Divine life

Expressions researched:
"divine life"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 2.72, Purport:

One can attain Kṛṣṇa consciousness or divine life at once, within a second—or one may not attain such a state of life even after millions of births. It is only a matter of understanding and accepting the fact. Khaṭvāṅga Mahārāja attained this state of life just a few minutes before his death, by surrendering unto Kṛṣṇa. Nirvāṇa means ending the process of materialistic life. According to Buddhist philosophy, there is only void after the completion of this material life, but 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 this materialistic way of life, but for persons who are spiritually advanced, there is another life after this materialistic life. Before ending this life, if one fortunately becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, 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.

SB Canto 5

SB 5.5.1, Purport:

Human life means voluntarily practicing suffering for the advancement of spiritual life. There is, of course, suffering in the lives of animals and plants, which are suffering due to their past misdeeds. However, human beings should voluntarily accept suffering in the form of austerities and penances in order to attain the divine life. After attaining the divine life, one can enjoy happiness eternally. After all, every living entity is trying to enjoy happiness, but as long as one is encaged in the material body, he has to suffer different kinds of misery. A higher sense is present in the human form. We should act according to superior advice in order to attain eternal happiness and go back to Godhead.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.62-72 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: 72: "That is the way of the spiritual and godly life, after attaining which a man is not bewildered. Being so situated, even at the hour of death, one can enter into the kingdom of God." Purport: "One can attain Kṛṣṇa consciousness or divine life at once, within a second, or one may not attain such a state of life even after millions of births."

Prabhupāda: Several times there were questions that "How long it will take to become Kṛṣṇa conscious?" I have also answered, that in a second it can be done. The same thing is being explained. Go on.

Lecture on BG 6.35-45 -- Los Angeles, February 20, 1969:

So if you have trained up your consciousness to the yogic principle, then you get a body, similar body. You get good chance, you get good parents, good family where you'll be allowed to practice this system and automatically you'll get chance again to revive your same consciousness in which you left your previous body. That is explained here. By virtue of divine consciousness. Therefore our present duty is how to make the consciousness divine. That should be our business. If you want divine life, if you want spiritual elevation back to Godhead, back to home, that means eternal life, blissful life full of knowledge, then we have to train ourselves in divine consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That you can very easily do by association. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. If you keep divine association, then your consciousness is made divine. And if you keep hellish association, demonic association, then your consciousness is trained up in that way.

So we have to train our consciousness divine. That is the duty of human form of life. If we make our consciousness divine, then we are preparing for next divine life. As there are different grades of life, so human form of life is a chance to make your next life completely divine. Completely divine means eternal, blissful and full of knowledge. So automatically by divine consciousness you try to contact the persons who are developing divine consciousness.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:

Those who are fighting for their sense gratification, they're asuras, but if need be fighting for, for cause, right cause... Of course, everyone thinks right cause; therefore it should be confirmed. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna fought when he understood that "This fighting is right cause, it is sanctioned by Kṛṣṇa." Then it is right cause. You cannot make your right cause. You can not formulate that "This is right cause." That is mental concoction. You must get it sanctioned. That is a principle of daivī life, divine life.

Divine life means, as it is stated in the Bhāgavata, that ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭha. In Naimiṣāraṇya, all the big brāhmaṇas were addressed by Suta Gosvāmī, and he said that "My dear all the great brāhmaṇas, you are present here," ataḥ puṁsāṁ dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. There are different duties of the varṇa and āśrama. A brāhmaṇa has got his duty, a kṣatriya has got his duty. Now, a kṣatriya's duty is fighting.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Boston, May 4, 1968:

Guest (4): It's one of these big ideas, that all life is divine, and therefore we should have divine compassion for all forms of life.

Prabhupāda: First of all you know what is divine life, then you will have...

Guest (4): Oh. But when we find out...

Prabhupāda: If you do not know what is divine life, then how you can distribute divine life to everyone? First of all you have to understand what is divine life.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- October 9, 1975, Durban:

Indian man: Well, I read a few books of the Divine Life Society, you know. And I wanted to go to Hrishikesh, you know.

Prabhupāda: So what is that Divine Life Society? I want to know from you. What is that divinity? Whether it is nonsense or divinity?

Indian man: Well, at that time I didn't know of anything else. This was in 1966.

Prabhupāda: Then how you decided that it is divine life?

Morning Walk -- October 9, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: That means you have no idea what is divine life, and still, you are going to Divine Life Society.

Indian man: Well, he should teach... Well, the basics were no meat-eating, no intoxicants, and also no gambling and no...

Prabhupāda: They say? They have? They say so? They have restriction?

Indian man: Well, no cheating, no gambling and no cheating. He's got restrictions of...

Prabhupāda: Do you follow these restrictions?

Indian man: Well, up to a certain extent I do.

Prabhupāda: What is that extent?

Indian man: Well, I don't eat meat, I don't gamble, I don't take any kind of intoxicants, but I drink tea, you know.

Prabhupāda: So that divine life is generally for all the Hindus. That is custom. They may learn here something else, but generally, Hindus, they do not take meat. So, anything else? No. Simply this restriction.

Indian man: Well, it's very similar to our movement, you know, the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement.

Prabhupāda: But Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is different in this sense, that we have got Kṛṣṇa. Do they have Kṛṣṇa?

Indian man: Well, only thing I could tell you, they teach us to pray to Kālī, Durgā, Sarasvatī.

Prabhupāda: Then? Then it is finished. Divine life is finished.

Indian man: But, you see, at that time there was nothing else for us, Swamijī.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Indian man: We had to follow something, and I didn't hear of you that time. This was in 1966, you know. It was quite a long time, and, well, I only came to...

Prabhupāda: They are teaching like that.

Indian man: There was only the Divine Life Society as far as I heard that time, you know. There was nobody else to follow, and our surrender was, surrendered ourselves to him, you see?

Prabhupāda: In the Bhagavad-gītā... You read Bhagavad-gītā?

Indian man: Yes, I have read our...

Prabhupāda: Do you know what Kṛṣṇa has said?

Indian man: Well, surrender to Him alone.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And this Kālī, Durgā, and other demigods' worshipers, they have been described as lost of intelligence. That means fools

Morning Walk -- October 9, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: Do you know what Kṛṣṇa has said?

Indian man: Well, surrender to Him alone.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And this Kālī, Durgā, and other demigods' worshipers, they have been described as lost of intelligence. That means fools.

Indian man: Fools. Those who worship them. Yes. But he also told us we must worship Kṛṣṇa too, you see.

Prabhupāda: But Kṛṣṇa is to be worshiped—He is the Supreme Lord.

Indian man: Supreme Lord, yes.

Prabhupāda: They are fishing?

Indian man: Those people are surfing, you know? Surfboards. (break)

Prabhupāda: ...center of Divine Life here?

Indian man: Yes. It's in Reservoir Hills. Well, it's not far from place where we are living, Reservoir Hills. They've got a big āśrama there. They've got a resident swami there, Swami Sahajananda, and they've got a printing press and quarters, their living quarters and all, and they've got a few devotees living there.

Prabhupāda: How many?

Room Conversation with Reporter of The Star -- October 16, 1975, Johannesburg:

Prabhupāda: But one spiritual leader is there, Swami Sahajananda.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes, the Divine Life Society in Durban, the head of that. He wrote one letter praising Prabhupāda's work, that he is rightfully representing the Vedic literatures.

Reporter: Well, thank you very much.

Prabhupāda: Thank you. Hare Kṛṣṇa. You have taken lunch? So, it is very important movement. Try to study, understand. And it is the duty of the pressmen, journalists, to propagate. They must know the first science of the living force within the body. That is the most important part.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- November 15, 1976, Vrndavana:

Mr. Saxena: He is a disciple of Swami Sivananda, Divine Life Society.

Prabhupāda: He is dead now?

Mr. Saxena: No, Sivananda is dead.

Prabhupāda: Not.

Mr. Saxena: Cidananda is the in-charge of that institute, Divine Life Society. There is another Yogesvarananda. There is Upaniketan trust. They are having three years' course for regular yoga. And there is some (indistinct) Mahesh Yogi, transcendental meditation (indistinct) samādhi. I lived there for fifteen days, tried to get something out of that. Everywhere I found there is no... We are after peace. There is no peace there.

Devotee: Prabhupāda, you say that religion is the law of God. So that means there can only be one religion.

Prabhupāda: Yes. God is one, (indistinct) for everyone. (indistinct) Yes.