The Pillars of Religion

In the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, we learn that the four pillars of  religion are cleanliness, austerity, compassion, and truthfulness.  There is a systematic and well-rounded process to religion, whose  foundation is structured on these four pillars. Religion is not simply  a matter of faith, nor just a system of morals and ethics, although it  is often portrayed as such. It is more than faith, it is a science: in the Bhagavad-gita, Srila Prabhuapda writes that faith without philosophy is sentimental, and philosophy without religion is dry speculation.

As these four pillars are the foundation of religion, the Vedic scriptures  also teach that there are four main sinful activities: illicit sex, intoxication, gambling, and meat eating. Why are they "sinful?" Because they each attack and destroy a specific pillar of religion:  cleanliness is destroyed by illicit sex;  austerity by intoxication; compassion by meat-eating; and truthfulness by gambling.

Thus it is clearly seen that modern, contemporary culture is consistently trying to destroy religious principles  by undermining the four pillars of religion. For example, the vast majority of all TV series and movies are  based on the repeated and glorified practice of the four sinful activities mentioned above, which destroy religious principles. There is a constant propaganda going on to normalize and make acceptable illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating, and gambling.

Thus, western culture, which is being hailed as the pinnacle of human development, progress, and knowledge, is actively seeking to destroy the eternal religious principles mentioned in the Vedas. An other sign that contempory culture is thoroughly degraded and guided by atheistic principles  is that in a huge number of movies out of Hollywood, the kissing between men and women, is depicted in minute, graphic detail. According to the Vedic standard that is tantamount to pure pornagraphy.

Now, when mentioned to mainstream people, it is rejected and scoffed at as being backwards and primitive. But one of the most intimate exchanges  between a man and a woman, ie. kissing, is engaged in freely and publicly without any restraint. What does that tell us about the culture that we live in?

Why this observation, at all? Because as devotees, we are trying to emulate the Vedic culture and values. At the same time many of us live in a society, where these values are regarded as primitive and back-wards. In fact, as westerners we have grown up to see the standards of the modern consumer culture as normal and even coveted and glorified.

There is a very real chance of us being contaminated by our surroundings and our cultural heritage. Srila Prabhupada said, that the difference between him and his disciples was that he was afraid of maya, they were not. This is to show how important it is for a devotee to understand how harmful and degraded the modern culture is. Things that according to the Vedic standard are considered extremely sinful are considered completely normal in modern society - cowkilling, publicly kssing, and carassing, scantily clad women and so on.

The global culture is more or less an attempt to make the whole world into a market place of McDonalds and Coca-cola. It is being hailed as the info-age, but when examined closely the info available is more or less a barrage of propaganda to make the population, the brought masses, into good and loyal consumers and usurpers of nature. The goal of life, instead of being knowledge of the self and an end to the problems of life, is now centered around getting an education, then a job that will enable me to spend money.

The goal of life has become to spend money on consumer goods, and the producers of these
goods spend vast amounts of money to convince people to buy their products. Basically the whole world is running on trade. It is a business-culture governed by vaishyas. not by brahmanas, as a proper human culture is meant to be. So Srila Prabhupada ordered us to create a class of brahmins to guide society, and the only way to so that is by preaching Vaishnava.dharma, and that is exactly what ISKCON is doing all over the world.

Krishna says:

Those who are free from false prestige, illusion and false association, who understand the eternal, who are done with material lust, who are freed from the dualities of happiness and distress, and who, unbewildered, know how to surrender unto the Supreme Person attain to that eternal kingdom. (Bg. 15.5)