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The difference between the life of the fish and my life

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

If the fisherman likes, he can take it out and throw in the water. Similarly, if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa... For that surrendering process this human life is meant. In other life, the fish cannot; but I can. That is the difference between the life of the fish and my life. The fish entangled in the network, he has no power. He is doomed.


Lecture on SB 3.26.32 -- Bombay, January 9, 1975:

Because I am spirit soul, I have nothing to do with this material atmosphere. Asaṅgo 'yaṁ puruṣaḥ. This spirit soul has nothing to do. But on account of his material association by different processes, we have, I mean to say, grown this body, material body, and we are now... That is entangled. Just like a fish becomes entangled within the network, similarly, we are, we living entities, we are entangled with the network of this fabrication of this material elements. So very difficult position. Just like the fish caught up in the net of the fisherman, or māyā, similarly, we are now caught up within the network created by the material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarva... (BG 3.27). Because we associated the particular type of material modes of nature, then we are now entangled. Like the fish is entangled, similarly, we are also entangled. This material world is supposed to be like a big ocean, bhavārṇava. Arṇava means ocean, and bhava means the situation where repetition of birth and death takes place. This is called bhavārṇava. Anādi karama-phale, paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale. Anādi karma-phale: "Before creation I had my resultant action of my activities, and somehow or other, I am now fallen in this ocean of bhavārṇava, repetition of birth and death." So as the fish, being entangled, he struggles for existence, how to get out of the net... He's not peaceful. You will find, as soon as caught he's up in the net, "Fut! Fut! Fut! Fut! Fut!" He wants to get out. So that is our struggle for existence, how to get out. We do not know.

So to get out of this, only the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. He can do everything. He can immediately take out from this entanglement. Otherwise how He is Almighty? I cannot get out. The fish cannot get out, but the..., if the fisherman wants, he can get him out immediately and throw in the water. Then he gets life again. Similarly, if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa, He can get out immediately. And He says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (BG 18.66). You simply surrender. As the fisherman is seeing, "Fut! Fut! Fut!" but if the fish surrenders... He wants to surrender, but he does not know the language. Therefore he remains within the network. But if the fisherman likes, he can take it out and throw in the water. Similarly, if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa... For that surrendering process this human life is meant. In other life, the fish cannot; but I can. That is the difference between the life of the fish and my life. The fish entangled in the network, he has no power. He is doomed.