Kṛṣṇa says also that sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6): "I appear and disappear by My own energy." We are forced by the other energy. Just like I have got human body now. Now I shall have to change my body after my death. That change of body is not in my hand. Factually, it is in my hand, because according to karma, if I work nicely, then you get good body. And if you do not work nicely, then we get bad body. That is we can understand from the śāstra. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). How we can understand? Śāstra-cakṣusā: you have to see through the śāstra. Otherwise, we have no eyes to see past, present, future. Just like the astrology. Astrology, by calculation through the śāstra, astrological calculation can say what you were in your past life and what you will become in your next life. That is astrological system. They can say like that. So through the śāstra, by right calculation, we can understand.
So what is that? The total is that ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). Those who are situated in the modes of goodness, brahminical qualification, satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). If we remain perfectly a brāhmin, truthful, clean, satyaṁ śaucaṁ; śamaḥ, sense-controlling, mind-controlling. Satyaṁ śaucaṁ śamo damas titikṣā, tolerance; ārjava, simplicity; jñānam, full knowledge; vijñānam, application of knowledge in life, vijñānam; āstikyam, full knowledge of the Absolute Truth, āstikyaṁ; brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). If we remain in this qualification, brahminical qualification, this is called sattva-sthā, situated in the sattva-guṇa. The rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa cannot conquer. In that situation you'll be elevated to the higher planets. This is śāstra says. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ (BG 14.18). And the middle planetary system . . . this earthly planet is the middle, bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, up to Svargaloka. So if we remain in the modes of passion, then within these planets we may rotate.
And jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Those who are tāmasāḥ, because they have got very abominable characters . . . the abominable character is described in the śāstra, sinful life: illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. These are the four pillars of abominable life. Tamasi. The śāstra says, tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ. So if we remain in this tamasi, then jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Adho gacchanti means lower planetary system or animal life, degraded life, abominable life, low-grade life. We shall get. This is the sum and substance. But we do not know . . . although we do not know, but the nature's law will oblige me to accept a body like that. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur dehopapattaye (SB 3.31.1). We get another body according to the karma we are performing now.
So Arjuna is a devotee. That has been explained in the previous . . . bhakto 'si. Bhakto 'si me sakhā ceti. Arjuna is not only a devotee, ordinary . . . not ordinary devotee, but personal friend. Arjuna is personal friend of Kṛṣṇa. Bhakto 'si, sakhā ceti. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says tāni. Bahūni me vyatītāni janmāni tava cārjuna: "You are My bhakta and personal friend, so whenever I appear, you also appear with Me." Because he is bhakta. Bhakta and Bhagavān, they must be together. That is the advantage of bhakta. Although he has got the frailty . . . because the living entity is the minute particle of God, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7), therefore his intelligence, his power, is also very minute. But God's power is unlimited. By unlimited power Kṛṣṇa knows the past, future and present, everything, perfectly. But our limited knowledge, we cannot know that. Therefore we have to receive knowledge from Kṛṣṇa. This is our position. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet, samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12).