Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre: (BG 2.20) "When the body is destroyed, is annihilated, the soul exists. It goes to another body." The example is just like every one of us... In the first day of intercourse of the father-mother, the secretion mix together, emulsified, and if the living entity is allowed to enter into that, it grows. That is the beginning of our body. But if the living entity is not allowed into the, that emulsified, small pealike form, then there is no pregnancy. So attempt is made to pollute that emulsification. Therefore the living entity cannot enter into it and there is no pregnancy. Otherwise there must be pregnancy. Then that pealike body grows, and in seven months it grows the hands and legs and head and everything, and consciousness comes back. When we die our consciousness becomes almost stopped, and we then lie down within the womb of the mother according to species of body, a status—take it for granted our human form of body—seven months. At that time body is grown up. In this way, in tenth month the body is fully grown. Then by nature's way the body comes out and another life begins. This is called transmigration of the soul.
Another life (Lectures)
Expressions researched:
"Another form of life"
|"One life after another"
|"another beautiful life"
|"another chapter of life"
|"another colorful life"
|"another duration of life"
|"another hellish life"
|"another human life"
|"another life"
|"another lower grade life"
|"another material life"
|"another new life"
|"another next life"
|"another span of life"
|"another species of life"
|"another superior colorful life"
|"another type of life"
|"another, eternal life"
|"one life to another"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
When we die our consciousness becomes almost stopped, and we then lie down within the womb of the mother according to species of body, a status—take it for granted our human form of body—seven months. At that time body is grown up. In this way, in tenth month the body is fully grown. Then by nature's way the body comes out and another life begins. This is called transmigration of the soul.
So actually we are eternal. In the Vedic language it is said, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Nitya. Nitya means eternal. And nityānām. Nityānām means plural number of nityas. So there are many nityas, means many living entities, but there is one nitya Supreme.
Then where is your question of dismantling? By nature's way you will get another body. Because you want to enjoy, you have come here in this material world. There is no question of asking. Everyone knows that "I am in this material world. I must enjoy to the fullest extent." One who is unaware of the fact that "I am going to take another life," he is thinking, "This is a combination of this matter—earth, water, air, fire. So when it will be broken, then everything will be finished. So so long I have got this opportunity, let me enjoy to the fullest extent." This is called material mentality, atheist, atheist, who does not know that we are eternal soul, we are changing body only. The atheists think that after finishing...
The aim is how to get money. That's all. That is their philanthropism. They, they speak so many nonsense things, but the real idea is how to get money.
So this is going on. At the present moment, they are after the sense gratification. They do not know that there is another life beyond sense gratification. They have no... That life is being taught in the Bhagavad-gītā, that "You are trying to advance your civilization for keeping this body fit, but you are not this body. Why you are wasting your time in that way?" Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). Anyone who is thinking that "I am this body," sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu. And sva-dhīḥ means "My men, my own kinsmen." Who? "My children, my family, my society, my country," kalatrādiṣu.
The introspective man who is after self-realization, he knows very well, "Suppose if I do in future such and such big business, or such... I can construct such big skyscraper house." But because he's introspective, he knows that "What I shall do with all these things? As soon as I exit from the platform, everything remains here, and I take another form of body, begins another life." That is introspection. The materialistic person they cannot understand what is the future. They are thinking this body is everything. "We have got this body, and when it is finished, it is finished for all." These questions we have already discussed. But actually it is not. This is the first understanding of self-realization, that soul is eternal, it is not annihilated even after the annihilation of this body. This is the beginning of self-realization. So these people they do not understand it. They don't care for it. That is their sleeping. That is their miserable condition. Go on.
According to Buddha's philosophy, there is only void after this material life. But the Bhagavad-gītā teaches differently. Actual life begins after the completion of this material life. For the gross materialist, it is sufficient to know that one has to end his materialistic way of life. But for persons who are spiritually advanced, there is another life after this materialistic one. Therefore, before ending this life, if one fortunately becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, certainly he at once attains the stage of brahma-nirvāṇa. There is no difference between the kingdom of God and the devotional service of the Lord. Since both of them are on the absolute plane, to be engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord is to have attained the spiritual kingdom. In the material world there are activities of sense gratification, whereas in the spiritual world there are activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So God's kingdom, His calculation, His fine judgement, is very difficult to understand. But practically we see there are so many varieties of life. Why? They have been given chance: "All right, you want this sort of life? Here it is. Take it. Accept it." So they are transmigrating from one life to another, one life to another, one life to another. Out of many such millions of living entities, one who comes under Kṛṣṇa consciousness by the grace of Kṛṣṇa and His devotee, spiritual master, his life is successful. He gets the clue to get out of this entanglement. Otherwise he is to travel within these 8,400,000 species of life.
So Kṛṣṇa is giving chance, whatever you want, but He is talking also the ultimate goal of life. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You give up this searching out of your happiness in your own way, by transmigrating from one kind of life to another, one position to another.
"Those who are in the modes of passion, they remain here in this Bhūrloka." And adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ: "Those who are engrossed with the modes of ignorance, they may be degraded from this planet to another, degraded planet, or another life, or animal life. This is the process, going on. And we forget.
Forgetfulness. There is some incidences that sometimes Brahmā, he was cursed to become a, a hog. He became a hog. Then after... Not Brahmā, Indra, the king of heaven. The king of heaven, he made some offense under, on the feet of his spiritual master, Bṛhaspati, and he cursed him that "You are just like a hog. You take the birth of a hog." So he became a hog. Now, when the throne of the heavenly kingdom was vacant due to the absence of Indra—he has become a hog in this earth—so Brahmā came.
They want simply sense enjoyment. But it is said that you can get some immediate profit by worshiping different demigods. That is all right. But that is not your permanent benefit. Because karmaṇā, you are creating... Karmaṇāṁ siddhim. You are getting some profit by your karma, fruitive karma, but you are creating another life, another life. To enjoy the fruitive result of this karma you'll have to wait for next life. So next life means another material body. So another material body means another term of suffering, another chapter of suffering. That they do not understand.
Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva advising that "This is not good. Don't be engaged in karma, fruitive activities." If you be engaged in fruitive activities, karma, then you'll have to accept another material body. That may be a cat's body or dog's body or demigod's body or... Body you'll have to... But as soon as you have a material body, then you'll suffer.
Before attaining the age of puberty, she is handed over to a suitable boy to take charge before she gets youthful energy.
So this is the system of varṇāśrama-dharma. This is the system. The whole idea is that everyone should be given the chance of being liberated in this very life. No more waiting for again for further, another life. Who knows that I am going to be human being again? It may be by freaks of nature I become a cat, a dog, a cow, an animal.
Now we are very much enthusiastic to become good nationals. Suppose I am American, a very good national. Now, after death, suppose that if I become a cow. Then even I am national of this country, oh, I am destined to be sent to the slaughterhouse.
There are so many instances. Just like even on this planet if you want to go to other countries, say, America, you have to fulfill so many conditions. Passport, visa, then P-form and so many other forms. Not easily. This is called conditioned life. We have no freedom to move.
And there is another life which is life of freedom. Just like Nārada Muni. Nārada Muni travels everywhere. He goes in the spiritual world. He comes in the material world. In the material world he can go in any one of the planets. Sometimes by yogic practice we can go also, but not so easily. So there is a life of freedom. That is spiritual life.
You do not know how far you are making progress. But this system, you will understand, "Yes, I'm making such and such progress." This is the only yoga system, bhakti-yoga system, that one can practice for quick result and self-realization and liberation even in this life. He hasn't got to wait for another life. It is so nice, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Go on.
Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe. So this child is born of a devotee father and devotee mother. Now he'll again begin from the point where he lost last life. Suppose Kṛṣṇa consciousness he executed fifty percent. So he'll begin from this life fifty-one percent. That fifty percent was in his stock. But ordinary karmīs—cent percent lost. He has to begin another chapter of life according to his karma. Either he'll become a man or dog, there is no guarantee. If he has maintained a dog mentality, then he'll get a dog's body. All this property he made in this life goes to hell. He becomes a dog if he has maintained a dog mentality. And if he has maintained a god's mentality, then he becomes a god also. But that will depend on his work. But generally the karmīs, they are not very good mentality. So there is risk. You do not know. Karmaṇā daiva netreṇa (SB 3.31.1).
Prabhupāda: Yes. That determination required. We must know that we have got little freedom, so we may not misuse it. That is determination. If you misuse it, that is not good determination. Yes?
Swedish woman (5): Will I ever, in another life, will I feel my "I," my ego? Will I feel that again?
Prabhupāda: Yes, you are already feeling. So next life also you will feel, and the past also you felt. That is described. You are always individual. That is described, that "In the past we were existing in the past, your feeling was also there. As you are existing now, your feeling is already there, and in the future also, you will exist. The feeling will be there."
So these things are discussed very broadly in our American centers, so we stick to the point that life does not come from chemical, but chemical comes from life. So I gave one crude example. Just like a tree. It is also life, because there are different forms of life, 8,400,000 forms of life. So a tree also, another form of life. One who knows what is the condition of life, paṇḍita, learned, sama-darśinaḥ.
- vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
- brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
- śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
- paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ
- (BG 5.18)
Paṇḍita, who knows what is what, he is sama-darśī, equipoised. He knows that the substance within the tree or substance with the dog or substance with the human being or substance within the brāhmaṇa or a śūdra or a dog or a caṇḍāla—the soul is the same.
So God, Kṛṣṇa, indicates the Supersoul who is situated within your heart. You desire something and He immediately orders the material nature that "You give him such and such body." Yantra. The body is yantra, machine. This body is a machine. So yantrārūḍhāni. He is seated in one kind of machine and he goes from one place to another, from one planet to another, from one life to another. This is going on. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). This business is going on. If we want to stop this business, we have got this opportunity, human form of life. We can understand things if we have got little intelligence. And everything is being explained by Kṛṣṇa. If we take Kṛṣṇa's instruction and mold our life accordingly—that is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement—then our life becomes successful.
Just like acid and alkaline combine together. Just like soap. Soap is combination of acid and alkaline. The caustic soda is alkaline, and the fat is acid. So you mix this acid and alkaline—there is another product. This is chemical science. So the acid and alkaline, they also come from the, I mean to say, life. Or if it does not come from the life, the product is made by another life. Acid and alkaline does not mix together. Unless the chemist or the soap-maker brings them together and mixes, the soap does not come. So how you can say that the chemical combination is the source of life? No, that is not possible. This is right conclusion.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Why you are forced to become old man? You do not want to have disease. Why you are forced to accept disease? They have no sense. They are so dull-headed. They do not want any solution. But there is solution. Therefore it is called saṁsāriṇām. They are dull-headed rascal. They are undergoing the nature's process from one life to another. All miserable condition.
To get out of this miserable condition, Śukadeva says, here it is, says, karuṇayā āha. Karuṇayā means "out of compassion." People are suffering. This is Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava takes so much trouble to speak to the rascals and dulls about God consciousness. Why? Out of compassion. They are very compassionate. "Oh, so many people are suffering for want of knowledge. Let me try to give them some knowledge." Karuṇayā. This is Vaiṣṇava's qualification. He is very kind. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ (SB 3.25.21). Just like Lord Jesus Christ.
So richness of knowledge is required, jñānam and vairāgya. Vairāgya required, because we have been entangled in this materialistic way of life. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Another life, another body. I do not know what kind of body. Then another chapter. In this way our life is going on. Therefore we must have detachment from this materialistic way of life, changing one body to... But people are so ignorant, they do not take it very seriously. They think, "Let us go on. Eh, we don't mind. Whatever happens happens." That is not required. You must have knowledge. This knowledge is imparted from the very beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). People are talking very, very big, big talks, but all around this body, all around this body. Aśocyān.
Superficially, simply for sense gratification, that is going on in the name of advancement of civilization. Actually it is very risky civilization. Suppose after this body, human form of body, if I get the body of an animal or a tree. There is every chance. Wherefrom the tree comes? Wherefrom the tiger comes, the cat comes, the dog comes? There are demigods also. So you can get any form of life. Dehāntaram. Kṛṣṇa says personally, tathā dehāntara. This is bogus theory that after death everything is finished. No. There is another life, and the species of life are in your form, 8,400,000 of species, and we have to accept, according to our karma, a type of body given by the material nature.
Where is a female?" And when they are united, the karma-granthi becomes tighter. That's all. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ (SB 5.5.8). They are searching after, and as soon as they are united, they become tightly knot. Hṛdaya-granthi.
So this is called saṁsāra, this is called material existence. One life after another, one life after another, one life after another. This is called karma-granthi-nibandhanam. So if we want to unknot this tight fitting of our heart... Now, again it is said that as soon as the male-female is united, then further tightening begins. What is that? Ataḥ kṣetra. Ataḥ kṣetra, gṛha, āpta, vitta. In this way, first of all, we are united, husband and wife. Then we want a nice apartment or house, gṛha. Then, to maintain the house, we require a field, field of activity. Generally, formerly, they were agricultural.
By the power of mantra, just to give evidence of the Vedic mantras, the brāhmaṇas would sacrifice a cow, old cow or old bull, in the fire and give, give him, again, new life. That was... Now, in this age, there is no such powerful brāhmaṇa who can chant the mantras rightly and give again rejuvenation, another new life. It is not possible. Therefore in the śāstras, these sort of sacrifices are forbidden."
- aśvamedhaṁ gavālambhaṁ
- sannyāsaṁ pala-paitṛkam
- devareṇa sutotpattiṁ
- kalau pañca vivarjayet
- (CC Adi 17.164)
So there was nice discussion, and the compromise was that "No more Your saṅkīrtana movement will be checked by my men."
And as soon as they require, they are enjoying sex and eating something. So eating, sleeping, mating, this is going on. That viṣaya is available... I have seen at night a small insects, they are also enjoying eating, sleeping, mating. A small, very small ant is captured. Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. One life is meant for being eaten by another life. You can see, very small. He has got all the same tendencies. So viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt. So one has to become free from this viṣaya. Viṣayiṇāṁ sandarśanam atha yoṣitāṁ ca hā hanta hanta viṣa-bhakṣaṇato 'py asādhu (CC Madhya 11.8). That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... So we should be very careful. Viṣayiṇām, a devotee, if he thinks, "Oh, here is a nice woman. If I could enjoy her," or "Here is a nice man. If I could enjoy him."
So these things are required, how to become samāhita, samādhi-stha, in trance. If we take it as childish play, formality, then it will act, but it will take long time. But if you do it properly, you'll be quickly successful. In one life you'll be successful. You don't require to wait. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that although this process is guaranteed, but don't wait for another life. Finish this business in this life. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā even though one falls immaturely, then yoga-bhraṣṭo..., śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41). One who has not been successful, one is fallen from this bhakti-yoga, for him also there is guarantee nice. That guarantee, Kṛṣṇa says that śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate. Śucīnām. Then he's given the chance of taking birth in a very pious brāhmaṇa's family. Not ordinary: śucīnām. Śuci means brāhmaṇa, and śrīmatā, śrī means fortune, and mat means one possesses fortune—that means very rich man. Śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate.
So we can make our choice, because always Kṛṣṇa gives us the chance to make our choice. Yathecchasi tathā kuru: (BG 18.63) "Whatever you like, you can do." So my request... It is my duty because you have accepted me as your spiritual master. So I am repeating my spiritual master's order that "Don't wait for another life." That is a very risky, another life. Maybe I am given the chance of taking my birth in a good brāhmaṇa family or a rich family, but there is chance of again being spoiled. As we see, there are so many rich men's sons. They have got all the opportunity of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. They have no economic problem. Father's property, immense property he has got. So he can, he has no anxiety for economic problems. That is a chance. To take birth in a rich family means he has no economic problem.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). We come here, and Kṛṣṇa also comes here. So what is the difference? The difference is we are forced to come here by the laws of nature according to our karma. We do some activities, sinful or pious, mostly sinful. So we create another life, and we are forced to enter into such body. It may be now I am in the human form of body. Next life, according to my karma, I may be forced to enter into the dog's li..., dog's body. So we are forced. There is no, I mean to say, choice. I cannot say (to) nature that "Do not put me into the dog's body. Kindly put me into the king's body." No. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). This decision will be taken by superior authority. You cannot dictate that "I shall become like that." No, that is not possible. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa.
To make the things zero. Because this life is so much troublesome, sometimes even one commits suicide to get out of this, I mean to say, troublesome life of material existence. So the philosophy of voidism, impersonalism is like that. Mean they cannot, shudder, to think of another life, again eating, again sleeping, again working. Because he thinks eating, sleeping, means on the bed. That's all. And suffering. He cannot think otherwise. So the negative way, to make it zero. That is void philosophy.
But actually that is not the case. The case is that you are in trouble on material condition. you get out of this material condition. Then there is real life, eternal life. Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is Aja.
There is no loss in this way that you get another chance. But if you are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, there is no certainty whether you are getting next life human form of life or cat's or dog's. There is no... That will be decided according to your karma. Therefore we should take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously and try our best to complete it in this life. Not waiting for another life. Although there is chance. The next life, even if we fail... But we should not be indolent: "O, if I fail in this life, I shall have another chance." No. We must decide to finish this Kṛṣṇa consciousness business in this life and immediately go back to home, back to Godhead. That should be our determination.
They cannot make any solution. That is not possible. They have made a solution, big, big learned scholars, just that Mr. Kotovsky said, "Swamiji, after death, there is no life. Everything is finished." Unless they think like that, then life becomes more horrible, full of anxieties. If they think of that there is another life and there is punishment and reward, according to our karma, then their life is very horrible. So just like the animals, poor animal, sometimes facing enemy, close the eyes, as if there is no enemy, so they do like that, close the eyes. Children, when there is danger, they close the eyes. They have no other means to escape. So these people, they close the eyes. "There is no life after death." Otherwise they cannot accommodate.
That is a fact. You believe or not believe, you are changing your body every moment. So simply you have no eyes to see, you have no brain to understand. You may be... Because you are cat and dog, you cannot understand. Because the cats and dogs, they cannot understand that there is another life after this dog's body and cat's body. They cannot understand. So anyone who cannot understand the simple truth of the transmigration of the soul, he is no better than this cat and dog.
So Kṛṣṇa is prepared to help you. Paramātmā. Sarvas... In another place it is said, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ (BG 15.15). Read Bhagavad-gītā thoroughly and be sincere and make your life successful. Don't be cheater. Read, and follow, and Kṛṣṇa will help you, this life. Don't expect another life to prepare. "It is guaranteed human life?" somebody's asking. Even if it guaranteed, why should you take the chance of another life? Finish this business within this life. Take help from Kṛṣṇa, take help from books, take from your spiritual master. Why another life? Another life... Suppose you get another human life. Is it guaranteed? You may fall down again. So my Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Finish all business in this life." Na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum. Finish this business of birth, death, old age and disease in this life.
So here Śukadeva Gosvāmī sent by Kṛṣṇa on the verge of his death. Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151). Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). This opportunity is obtained by a very fortunate person. Because the living entities are wandering within this universe, packed up, from one planet to another, from one species life to another species of life. In this way, he is wandering. He is not fixed up. Today I am American or Indian, tomorrow or next birth, I do not know what is going to happen to me. But this body for good will be finished. I'll never get this body. I'll get another body. Maybe a demigod's body or a tree's body or a plant's body or animal's body—I must get another body. So the living entity is wandering in this way, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni. Just like we change our dress from one dress to another, similarly we are changing different positions by the influence of māyā.
It is by nature's arrangement, by Kṛṣṇa's arrangement, that these living entities, who have come here in this material world for false happiness, material happiness, and they are entrapped in this birth and death problem, transmigrating from one type of life to another type of life... Here is a chance for the human being. And Kṛṣṇa comes to the human being, and He... "Here is a chance, Bhagavad-gītā." Kṛṣṇa gives them. So if, after reading Bhagavad-gītā, anāśritya govinda-caraṇa-dvayam, who is neglecting... He is neglecting means that teṣām ātmābhimānināṁ varākāṇām.
He is thinking that "When my, this drinking of medicine and lying down will be zero, oh, that will be my real healthy condition." This is their philosophy. Because bad experience ... Just like foolish persons sometimes commit suicide or they talk of suicide. The whole thing is zero, wants to make the life zero. That is their happiness. Śūnyavādi. Because they have no experience that there is another life, going back to home, back to Godhead. There also, Kṛṣṇa is eating; Kṛṣṇa is dancing; Kṛṣṇa is playing; Kṛṣṇa is killing; Everything is there. They are all transcendental. Everything is there. Here, only perverted reflection, false reflection only. There are five principal rasas: śānta, dāsya, sākhya, vātsalya, mādhurya. Here also, the same rasas are here, śānta, dāsya. Just like I am sitting in this comfortable seat. This is śānta, śānta-rasa. The throne is giving me service in silence.
Because result of sex life is very, I mean to say, miserable. So we want to avoid the miserable condition of sex life, but there is another life, where there is no miserable condition of sex life. That is spiritual life. But the ordinary poor fund of knowledge, they cannot understand it. They think that "Here, the sex life is miserable, conditional sex life. So if in the spiritual world there is also sex life, then it is also miserable." So this conception of sex impulse, just like Rādhā Kṛṣṇa and gopīs' dealing with Kṛṣṇa, they think it is māyā. Therefore they are called Māyāvādīs. They have no knowledge. Their brain cannot accommodate this idea that all these activities can be very blissful, supreme. Without any difficulty, without any miserable condition. They cannot understand it.
In this body I have created something, gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ, and at the time of death, as Kṛṣṇa says, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham. Kṛṣṇa takes away everything as death. Your gṛha, your house, your land, your wife, your children, your friend, your reputation—everything is taken away. And then you have to begin another life. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). You are not dead. You are living eternally. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This body is finished, you have to accept another body. And that you do not know what kind of body you'll get. There are so many bodies. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati: 8,400,000 forms of body. So you have to enter some of the, some of them, one of them. So in this way our life is going on. But temporarily, if we are situated in a position, "This is my wife, this is my children, this is my house, this is my country, this is my nation, this is my, mine..."
The result is that you have misused this opportunity of human life, to understand Kṛṣṇa and go back to home, back to Godhead, so that you'll be happy eternally. You'll be freed from this entanglement of bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). You enjoy one duration of life; again you have to give it up. Then you accept another duration of life. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate. This human life is meant for getting rid of this business, taking birth and dying, taking birth and dying. This is meant. This is... This opportunity's given, but if you do not use it properly, you use it as cats and dogs and hogs, then the..., by nature's law, you will get the body next life cats and dogs and hogs. You eat even stool. Because you had no discrimination in eating, the "All right, you can now eat..." the pig's body, hog's body you get, and eat even up to stool. That opportunity is given. And you have sex life with your mother and sister. You see hog's life.
When it is dirty, then it is cause of bondage, conditioned life. Conditional life means that janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). I take one birth, one body, and I stay for sometimes, enjoy or suffer. There is no question of enjoyment, only suffering. And then again I die. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). And I get another body and again begin another life. Maybe very good life, or maybe cats' and dogs' life, a tree's life. That we do not know. But dehāntara-prāptiḥ. But there is change of body. As soon as I die, give up this body—another body. Immediately. Immediately I'll have to enter the womb of certain mother through the grace of the father, and I'll have to develop another body, and when it is fit for working I come out, and again another chapter of my life begins. This is conditioned life.
They are doing all these things. These are not good things. Asādhu ayam. Na sādhu manye. These, this is not good for human being. Why it is not good? Because according to your karma you'll get another next life, another next body, and you'll have to suffer. Again you have to suffer. You are already suffering. You may be very rich man, but does it mean that you'll not be diseased, because you are rich man? No. This is suffering. You may be very rich man, very, I mean to say, influential man, prime minister... Even Jawaharlal Nehru-last time he became paralyzed. So you cannot avoid these things. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You should not be puffed-up because you have got some bank balance, you are happy. No. Your real unhappiness—these four things: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi.
Actually, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, practically showing how to cultivate the devotional life, taj-joṣaṇāt. And if we do so, then āśu. Āśu means very soon, without delay, even in this life. Even in this life, not that we have to wait for another life. If we practice devotional service in this life, even for few days, still, it will be a permanent asset.
Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi (SB 1.5.17). If one takes to devotional service, tyaktvā sva-dharmam, giving up his routine duty... Sva-dharma means the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. They have got the all..., or brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha. They have got their particular duties. But nobody is following any duty. They are creating their own duty.
In this way we are wandering one life after another, one planet to another, in this way, millions, millions of years. We don't care for it because we are not afraid. We are so proud and, I mean to say, brave that tīvraṁ bhayam, we don't care for it. Tīvraṁ bhayam. That is tīvram. Just like after a few years I will enter again the tīvraṁ bhayam, but we are careless. This is foolishness. This is a fool's... "Where angels dare not, fools rush in." That means we are so...
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, mūḍha. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhaḥ prapadyante narādhamaḥ (BG 7.15). Those who are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, not surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, their categories have been explained that sinful, duṣkṛtina. Duṣkṛtina means duṣkārya. And kṛti, kṛti means very meritorious. But duṣkṛti: merit is being misused for some nonsense activities.
"You just finish this colorful life." But it does not give further enlightenment. Simply it gives the hint that "You finish, nirvāṇa." Nirvāṇa means "Finish this colorful life. Become zero." He said zero, śūnyavādi. But actually, we cannot be zero. Because we are eternal, how we can be zero? We have to enter another colorful life. That is spiritual life. That is spiritual life. Simply if you make zero, that is not... That is little better, that you understand that this colorful life of material existence is not good. But what is your positive engagement? Unless you are positively engaged in another superior colorful life, you cannot give up this base colorful life.
When he, the devotee, sees that Kṛṣṇa is very nicely dressed, Kṛṣṇa is very nicely ornamented with garland, with jewels, śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā **, daily changing, and the temple is very cleansed, and Kṛṣṇa is offered, catur-vidha-śrī-bhagavat-prasāda, carvya, coṣya, lehya, peya, varieties of prasādam, his life becomes happy in that way, not by enjoying them, but offering to Kṛṣṇa. This is another colorful life.
So if you change your colorful life of this material existence and if you take to the colorful life... If you simply make zero, then it will not be fruitful, because we cannot become zero. It is not possible. People say that you become desireless. That is impossible. How we can become desireless? That is the life, to desire. The desire has to be purified. That is wanted.
Because we are eternal, how we can be zero? We have to enter another colorful life. That is spiritual life. That is spiritual life. Simply if you make zero, that is not... That is little better, that you understand that this colorful life of material existence is not good. But what is your positive engagement? Unless you are positively engaged in another superior colorful life, you cannot give up this base colorful life.
And that engagement into superior colorful life is devotional life. Just see superior. Bhagavān says in the Bhagavad-gītā, susukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). Susukham. Su means very nice, and sukham means happy. The devotional service is so nice and happy. You see this devotional service. You always engage..., you are always engaged in the Deity worship, bring nice cloth. Instead of dressing yourself with nice cloth, dress Kṛṣṇa with nice cloth.
That is not. The real is that, fact is, that the spirit soul is there. They are wandering all over the universe. Brahmāṇḍa brahman. Brahmāṇḍa means all over the universe. The spirit soul is sometimes in one species of life; sometimes he's another species of life. Sometimes he is in this planet; sometimes another planet. In this way, according to his karma, he is wandering. That is his material life. So ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite (CC Madhya 19.151). He is loitering, wandering without any aim. "What is the aim of life? Why I have put into this condition, accepting this material body, the source of all miseries?"—these questions should be asked. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. And that should be answered properly. Then our life will be successful. Otherwise it is as useless as the body of a cat or a dog—no understanding, mūḍha. Mūḍha.
So the cats' and dogs' life or the cats and dogs in two legs...
So when this body becomes incapable of working further, then the mind, intelligence and ego carries me to another body, means another process of formation of the body into the womb of the mother, and when the body is formed and in working capacity, even as a child or baby, then the body comes out and the living entity's another chapter of life begins. This is the process of transmigration of the soul.
It will not stay—everyone knows; it has a beginning, birth—it stays for some time, it transforms some other bodies as children, then it becomes old, dwindling, and then finished. These are six different transformation of the material world. But it is temporary, asat. But there is another life, where there is no transformation: eternal. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). That is spiritual world. So that spiritual world, we have no information, but we have got little experience. Spiritual world means complete peaceful, śānti. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram, jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati (BG 5.29). Therefore it is compulsory business of our life to understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, if you want śānti.
Prabhupāda: God is already giving you everything. (laughter). Even if you do not serve. He is so kind that even those who are not serving, He is supplying all the necessities. So when you serve God, whatever you want you will get.
Jyotirmayī: He says, so the service that we offer now, are we going to get it back in another life?
Prabhupāda: No, in this life. Just like we, we are serving God, we have no profession, we have no business, we have no income, but Kṛṣṇa is supplying all the necessities of life. Paying for this house two thousand dollars per month. We have got one hundred such centers. We are spending about one million dollars per month (laughter), but we have no fixed income. Kṛṣṇa is supplying.
Then vairāgya-vidyā will gradually develop. Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje (SB 1.7.6). Then the anartha... This material life is simply anartha, has no meaning, because we are creating another life. Without any spiritual knowledge, if we simply give ourself to the action and reaction of material nature, then we are making progress on the path of mṛtyu-saṁsāra vartmani (BG 9.3). And if we attain Kṛṣṇa, then mām upetya kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam, nāpnuvanti (BG 8.15). The two ways.
So our request is that you have taken to this vairāgya-vidyā. So vairāgya-vidyā, we do not say that you starve, don't eat anything, don't sleep at all. No. It should be regulated. Anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārtham upayuñjataḥ. Don't be attached to eating, sleeping. That is not good. But you must eat, you must sleep as little as possible, and try to conquer over it. My mind dictating, "Sleep seventeen hours."
So Vaiṣṇava is always thinking how people will be happy. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is going on just to make people happy. They do not know so many things and for which they are suffering in this material world in so many stages of life, in so many forms of life. Huh? They are transmigrating from one life to another. There are 8,400,00 species of life. Huh? In this way, actually their existence is being spoiled. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to give them right knowledge so that they may become happy.
Because in Europe and America, this is the way of life from the very beginning. And from India, our Indian gentlemen come here to learn this art, how to do it nicely. And they think it is advancement. India is automatically taught this tapasya by their culture, but they come here to forget that culture and accept another type of life.
But real, real fact is if you want to advance in spiritual understanding, if you want to make a solution of all the problems of your life, then you have to accept this life of austerity, tapasya. Restriction. Restriction is meant for human beings, not for the animals. Just like in our common dealings, when you drive your car, you have got some restriction. You cannot drive your car on the left side.
They cannot move, but they are living entities. They are food for catuṣ-padām, for the animals who have got four legs. Ahastāni sahastānām apadāni catuṣ-padām, phalgūni mahatāṁ tatra: "And the weak is food for the strong." Phalgūni... Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. This is the law of nature, that one life is meant for maintaining another life. That is going on. So sometimes they put forward this argument that "You are also eating vegetables. They have got life. Why you object that nonvegetarians who are eating four legged animals...?" No. We are not going to infringe to the laws of nature. That is not our business. You can eat four-legged animals because you are also animal. But when we speak of civilized animals... Civilized is not animal. That is human being. So long one is not civilized, he is animal. And the civilization begins when one understands that he is not this body. That is the beginning of civilization.
This is the position. You rascal, God is not dead. God is coming to kick you, to kill you. Yes. Kṛṣṇa says, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). What is death? Just like in your previous life you had been something. Death means you have forgotten everything. Suppose I was a very big king or prime minister or president. But that is all finished. Now I've got another life, another chapter of life. Tathā dehāntara-prāpti. You have to change your body. It may be lower degree or higher degree, but you have to change your body. There are 8,400,000 species of life, forms of life. You have to accept one of them. That is our real problem. If we forget the real problem and blindly or foolishly say that "God is dead..." God may be dead, but God's law is not dead. Suppose a king dies, a president dies; does it mean the government dies? Huh? The government will go on.
So here it is said, gṛha-vratānām. Gṛha-vrata means those who have taken this family life or material life as all in all. That's all. Vrata. Vrata means vow. "I shall improve my family condition, I shall improve my social condition. I shall improve the international condition or political condition." All these things, they are called gṛha-vratānām. They have no idea that beyond this life there is another life. Therefore they are stuck up with this idea. They are called gṛha-vrata. Generally, at the present moment, everyone is gṛha-vrata. That's all. They simply want "How to improve my economic condition." That's all. Individually, socially, family wise, internationally or nationally, that is their aim. They are called gṛha-vrata.
Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: (translating) Is it true that when you die, when you're going to die, you get another life?
Guest (1): Reincarnate.
Prabhupāda: Yes. You do not believe in this?
Guest (1): No. For the moment I don't believe it, because when you die, you are not... When you have been damned...
Prabhupāda: You are dying every moment. You are dying every moment. Do you know that?
That is rascaldom. When Kṛṣṇa says that dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā tathā dehāntaram-prāptir (BG 2.13), He says that "As you have changed bodies, similarly, at the end also you'll have to change the body." He never says that "You'll get again human body." Never says. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir: "Another form of life." That another form may be... There are 8,400,000 forms. So "another form" means any one of them. There is no guarantee. You cannot say that "Now I have got human form of... Again, in the next life, I also get human..." No. You can be... The evidence is Bhārata Mahārāja. He was king, emperor, very exalted position in the human form of life, but next life he got the life of a deer. This is the evidence. So how you can say that next life will be human life? No. That's not possible.
So if you waste your time..." The Kṛṣṇa conscious people, they should not be lazy. They should always remember that death is already there. Let me finish my business properly so that after death I may not be a cat and dog. At least I may get... There is no... My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Why should you wait for another life? Finish Kṛṣṇa consciousness business in this life." In this life. Why you should set aside the business for another life? No. Tūrṇaṁ yateta anumṛtya pateta yāvat. This is the instruction of... Before the next death you should prepare yourself for death. Death is inevitable. You cannot avoid death. But before the next death comes, if you become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, then your life is successful. Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). What is Kṛṣṇa? Try to understand Kṛṣṇa—Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, why He appears, why He disappears, what is His nature, who is He.
So long we'll have a pinch of attachment with this material world enjoyment, there is no possibility of perfection. For that pinch of little attachment, and we have to accept a body. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). And as soon as we get body we become involved with so many things that we are preparing another next life.
So here the verse is given, yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tucchaṁ kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham (SB 7.9.45). The real purpose of life is how to become detached from this material life. That is perfection. People are being educated how to become attached. That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa consciousness and so-called human civilization. But the thing can be made easy if we attach our mind to Kṛṣṇa. Just like we are actually doing. It is not that we are all liberated persons. We have got so many attachments to family, wife, country.
To chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and take prasādam, is there any difficulty? There is no difficulty. It is so pleasing. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā explains susukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). Susukham, very easy and pleasing to execute. And susukhaṁ kartum and avyayam. And whatever you do, that is permanent. So don't wait for another life, "I have done so much permanent, now again." No. Finish this business immediately in this life. Do not wait for susukhaṁ kartum avyayam. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means fully become detached with this material enjoyment, simply become engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. Your life will be successful.
So yasmāt priyāpriya-viyoga-samyoga-janma. Viyoga-samyoga-janma. As soon as one child is born, he is separated from the former life, and he is connected with another new life, new body, viyoga-samyoga. Maybe the former body was very pleasing, and this body is not very pleasing, degraded. That is possible. Dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). It is not that you'll always get a body very pleasing. But the illusory energy is so strong, even one gets the body of a pig, he thinks, "It is very nice." This is called prakṣepātmika-śakti. Māyā has got especially two energies: āvaraṇātmika and prakṣepātmika. Generally māyā keeps us covered with illusion, and if one is little enlightened, wants to get out of the clutches of māyā, there is another potency of māyā, who is that prakṣepātmika. Suppose one thinks, "Now I shall become Kṛṣṇa conscious. This ordinary material consciousness is so disturbing. Let me become Kṛṣṇa conscious."
What is that? Niṣpīḍyamāna upakarṣa: "Kindly pick me up." Vibho: "You are vibhu, most powerful, the great omnipotent." "Yes, I am, all right. But why shall I pick it up?" Now, prapannam: "Now I surrender. I rebelled against You, and I was put into this wheel of time, and suffering one after another life. Now I have realized that I am in a precarious condition of life." So niṣpīḍyamānam. This is called human life, when one understands... The animal life, they do not understand what is suffering. The cats and dogs, they are thinking they're living very happily. But in the human life they should come to the understanding that "Actually we are not living happily. We are being crushed by the wheel of time in so many ways." Niṣpīḍyamānam. When this sense comes, then he is a human being. Otherwise he's animal. If he's thinking that he's all right... That is... Ninety-nine point nine percent people think that "I am all right."
It is by nature's arrangement, by Kṛṣṇa's arrangement, that these living entities who have come here in this material world for false happiness, material happiness, and they are entrapped in this birth and death problem, transmigrating from one type of life to another type of life... Here is a chance for the human being. And Kṛṣṇa comes to the human being, and here is a chance, Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa gives them. So if after reading Bhagavad-gītā... Anāśritya govinda-caraṇa-dvayam. Who is neglecting? His neglect means that teṣām ātmābhimānināṁ varākhānām. Varākha means fools or childish. We are thinking that "I am this body." Such fools cannot understand how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore tad apy aphelatam jata tesam ātmābhimānināṁ varākhānām anāśritya, without taking shelter, govinda-caraṇa-dvayam, the lotus feet of Govinda.
The soul is not finished, simply a particular type of body being finished, no. The people do not know it. And because they are simply engaged in sinful activities, their brain has become so dull that they cannot understand this simple truth that as you are changing body in this life therefore you will change this body to another life. This is very simple truth. But at the advancement of material civilization, we have become so dull and rascal that we cannot understand it.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
As soon as your assets of pious activities is finished, then you come back again. Instead of going back to home, you come back again on this Earth. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Going back. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: ei rūpe brahmāṇḍo bhramite kono bhāgyavān jīva. In this way, we are wandering from one life to another, one planet to another. If one is fortunate, he gets the clue of devotional service and makes his life perfect and goes back to home, back to... Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). "One who goes to My abode, he never comes back." This is the perfection. Doctor, Sir you are a scientist. So how do you think our explanation? Does it tally with your scientific...?
We are now engaged to act sinfully. Any kind of sinful activity we can accept. Why? Yad indriya prītaya āpṛnoti. Simply for sense gratification. That's all. We are prepared to take any risk only for sense gratification. But we do not know that we are taking great risk, great risk. Because there is another life. After death, there is life. The modern people, they do not understand it. Therefore śāstra says, na sādhu manye: "These kinds of activities are not very good." Na sādhu. It is not honest. This is not good. Yato ātmano ayam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). We have got this body. That is kleśada. Just like we are feeling warm; therefore we want this fan, because the, on account of this body, we are feeling warm. Or sometimes chilly. So if I feel chilly, then I have to stop this fan. I'll have to cover this body. So all our pains and pleasure are due to this material body. That we do not understand.
That is their business. Not that take advantage of Vṛndāvana and make some anyābhilāṣa, jñāna-karma. No. That means we are wasting time. You'll get the chance because you have come to Vṛndāvana. Vṛndāvana's so powerful. But if we commit offense and sinful activities, it will be delayed. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Don't waste time. Don't wait for another life. In this life, finish this business, to understand Kṛṣṇa, and go back home, back to Godhead." That is required. If one is businessman... Just like in business they want to execute business free, finish the business very quickly, similarly, because we see that such a devotee like Bhārata Mahārāja, because he was little attached to a calf, a deer calf... What is called?
Yes. So he had to take the life of a deer next life. Just see. Such a great devotee, but because he was a little attached... Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). So we should be very careful that even in Vṛndāvana, if we miss the point, if we are attached to something, then we have to accept another life, either as beast or tree. Of course, the chance will be given to become a tree and beast in Vṛndāvana. That is also profitable, because next life, he's going back to home, back to Godhead. But why should we waste another life in this way? So Kṛṣṇa-nāma rūpe-avatāra. So we should respect chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra with very care, carefulness, cautious so that we may not commit any offense. Then your business is successful. Nāmnad balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ. If somebody thinks that "I am living in Vṛndāvana. I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So if I do something sinful, what it will do...?" Eka nāma, kṛṣṇa-nāme yata pāpa kare, pāpi haya tata pāpa karite nāraya (?).
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Once missed, you do not know what is the loss. We do not know what is going to happen in our next life. But if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is guaranteed that you get another human form of life. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo sanjāyate (BG 6.41). Not only human form of life, you get in a very good family. That is assured in the Bhagavad-gītā.
So my Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Don't take the risk of waiting for another life. In this life." Because there is no certainty. So our propaganda, "Take to this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don't risk. Take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness." What is that Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). That's all. Always think of Kṛṣṇa. Is it very difficult job?
So if we accept... If we little understand this philosophy, that "There is another life, which is eternal, blissful life of knowledge," if we simply become serious to go to that life, then the Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the only method. But if we want to live in this rotten life of material existence, then we can continue. Yathecchasi tathā kuru (BG 18.63). Whatever you like, you can do. But if you have got little inclination, then there is process. Therefore in the previous verse we have read, sad-dharmasyāvabodhāya yeṣāṁ nirbandhinī matiḥ. Sad-dharma means eternal life. Dharma means occupational duty. Here we are engaged in temporary occupational duty. That this dull brain cannot understand. Now I have got Indian body or American body, I am engaged in American consciousness, but as soon as the body is changed, I get the dog's body, then dog's consciousness.
Festival Lectures
Even inanimate things are moving. Your motorcar moving, your machine is moving, but they are moving under the control of some animate object. But animate objects moving, some of the animate objects are standstill, just like trees, but ultimately they are also moving in this sense: that one species of life is being transmigrated to another species of life. Therefore it is called jagat. Jagat means moving. And Jagat-nātha, nātha means the proprietor, master, proprietor. So Jagannātha means the proprietor or the master of all these movements, He is Jagannātha. And Balabhadra, Balarāma, bala means strength and rāma means enjoyment. So Balarāma means who gives you spiritual strength for enjoying eternal blissful life, He is Balarāma. And Subhadrā, su means auspicious and bhadra means well-being. Subhadrā, Jagannātha and Balarāma combined together are present before you to reclaim you all from your miserable condition of life. That is the purport of this Ratha-yātrā Festival.
Oh, that is not choice. Just like if the foreigners, they apply for immigration, there is, the choice depends on the highest authority.
So similarly, this body is not śāśvatam. It is not my original body. This body is changing. I may have this body this time, I may have another body, another species of life; therefore it is not śāśvatam. But the Lord's body is śāśvatam. As it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, śāśvataṁ puruṣam, and He is enjoyer. So the same word is used here. Śāntaṁ śāśvatam aprameyam. Aprameyam means that cannot be measured. The Māyāvādīs, they cannot conceive how immeasurable, unlimited. Therefore as soon as they take it that God is unlimited, immeasurable, they take it for impersonal. They cannot conceive that God can assume any extensive form without any difficulty. Just like He appeared as Hiraṇya..., I mean to say, Varāhadeva. The Varāhadeva, He appeared in such a gigantic body that He could lift this whole planet by His tusk.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "You simply try to understand." Janma karma me divyam. Simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Then the result will be tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). No more material body. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We want to stop these nonsense habits of the people. No illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling. (old women talking in background) Oh, who is talking? Don't talk. (Hindi?) So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the only propaganda to save man from the pitfalls of another material life, miserable condition, but to take him to the blissful life, eternal life, back to home, back to Godhead. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9).
Initiation Lectures
Wherever you go. You may have a long duration of life, but you have to meet death. That is compulsory. And as soon as you meet death, you have to enter into the womb of a certain type of mother and develop another body and come out again and begin another life. This is going on. So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, ā-bhrama-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna. Even if you go to the highest planetary system, Brahmaloka, within this material world, that process will go on, repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease. Because this material body, wherever you get it, either you are American or Englishman or Indian or moon planet or sun planet or Brahmā planet, Brahmaloka planet, anywhere you go, you'll get a certain type of body, but that material body is subjected to these four principles: birth, death, disease, and old age.
General Lectures
Death means when this body cannot be carried any more, the consciousness has to be transferred to another new body. Just like when your garment is too old, it has to be changed; similarly, when this material body is too old to carry on, then this consciousness is transferred to another body and you begin another life. This is the process of nature.
But unfortunately, in the modern education system, there is no departmental education about this consciousness or spirit soul, although it is the most important factor. Without consciousness, without the soul's being present, this body is useless. But unfortunately we take care very much for this body, but we have no knowledge of the consciousness or the spirit soul. This is called illusion, ignorance, or māyā. We are very much serious about the nonpermanent things, the body which will not exist, which will be vanquished after certain period of years, but we do not take care of the eternal consciousness, which is changing from one body to another.
Finished. Toye janame punaḥ toye samat (?). In this way the life is going on. The living entity is traveling in many species of life, in many planets. But this human form of life is an opportunity to understand how I am transmigrating from one place to another, one life to another, and simply wasting my time without understanding what is my constitutional position, why I am so much in distress, miseries. These things are to be understood in this human form of life. But instead of understanding my real position, the process of life, we reject everything. Simply I am engaged with the gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ (SB 5.5.8). Gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ, home, society, money, position, everything is all right provided you can utilize it for elevating yourself from these material clutches. Otherwise, if you are simply engaged and captivated by these things, then I am spoiling my life.
That was circumstantial because we have to take into consideration of the situation of the country and the people. Where there is no other food, one must live. Then meat-eating is not bad in that case. Because survival is required. But when there are substitutes... Everyone is eating another life. That is the law of nature. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that sahastānām ahastāni. The animals, animal who has got hands, he eats the animal who has no hand. That means four-legged animals. Ahastāni sahastānām apadāni catuṣ-padām. And the animals or living entities who cannot move, they are foodstuff of the moving. That means the grass, plants, they are the foodstuff for the cows and other animals. Nūnaṁ mahatāṁ tatra. And the big animal eats the small animal.
And the big animal eats the small animal. Just like we see a big serpent is eating a small serpent, a big fish eating a small fish. So this is the law, that nūnaṁ mahatāṁ tatra jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. So one life is meant for maintaining another life. This is the law of nature. But Upaniṣad says that īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam: (ISO 1) everything belongs to the Lord. Just like in a hotel there are many kinds of foodstuff, but they all belong to the hotel keeper. And you can take only on your table what is offered to you. You cannot take anything, anything, whatever you like, no. That is illegal. Similarly, everything is food, that's all right. But you can take only what is allotted for you, that's all. So human being should take, as far as possible, vegetables. The teeth is made for eating vegetables. That is scientifically true. And if you take vegetables all along, then you will never be diseased.
Don't spoil time. That is our request. Don't spoil time like animals. They have no responsibility because there is gradation. After this life, they get another life. After this life, they get another life. From aquatics they are promoted to the plant life. From plant life they are promoted to the insect life. From insect life they are promoted to the birds' life. Gradual evolution. They are coming by nature's way. Nature is helping. And nature has helped you to come to this life, to civilized form of life, where you can have education, where you can have nice compartment, apartment, nice food, nice association, nice car, nice city. Because... What is the difference between this nice and, I mean to say, not nice? Because you have got nice intelligence. In this land of America, when the Europeans did not come here to colonize, the Red Indians were there.
Therefore, human life should be very much responsible. This life is the preparation for the next life. Next life we have always, but we do not know what kind of life we are getting next. That we should know. That is the business of human form of life, not to waste life like animals and evolve. By the laws of nature, we get another form of life. We are evolving by the evolutionary theory. It is not theory. Of course, Mr. Darwin has called it theory, but in the Padma Purāṇa, Vedic literature... This evolutionary process is very nicely explained in Vedic literature. Aśītiṁs caturaś caiva bhramadbhiḥ jīva-jātiṣu. These Sanskrit words are there in the Padma Purāṇa, that "A living entity is traveling or evolving from lower grades of life to the higher grades of life in 8,400,000 species of life." There are 900,000 species of life in the water. There are 2,000,000 species of life of plants and vegetables. Similarly, microbes, reptiles, there are 1,100,000 species of life. Then birds, 1,000,000 species of life.
There is possibility because māyā, illusory nature, is very, very strong. So we may become victim. So there is no... This question was raised by Arjuna, and it was replied by Kṛṣṇa. So there is no question of wrong. A person who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Everyone should try to finish this business. Why one should wait for another life? We have got this opportunity. Let us finish. And what is the difficulty to remain always thinking of Kṛṣṇa? Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6). And the process is very simple. That I already explained: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. So adopt this process. Then your... In this life you get Kṛṣṇa. But even if you are not successful, then a Kṛṣṇa conscious person is guaranteed next life human form of life, and that is also either in very rich family or... Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe (BG 6.41). Śucīnām means very pure family, and śrīmatāṁ means śrī-mat, fortunate, rich.
That is really business of the human being that "I am put into this material condition of life. I am changing from one kind of body to another. Who knows that I am not going to become a tree next life?" But there is another species of life like tree, like birds, like beasts. There is no guarantee. There is no scientific guarantee that "You are not going to be tree, you are again going to become American." No, there is no guarantee. But there is guarantee. Because the so-called scientists cannot make solution of this problem, they do not believe in next life. That is their defect of knowledge, lack of knowledge. They cannot make any solution. He wants to live permanently, but he cannot live by the laws of nature. Why does he not make a solution of this? But we can give the solution.
Because if you want to be Kṛṣṇa conscious—that is the whole teaching—you have to act according to the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. So vegetarian or not vegetarian, it is not a very important thing. Either you eat meat or vegetable, both of them have got life. That is the nature's way. Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. One life has to eat another life. That is nature's law. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness means he does not anymore eat anything which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We take prasādam. Whatever is offered to Kṛṣṇa, we take that. So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati tad aham aśnāmi (BG 9.26). So just like if you ask some guest at your home, you will ask him, "What you shall eat, sir? What can I offer you?" Similarly, when you invite Kṛṣṇa to your home or to your temple, you should prepare foodstuff according to Kṛṣṇa's instruction, not according to your whims.
There was no reality other than this body, and for everyone it was simply a very hopeless, distressful situation. But Prabhupāda personally, even at advanced age, he's coming simply to give this opportunity to the Westerners and to everyone throughout the world, that besides this material life, there is another, eternal life, and if you utilize your independence very carefully to transfer your attachment to this internal potency of devotional service and service to the Vaiṣṇavas and to Kṛṣṇa, then you can become free forever from the encumbrance of repeated birth and death and go back to home, back to Godhead. This is the great fortune that has come upon us in the form of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, in the form of association with the pure devotee, Śrīla Prabhupāda, and in the form of chanting the holy name. In so many ways we are being benedicted, and if we can simply remain fixed in the pure knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and we don't become illusioned by this material energy, thinking just like the animal that there's some happiness there...
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: That is a fact, but not that Mr. Darwin's foolish theory that he is going to be matter. He'll remain spirit but another species of life, another form of life. That another form of life will decide whether you are degraded or elevated.
Śyāmasundara: Darwin passed on his traits to his son, Charles Darwin, and his son's great contribution to the world was that the moon was moving away from the earth at the rate of five inches per year. So what good is that knowledge?
Prabhupāda: What kind..., in what way you give such an evolution? It may be ten inches or five inches or (indistinct). That conclusion anyone can give. Any rascal can say anything, and what is the contribution? Just like modern day art. You just make your brush like this and it becomes art. You see?
Prabhupāda: That is a fact, but not that Mr. Darwin's foolish theory that he is going to be matter. He'll remain spirit but another species of life, another form of life. That another form of life will decide whether you are degraded or elevated.
Śyāmasundara: Darwin passed on his traits to his son, Charles Darwin, and his son's great contribution to the world was that the moon was moving away from the earth at the rate of five inches per year. So what good is that knowledge?
Prabhupāda: What kind..., in what way you give such an evolution? It may be ten inches or five inches or (indistinct). That conclusion anyone can give. Any rascal can say anything, and what is the contribution? Just like modern day art. You just make your brush like this and it becomes art. You see?
Prabhupāda: Because the will is there, therefore death is not stoppage of life. He gets another life, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). So this proves that the life or the person who is willing, desiring, he is eternal, but he does not know what should be his eternal willing. That is his defect. So we are teaching this. His eternal willing is that he should always will to serve Kṛṣṇa. Then he will be happy.
Hayagrīva: As to the identity of life and death, he says, "The wisest of all philosophies, the Indian, expresses this by giving to the very God that symbolizes destruction, death, by giving, I say to Śiva, as an attribute not only the necklace of skulls but also the liṅgam, the symbol of generation, which appears here as the counterpart of death, thus signifying that generation and death are essentially correlatives which reciprocally neutralize and annul each other." So it's not death that is the solution.
Prabhupāda: Yes, the denial, both the... There are two kinds of sects: this Māyāvādī and the Vaiṣṇava. So both of them know that this material world is flickering, and sometimes they say it is false, unreal. So there is another life; that is spiritual world. So the Māyāvādī philosopher, their spiritual life means to merge into the Brahman effulgence, and the Vaiṣṇava philosopher to go back to Goloka Vṛndāvana, Vaikuṇṭha, where God is situated, and become His associate person. So both the ideas, spiritual ideas, that is attained after death. What does he say that is good about Hindus? He says that denial...
Hayagrīva: He sees it basically as a denial of the will.
Prabhupāda: No, that is..., he is not... That is the defect. He does not know perfectly anything, and he is philosophizing. That is the defect. Not only in him—I find these all mental speculators, that is the defect. Everything is possible, but our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is different from his imagination. Our philosophy is that so long one has the sex inclination, he will have to accept a material body. And as soon as he accepts a material body, he becomes implicated in so many miserable condition of material existence. But there is another life, which is not material, that is spiritual. If one is trained up to accept that spiritual life, there will be no more botheration of this material existence. That he does not know, neither he can understand. But there is such thing. That can be found in the Vedic civilization, not this meat-eating civilization. It is not possible.
Prabhupāda: So that is imagination of Augustine. But Jesus Christ does not say such qualitative killing. He says frankly, "Thou shalt not kill." When he says that, he means, "You should not kill." But when there is absolute necessity, just like he says that "One life is food for the another life..." Does he not say it like that?
Hayagrīva: He says, uh... (break) He says..., this is, this is Augustine writing. He said, "Some people try to stretch the prohibition 'Thou shalt not kill' to cover beasts and cattle and make it unlawful to kill any such animal, but then why not include plants and anything rooted in and feeding on the soil? After all, things like this, though devoid of feeling, are said to have life and therefore can die and so be killed by violent treatment."
| Page Title: | Another life (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 20 of Nov, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=89, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 89 |