Q. 225. DESCRIBE SOME GOOD AND BAD QUALITIES ?
A. BY SRILA PRABHUPADA.
śamo man-niṣṭhatā buddher
dama indriya-saḿyamaḥ
titikṣā duḥkha-sammarṣo
jihvopastha-jayo dhṛtiḥ
daṇḍa-nyāsaḥ paraḿ dānaḿ
kāma-tyāgas tapaḥ smṛtam
svabhāva-vijayaḥ śauryaḿ
satyaḿ ca sama-darśanam
anyac ca sunṛtā vāṇī
kavibhiḥ parikīrtitā
karmasv asańgamaḥ śaucaḿ
tyāgaḥ sannyāsa ucyate
dharma iṣṭaḿ dhanaḿ nṝṇāḿ
yajño 'haḿ bhagavattamaḥ
dakṣiṇā jñāna-sandeśaḥ
prāṇāyāmaḥ paraḿ balam
SYNONYMS
śamaḥ — mental equilibrium; mat — in Me; niṣṭhatā — steady absorption; buddheḥ — of the intelligence; damaḥ — self-control; indriya — of the senses;saḿyamaḥ — perfect discipline; titikṣā — tolerance; duḥkha — unhappiness; sammarṣaḥ — tolerating; jihvā — the tongue; upastha — and genitals; jayaḥ — conquering; dhṛtiḥ — steadiness; daṇḍa — aggression; nyāsaḥ — giving up; param — the supreme; dānam — charity; kāma — lust; tyāgaḥ — giving up; tapaḥ— austerity; smṛtam — is considered; svabhāva — one's natural tendency to enjoy; vijayaḥ — conquering; śauryam — heroism; satyam — reality; ca — also;sama-darśanam — seeing the Supreme Lord everywhere; anyat — the next element (truthfulness); ca — and; su-nṛtā — pleasing; vāṇī — speech; kavibhiḥ — by the sages; parikīrtitā — is declared to be; karmasu — in fruitive activities; asańgamaḥ — detachment; śaucam — cleanliness; tyāgaḥ — renunciation;sannyāsaḥ — the sannyāsa order of life; ucyate — is said to be; dharmaḥ — religiousness; iṣṭam — desirable; dhanam — wealth; nṝṇām — for human beings;yajñaḥ — sacrifice; aham — I am; bhagavat-tamaḥ — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; dakṣiṇā — religious remuneration; jñāna-sandeśaḥ — the instruction of perfect knowledge; prāṇāyāmaḥ — the yogic system of controlling the breath; param — the supreme; balam — strength.
TRANSLATION
Absorbing the intelligence in Me constitutes mental equilibrium, and complete discipline of the senses is self-control.
Tolerance means patiently enduring unhappiness, and steadfastness occurs when one conquers the tongue and genitals.
The greatest charity is to give up all aggression toward others, and renunciation of lust is understood to be real austerity.
Real heroism is to conquer one's natural tendency to enjoy material life, and reality is seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead everywhere.
Truthfulness means to speak the truth in a pleasing way, as declared by great sages.
Cleanliness is detachment in fruitive activities, whereas renunciation is the sannyāsa order of life.
The true desirable wealth for human beings is religiousness, and I, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, am sacrifice.
Religious remuneration is devotion to the ācārya with the purpose of acquiring spiritual instruction, and the greatest strength is the prāṇāyāma system of breath control.
(Srimad bhagavatam)
PURPORT
Lord Kṛṣṇa here describes those qualities that are desirable for persons advancing in human life. Śama, or "mental equilibrium," means to fix the intelligence in Lord Kṛṣṇa. Mere peacefulness without Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a dull and useless state of mind.
Dama, or "discipline," means first to control one's own senses. If one wants to discipline one's children, disciples or followers without controlling one's own senses, one becomes a mere laughing stock.
Tolerance means to patiently endure unhappiness, such as that provoked by the insults or negligence of others. One must also sometimes accept material inconvenience to carry out the injunctions of scriptures, and that unhappiness must also be patiently endured.
If one is not tolerant of the insults and abuse of others, nor tolerant of the inconveniences that may arise from following authorized religious scriptures, it is simply foolishness for him to make a whimsical show of tolerating extreme heat, cold and pain and so on, just to impress others.
Concerning steadfastness, if one does not control the tongue and genitals, then any other steadfastness is useless.
Real charity means to renounce all aggression toward others. If one gives money to charitable causes but at the same time engages in exploitative business enterprises or abusive political tactics, one's charity is worth nothing at all.
Austerity means to give up lust and sense gratification and to observe prescribed vows such as Ekādaśī; it does not mean inventing whimsical methods of torturing the material body.
Real heroism is to conquer one's lower nature.
Certainly everyone likes to propagate his own fame as a brilliant person, but everyone is also subject to lust, anger, greed and so forth.
Therefore, if one can conquer these lower characteristics generated from the modes of passion and ignorance, one is a greater hero than those who merely destroy their political opponents through intrigue and violence.
One can develop equal vision by giving up jealousy and envy and by recognizing the existence of the soul within every material body. This attitude pleases the Supreme Lord, who then reveals Himself, solidifying forever one's equal vision.
Merely describing things that exist does not constitute the last word in the perception of reality. One must also see the true spiritual equality of all living entities and all situations.
Truthfulness means that one should speak in a pleasing way so that there will be a beneficial effect. If one becomes attached to pointing out the faults of others in the name of truth, then such fault finding will not be appreciated by saintly persons.
The bona fide spiritual master speaks the truth in such a way that people can elevate themselves to the spiritual platform, and one should learn this art of truthfulness.
If one is attached to material things, his body and mind are understood to be always polluted. Cleanliness therefore means to give up material attachment, not merely to frequently rinse one's skin with water.
Real renunciation is giving up one's false sense of proprietorship over one's relatives and wife, and not just giving away material objects, while real wealth is to be religious.
Sacrifice is the Personality of Godhead Himself, because the performer of sacrifice, to be successful, must absorb his consciousness in the Personality of Godhead and not in temporary, material rewards that may accrue from sacrifice.
Real religious remuneration means that one should serve saintly persons who can enlighten one with spiritual knowledge. One may offer remuneration to his spiritual master, who has enlightened him, by distributing the same knowledge to others, thereby pleasing the ācārya.
Preaching work thus constitutes the highest form of remuneration.
By performing the prāṇāyāma system of respiratory control, one can easily subdue the mind, and one who can in this way perfectly control the restless mind is the most powerful person.
bhago ma aiśvaro bhāvo
lābho mad-bhaktir uttamaḥ
vidyātmani bhidā-bādho
jugupsā hrīr akarmasu
śrīr guṇā nairapekṣyādyāḥ
sukhaḿ duḥkha-sukhātyayaḥ
duḥkhaḿ kāma-sukhāpekṣā
paṇḍito bandha-mokṣa-vit
mūrkho dehādy-ahaḿ-buddhiḥ
panthā man-nigamaḥ smṛtaḥ
utpathaś citta-vikṣepaḥ
svargaḥ sattva-guṇodayaḥ
narakas tama-unnāho
bandhur gurur ahaḿ sakhe
gṛhaḿ śarīraḿ mānuṣyaḿ
guṇāḍhyo hy āḍhya ucyate
daridro yas tv asantuṣṭaḥ
kṛpaṇo yo 'jitendriyaḥ
guṇeṣv asakta-dhīr īśo
guṇa-sańgo viparyayaḥ
eta uddhava te praśnāḥ
sarve sādhu nirūpitāḥ
kiḿ varṇitena bahunā
lakṣaṇaḿ guṇa-doṣayoḥ
guṇa-doṣa-dṛśir doṣo
guṇas tūbhaya-varjitaḥ
SYNONYMS
bhagaḥ — opulence; me — My; aiśvaraḥ — divine; bhāvaḥ — nature; lābhaḥ — gain; mat-bhaktiḥ — devotional service unto Me; uttamaḥ — supreme; vidyā — education; ātmani — in the soul; bhidā — duality; bādhaḥ — nullifying; jugupsā — disgust; hrīḥ — modesty; akarmasu — in sinful activities; śrīḥ — beauty;guṇāḥ — good qualities; nairapekṣya — detachment from material things; ādyāḥ — and so on; sukham — happiness; duḥkha — material unhappiness; sukha — and material happiness; atyayaḥ — transcending; duḥkham — unhappiness; kāma — of lust; sukha — on the happiness; apekṣā — meditating; paṇḍitaḥ — awise man; bandha — from bondage; mokṣa — liberation; vit — one who knows; mūrkhaḥ — a fool; deha — with the body; ādi — and so forth (the mind);aham-buddhiḥ — one who identifies himself; panthāḥ — the true path; mat — to Me; nigamaḥ — leading; smṛtaḥ — is to be understood; utpathaḥ — the wrong path; citta — of consciousness; vikṣepaḥ — bewilderment; svargaḥ — heaven; sattva-guṇa — of the mode of goodness; udayaḥ — the predominance;narakaḥ — hell; tamaḥ — of the mode of ignorance; unnāhaḥ — the predominance; bandhuḥ — the real friend; guruḥ — the spiritual master; aham — I am;sakhe — My dear friend, Uddhava; gṛham — one's home; śarīram — the body; mānuṣyam — human; guṇa — with good qualities; āḍhyaḥ — enriched; hi — indeed; āḍhyaḥ — a rich person; ucyate — is stated to be; daridraḥ — a poor person; yaḥ — one who; tu — indeed; asantuṣṭaḥ — unsatisfied; kṛpaṇaḥ — awretched person; yaḥ — one who; ajita — has not conquered; indriyaḥ — the senses; guṇeṣu — in material sense gratification; asakta — not attached; dhīḥ — whose intelligence; īśaḥ — a controller; guṇa — to sense gratification; sańgaḥ — attached; viparyayaḥ — the opposite, a slave; ete — these; uddhava — My dear Uddhava; te — your; praśnāḥ — subjects of inquiry; sarve — all; sādhu — properly; nirūpitāḥ — elucidated; kim — what is the value; varṇitena — of describing; bahunā — elaborately; lakṣaṇam — the characteristics; guṇa — of good qualities; doṣayoḥ — and of bad qualities; guṇa-doṣa — good and bad qualities; dṛśiḥ — seeing; doṣaḥ — a fault; guṇaḥ — the real good quality; tu — indeed; ubhaya — from both of them; varjitaḥ — distinct.
TRANSLATION
Actual opulence is My own nature as the Personality of Godhead, through which I exhibit the six unlimited opulences. The supreme gain in life is devotional service to Me, and actual education is nullifying the false perception of duality within the soul.
Real modesty is to be disgusted with improper activities, and beauty is to possess good qualities such as detachment.
Real happiness is to transcend material happiness and unhappiness, and real misery is to be implicated in searching for sex pleasure.
A wise man is one who knows the process of freedom from bondage, and a fool is one who identifies with his material body and mind.
The real path in life is that which leads to Me, and the wrong path is sense gratification, by which consciousness is bewildered.
Actual heaven is the predominance of the mode of goodness, whereas hell is the predominance of ignorance.
I am everyone's true friend, acting as the spiritual master of the entire universe, and one's home is the human body. My dear friend Uddhava, one who is enriched with good qualities is actually said to be rich, and one who is unsatisfied in life is actually poor.
A wretched person is one who cannot control his senses, whereas one who is not attached to sense gratification is a real controller. One who attaches himself to sense gratification is the opposite, a slave.
Thus, Uddhava, I have elucidated all of the matters about which you inquired. There is no need for a more elaborate description of these good and bad qualities, since to constantly see good and bad is itself a bad quality. The best quality is to transcend material good and evil.
(Srimad Bhagavatam).
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is naturally full of six opulences, namely unlimited beauty, wealth, fame, knowledge, strength and renunciation. Therefore the greatest profit in life is to achieve personal loving service to the Lord, who is naturally the reservoir of all pleasure.
Real education means to give up the false idea that anything is separate from the Lord, the source of all potencies. Similarly, one should not falsely consider the individual soul to be different or separate from the Supreme Soul.
Mere bashfulness does not constitute modesty. One should spontaneously withdraw in disgust from sinful activities; then one is actually modest or humble.
One who is satisfied in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and thus does not seek material pleasure or suffer material unhappiness is considered to be actually situated in happiness.
The most wretched person is one addicted to sex pleasure, and a wise man is one who knows the process of freedom from such material bondage.
A fool is one who gives up his eternal friendship with Lord Kṛṣṇa and instead identifies himself with his own temporary material body, mind, society, community and family.
The real path in life is not simply a modern interstate highway or, in more simple cultures, a footpath free of thorns and mud. It is that path that leads to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
The wrong path in life is not simply a road having many thieves or tollbooths; it is that path that leads one to utter confusion in material sense gratification.
A heavenly situation is that in which the mode of goodness predominates, rather than that found on the planet of Indra, where passion and ignorance sometimes disturb the celestial atmosphere.
Hell is anywhere the mode of ignorance is predominant, and not merely the hellish planets, where, according to Lord Śiva, a pure devotee can think of Kṛṣṇa and remain happy.
Our actual friend in life is the bona fide spiritual master, who saves us from all dangers. Among all gurus, Lord Kṛṣṇa is Himself the jagat-guru, or spiritual master of the entire universe.
In material life our own material body is our immediate home, rather than some structure of bricks, cement, stone and wood.
A rich man is one who possesses innumerable good qualities; he is not a neurotic fool with a large bank account.
A poor man is one who is unsatisfied, which is self-explanatory.
One who cannot control his senses is certainly wretched and miserable in life, whereas one who detaches himself from material life is actually a lord or controller.
In modern times there are remnants of aristocracy in Europe and other countries, but such so-called lords often display the habits of lower forms of life. A real lord is one who conquers material existence by rising to the spiritual platform.
A person who is attached to material life will undoubtedly manifest the opposites of all the good qualities mentioned here, and he is thus the symbol of going backward in life.
The Lord concludes His analysis by stating that there is no need for further elaboration of these good and bad qualities. Indeed, the purpose of life is to transcend materially good and bad qualities and come to the liberated platform of pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
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