Modern Age - Ignorance and Materialism
The modern age is not characterized by enlightenment, as is often claimed, but by a profound deepening of ignorance and materialism. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the consciousness of the modern population is heavily covered by the lower modes of nature. This coverage manifests as a widespread inability to understand spiritual truths, an addiction to sinful activities, and an arrogant dismissal of the Supreme Authority. It is an age where people are "dull rascals" who have forgotten their eternal identity.
Veil of Intoxication and Lust
One of the primary reasons for the spiritual blindness of the modern age is the prevalence of sinful habits. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that people's consciousness is "too much covered by wine, women and flesh." This constant engagement in intoxication, illicit sex, and meat-eating destroys the finer brain tissues required for self-realization. Consequently, people are completely unable to make progress in understanding the self. The standard of civilization has degraded to the point where "unlawful meat-eaters" dominate society, and the slaughter of animals is industrialized.
- In the modern age the consciousness of people is too much covered by wine, women and flesh. Consequently, people are completely unable to make progress in self-realization.
- What is the meaning of vrsalaih? Hmm? Unlawful meat-eaters. Unlawful meat-eaters. Just like at the modern age everyone is unlawful meat-eaters. There is a certain class of men always who are meat-eaters. Not the higher class.
- When demoniac persons engage in animal-killing, the demigods, or devotees of the Lord, are very much afflicted by this killing. Demoniac civilizations in this modern age maintain various types of slaughterhouses all over the world.
Atheism and Mental Speculation
In this age of ignorance, the authority of scripture is rejected in favor of mental speculation. Modern philosophers and politicians audaciously try to "banish Kṛṣṇa" from His own book, the Bhagavad-gītā. They invent their own interpretations and even vote ordinary men into the position of God. Śrīla Prabhupāda critiques this democratic approach to divinity, stating that God is not created by popular vote. This tendency to do research by concoction rather than receiving knowledge through disciplic succession is a hallmark of the modern intellectual failure.
- Great politicians and philosophers of the modern age even try to banish Krsna from Bhagavad-gita. Consequently, for them there is no salvation.
- In the modern age a certain class of fools think that they can vote anyone into the position of God, as they can vote a man into the position of a political executive head. But the transcendental Supreme Personality of Godhead is perfectly described in the authentic scriptures.
- Jnana entails receiving knowledge from the scriptures through the spiritual master by disciplic succession. In the modern age there is a tendency to do research by mental speculation and concoction.
Ignorance of Soul
Perhaps the greatest tragedy of the modern age is the total ignorance regarding the nature of the self. Guided by so-called psychologists and scientists, people are unaware of the existence of the subtle body and the process of transmigration. They believe life ends with the death of the gross body. Śrīla Prabhupāda laments that 99.9% of the population are "dull rascals" who cannot understand the simple truth that they are not their bodies. This ignorance reduces human life to the level of animal existence.
- Guided by so-called psychologists and philosophers, people in the modern age do not know of the activities of the subtle body and thus cannot understand what is meant by the transmigration of the soul. Here we have to take the authorized statements of Bhagavad-gita.
- Unfortunately, people in this modern age do not know how these laws are working. Having no knowledge of the eternity of the spirit soul and its transmigration, the population of the present age is in the greatest ignorance.
- Ninety-nine point nine percent, they do not understand this philosophy (we are put in different dresses), especially in the modern age. Mandah sumanda-matayo (SB 1.1.10). They are very, very dull rascals. This is the challenge.
Conclusion
The modern age is a time of spiritual darkness. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu noted that in this age, people are bereft of spiritual intellect. However, there is a remedy. By taking advantage of the simple process of invoking the holy name of the Lord—the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra—even the dull and degraded people of the modern age can be elevated. This process is the only hope for a civilization lost in the fog of materialism.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Modern Age. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.