So that is the standard of highest perfection. If you do not die, if you do not take birth... If you know what are the miserable conditions of birth, to remain within the womb of the mother... Not only to remain. Nowadays, modern advanced civilization, they are being killed by the mother. Not only abortion, but they are being killed. Now the Western world is very familiar with these things. So just imagine. First of all, you have to remain within the mother's womb, head down, packed-up condition. You cannot move, ten months. And that is also not secure. Even within the... Now this is the... Within the mother's womb you are not secure. At any moment the doctor may advise that "Kill the child." So these are the miserable condition of birth, but we do not remember them. We have to know it from the śāstra. So similarly, at the time of death, coma and... Nowadays it is a very common disease. For seven days or fifteen days he's unconscious, crying.
So this is the miserable condition of death, this is the miserable condition of birth, and between birth and death there are so many miserable conditions. This old age, this disease, so many calamities, catastrophes. So still, we do not want to make a solution of these problems. And the solution is very simple. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). If you simply know Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, why does He come, why He works like ordinary man-janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ—in truth, in actual fact. Not that "Oh, Kṛṣṇa was born in Mathurā, and then He was taken to Vṛndāvana." This is also knowing. But still, you know what is Kṛṣṇa.
- manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
- kaścid yatati siddhaye
- yatatām api siddhānāṁ
- kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
- (BG 7.3)
It is very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa tattvataḥ, not superficially, but in fact. So Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. So one who understands Kṛṣṇa in truth, he becomes free. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). These things are there. So why don't you be serious to study Kṛṣṇa, to understand Kṛṣṇa?
But to understand Kṛṣṇa it will require Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Without Kṛṣṇa's mercy... So how you get Kṛṣṇa's mercy?
- teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
- bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
- dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
- yena mām upayānti te
- (BG 10.10)
One can understand Kṛṣṇa by being constantly engaged in His service. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām. Not that weekly once go to the church. No. Twenty-four hours, satata-yuktānām, engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are teaching people how to become twenty-four hours engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. This is our business. We don't allow karma, jñāna, yoga. No. Simply. And that is kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). There is no question of jñāna and karma. That is not pure bhakti. Pure bhakti means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (Brs. 1.1.11), simply to serve Kṛṣṇa favorably, as Kṛṣṇa becomes pleased. This is bhakti. This is pure devotion.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, therefore, teaching pure devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. That will solve all problems.