21.

THE FOUR PRINCIPLES OF LIBERATION

“Nothing good can be expected from a person who is attached to drugs, sex, money
and other self-centred pleasures.”

Vedic culture teaches us that a really civilized society follows four basic regulative
principles of which all members should follow so as to harmonise their lives during
their stay on this world. Following these principles leads us to develop the four main
virtues which are:
1. Compassion. 2. Cleanliness. 3. Austerity. 4. Truthfulness.

1. Compassion
Compassion, or mercy, towards all living beings, including animals and plants, is one
of the main symptoms of a pure human being. Compassionate people help others to
become free from the entanglement of repeated birth and death (samsara). For this
reason, nobody has the right to kill other living entities, to interrupt their natural
progress from one body to another, which is their chance of improvement in their
spiritual evolution. We should avoid eating meat only to satisfy the tongue. Human
beings should not only be vegetarian, but everyone should first offer their food to the
Supreme Lord.
Those people who are involved in killing animals are unnecessarily cancelling their
spiritual capacity of love and compassion, which characterises a pure human being.
So great is that love and compassion from a human being for other creatures that by
ignoring it, violating one’s own sentiments, a person becomes insensitive, cruel,
violent and degrades one’s own best feelings, qualities and capacities.
Nevertheless, real compassion is to help others to keep one’s eternal relationship with
God. The principles of Bhagavat-Dharma are merciful, and by following them a gentle
person will be situated on the platform of mercy and loving service to the eternal souls
and the Supreme Lord, enjoying fullness and happiness, which is constitutional to
each spirit soul’s nature.

2. Cleanliness.

Cleanliness is one of the constitutional characteristics of a human being, which means

to be clean internally and externally; cleanliness of the heart, mind and intelligence
from one’s place of living and working to our own personal dealings with the family,
friends, in business, etc. Everything clean!
Cleanliness of the mind and heart is essential, and in order to attain it the glorification
of the Lord is indispensable. Without surrendering to Him, no one can clean the dust of
desire that covers the heart and mind. An atheistic civilization, with all its material
equipment, is incapable of cleansing the mind and heart because it is devoid of the
conception of perfection and purity from the sphere of divinity. Such people are without
divine qualities, pure sentiments and what to say of respect before the most sacred
function of the human body, that of sexual relationships and the ability to procreate.
During the last decades, sexual promiscuity has created disturbances and abuses due
to selfish, unclean and often disgraceful sexual dealings which affect the integrity of a
dignified human being. According to the principles of a civilized society, like the Vedic
culture, sexual intercourse is performed only exclusively among husband and wife with
the sole purpose of producing children who will be educated in God consciousness.
Liberal sexuality bring as result physical, moral and spiritual sickness. Mental capacity
is lost and the individual suffers from a constant obsession to obtain a pleasure which
is never truly satiated. Through the sexual act the self is never truly fulfilled because
the true spirit self is much more than a solely sexual entity. Consciousness and the
need of the heart do not become satisfied only with the bodily sexual act. It is essential
to avoid sexual relationships which bring the following consequences: abortion,
sexually-transmitted diseases, especially AIDS, suicide and violence, alcoholism and
drugs addiction, pornography, legality of divorce and the premature dissolution of
families due to illicit sexual relationships.

Cleanliness of consciousness, or spirit, helps us to understand the reality that true

Self-identity is not the body but consciousness itself. That is why to be impure means
to act against God’s will, for any dirt in one’s heart, mind or body will be an impediment
to approach God.

3. Austerity.

A genuine human being does not act under the impulses of their senses,
unnecessarily forcing oneself to poison the body with alcohol, drugs, etc. Intoxication
produces loss of self-control and mental equilibrium, whereby the person can become
an incoherent fool, or a sentimental or even violent individual. The sensitivity of a
gentle human being implies much more then just a peaceful equilibrium of mind; for
their exists the true nature of the self, essentially as an eternal loving servant of the
Supreme Divine Master. Such a person is free from the demented vision of being self-
centred in the universe, expecting everything and everyone in life to be there to fulfil
their sensual pleasures. For a self-realized person, even the attachment to family
members is first connected with the Absolute Truth and the struggle to serve Him. She
or he tries to reduce material necessities, keeping a balanced life, avoids hankering
after superficial pleasures, and becomes a sample of moderation, good judgment and
equilibrium. A person who is struggling to get out of material illusion (samsara) and
discover the inner Self can’t attain spiritual realization if s/he deviates by satisfying the
lower appetites through drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, or even by poisoning the blood with
caffeine, tea and other subtle intoxicants. Due to consuming all of the latter the
capacity for austerity and its resultant will power becomes lost. For that reason, a pure
human being keeps mind and body in equilibrium, brilliant and healthy; otherwise the
access to higher truths and understandings will be impossible.

3. Truthfulness.

Truthfulness does not only mean to avoid lying. To be truthful a person must first
knows the truth, which starts by accepting God as the Supreme Absolute Truth, as
confirmed by the revealed scriptures. Honest people, seeking the Absolute Truth,
approach genuine authorities to start the process of spiritual understanding in the
system of disciplic succession (guru-parampara). Once the Absolute Truth is
understood as God Himself, then there is a serious responsibility to diffuse this truth in
order to diminish falsehood in the world. Knowing that everything is Divine Energy and
that the Supreme Being is the Lord and Controller of the whole universe as His Own
belonging, this Supreme Truth brings that desired peace and prosperity to society,
protecting men from violating the divine laws of nature.

Knowledge of the truth grants freedom. The body is not the real Self but a vehicle
which transport a driver, the soul. Srila Prabhupada used to ask, “If we are eternal
beings, why do we get interested in temporal things?” Reality means existence which
can’t disappear; reality means eternity. We should use our time to inquire about this
subject. Srila Atulananda Acharya says, “We forget that human life is meant to awaken
Divine Love, Love of God; to purify the heart and create an environment of peace,
wisdom and brother- and sister–hood.”
It is very painful to see children and young people wasting their time playing video
games, putting coins into machines in noisy places, saturated with passion and
violence. From their very childhood they are learning to look for satisfaction in
machines and sense objects, but very rarely do they receive information about their
own constitutional spiritual nature. In this way, they forget their own fortune and wealth
of having a human body with the chance to develop spiritual consciousness, which
assures happiness, peace and ecstasy. They forget God in their hearts as a friendly
well-wisher, ready to grant all benedictions, relief and perfection.
And of course, to be truthful also means to be honest and to tell the truth.

Conclusion.

Of the four principles of a civilized society, only truthfulness remains in this age; which
means that even if people are living a sinful life in a hedonist way, even then they can
still have a desire to hear about the truth, about God. In this way, a miracle can take
place stemming from this one quality that a person may develop; thereby all the other
qualities will appear in the activities of the individual, increasing day by day like the
waxing moon. Individuals will become finally truthful, merciful, clean and austere, and
will climb to a superior stage of mindfulness to be able to conceive the perfection of life
as pure love of God.

“When these four principles are missing, society falls down and enters into chaos”.
Swami B.A. Paramadvaiti.

Translated and interpreted by Gopini devi dasi & Gopananda dasa