Category:Teachings of Queen Kunti Chapter 15 - Beyond Birth and Death
Pages in category "Teachings of Queen Kunti Chapter 15 - Beyond Birth and Death"
The following 70 pages are in this category, out of 70 total.
A
- A child gives up his childhood body and accepts the body of a boy, and the boy gives up his boyhood body to accept a youthful body, which he then gives up for an old body
- A diseased man who is taking very bitter medicine and who is lying down in bed, eating there and passing stool and urine there, unable to move, may find his life so intolerable that he thinks, - Let me commit suicide
- After spring comes summer, and after summer comes fall and then winter, and then spring again. Similarly, after day comes night, and after night comes day
- Although the soul does not die, it accepts another body, and this is called bhava-roga, the material disease
- Another symptom of Kali-yuga is daksyam kutumba-bharanam (SB 12.2.6): one will be famous for his pious activities simply if he can maintain his family
B
- Because India is a tropical country and sandalwood is very cooling people in India use sandalwood pulp as a cosmetic
- Because we are part and parcel of Krsna, who is aja, beyond birth and death, we are also aja. How could we be otherwise
- Because we have been accustomed to accepting one body after another since time immemorial, it is difficult for us to think of a life that is eternal
G
- God does not die, so I also shall not die. That is my position. That is explained in Bhagavad-gita (2.20): na jayate mriyate va kadacit. Describing the soul, Krsna says that the soul is never born (na jayate), and if one is not born how can he die
- God, Krsna, is all-powerful, all-beautiful, all-knowledgeable, and complete in everything, and although I may not be complete, I am part and parcel of God, and therefore I have all the qualities of God to a partial extent
H
- He (Krsna) first appeared in the majestic four-armed form of Visnu, and then He became a small child on Devaki's lap. Therefore Krsna's birth is transcendental, whereas our irth takes place by force, by the laws of nature
- However, becoming zero is not possible, nor is it necessary. We are in trouble in our material condition, but when we get out of our material condition we can find real life, eternal life
I
- I did not know that maintaining a family was such a difficult job here. But this is described in the Bhagavatam: if one can maintain a family, he will be considered a very glorious man, and if a girl has a husband she will be considered very fortunate
- If by our karma, or activities, we are fit to take birth in a good family in human or demigod society, we shall do so, but if our activities are low like those of animals, we shall have to take birth in a family of animals. That is the force of karma
- If my father is happy and I am the son of my father, why should I be unhappy? I can naturally conclude that I shall enjoy my father's property just as my father is enjoying it
- If one does not accept this - if one thinks that there is no life after death - one is foolish
- If we can transcend this interruption, we can take part in loving affairs similar to those of Krsna and Radharani. Our aim should therefore be to go back home, back to Krsna, because since Krsna is eternal, we shall there receive an eternal body
- In India even the poorest man will take an early morning bath every day, but when I came to America I saw that even taking one's daily bath may be a difficult thing and is often not the practice
- In India it was the system, after bathing & sanctifying the body by applying marks of tilaka, one would offer obeisances to the Deity, take some candana-prasada from the room of the Deity, & apply it as a cosmetic to the body. This was called prasadhanam
- In India we are accustomed to see people bathe thrice in a day, but in New York I have seen that one may have to go to a friend's house to bathe because one may not have facilities to do so at home. These are symptoms of Kali-yuga
- In India, of course, the traditional family is the joint family, consisting of a man & his wife, their parents & children, their in-laws, & so on. But in Kali-yuga it will be difficult to maintain a simple family of oneself, one's wife, & a few children
- In the Western countries there is scented water known as eau de cologne. It can be manufactured anywhere, but because it was originally manufactured in the city of Cologne, it is known as eau de cologne
- It is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam that when Krsna first appeared, He did not take birth from the womb of Devaki
- It is natural to conclude that when one gives up one's old body, one will have to accept another body; again one will accept the body of a child
- It is not our business to criticize, but the symptoms of Kali-yuga are very severe, and they will grow more severe
- It is said that in Kali-yuga, the present age, snanam eva prasadhanam (SB 12.2.5): if one can even bathe nicely, that is prasadhana
K
- Karmana daiva-netrena jantor dehopapattaye (SB 3.31.1). We develop a certain type of body according to our karma
- Krsna appears in the dynasty of Maharaja Yadu, His great devotee, just to glorify Maharaja Yadu. Thus Krsna is still known as Yadava, the descendant of Maharaja Yadu
- Krsna comes as the son of Devaki to glorify His devotee Devaki. Krsna becomes the son of Yasoda to glorify Yasoda
- Krsna has no obligation to take His birth in a particular family or country, but He takes birth to glorify a certain person or a certain family because of their devotion. Therefore His birth is called divyam, transcendental
- Krsna is everywhere. The Lord is situated in everyone's heart (isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati (BG 18.61)). And since He is within us and is all-powerful, why should it be difficult for Him to appear before us
- Krsna is not under the laws of nature; the laws of nature work under Him (mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram (BG 9.10)). Prakrti, nature, works under the order of Krsna, and we work under the order of nature
- Krsna is the master of nature, and we are servants of nature. Therefore Kuntidevi says, kecid ahuh: "Someone may say that the unborn has taken birth." It may appear that He has taken birth just like us, but in fact He has not
- Krsna is unborn, and we are also unborn, but the difference is that unlike the Lord we have been entangled in a material body
- Krsna says, janma karma ca me divyam: (BG 4.9) "One must understand My transcendental birth and activities." Kuntidevi has this understanding. She knows that although to some fools Krsna appears to take birth, in fact He is unborn
- Kunti offered this prayer five thousand years ago, and this indicates that sandalwood was growing five thousand years ago in Malaysia
- Kunti says, kecid ahur ajam jatam: the supreme eternal, the supreme unborn, has now taken His birth. But although Krsna takes birth, His birth is not like ours. That we should know
- Kuntidevi distinctly says, kecid ahuh: "some foolish persons may say that He has taken birth." Krsna Himself also says in BG (9.11), - Because I have appeared just like a human being, those who are rascals think that I am also just like an ordinary human
M
P
S
- Sandalwood can grow anywhere, but because it was originally very prominent in Malaysia and the Malaya Hills, it is known as Malayan sandalwood
- Since Krsna is the supreme living entity (nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13)), we are exactly like Krsna, the difference being that Krsna is vibhu, unlimited, whereas we are anu, limited
- Snanam eva prasadhanam. In the Kali-yuga it will be very difficult even to take a bath
T
- The appearance of Lord Krsna is compared to the growth of sandalwood trees in the Malaya Hills (malayasyeva candanam) - SB 1.8.32
- The beginning of love is present in the eternal love between Radha and Krsna. We are also seeking eternal love, but because we are conditioned by the material laws, our love is interrupted
- The best course, therefore, is to complete our KC and return home, back to Godhead. That will save us. Otherwise, if we come back again for another life in Kali-yuga, we shall find difficult days ahead, and we shall have to suffer more and more
- The candana tree, or sandalwood tree, can grow anywhere - there is no rule that it has to grow in Malaysia or the Malaya Hills - but because this sandalwood grows in large quantities in those parts of the world, it is known as malaya-candana
- The duration of Kali-yuga is 432,000 years, and although only 5,000 years of it have passed, already we find so many difficulties, and the more we grow into this Kali-yuga, the more the times will be difficult
- The human form of life is meant for understanding the Supreme, the Absolute Truth (athato brahma jijnasa). But if we do not endeavor for this, if we misuse this opportunity and simply remain like animals, we shall return to an animal form of life
- The Krsna consciousness movement is trying to save people from going down to animal life
- The life of material existence is so troublesome that one may think that if there is an eternal life, that life must be troublesome also
- The Lord is not obliged to take birth, but we are obliged to do so. That is the distinction between our birth and the birth of Krsna
- The soul is eternal, everlasting, and primeval (nityah sasvato 'yam purano). The soul does not die with the annihilation of the body (na hanyate hanyamane sarire) - BG 2.20
- The word daksyam, meaning "famous for pious activities," comes from daksa, which means "expert." In Kali-yuga one will be considered expert if he can maintain a family consisting of himself, his wife, and one or two children
- There are two Malayas - the Malaya Hills and the part of the world now known as Malaysia
- There is life after death, and there is also the chance to free oneself from the cycle of repeated birth and death and attain a life of immortality
- There is no question of death (mriyate va). Death is for one who has taken birth, and if one has no birth he can also have no death
- This conclusion (body changes like the seasonal changes) is very logical, it is supported by the sastra, the Vedic literature, and it is also affirmed by the greatest authority, Krsna Himself. Therefore why should we not accept it
- This is a natural cycle (changing body one after another) of this material world. It is similar to changes of season
W
- Was it very difficult for Krsna to appear in this way? Of course not. Similarly it was not difficult for Him to appear before Devaki in the same four-handed form
- We cannot keep our position as unborn, but have to take birth and transmigrate from one body to another, with no guarantee of what kind of body we shall receive next. Even in this life, we are obliged to accept one body after another
- When I was living in New York, among the people coming to our classes was an old lady who had a grown son. I asked her, "Why doesn't your son get married?" She replied, "Yes, he can marry when he can maintain a family
- When the great devotee Dhruva Maharaja was engaged in meditation on the four-handed form of Visnu, all of a sudden his meditation broke, and he immediately saw before him the same form upon which he had been meditating
- Why should Krsna perform the pastime of taking birth? Kuntidevi replies, punya-slokasya kirtaye: (SB 1.8.32) to glorify those who are very pious and very much advanced in spiritual understanding