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead (who is the shelter of the saintly persons), chanting about these activities and instructions, always remembering these activities and instructions, trying to render service, performing worship, offering obeisances, becoming a servant, becoming a friend, and surrendering one's whole self. O King Yudhiṣṭhira, these thirty qualifications must be acquired in the human form of life. Simply by acquiring these qualifications, one can satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

In order that human beings be distinct from the animals, the great saint Nārada recommends that every human being be educated in terms of the above-mentioned thirty qualifications. Nowadays there is propaganda everywhere, all over the world, for a secular state, a state interested only in mundane activities. But if the citizens of the state are not educated in the above-mentioned good qualities, how can there be happiness? For example, if the total populace is untruthful, how can the state be happy? Therefore, without consideration of one's belonging to a sectarian religion, whether Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or any other sect, everyone should be taught to become truthful. Similarly, everyone should be taught to be merciful, and everyone should observe fasting on certain days of the month. Everyone should bathe twice a day, cleanse his teeth and body externally, and cleanse his mind internally by remembering the holy name of the Lord. The Lord is one, whether one is Hindu, Muslim or Christian. Therefore, one should chant the holy name of the Lord, regardless of differences in linguistic pronunciation. Also, everyone should be taught to be very careful not to discharge semen unnecessarily. This is very important for all human beings. If semen is not discharged unnecessarily, one becomes extremely strong in memory, determination, activity and the vitality of one's bodily energy. Everyone should also be taught to be simple in thought and feeling and satisfied in body and mind. These are the general qualifications of a human being. There is no question of a secular state or an ecclesiastical state. Unless one is educated in the above-mentioned thirty qualities, there cannot be any peace. Ultimately it is recommended:

:śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ cāsya

:smaraṇaṁ mahatāṁ gateḥ

:sevejyāvanatir dāsyaṁ

:sakhyam ātma-samarpaṇam

Everyone should become a devotee of the Lord, because by becoming a devotee of the Lord one automatically acquires the other qualities.

:yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā

:sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ

:harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā

:manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ

"In one who has unflinching devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, all the good qualities of Kṛṣṇa and the demigods are consistently manifest. However, he who has no devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead has no good qualifications because he is engaged by mental concoction in material existence, which is the external feature of the Lord." (SB 5.18.12) Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, therefore, is all-embracing. Human civilization should take it very seriously and practice its principles for the peace of the world.

SB 7.11.7 - SB 7.11.13