Dhīra, those who are sober, intelligent, they are not bewildered when a living entity changes his body.
So change of body is going on in every moment, in every second, imperceptibly. Medical science also accepts that in every second we are changing our blood corpuscles. That is a fact. We are changing body every moment. And the final change is called death. But actually, there is no death. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). You accept another body.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). "After many, many births," bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān, "when a man or a living entity becomes actually wise and intelligent . . ." Not fools. Fools cannot understand. One has to become very intelligent. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān. Jñānavān means very intelligent, wise man. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate.
Kṛṣṇa says that, "After many, many births of struggle, or attempt for acquiring knowledge, when one comes to the solid point of understanding, he understands that vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19), the origin of everything is Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa." Bas. Origin of everything is Kṛṣṇa.
The Vedānta-sūtra says, the first aphorism of Vedānta-sūtra, athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now this human form of life is meant for inquiring about Brahman." And the Veda says that ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am brahma. I am not this body. I am spirit soul." And when one understands that he is spirit soul, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), at once he becomes joyful. That is the sign of brahma-jñāna.
Brahma-bhūtaḥ . . . these are the versions of Bhagavad-gītā. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. As soon as one realizes that "I am brahma. I have nothing to do with this material world," his all anxieties immediately finished. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati. In the Vedānta-sūtra you'll also find, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The spirit soul or the Supreme Soul, both of them are ānandamaya. Ānanda means blissful, by nature blissful. Always wants to enjoy. That is the nature of spirit. But at the present moment, because we have forgotten that I am . . . we are spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Identifying ourself with something else, which is transcendent, we are suffering. This is the cause. There are many places.
- bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād
- īśād api etasya viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ
- (SB 11.2.37)
Viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ means converted thinking. I'm not this any product of this material world, but I am thinking, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Englishman," "I am German," "I am Chinaman," "I am Russian," or "I am cats and dogs," these so many. These are all designations. These are all designations. My real identity is ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am brahma. I am the part and parcel of the Supreme Brahman. Qualitatively, I am one with God." Just like a particle of gold is also gold. A small particle of the ocean is also salty. The chemical composition of the small particle of ocean water is the same as the big ocean. So qualitatively, I am one with God, or Kṛṣṇa.
When we speak of Kṛṣṇa, you'll please understand I am meaning God. Because Kṛṣṇa means all-attractive. Without being all-attractive, there cannot be God. God must be all-attractive: all-opulence, all-powerful, all-wise, all-renounced, all-beautiful. These are the qualification of God.
So bahūnāṁ janmanām ante. After cultivation of knowledge, many, many births . . . cultivation of knowledge is also not easy for everyone. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). "Out of many millions of persons, human being, one may be interested to know 'What is the aim of life? Why I am suffering?' " Everyone is suffering. That is the fact. In this material world nobody can be happy. If he's thinking . . . if one is thinking that he's happy materially, he's a fool. Nobody can be happy. This is the place for distress.
It is certified by the Supreme Lord, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This place is for miseries, as well as it is temporary. Even if you accept, "All right, it is a miserable place. I shall stay here. Never mind," but nature will not allow you to stay even. You . . . one day it will come, immediately kick you out. You have seen the great president of United States, Mr. Kennedy. He was supposed to be the happiest man in the world, but within a second he was kicked out, immediately. In our country Mahatma Gandhi was very popular leader, but in a second he was removed from the field.
So we do not know when we shall be removed immediately by the freaks of nature. Therefore the intelligent man should try to know, "What is my constitutional position? Why I want to stay, but some superpower kicks me out of the stage? Why?" This is question. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra instructs that every human being—not the animals, but human being—you should not be bewildered. You should question, "Why I am suffering threefold miseries? Why . . . I do not want death. Why death overcomes me?"
Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). A intelligent man should always keep before him four principles of material miseries: birth, death, old age and disease. These are instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā. One who is making progress in knowledge, he must keep before him these four problems—birth, death, old age and disease. You may be very much proud of your scientific advancement of knowledge, but here is the real science. If you can overcome birth, death, old age and disease, then you can say your science is triumphant.