From childhood, in the schools, in the colleges, this bhāgavata-dharma, or the occupation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, should be introduced. This is necessary, but they do not understand. They think that this spot life is all, and this body is all, and there is no other life. Next life, they do not believe it. This is all due to ignorance. Life is eternity, and this spot life is preparation for the next life.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja says durlabhaṁ. Durlabhaṁ means very rarely obtained. Our modern anthropologists, they also admit it, that after many evolution of different species of life, this human form of life is obtained. But they do not know what it is meant for. That is answered here, Prahlāda Mahārāja. We have to pass through many millions of species of life.
There are 900,000 species of life in the water. Eleven hundred thousand species of life . . . Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati (Padma Purāṇa). Sthāvarā means plants and trees. They are 2,000,000's species of life. And jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyakāḥ.
And worms, they are 1,100,000 species of life. Kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyakāḥ. Pakṣiṇāṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam. And birds, they are 1,000,000 species of life. And then four-legged beasts, they are 3,000,000 species of life. And human form of life, beginning from the most uncivilized to the civilized form of life, they are only 400,000 species of life.
So in consideration of all the total species of life, human form of life is very small. Only 400 . . . out of 8,400,000's of species of life, human form of life is only 400,000. Out of that, there are many uncivilized. So the Āryan family, they are considered as advanced, civilized, so, with full developed consciousness, and therefore this is the opportunity for understanding the value of life. So:
- kaumāra ācaret prājño
- dharmān bhāgavatān iha
- durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma
- tad apy adhruvam arthadam
- (SB 7.6.1)
Adhruvam arthadam. He says that "This life is very valuable, very rare, but it is also temporary." Because it is very rarely obtained, it is not permanent. It is also temporary like cats and dogs. They have got their temporary body. But the one significance of this body is arthadam. Arthadam means you can derive the greatest value in this life. Arthadam. Artha means money, and paramartha means spiritual consciousness. That is also artha.
So one should be engaged for earning money, because the body requires material necessities. That's all right. But his real attention should be how to achieve spiritual consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is arthadam. That is the value of life.
- yathā hi puruṣasyeha
- viṣṇoḥ pādopasarpaṇam
- yad eṣa sarva-bhūtānām
- priya ātmeśvaraḥ suhṛt
- (SB 7.6.2)
And what is that spiritual consciousness? Puruṣasyeha viṣṇoḥ pādopasarpaṇam. Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu means the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is called Viṣṇu, all-pervading, the word used here, viṣṇoḥ. Viṣṇu means who is all-pervading, at the same time He's a person. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is person; at the same time, He is all-pervading.
How it is? In our material conception we cannot imagine, but there is a proof in your presence. Just like the sun. Sun is localized. You can see every day. Sun globe is located at a certain place in the outer space, but the sunshine is all-pervading. Sun is present everywhere by his all-pervasive sunshine.
Similarly, Viṣṇu, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is in His abode, which is called Viṣṇuloka, or the kingdom of God, or Kṛṣṇaloka, whatever you may understand. He has got His particular abode. But at the same time, by His different energies, He is all-pervading.
There is another example of this all-pervasiveness of God in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa that, "Just like fire is situated in one place, but its light and heat is distributed long, long distant, similarly, whatever we see within this cosmic manifestation, that is diffusion of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." So Prahlāda Mahārāja points out that:
- yathā hi puruṣasyeha
- viṣṇoḥ pādopasarpaṇam
- yad eṣa sarva-bhūtānām
- priya ātmeśvaraḥ suhṛt
- (SB 7.6.2)
One should be Kṛṣṇa conscious, or God conscious, why? Because He is the master of your self and the most intimate friend, suhṛt. Yathā ātmeśvara. Ātmeśvara means we are individual self and He is the original Superself. Just like we, for the present, we like this body, we love this body, why? Because the body is the production of the soul.
Without soul, there is no body. Just like a child born. If the soul is there, the child will grow. If the child is born dead, however chemically you can keep up that body, it will never grow. So that is the significance of the presence of the soul. So as the body grows on account of presence of the soul, similarly, the soul, individual soul, is the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.