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So-called birth

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 1

The difference is that the so-called births and disappearances of the Lord are unlike those of the living beings. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā by the Lord that His so-called birth in the material world and His activities are all transcendental.
SB 1.3.35, Purport: Both the Lord and the living entities are essentially all spiritual. Therefore both of them are eternal, and neither of them has birth and death. The difference is that the so-called births and disappearances of the Lord are unlike those of the living beings. The living beings who take birth and then again accept death are bound by the laws of material nature. But the so-called appearance and disappearance of the Lord are not actions of material nature, but are demonstrations of the internal potency of the Lord. They are described by the great sages for the purpose of self-realization. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā by the Lord that His so-called birth in the material world and His activities are all transcendental. And simply by meditation on such activities one can attain realization of Brahman and thus become liberated from material bondage. In the śrutis it is said that the birthless appears to take birth. The Supreme has nothing to do, but because He is omnipotent, everything is performed by Him naturally, as if done automatically. As a matter of fact, the appearance and disappearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His different activities are all confidential, even to the Vedic literatures. Yet they are displayed by the Lord to bestow mercy upon the conditioned souls. We should always take advantage of the narrations of the activities of the Lord, which are meditations on Brahman in the most convenient and palatable form.

SB Canto 3

His so-called birth is therefore an appearance only, like the birth of the sun on the horizon.
SB 3.1.44, Purport: Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1): the form of the Lord is eternal, blissful, and all-satisfying. His so-called birth is therefore an appearance only, like the birth of the sun on the horizon. His birth does not, like that of the living entities, take place under the influence of material nature and the bondage of the reactions of past deeds. His works and activities are independent pastimes and are not subject to the reactions of material nature.
There is no need to check the growth of population if the children are born as human beings with all precautions regarding their birth. So-called birth control is not only vicious but also useless.
SB 3.5.19, Purport: The value of great parentage and noble birth is evaluated here in connection with the birth of Vidura. The culture of a human being begins when the father invests his semen in the womb of the mother. According to his status of work, a living entity is placed in a particular father's semen, and because Vidura was not an ordinary living entity, he was given the chance to be born from the semen of Vyāsa. The birth of a human being is a great science, and therefore reformation of the act of impregnation according to the Vedic ritual called Garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is very important for generating good population. The problem is not to check the growth of the population, but to generate good population on the level of Vidura, Vyāsa and Maitreya. There is no need to check the growth of population if the children are born as human beings with all precautions regarding their birth. So-called birth control is not only vicious but also useless.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Because the living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme, he exists eternally. Therefore, for him there cannot be any question of birth or death. So-called birth and death occur because of the material body.
Krsna Book 87: According to our present experience, this material world is a combination of matter and spirit. The spirit is moving the matter. The spirit soul (the living entity) and matter are different energies of the Supreme Lord, and since both the energies are products of the Supreme Eternal, or the Supreme Truth, they are factual, not false. Because the living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme, he exists eternally. Therefore, for him there cannot be any question of birth or death. So-called birth and death occur because of the material body. The Vedic version sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma means that since both the energies have emanated from the Supreme Brahman, everything we experience is nondifferent from Brahman.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Māyā can cover the eyes of the living entity. Māyā does not cover the Supreme Person. That is not possible. So this so-called birth and death is due to the covering of māyā. The marginal potency.
Lecture on BG 2.20 -- Hyderabad, November 25, 1972: So just like cloud. Cloud can cover a portion of sunlight. Not that cloud can cover the, all the sunlight. That is not possible. Suppose now this sky is covered with cloud, maybe hundred miles, two hundred miles or five hundred miles. But what is five hundred miles in comparison to the sun, millions and trillions of miles? So the cloud covers our eyes, not the sun. Similarly, māyā can cover the eyes of the living entity. Māyā does not cover the Supreme Person. No. That is not possible. So this so-called birth and death is due to the covering of māyā. The marginal potency. We are... Kṛṣṇa has got many potencies. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. That is the Vedic instruction. The Absolute Truth has multi-energies. Whatever we see... Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis tathedam akhilaṁ jagat. Whatever little we are seeing, that is simply distribution of the energy of the Supreme. Exactly the same way: the sunshine and the sun globe, and the sun-god. Sun-god, from him... Not only sun-god, there are other living entities also. Their body is glowing. They have got fiery body. As we have got earthly body... Earth is prominent in this planet. Similarly, in the sun planet, the fire is prominent. As earth is one of the five elements, fire is also another one of the five elements. These things will be explained that the soul is never burned by the fire.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

People have no brain that "What is my problem? I am eternal. I have no business to accept so-called birth and death and disease and old age, but I am put under this condition. I have to die. I have to take birth. I have to become old. I have to accept disease."
Lecture on SB 1.15.44 -- Los Angeles, December 22, 1973: But what is my position? My position is that there is no death, no birth. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. In the Bhagavad-gītā, teaching, Kṛṣṇa is teaching that "Soul never takes birth, neither dies." Then what is this death? This is not death. This is changing of body. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg. 2.20]. Even if you take it is annihilation, yes, but the soul remains. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg. 2.20]. People have no brain that "What is my problem? I am eternal. I have no business to accept so-called birth and death and disease and old age, but I am put under this condition. I have to die. I have to take birth. I have to become old. I have to accept disease." This is our real problem. But they have no information. They neglect this, because they cannot make any solution. They think, "It is usual. We have to suffer." Just like an animal. An animal is going, is taken to the slaughterhouse. He knows that "I have no means. I have to suffer," I mean to say, "be slaughtered." He has no means.
Page Title:So-called birth
Compiler:Serene
Created:06 of Dec, 2008
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=3, CC=0, OB=1, Lec=2, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:6