You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, or God, or His abode by the speculative, ascending process. That is not possible. You have to inquire from. Therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "What is my duty now I am going to die?" He was cursed by a brāhmin boy to die within seven days. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was quite competent to counteract the curse of the brāhmin boy, but he decided that "I shall die." Because he thought that "I offended the boy's father by encircling a dead snake on the neck of the ṛṣi. So his son became angry, that 'You have insulted my father. You die with this snake.' " So he accepted. So this, on the death point, he immediately left his kingdom, family and everything, and went down to the river, bank of the river Ganges, and many . . . because he was king, so many big, big men, even demigods, great saintly persons, they came to see Mahārāja Parīkṣit at his last stage of life, seven days. And so he asked, "What is my duty?"
So he was a devotee, Parīkṣit Mahārāja. From his childhood he was a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. So he inquired, "What is my duty to know about Kṛṣṇa?" And that is being welcomed by Śukadeva Gosvāmī that, "Your . . . to inquire about Kṛṣṇa, this question is very much welcome." Varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ. Praśna means question. "You have asked a question about Kṛṣṇa. It is very, very good." Why? Kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa: "It is good for the all human society. Because you have inquired about Kṛṣṇa . . . you have inquired about Kṛṣṇa, and I'll have to reply. People will hear. It will be recorded. And people will be benefitted." Loka-hitam.
In another place, that Sūta Gosvāmī says . . . when the ṛṣis inquired . . . now, here it is being inquired by King Parīkṣit, being answered by Śukadeva Gosvāmī. In another place, the ṛṣis, great saintly persons, they also inquired, and Sūta Gosvāmī replied. So this kind of question and answer is ātmavit-sammataḥ. Ātmavit. Ātmavit means one who knows, self-realized. Ātmavit means self-realized. Not these rascals, one who does not know what is self, what I am. He's an animal, one who does not know what he is. If I do not inquire, "What I am? I am this body? Or I am something extra than this body?" if this inquiry is not there, he's not human being, he's animal. Animal cannot inquire. Cats and dog cannot inquire, "What I am?" He's suffering.
Everyone is suffering who has got this material body. That is the condition. If you have got material body, you must suffer. It is not the question of European, American or white, black. There is no such question. If you are animal or man, as soon as you have got this material body, you must suffer. This is condition. This is material condition. Therefore our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not meant for, I mean to say, mitigating the so-called sufferings of the body. When there is body, there must be suffering. So we should not be very much disturbed by the sufferings of the body, because you'll have to suffer, even though you make very nice arrangement. Just like in comparison to Europe and America. In European cities we see so many nice arrangement, living condition, big, big house, big, big road, nice cars. In comparison to India, if some Indian comes from Indian village, he'll see, "It is heaven, so nice house, so nice building, so nice motorcars." But do you think you are not suffering? He may think, the rascal may think that "Here is heaven." But those who are residing in this heaven, they know what kind of heaven it is. (laughter)
So suffering must be there. Suffering must be there as soon as you get this material body. "Why suffering? We are enjoying." What you are enjoying? Is there any guarantee that you'll enjoy? You have got nice building, nice road, nice car. That's all right. You are enjoying. You are thinking enjoying. But is there any guarantee that you will enjoy? Any moment, you'll be finished. Any moment. So there is no guarantee. That is not enjoyment. Real enjoyment is permanent enjoyment. Just like we construct some house, making the, what is called, foundation very strong. In your country, they make very strong foundation. But what is your foundation, sir? Is it very strong? You can be taken away at any moment. So before making the foundation strong, why don't you make your foundation strong that you shall be able to live here permanently? But that intelligence they haven't got. They'll waste time, making the house foundation very strong, not for himself. His foundation tiltering at any moment, any second. This is called yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātu . . . sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13).