# Sinful Activities *On sin, its consequences, and how to become free* --- ### Four Principal Sins > Illicit sex life, meat-eating, intoxication, and gambling. These are four pillars of sinful life. So one has to give up these four principles of sinful life. Then he can make progress in spiritual life. — [[spoken/1970/701219sb.sur|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.34–39, Surat, 1970]] --- ### Committing Without Knowledge > Knowingly or unknowingly, if we do something wrong, we have to be punished. This is the law of nature. Just like fire. If a child touches fire, the fire will burn. Fire will not consider, "Here is a child." Similarly, nature's law will act. — [[spoken/1976/760619sb.tor|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.3, Toronto, 1976]] --- ### The Needle in the Ant > There was an instance, one muni, he was brought to Yamarāja's court and he was..., judgment was given that this man should be punished by śūla. So the sage asked the Yamarāja that "Throughout my whole life, I never did any wrong. Why you are punishing me in this way?" So Yamarāja replied that "You have forgotten. In your childhood you pierced one ant with a needle." — [[spoken/1976/760619sb.tor|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.3, Toronto, 1976]] --- ### Ajāmila's Degradation > So he fell down from his brahminical position on account of associating with a prostitute woman. So immediately he lost all his brahminical qualification. When there is connection with a woman illegally, all good qualities lost. This is the law of nature. — [[spoken/1970/701219sb.sur|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.34–39, Surat, 1970]] --- ### Making Up for Sins > This prāyaścitta, or atonement, is based on the principle that if you commit some sin and you suffer, then the reaction is counteracted. But the difficulty is that we commit sin again. Just like a patient, after being cured, again he does the same thing and again falls sick. — [[spoken/1970/701219sb.sur|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.34–39, Surat, 1970]] --- ### Real Atonement > Therefore real atonement is to take up Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kecit kevalayā bhaktyā vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ. If one becomes a pure devotee of Vāsudeva, all the sinful reactions of life are counteracted automatically. — [[spoken/1970/701219sb.sur|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.34–39, Surat, 1970]] --- ### Sin and Piety Are Both Bondage > A devotee is free from both sinful activities and pious activities. He is not hankering after the result of pious activities—promotion to heavenly planets. Nor is he afraid of sinful activities—going to hell. He is transcendental to both. — [[spoken/1972/721017sb.vrn|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.6, Vṛndāvana, 1972]] --- ### Contamination of Association > If you associate with a bad man, then you become bad. If you associate with a saintly person, you become a saint. This is a fact. Therefore we recommend, "Always associate with devotees." Then you will be Kṛṣṇa conscious. — [[spoken/1970/701219sb.sur|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.34–39, Surat, 1970]] --- ### How Sins Are Destroyed > Simply by chanting the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, all the sinful reactions are immediately destroyed. This is the power. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam. Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, all sinful reactions are immediately nullified. — [[spoken/1970/701219sb.sur|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.34–39, Surat, 1970]] --- ### Cannot Enjoy Sinfully > The laws of nature will not excuse you. If you do something wrong, you must be punished. So the life should be trained in such a way that you don't commit any sinful activities. Then you will not be punished. Otherwise, you will be punished. — [[spoken/1976/761016bg.cha|Bhagavad-gītā 9.3, Chandigarh, 1976]] --- *10 quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on sinful activities* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]