Devahūti proposes, "Sir . . ." Yaḥ avagrahaḥ. This false conception of life, ahaṁ mameti: "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian . . ." Or "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya . . ." This avagraha . . . it is called upādhi, designation: "For the time being." Just like you become minister for five years or three years. Or president. Just like Nixon was president; now he's not president. So this is an upādhi. You are Indian, American, this, that—they are all upādhis. Therefore if we attached . . . if we are attached to the upādhi, that is called avagraha. Ahaṁ mameti. And according to the upādhi, I become attached to "me" and "mine"—"I am this," "I am that," and "It is mine, it is . . ." But actually, they are all illusion. Fact it is. If you suppose . . . just like the president was five years very powerful. Now he's dragged down. Then what is the value? What is the value? So it may be for five years or fifty years or utmost hundred years, or a million years, just like Brahmā—but they are all temporary. In the eternal time, five years or ten years or hundred years or five million years, they are all limited. They are not eternal. But we are eternal. We living entities, we are eternal. So why we should be illusioned by the noneternal? That is called illusion.
That is called jñāna that, "I learn from Bhagavad-gītā that 'I am eternal. There is no birth and there is no death.' " Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. Kadācit, at any time. Not that it has begun now. No. Never we are born. Na hanyate hanyamāne . . . (BG 2.20). So this is the fact. So why I shall be interested in something noneternal? This is called knowledge. If I am eternal, and my position is to enjoy life . . . ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By nature I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), and Kṛṣṇa says, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). So qualitatively I am also sac-cid-ānanda. So why I am enjoying this temporary life for ten years or twenty years or two hundred years? This is called knowledge. Etaj jñānam. Other jñānam, they are not jñānam. I have said many times. They are arts, śilpa, to live for some time and make some artistic way of living condition and forget my real problem—janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). So for this purpose one should approach guru. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21). One who is actually interested for spiritual life, he should inquire about a guru. Not as a fashion that, "I may . . . let me keep one guru and . . ." no. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Just like Devahūti is doing. Uttamam, something beyond this darkness. Tama means darkness, and ut means above. Uttama. That is uttama. So one who is interested . . . uttama life means the spiritual life. Tama life means this material life. Tamasi mā jyotir gama. If you can transcend this darkness, the world of darkness, and if you come to the world of light, that is required.