None of us, either Kṛṣṇa or we or all living entities, they appear and disappear. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa says in the battlefield, "My dear Arjuna, either you or Me or all the kings and soldiers who have assembled in this battlefield, don't think that they did not exist in the past and they'll not exist in the future." That means they existed in the past and they're existing at present and they would exist also in the future. That means eternal. Eternal. We are all eternal.
But this misunderstanding is . . . just like we are . . . because the passing phase is this body, and the body is changing, and the final change, when you transmigrate from one body to another, it is called death. Actually, there is no death. Na jāyate na mriyate kadācit (BG 2.20).
In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that the living entity never is born, neither never dies. Na hanyamāne hanyate, hanyamāne śarīre. Then, "I see that he is dying." Oh, that is dying not; that is his finishing his this present body. The example is given, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22).
Just like one person changes his dress, similarly, when this dress, the present body, is unworkable . . .
Just like one man cannot see. What do you mean by "cannot see"? When the power of vision is no longer working or the spectacle is broken, therefore he cannot see. Similarly, when the all the senses will be broken or cannot work . . . just like eye cannot . . . the eyes cannot work, therefore it is blind, similarly, the hand cannot work, the leg cannot work, the tongue cannot work, because at the last stage when this mechanical arrangement of this body will stop to function, that is called death.
That you try to understand, that as . . . because I cannot see, it does not mean I am dead. Similarly, because these senses of the body cannot function does not mean that I am dead. It is to be understood with little intelligence and with cool head.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja, a great devotee, he's in the line of disciplic succession. He's considered one of the great ācāryas, an authority, ācārya. And who is ācārya? Ācārya means one who knows the intricacies of Vedic knowledge, and he personally behaves in terms of that knowledge and teaches his disciple in terms of that knowledge.
Ācārya means the person whose behavior is to be followed. Not that as we follow somebody according to our taste. Not like that. That ācārya comes in the standard disciplic succession. So ācārya. So this Prahlāda Mahārāja . . . we are discussing the instruction of Prahlāda Mahārāja because he happens to be one of the stalwart ācāryas. And the names of such ācāryas, authorized ācāryas, are also mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
So who are they? Svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ (SB 6.3.20). Svayambhuḥ means Brahmā. Brahmā is supposed to be born without any material father and mother. Therefore he is called Svayambhuḥ. He is the only living creature within this universe who is born without the father and mother. How it is? Without the father and mother means this material father and mother.
But he has his father. His father is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa. And he's born out of the lotus flower which is grown from the abdomen of Nārāyaṇa. Therefore he's called Svayambhuḥ. Svayambhuḥ means self-manifested. Because before him, there was no existence of material creation. Therefore he is called Svayambhuḥ.
And next is Nārada. Svayambhūr nāradaḥ. Nārada is born out of Brahmā. Svayambhūr nāradaḥ and śambhuḥ. Śambhuḥ is also born of Brahmā. Śambhuḥ means Lord Śiva. So he is also one of the ācāryas. Svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kumāraḥ kapilo manuḥ (SB 6.3.20). Kumāraḥ means . . .
These Kumāras, they are also sons of Brahmā, but they are called Kumāras, brahmacārīs. When they were born . . . because Brahmā wanted at that time to create living entities to fulfill the whole universe, so he wanted so many sons and grandsons. So he requested his four Kumāra sons, "My dear boys, you get yourself married and increase generation."
But the Kumāras, they said: "My dear father, we are not going to marry. We are not going to be entangled in this material way of life. We shall remain as brahmacārī and cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Oh, the father was very angry. "Oh, you are refusing my order?" So when he became angry . . . angry means that is Rudra. So from that anger Lord Śiva was born. Therefore he is called Rudra. And he was Rudra, his name was Rudra, because he was crying from the very beginning of his birth. So anyway, Rudra is also one of the authorities, Rudra, or Lord Śiva.
Svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kumāraḥ kapilaḥ. Kapila is the son of Devahūti, and He's also considered as the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kapilaḥ kumāraḥ manuḥ. And manuḥ, manuḥ means the father of the mankind. From manuḥ, the word man is derived, or, in Sanskrit word, manuṣya. So in Latin and Sanskrit, man, manuṣya, and manuḥ, they are almost on the same level.
So svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kapilo kumāraḥ manuḥ, then prahlādo janako bhīṣmaḥ. So now this Prahlāda's name comes. Prahlāda's name comes. Prahlāda and Janaka, the great king, Janaka, whose daughter was married to Lord Rāmacandra, Jānakī. Therefore, Sītā's name is Jānakī, daughter of Mahārāja Janaka. So he is also a great authority.
Prahlādo janako bhīṣmaḥ, and Bhīṣma, you have heard the name of Bhīṣma, the grandfather of Arjuna. He is also one of the authorities. And, prahlādo janako bhīṣmo balir, Mahārāja Bali, a king. He was a grandson of this Prahlāda Mahārāja. He became mahājana. All these persons, they became authorities by their exemplary character for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.