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Spiritual knowledge begins when one is perfectly aware that "After finishing this body, I am not finished." That is perfection. Not that those who are in this concept of life, that with the finishing of this body everything is finished. That is nonsense

Expressions researched:
"spiritual knowledge begins when one is perfectly aware that" |"After finishing this body, I am not finished" |"That is perfection. Not that those who are in this concept of life, that with the finishing of this body everything is finished. That is nonsense"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

He (a great professor, Kotovsky) said that "After finishing this body, everything is finished." Just see. No. The spiritual knowledge begins when one is perfectly aware that "After finishing this body, I am not finished." That is perfection. Not that those who are in this concept of life, that with the finishing of this body everything is finished. That is nonsense.


Rāmacandra was going to be enthroned, and the stepmother said the same to Daśaratha Mahārāja, that . . . they were stepmothers, Mahārāja Daśaratha's three wives. So one wife wanted that her son should be king. So immediately she proposed that "Instead of Rāmacandra, my son should be king." Mahārāja Daśaratha said: "How it can be? It is already arranged. He is the eldest son." "No, you promised sometimes that you will keep your promise and satisfy me. So this is my demand." "So what do you want?" "That Rāmacandra should be banished immediately and my son should be enthroned." She (he) agreed.

He called Rāmacandra, "This is the demand of Your stepmother. Kindly go to the forest for fourteen years, and Your stepbrother will be king." Rāmacandra agreed immediately: "Yes, that's all right, father." This is brahminical culture. Is there any single instance in the history that a king which is going to be enthroned next morning, and by the order of his father immediately he goes away to the forest?

Therefore there is no harm that we make materially very much advanced—but not like cats and dogs. Take brahminical culture. Then it will be perfect, the whole society. Go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya govindāya . . . that brahminical culture can be established only by understanding Kṛṣṇa. Without understanding Kṛṣṇa, whatever we do, we shall remain simply animals. That's all.

So how the animals can be interested in Kṛṣṇa? That is not possible. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3): "Out of many thousands of people." Just like we have started this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, in the Western countries for the last five years, but how many people have come to take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement? Not very many. We have got about three thousand followers. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that it is not attractive for everyone. But if one is attracted, his life is successful. His life is successful.

Lord Caitanya also says the same thing: brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva. There are many, innumerable living entities. They are wandering within this universe in different forms of body and different planets, transmigrating from one body to another, one planet to another. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa, kona . . . out of them, if one is fortunate enough to associate with a bona fide spiritual master and Kṛṣṇa, his life becomes successful.

ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
(CC Madhya 19.151)

Bīja means seed. As from the seed a big tree come out, similarly, if one is injected with this Kṛṣṇa consciousness understanding, then gradually it will grow into a big tree. And when the fruits will be there, he'll enjoy life.

So although this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, God consciousness, yoga system is very easy, still, Kṛṣṇa says that:

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānām . . .
(BG 7.3)

Not only perfect.Perfection of human consciousness is there when one understands that, "I am not this body, I am spirit soul." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is perfection. But if you study scrutinizingly so many men, everyone is bodily conscious.

In Moscow I was speaking with a great professor, Kotovsky. He's in charge of Indology department of the government. He said . . . although I defeated him in argument, he said that, "After finishing this body, everything is finished." Just see. No. The spiritual knowledge begins when one is perfectly aware that, "After finishing this body, I am not finished." That is perfection. Not that those who are in this concept of life, that with the finishing of this body everything is finished. That is nonsense.

Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre, Kṛṣṇa teaches. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācin . . . nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ . . . na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). "This ātmā is never born and he never dies." Na jāyate mriyate vā. Nitya, eternal; śāśvata, ever-existing, śāśvata. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre. "Don't think that because the body is finished, therefore he is finished. No."

In another place Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As we are changing body from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, youthhood to grown-up and old age—this is our practical experience, I have several times explained—similarly, this old body, when I give it up, I shall accept another body. What is that body? That will be given to you by the laws of nature according to your mentality.

As you create your mentality, yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke (BG 8.6), absorb your thought and mind at the time of death, then you are given a particular type of body, either in the womb of a human being or a cat or a dog or a demigod or a tree or so many.

Page Title:Spiritual knowledge begins when one is perfectly aware that "After finishing this body, I am not finished." That is perfection. Not that those who are in this concept of life, that with the finishing of this body everything is finished. That is nonsense
Compiler:Visnu Murti
Created:2015-12-09, 11:15:16
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1