So this problem is... Arjuna is facing now this problem. That is general problem. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu. Dehāpatya. Deha means this body. Apatya means children. Kalatra means wife. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api (SB 2.1.4). We are thinking that "We shall be protected by my these soldiers. I have got my sons, grandsons, my grandfather, my father-in-law, my brother-in-law, my so many society, friendship and love." Everyone is thinking like that. "My nation, my community, my philosophy, my politics. No. Nothing can save you. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu asatsu api. They are all temporary. They come and go. Asatsu api. Pramatto tasya nidhanaṁ paśyann api na paśyati. One who is too much attached to this society, friendship and love, he is pramatta. Pramatta means crazy, madman. Paśyann api na, tasya nidhanam. He does not see. Although he is seeing that "My father has died. When I was a child, my father was giving me protection. Now my father has gone away. Who is giving me protection? Is my father alive to give me protection? Who is giving me protection? My mother was giving me protection. Now who is giving me protection? I was in family, my sons, my daughters, my wife, but I left them. Now who is giving me protection?" And actually Kṛṣṇa gives you protection always. Not your society, friendship and love. They will be finished. As your father is finished, as your grandfather is finished, similarly, your sons, grandsons, will be finished. None of them will be able to give you protection. Only Kṛṣṇa will be giving you protection. Therefore you surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣa... (BG 18.66). "I shall give you protection." Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati: (BG 9.31) "My devotee is never vanquished." So the best thing is to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, fully surrender unto Him, and you will be protected. Otherwise, there is no other way of being protected. We'll be carried away by the waves of māyā. This is the position.
Deha means
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Here Kṛṣṇa says that dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Dehī, deha. Deha means this body, and dehī means the owner of the body. There is the owner of the body. Now, modern scientists, modern philosophers, hardly they do know that there is a proprietor, owner of this body. This body is not the person. The person is within. Asmin dehe. Within this body, there is the proprietor of the body, soul. Asmin dehe. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Now kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā. The changes that are taking place, it is not of the owner of the body, but it is of the outward, external body. Just like if you live in a house. The house becoming older, it does not become, does not mean you are becoming older. The owner of the house does not become deteriorated. It is a crude example. Similarly, the changes, difference, the different types of body, the soul is migrating, transmigrating through different types of body.
How plainly, how easily explained that kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā. There are three stages, kaumāram. Up to fifteenth year, it is called kaumāra. And then from sixteenth year, it begins youthful life up to fortieth year. Then after forty, one becomes jarā, old man. Primarily old man and later on. Say, forty to fifty, primarily old man, and after fifty, he is old man. Therefore it is advised pañcāś ordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. Pañcāś means fifty. Ūrdhvam, fifty-one. And rest of the days, maybe one hundred years, but that is not possible nowadays. Maybe seventy, eighty, utmost. Somebody lives ninety, ninety-five. Hundred years, although the limit, nowadays nobody lives. So those who are dhīra, gentlemen, sober-headed, cool-headed, they can understand that "I have changed my body. When I was a boy, up to fifteenth year, I remember how I was playing, how I was jumping. Then I became young man. How I was enjoying my life with friends and families. Now I am old man." "I am" means my body. Dehinaḥ. Dehi and dehinaḥ. Dehi means the proprietor of the body, owner of the body, and deha means the body.
So Kṛṣṇa further says in this connection, antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ (BG 2.18). This body... Deha means body. Antavat, it is by this material body, that is eternal. So that consciousness, or the rays of the soul, is described here. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. "This consciousness of the soul is never born, neither it is ever dead." Nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ. The soul and the consciousness has no past, present, or future. It is eternal. Aja. Aja means who does not take birth. Ajo nitya, eternal; śāśvata, ever-existing; ayaṁ purāṇa, the oldest. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). When the body is annihilated, the soul and consciousness is not annihilated. Just like when we sleep, our consciousness works in a different body, subtle body: mind, intelligence and ego. That we have got experience every night. We sleep on our bed, but my consciousness goes to other country or other place, and work in a different way. Again, when at the end of the dream we come back to this body, gross body. So death mean s when the consciousness does not come back again to this gross body and enters another gross body. This period is called death.
Spiritual atom... Just like from the spiritual body, you have developed this material body, similarly, from the spiritual atom, you can develop your spiritual body. Tyaktvā deham. Tyaktvā deham means that giving up this material body, he develops his spiritual body and then goes to the kingdom of God, or Kṛṣṇa. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). So when he goes to Kṛṣṇa, he goes in spiritual body. So there is potency of every living being. Just like he has got the potency of developing this material body, similarly, he has got the potency of developing spiritual body. Is it any difficulty to understand?
It is very nice verse. He says, "My dear boys, this human form of life..." Na ayaṁ deha. Ayaṁ deha means "this body." Na ayaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke. Everyone has got body. The cats, dogs, hogs, and birds, beasts, man, human being demigod—everyone has got this body, material body. But he's especially advising nṛdeha. Nṛ means human form of life. He says that this human form of life is not meant for working hard for sense pleasure just like the hogs and dogs. Human life. Then what it is meant for? He says, tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1). One should undergo penance for transcendental realization. And what will be the result of such penance? He says that yataḥ śuddhyet sattvam. Your existence will be purified. And when your existence is purified, then you enjoy brahma-saukhyam, the unlimited spiritual happiness.
In the Second Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa has begun the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā from this point, that "I am not this body." This is the beginning of spiritual knowledge. So long we are entrapped with the bodily concept of life, there is no question of spiritual life. That is the beginning. What is that? Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). The soul, the spirit soul, dehī, one who possesses the deha, body... Just like gṛhī. Gṛhī means one who remains in a home. He is called gṛhī, gṛhastha. Gṛhastha. Gṛha, the room or the apartment, and stha, who is staying there with husband, wife, children—he is called gṛhastha. But the gṛhī is not the person who is staying within the gṛha. He is different from the gṛha. Similarly, dehī and deha. Deha means this body, and dehī means who lives within the body. That is first of all explained. Dehinaḥ asmin dehe: "In this body there is the resident of the body." That is soul. That is the beginning of spiritual knowledge. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13).
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Deha and apatya. Deha means this body, and apatya means children. Dehāpatya-kalatra. Kalatra means wife. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu ātma-sainyeṣu (SB 2.1.4). Just like when a king fights, he has got some soldiers, similarly, our life in this material world is simply fighting. There is always some danger. Just like Kuntī says, vipadaḥ santu śaśvat tāḥ. It is simply full of dangers. So when there is danger, we have to fight. That is material life. That is called struggle for existence. So how we are fighting? Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣu (SB 2.1.4). This is our soldier. "I have got a good body, strong body, and I have got my children, my grown-up boys. I have got very good wife." Ādi. This is the ādi. This is the beginning of thinking, "I have got..." Kiñcana. This is kiñcana, "I have got something." Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu. They are considered as ātma-sainya: "They are my soldiers. Whenever I am sick, they will help me. If I go out, then who will help me? If I leave my home, then if I fall sick, who will take care of me? No, no. I am not going out of home." Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣu. That is my soldier. We are fighting with the soldier, accompanied by soldier.
Dehāpatya. Deha means this body, and apatya means change of. Dehāpatya-kalatra. Kalatra means wife. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu ātma-sainyeṣu. Just like a nation feels himself well-protected when the nation has got good defense measure, similarly, an ordinary man, he thinks that "If I have got strong built body and very faithful wife and nice children," dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu, "and after this," means, "some good bank balance, some landed property, security, these things," one person accepts, "they will give me protection. Yes. They will give. I am now well-protected. I have got nice children. I have got nice wife. I have got good bank balance. I have got so many properties. So why shall I go to Kṛṣṇa conscious? I am well-protected. These boys and girls, they have no bank balance. They have no home. Therefore they should go." But they are blind. How they are blind? They are thinking that these things will give him protection. Pramatta. Pramatta means crazy. (laughter) Crazy. By craziness he is thinking that "These things will give me protection." No. Teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanaṁ paśyann api na paśyati. Because he is crazy, he does not see to the destruction of these things although he is seeing others, that they are being destroyed every moment. "My father has died. Naturally I shall die. Naturally my sons also will die. So why I am so much anxious of protecting this family? Everyone will die." Paśyann api na paśyati. They see, but still do not see.
How he's happy? Now deha. Deha means this body. He thinks, "I have got this strong body, very stout and strong body; by exercising, by yogic practice, I have become very strong." So what is that strength? Will you not die? "Yes, I'll die, but after few years." So he is very much fond of his deha, śarīra, deha. And apatya... (aside:) Why don't you...? It is working or not? Why this big humbug? (laughter) If it is not working...
Deha means body, and apatya means children. Apatya. So those who are family men... Those who are not family men, their question is different. They are not even human beings. Ordinarily, the Vedic process is that first of all you try to remain without family, alone. Be independent, no cares, no anxieties. You can lie down here, or whatever you can eat, that's all. But be spiritually advanced. That is called brahmacārī life. Brahmacārī means... Brahma means Absolute Truth. And cārī means who is, whose business is only with Brahman, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, with spiritual advancement of life. That is called brahmacārī. And he has no interest with anything material. He's, at least, educated in that way, that "Actually, you have no interest with these material things. You are, you should be interested only for your spiritual advancement. This is the opportunity."
Dehāpatya. Apatya means children, family, and deha means this body. Deha apatya. Kalatra, kalatra means wife. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu ātma-sainyeṣu. He is struggling for existence and thinking that "My wife, my children, my relative, my friend, my countrymen—they are my soldiers. They will give me protection whenever I am in danger." Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu ātma-sainyeṣu asatsu api. But he knows also that they will not stay. Asatsu api. But still, they are depending on them. So teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanaṁ paśyann api na paśyati. This is our position.
A sannyāsī may live alone in forest or in Himalaya or in a secluded place in Vṛndāvana or somewhere, but a gṛhastha, he has to deal with ordinary persons, so many others, businessmen or ordinary people. So that is stated here, that a gṛhastha-mahātmā, his first symptom is that he has no other business than to please Kṛṣṇa. That is his first business. And so far dealing with others, that is janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu na prīti-yuktā yāvad-arthāś ca loke. Very nice. What does he say? That people who are simply interested in maintaining this body and sense gratification, dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. Deha means this body, and bhara means maintaining, and vārtika means occupation.
Those who are color expert, they can display many thousands of colors. So similarly, in the nature's way there are different colors or different guṇas, and every one of us, we have got a particular type of guṇa with different desires, different plans, different so many things. Now, in the human form of life, you have got the chance to discriminate yourself or separate yourself from these colorful different species of life. That is the main duty of human form of life. Labdhvā sudurlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte (SB 11.9.29). We do not know, we have forgotten that how many species of life we have come through, transmigrating from one after another. Therefore this human form of life is called labdhvā sudurlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte. After many, many births... We should not misuse it. Very responsible life. If you are misled, that is a dangerous civilization. That is going on. Dehātma-buddhi. As our chief guest Mr. Naidu(?) said, that deha means śarīra, mind, and then spirit.
There are two classes of persons. One is interested for developing material standard of life, and one is interested for spiritual development of life. So a householder, he can also become a mahātmā, provided he has got this tendency that he wants to develop his spiritual life. Then he is mahātmā. And not interested to increase economic development, or persons who are too much attached for enjoyment. Ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. Dehambhara-vārtikeṣu means persons here in the ordinary men, they are simply interested how to satisfy the bodily needs. That's all. They are called dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. The materialistic civilization means how to keep this body very comfortably. Not only in this life. From their thinking also they accept works of piety, just like charity, religion. How? So next life they may be elevated to the heavenly planets and they can enjoy very long duration of life, association of very beautiful girls, and drink so many beverages. Their only aim is like that, how to provide this material body with all comforts. They are called dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. Deha means this body, and bhara, just to maintain this body.
Two things are there. Similarly, for all our activities, which we are doing, there are witnesses. The sun is witness, the moon is witness, the day is witness, the air is witness and, above all witnesses, God Himself as the Supersoul, He's sitting in everyone's heart. He's also witness. So we cannot hide any activity from the eyes of God. So according to our work... Therefore in the śāstra it is said, daiva-netreṇa. Daiva means God, and netra, netreṇa means under supervision. So karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapattaye (SB 3.31.1). Jantu. Jantu means living entities. Deha means this body; upapattaye, "for manufacturing." Now we have got this human body. Next life it may not be human body—something else, better or lower. That will be decided by the superior examination. Daiva-netreṇa.
Just like you are driving one car. But if you think that "I'm the car..." The car is dead. The car is moving because you are alive. Similarly, this dead body, this body is dead, already dead from the very beginning, but it is moving on account of the soul. This is knowledge. It is dead from the very beginning. Therefore in the śāstra it is said that... What is that? I am just now forgetting. Oh, aprāṇasya hi dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam. Aprāṇasya hi dehasya. Deha, deha means this body. So either it is dead or alive, it has no life. Aprāṇasya hi dehasya. Deha, he is not alive. It is always dead. Simply we understand, because we are foolish rascals, we understand that this body is dead when the soul is away. The body is always dead. So bhagavad-bhakti-vihīnasya jatiḥ japas tapaḥ kriyaḥ. If one is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, bhāgavata-bhakti-vihīnasya, then his big nationality, jatiḥ, his achievement, japas tapaḥ, his activities, everything bhagavad-bhakti-vihīnasya jatiḥ japas tapaḥ kriyaḥ, all these things are like decoration of the dead body.
Deha means this body. Apatya means children. Dehāpatya. Kalatra means wife. Dehāpatya kalatrādiṣu ātm-asainyeṣu. Here is struggle for existence, and you're thinking that "This my strong body and my nice children and my wife, they are my soldiers. Therefore I am saved." Everyone is thinking like that. "Now I am in a good family. I've got my family members very nice. I've got this strong body. Oh, what do I care, God is dead?" That's all.
So dehavān we have explained several times. Deha means the body, and vān means one who possesses. Asty arthe vatup. This vat-pratyāya is affixed when there is the meaning of possessing. Therefore Bhagavān. Bhāga means opulence, and vān means one who possesses. That is Bhagavān. So same thing, in the same process: dehavān. So dehavān, every one of us, dehavān. The dog is also dehavān; he has got body. I am also dehavān, every one of us.
First of all, try to understand Kṛṣṇa from the very beginning. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). What is Kṛṣṇa? Vāsudeve, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. So what is Vāsudeva? Janmādy asya yato. Here is the original source of everything. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). First of all, try to understand Kṛṣṇa. So therefore Vyāsadeva has dedicated full nine cantos for understanding Kṛṣṇa. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). (break)...siddhis, they think of gopīs. That is recommended in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, siddha-deha. Where is siddha? And siddha-deha means there is no more any material lusty desires. That is siddha-deha. Yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne. So long we shall think of nārī-saṅga, association, unity with woman, we must consider this is material body. Not siddha body. Siddha body means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). All material desires, zero. That is siddha body. So therefore it is very confidential. But to clear it, that "How Kṛṣṇa accepted to dance with so many gopīs," this was for clearance.
Just like gunī. Guṇa means gua, and you add in, then guṇin. Similarly, deha, and you add in, then dehin. The real meaning is, deha means this body and dehī means the possessor of the body. So actually in the modern age, the so-called civilization, they do not understand what is deha and dehī. They think this deha is everything, the body is everything. But that is not the fact. So dehī, the possessor of the body. So there are so many different types of body. But it is possessed, each and every deha, or body, is possessed by the dehī. So dehī, in a particular possession of deha. Dehī means the spirit soul. When he is within the encagement of a particular body, then his standard of happiness and distress is particular. Just like the hog, he's in a particular type of body, and a human being is in a particular type of body. Deha-yogena dehinām. This dehī, the spirit soul, he's encaged in a particular type of body. Therefore the happiness of the hog is different from the happiness of a man because he has got a particular type of body.
Dehināṁ: "For the entities who have accepted this material body..." He is speaking universally. Not for himself or for his father, but he was speaking generally for everybody. Everybody. Anyone. Dehināṁ. Dehi means this body. We are different from this body. We have several times discussed this point. So in Sanskrit word there are two implications in the understanding of our existence. One is deha. Deha means this body. And dehi means the proprietor of this body. I am the proprietor of my body, you are the proprietor of your body. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "For all the proprietors of the body"—that means for everyone who has accepted this material body, all living entities—"that is the best thing." What is that? Sadā samudvigna-dhiyṁ. And anyone who has accepted this material body, his symptom is that he is full of anxieties. This is the disease. To get this body, material body, means to remain always full of anxieties.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu concludes, therefore, that cid-ānanda-teṅho, tāṅra sthāna, parivāra. Therefore anything of Kṛṣṇa, or anything of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is spiritual. Spiritual. Deha. Deha means body. His body is spiritual, His abode is spiritual, and His paraphernalia, parivāra, His friends, His mother, His father, His beloved—everything spiritual. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37). He's expansion of all spiritual. Tāṅre kahe-prākṛta-sattvera vikāra. And Śaṅkarācārya says that "The Absolute is imperson, but when He comes, appears, He assumes a form which is in the modes of goodness." He does not say, of course, in the modes of ignorance. Modes of goodness. No. When Kṛṣṇa comes, He has nothing to do with modes of goodness even. What is this goodness here in this material world? This is also matter. So there is no value, even goodness. One has to transcend the modes of goodness. That is transcendental, or aprakṛta.
Just like this hand, It is called part, and I am, as whole body, I am the whole. So we can understand part and whole. So therefore He is whole, and everything is His part. He is the aṁśī; He is the whole. Sarva-aṁśī. Kiśora-śekhara. This very word, kiśora-śekhara, "the supreme boy." The supreme boy. His feature is just like a fresh boy, but the supreme. Kiśora-śekhara cid-ānanda-deha, spiritual body. Just mark this description of Kṛṣṇa: cid-ānanda-deha. Cid-ānanda-deha means transcendental, spiritual body, not this body. Because the less intelligent persons, they cannot think of personal God... Because they think that whenever there is question of personality, it is material body. They cannot find out the shape of the spirit soul. It is so small that from material eyes, by material instrument, you cannot find out the shape of the soul. Therefore they conclude that there is no shape. The same example: just geometrically, the definition of point is given, "point has no length, no breadth," because a point cannot be measured by any human instrument. But nothing can be without... Even the atom has got its measure. But because we have no power to measure, we set aside, dismiss: "Oh, there is no, nothing." So similarly, "Because we do not know what is spirit, and we think spirit is something just opposite to this matter, and matter we find manifestation, form, therefore spirit should be formless." That is their conclusion.
Festival Lectures
Just like the soul is passing through different stages. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Deha, deha means this body. Asmin dehe, in this body, there is dehi. Dehi means who is the owner of this body. That is soul. That is passing through childhood, boyhood, babyhood, youthhood, old age. Everyone, you can perceive that you were a child, you were a baby, you were a boy. Now you are young man or old man. So you are there. So as you are passing through different types of bodies, similarly, when you give up this body you accept another body. What is the difficulty? Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). There is no question of becoming astonished, how transmigration of the self, soul, takes place. The vivid example is there. Simply you require little intelligence. That intelligence is developed through the instruction of ācārya. Therefore, Vedic injunction is not to acquire knowledge by speculation. That is useless.
General Lectures
And long, long years ago He appeared on this earth, and He was father of the King Bhārata, under whose name this planet is called Bhārata-varsa. He had one hundred sons, and out of them, Bhārata was the eldest. He was very intelligent. So the father entrusted the kingdom to the eldest son, Bhārata Mahārāja, and before retirement He was speaking to His sons a spiritual instruction which is recorded in this Bhāgavata. And He said,
- nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke
- kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye
- tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ
- śuddhyed yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam
- (SB 5.5.1)
He is advising, "My dear sons, this life..." "This life" means this human form of life. Ayam deha. Ayam means "this," and deha means "body." Na means "not." Na ayam deha: "This body is not meant." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke. Deha-bhājām: "those who have taken or accepted this material body, amongst them." Now, this is a very significant word, those who have accepted this material body, deha-bhājām. And according to Vedic literature, we understand that this material world is only one-fourth manifestation of the complete creation of God.
So the soul is eternal and the body is changing. That is explained in this Bhagavad-gītā. Most of you are well known to this book, Bhagavad-gītā. It is widely read book all over the world. So the first instruction given in the Bhagavad-gītā is this:
- dehino 'smin yathā dehe
- kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
- tathā dehāntara-prāptir
- dhīras tatra na muhyati
- (BG 2.13)
These two lines of Bhagavad-gītā, that how the soul is transmigrating from one body to another, if we simply study these two lines, then our life becomes different. But nobody cares to understand that the soul is eternal. It is changing, transmigrating from one type of body to another body. And there are 8,400,000 species or types of body, and we have been entrapped in this cycle of birth, death, old age and disease. This is our real problem. But in the university or any educational institution there is no department of knowledge to find out what is that thing which is entrapped within this body. We get this information from Bhagavad-gītā: dehinaḥ asmin dehe. Deha means this body, and dehinaḥ, the possessor of the body. Just like your shirt and coat. You are the possessor of the shirt and coat. The shirt and coat is not you. You are different from the shirt and coat. Similarly, we have got our two kinds of body: the gross body and the subtle body.
So here it is hinted that this consciousness is spread all over the body. That is eternal. The body is not eternal. As soon as the consciousness is gone, the body is dead. Therefore we should take care of the thing which is consciousness. That is the soul. On account of presence of the soul, there is consciousness. So Kṛṣṇa further says in this connection, antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ (BG 2.18). This body—deha means body—antavat, it is perishable. Nityasya uktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ. But the thing which is covered by this material body, that is eternal. So that consciousness of the rays of the soul is described here: na jāyate mriyate vā kadācit. This consciousness, or the soul, is never born, neither it is ever dead. Nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ. The soul and the consciousness has no past, present or future. It is eternal. Ajo. Ajaḥ means who does not take birth. Ajo nitya, eternal. Śāśvataḥ, ever-existing. Ayaṁ purāṇa, the oldest. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). When the body is annihilated, the soul and consciousness is not annihilated.
So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, giving the first instruction to Arjuna, dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptir (BG 2.13). The Brahman, the spirit soul, the part and parcel of Parabrahman, is dehi. Asmin dehe. In this body he is the proprietor of the body. Dehi and deha. Deha means this body, and dehi means the proprietor of the body. So that dehi, or the proprietor of the body, is Brahman. Brahma-jijñāsā. If we are inquisitive to know about Brahman, first of all we must know that I or you, any spirit soul, is Brahman, and he's within this body. We are not the... Other words, we are not this body; we are within this body. This is brahma-jñāna. In another place also, the same thing has been affirmed in Bhagavad-gītā. Kṣetra kṣetrajñaḥ. Arjuna inquired from Kṛṣṇa, "What is kṣetra and what is kṣetrajña?" That answer is given in the Thirteenth Chapter: idaṁ śarīraṁ kṣetram ity abidhīyate.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Divā cārthehayā rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā (SB 2.1.3). Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api, teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanaṁ paśyann api na paśyati (SB 2.1.4). Dehāpatya. Deha means body. Apatya means children. Dehāpatya-kalatra. Kalatra means wife. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣu. He thinks: "They are my soldiers. I'll fight with nature, struggle for existence. And they'll save me." Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api. Although he knows that they'll not exist, still he's so mad, teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanam, he knows I'll not exist, the soldiers will not be able to help me. paśyann api na paśyati, he sees and still he does not see. Paśyann api na paśyati. He knows by practical experience that "This society, friendship, love, nation, nobody can save me." But still he thinks that "They'll save me." Just like when you, in the aeroplane, there may be thousands of aeroplanes, others, but when your aeroplane is in danger, nobody can save you. You have to save yourself, Otherwise, you go to hell. Similarly, we have to save ourself individually by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. What this material advancement will save me? Will the material advancement of knowledge can save anyone from death? Is it possible? Real problem, duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam, real problem is birth, death, old age and disease.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: We... Our work is on that platform, dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanam jara tatha dehāntaram (BG 2.13), dehina, not the deha, dehi. We are not working on deha. Deha means body. And dehi means the owner of the body. So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is about the activities of the owner of the body, not the body. But the whole world is going on on acting on the body. That is the difference. Therefore it takes very, very, long time to understand. Those who are thinking, "I am this body..." One who knows that "I am not this body; I am soul, spirit soul," then his spiritual education... They do not know what is spiritual education. What do they mean generally, spiritual education?
Satsvarūpa: Some religion, knowledge about one of the religions or nowadays meditation, like that.
Prabhupāda: Meditation? What is the ultimate goal? That means no perfect knowledge. The so-called meditation is very popular, but what meditation? What is subject matter of meditation? You can close. It is closed?
Satsvarūpa: Close the blinds? There's a draft coming in, but the windows are closed.
Prabhupāda: Not closed. Yes, now it is closed. Just make it point three. It is on two. That's it. (long pause)
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: That is very simple. Spiritual understanding, that is, I was speaking... This is beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. Spiritual understanding is that I am not this body. (to devotee) You move it this way. This is spiritual understanding. So long I am under this bodily concept of life, that "I am this body," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Christian," "I am white," "I am black" and so on, so on, these are all bodily concept of life. So long we keep ourself on this platform, then we are on the material platform. When we understand that "I am not this body..." That is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Deha means this body, and dehī means the owner of the body. So unless we distinguish the owner of the body and the body, there is no spiritual knowledge. So long we identify with this body, that is material knowledge. And when we understand that "I am not this body, I am a spirit soul, I have been entrapped by this body," that is spiritual knowledge.
Prabhupāda: (Hindi) Śarīraṁ vyādhi-mandiram. It is a temple of disease. The temple of di..., temple of miseries. Not only disease, there are so many other things. Huh? Mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14), simply giving trouble. Śarīra-bandha, asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). Deha, deha means kleśada, kleśada troublesome. They do not know this science. And they do not know how to get out of this body, there is no science. This is the only science Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They do not know this science, they do not know what is the real position, how troubles come, how we are suffering. Nothing of the sort. And our Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement is simply dealing with this, how to get out of this entanglement of the body. That is the only problem. And the materialistic person, they do not think it as a problem. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). We are dealing with the real problems, and others they do not know what is the problems, what to speak of dealing with them. Completely in ignorance, how the body is changing, why there are different forms of life, wherefrom they are coming. They do not deal with these things.
| Page Title: | Deha means |
| Compiler: | Rishab, Serene |
| Created: | 16 of Feb, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=29, Con=6, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 35 |