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Changing (BG Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

First of all he makes his determination to act in a certain way, and then he is entangled in the actions and reactions of his own karma. But after giving up one type of body, when he enters another type of body... Just like we give up one kind of dress, one type of dress, for another type of dress, similarly, it is explained in this Bhagavad-gītā that vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). One, as one changes his different dresses, similarly the living entities, they are also changing different bodies, transmigration of the soul, and pulling on the actions and reactions of his past activities. So these activities can be changed when a living being is in the mode of goodness, in sanity, and he understands what sort of activities he should adopt, and if he does so, then the whole action and reactions of his past activities can be changed. Therefore karma is not eternal. Other things, out of the four, five items—īśvara, jīva, prakṛti, kāla, and karma—these four items are eternal, whereas the karma, the item known as karma, that is not eternal.

Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is -- Los Angeles, November 23, 1968 :

So this is intelligence, that I have to serve. Now in my material condition I am serving so many things, especially my senses. So neither my senses are satisfied nor I am satisfied. So this intelligence is not coming to us. They are going on, carvita-carvaṇānām, chewing the chewed. The senses, same sense gratification in different way. In theatre, in stage, in, at home, at club—everywhere. Simply changing the platform and trying to be happy. How you can be happy? They already distasted. Does it mean that sense satisfaction in an apartment and sense satisfaction in the club is different? It is simply imagination. "Let me go to the club, let me go to the stage, let me go to this Florida beach, and let me go there, let me see the naked dance, let me see that, let me..." That's all. But the platform is there, sense gratification. But he is not intelligent that "I have satisfied my senses in so many different ways. I have served my senses in so many different ways. Neither I am satisfied, neither my senses are satsfied." Therefore the intelligent man says, "I am no more going to satisfy my senses, I will satisfy Kṛṣṇa." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then he gets full satisfaction. This is voluntary. This is called surrender, that "I have tried to satisfy my, the whims of my senses so many lives. I have become frustrated, confused. Let me try this life to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa." That's all. At least let me give a trial one life, and let me see the result.

Lecture on BG 1.21-22 -- London, July 18, 1973:

Forty-eight? The next point is that Arjuna wanted to see with whom he had to fight. He had no desire to fight. That will be explained. He was fighting unwillingly. Unwillingly. Because he is a Vaiṣṇava, unnecessarily he does not want to kill, although he is kṣatriya. It is his duty. Whenever there is discrepancy, killing, as representative of Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa has got two business. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtam (BG 4.8). He has got two businesses. One business is to give protection to the devotees, sādhu, sādhu. Sādhu means devotee. Sādhu does not mean simply by changing dress, saffron color, and smoking beedies. That is not sādhu. Sādhu means devotee.

Lecture on BG 1.28-29 -- London, July 22, 1973:

So this is the process. The basic principle is the soul. The soul is acting through intelligence, and the intelligence is acting through mind, and the mind is expressed through the senses. This is the position. So as my mind is absorbed in something, some subject matter, my bodily symptoms also will work, or the senses will work according to that mind. Therefore for spiritual advancement also, you have to train your mind. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). If you use... First of all fix up your mind. Yoga means indriya-saṁyama. Yoga practice means that controlling the mind and the senses. That is yoga practice. Because our mind is very flickering and changing, something accepting immediately, something rejecting immediately, very flickering. Therefore we have to train up the mind, and when the mind is trained up, then automatically your senses will be controlled. If you are strong-minded, that "I will not accept any foodstuff which is not offered to Kṛṣṇa," naturally your tongue is controlled. Naturally.

Lecture on BG 2.1-10 and Talk -- Los Angeles, November 25, 1968:

No, spirit soul is not old. The body is changing, that is the process. That will be explained,

dehino 'smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati
(BG 2.13)

Spirit soul is evergreen. The body is changing. That is to be understood. Body is changing. That everyone can understand. Just like in your childhood your body was different. Just like this child, a different body. And when that child will be young girl, that will be a different body. But the spirit soul is there in this body and that body. So this is the proof that spirit soul does not change, the body changed. This is the proof. I am thinking of my childhood. That means I am the same "I" which I was existing in my childhood, and I remember in my childhood I was doing this, I did that. But that childhood body is no longer. That is gone. Therefore it is conclusion that my body has changed, but I am the same. Is it not? This is simple truth. So this body will change, still I shall remain. I may enter into another body, that doesn't matter, but I shall remain. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). As I am changing my body even in the present circumstances, similarly, the ultimate change does not mean I am dead. I enter into another... That also explained, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā (BG 2.22), that I change. Just like when I was not sannyāsī, I was dressing like any gentleman. Now I have changed my dress. That does not mean that I have died. No. I have changed my body, that's all. I have changed my dress. Go on. Not now. Yes. Kṛpaṇas, yes, you were reading there.

Lecture on BG 2.1-10 and Talk -- Los Angeles, November 25, 1968:

Prabhupāda: He's Indian?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. No. There was another Indian people there that night, but he was separately with his wife. We had a kīrtana. That was that very rich man, Indian man who came, and then there was another couple there.

Prabhupāda: So he's also rich man?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I don't think so. But he has a wife and he says many things have been changing since he chanted. He says he doesn't know whether he should attribute it to the chant, but he's going to keep chanting. And he looks very, ah, he looks much happier.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. So, chant. (end)

Lecture on BG 2.2 -- London, August 3, 1973:

Anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ (BG 6.1). Do not take shelter of your result of your activities. You must take it as duty. He is sannyāsī. Anāśritaṁ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ, sa sannyāsī. He's actually sannyāsī. A sannyāsī does not become simply by changing dress. No. Sannyāsī means he's to work for Kṛṣṇa. Without taking shelter of the result. It doesn't matter. "Kṛṣṇa has ordered, and Kṛṣṇa's representative has ordered. Therefore I have to do it." Kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ. sa sannyāsī.

So here, bhagavān uvāca. Vyāsadeva does not say that kṛṣṇa uvāca. If, if he would have said, "Kṛṣṇa," then people would have misunderstood. He's directly speaking, bhagavān uvāca, "the Supreme Personality of Godhead." So anyone who is impersonalist, how he can understand Bhagavad-gītā? Bhagavān means person. Bhagavān is not imperson. The Absolute Truth is manifested in three features: Brahman, Paramātmā, Bhagavān. Brahman is the beginning, impersonal. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. Because... Just like fire. Fire is burning somewhere, but its heat and light is impersonal.

Lecture on BG 2.7 -- London, August 7, 1973:

One has to become first of all situated in the brahminical qualification, satyaṁ śamo damas titiksva ārjavaṁ jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma karma sva-bhāva... (BG 18.42). Then touch Veda. Otherwise, what you'll understand Vedas? Nonsense. Therefore, Vedas says: tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum (MU 1.2.12). You must approach a guru to understand Veda. And what is that Veda? Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). The Vedas means, to study Vedas means to understand Kṛṣṇa. And surrender unto Him. This is Vedic knowledge. Where Arjuna says that: prapannam. "Now I am surrender unto You. I am now no more going to talk with You on equal level just as if I know so many things." He was right, but he was thinking on the material platform. He was thinking that praduṣyanti kula-striyaḥ (BG 1.40). If everyone... This is material point. But Vedic knowledge is spiritual, uttamam. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsu śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). Uttamam. This śreya. Uttamam. Yac chreya syāt niścitaṁ. Fixed-up. There is, there is no question of changing. That instruction is now, will be given by Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-dharmān parityaja mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. And this takes place—bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19).

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973:

Asmin dehe, "In this body, there is the proprietor, the soul." Dehino 'smin yathā dehe. That, on account of the proprietor, he is changing body. Changing body means... So long the soul is there. Suppose a child is born. If the child is born dead, then this body will never grow. You can apply any chemicals or any science; the body will remain the same. But so long the soul is there within the body, the child from the babyhood will come to childhood, then childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood. In this way the body will change. We have changed so many bodies, every one of us. I knew, I know that I had a childish body, I had a boyhood body, but those bodies are no more existing. But I am existing. Therefore the conclusion should be that I, you, as soul, we are eternal. The body is changing. This is our disease. Therefore this disease... This disease means birth, death, old age and disease. So as soon as you accept this body, material body, you become subjected to the four laws of material nature. These four laws of material nature are that as soon as you've accepted this body, then you must accept death. Anything which is born must meet death also.

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973:

Anything which is born must meet death also. Birth, death. And in the via media there is old age and disease. This body... I have got, you have got, everyone. There is a death of getting this body, and there will be a death of leaving this body. And between these two deaths there are so many other miserable conditions. They are summarized: old age and disease. But the real science is that "I am the soul. I am the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. So Supreme Lord, God, is eternal. I am also eternal." These things are described. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). As God, we are as good as God, at least in quality, not in quantity. We are... Just like a drop of sea water is as good as the sea water in quality—the whole sea water is also salty, and the drop of sea water is also salty—similarly, we have got all the chemical composition, or qualities, of God. Now, God is eternal; therefore we must be eternal. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). After destruction of this body, the soul is never destroyed. This is our real, constitutional position. Then why we have accepted this changing process: birth, death, old age and disease? This is our material life.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Hyderabad, November 17, 1972:

Similarly, this body, this material body, has been explained as dress. So if I change my dress... Now, suppose I am now human being, and I change my dress to become a demigod, or I change my dress to become a dog. It does not mean that I am finished. I have simply changed my dress, according to my karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1). By your karma, you'll have a dress. After death, as it is explained in this verse, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), the living soul is not destroyed after the destruction of this body. Therefore he remains, and his finer dress, subtle dress, is there—mind, intelligence, and ego. So according to the composition of his mind, he develops another gross dress. This is the process. So you, spirit soul, you are always the same, although you are changing dress. Our problem is that we are perpetually changing dress, but our desire is to have a permanent life. That is spiritual education. You can have a permanent life, permanent dress, permanent knowledge, if you become free from this dress-changing problem. That is called mukti. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to stop this business of dress changing.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Hyderabad, November 17, 1972:

Question: Do you mean to say that Kṛṣṇa is also karma-bound?

Prabhupāda: No, no.

Question: Just now you have quoted the example, sir, that as we changing our dresses, Kṛṣṇa will also change that dress by changing from past to...

Prabhupāda: What is, I have explained?

Indian: So just now you were complaining that as we change our dresses, Kṛṣṇa will also be changing.

Prabhupāda: Where, where I have said? I have never said.

Devotee: That man's original question is: "What form is Kṛṣṇa in now?"

Indian: No. Excuse me. His question was: "Kṛṣṇa was, will be and He is in what form?"

Prabhupāda: Oh, his question was...?

Devotee: Yes. His question was that if Kṛṣṇa says that "Never was there a time when you and I..." (break)

Prabhupāda: That is not correct. Kṛṣṇa... As we have got distinction between the body and the soul, Kṛṣṇa has no such distinction. Kṛṣṇa is completely soul. And if we think that Kṛṣṇa is like us, that is forbidden. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ, tanu, mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Because Kṛṣṇa comes before us just like a human being, if we think that "He's also like me," then we are ass. Kṛṣṇa does not change His dress. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa could not say that "Millions and millions of years ago I spoke this philosophy to the sun-god." Because..., because we change our dress, we forget what I was, what you were, in your past life.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Hyderabad, December 12, 1976:

So so long we are materially contaminated, we require this material body for enjoying senses. And the spiritual world, we get our spiritual body developed. So there is no question of becoming ghost or... Individual, there is. The person is always existing. That is the purport of this verse. Na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ sarve vayam ataḥ param. Ataḥ param, "after this," means after this body is ended the individuality continues; simply we change our body. This is the version, and it is explained in the next verse, dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). We are individual always, but we are changing this body from one type of body to another body according to our karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha-upapatti (SB 3.31.1). By superior examination we get a body, karmaṇā. So at the time of death it is decided what kind of body you are going to have next. That is decided by superior authority. You cannot dictate that "Give me this body," or "I don't want this body. I want a body..." No. That is not in your hand. You can do, you are given freedom. In the human form of life you are given freedom to act although there is direction that "You act like this." But if you don't like, you can act. Yathecchasi tathā kuru. (BG 18.63) You can act, but you become implicated with your karma because you have to act according to the modes of nature.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Hyderabad, December 12, 1976:

The modes of nature are three: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So if you act in sattva-guṇa, then you will be promoted to the higher planetary system. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). If you act in the rajo-guṇa, then madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ. And if you act in tamo-guṇa, then jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Jaghanya. Tāmasāḥ means very abominable activities. The other day I was speaking. I saw one gentleman, Indian gentleman. He was eating the intestines of hog in the airplane. That is very palatable, they say. Tamo-guṇa, most tamo-guṇa. Hog, the stool-eater, and its intestine, that is cooked, and he's eating. How much tamo-guṇa. Jaghanya. Jaghanya guṇa-vṛtti, very abominable. So next life he is going to be a hog. This is going on. We are in this material nature. Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān (BG 13.22). We are in this material world according to our association with different modes of nature. We are making one type of mentality, and at the time of death, that mental position is responsible for carrying me in a different type of body. In this way we are changing body one after another.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

So this is the arrangement. Every living being has got a particular type of body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). And what is the nature of that body? Now, here the matter is being explained that how we change our body, how... But, but, but, because that is a difficult problem for us because we are engrossed with the idea of identifying this body with the soul. Now, the first A-B-C-D of spiritual knowledge is to understand that "I am not this body." Unless one is firmly convinced that "I am not this body," he cannot progress in the spiritual line. So the first lesson in the Bhagavad-gītā is taken in that way. So here it is, that dehino 'smin. Now, dehī, the soul, soul. Dehī means soul. One who has accepted this body, material body, he's called dehī. So asmin, he is there. He is there, but his body is changing. You see? The body is changing.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

So imperceptibly we are changing our body every moment. Every moment. That is also medical science, that we are changing our blood corpuscles every moment. You see? Similarly, what is the difficulty to understand that, that the soul transmigrates from one body to another? It is very nicely explained here. "As the owner of the body is there within the body, but the body is changing, one after another, one after another..." Dehino 'smin yathā dehe, kaumāraṁ yauvanam (BG 2.13). Here two examples are given: kaumāram... Kaumāram means the age up to fifteen years, the age up to fifteen years, that is called kaumāra. And after fif..., from sixteen years, so upwards, say, up to forty years, one is youth. And then, after forty years, one becomes old. This is process of this body, but it will be later on explained the spirit soul within this body, that is not changing. The body is changing.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

So dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra (BG 2.13). Dhīra means the man who is out of ignorance. (aside:) You are... You sit down. That's all right. Dhīras tatra na muhyati. Dhīra means—we began first explanation—dhīra means one who is, one who is out of ignorance. That means. So one who knows, one who knows the process of the body, changing every moment, then why he should lament when this body is left and another body is taken? Suppose if I throw away this covering of my body and take another covering, then what is there, lamentation? What is the cause of lamentation there? And one should be, rather, glad that the old garment is thrown away and one new garment is taken up. So this, this question... Because Arjuna was disturbed that "How can I fight with my grandfather? That is all right. That is my duty to fight, but how can I fight with my grandfather, Bhīṣmadeva, with my teacher, Droṇācārya? It is not possible." So he is playing the part of a fool, but he was not a fool, but just to teach us. Unless he becomes a fool like us, why this Bhagavad-gītā will come?

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

As the soul is within the body and the body is changing every moment, similarly, the last stage of change is called death. Death is nothing but the final change of this present body. That's all. And our death condition is for seven months only. As soon as I leave this body, at once I am injected into other's mother's body according to my karma. I may be injected to a queen's womb; I may be injected to a dog's mother. You see? That is due to my karma. You see? The father is present there. The dog father is present there. The king's father is present there. The devatā father is present there. There is no scarcity of father, but it will depend on my karma, which kind of father I shall take shelter. So these things are, have to be accepted from the authoritative scriptures like Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. And then it will be possible for us to understand the things as they are. There is no question of sectarianism. There is no question of this "ism" or that "ism." It is a question of pure knowledge.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Mombassa, September 13, 1971:

So Kṛṣṇa is giving instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā that "I" within the body is there. And the "I," or the spirit soul, that is changing the body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). How changing? Just like a baby. A baby grows to become a child, a child grows to become a youth. Boy, a boy grows to become youth, a youth grows to become old man. So this change is not of that "I." It is a change of the outward body, which is known as shirt and coat. Just like you have coat and you have shirt also. But when the coat is not useful, you cannot use anymore, you throw away the coat, you keep your shirt, then again you find out another coat. Similarly, the living entity, the living force within this coat, body and mind, there is the soul. The soul is changing one coat to another. Similarly, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Dehāntara means accepting another body. The soul is changing dresses. Sometimes this human form of body, sometimes the cat's form of body, dog's form of body, tree's form of body, beast form of body, demigod form of body, in this way. The same soul.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Mombassa, September 13, 1971:

So if you study yourself, what I am, am I this body, I am this hand, I am this finger, I am this hair? Go on studying, one day it will, you will come to the point of understanding, but it will take many, many years. But if you take from the authority, just like Kṛṣṇa says that the living force within the body, that living force is changing from one type of body to another. Just in our life experience, everyone of us knows that I was a child, I was a boy. Just like I am an old man. I remember when I was playing on the lap of my eldest sister, I remember still, and my body at that time six months old. But I still remember my eldest sister, she was nine years older than me, and I was playing on her lap and she was knitting.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Pittsburgh, September 8, 1972:

So the body is changing. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). Kaumāram means boyhood. Yauvanam means youthhood, and jarā means old age, aged body. So I can remember, I am an old man, I can remember, I had a boy's body, I had a young man's body. Now I have got this aged body. So although the boyhood body, the youthhood body are no longer existing, but I am existing. That's a fact. Everyone can understand. He has got past, present, and future. You are all young boys and girls present here. So you had your past body as boyhood, childhood. Similarly, you have got your future body. That is awaiting. I have got it, you are awaiting. So past, future, past, present, and future, relatively we can understand in any condition of life.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Pittsburgh, September 8, 1972:

So our advancement of civilization means we have created problems. That's all. This is our advancement of civilization, and we do not know what is the formation of the soul, how it is transmigrating from one body to another, what is the next life, whether we are getting next life a human being or better than human being, or lower than human being. And if it so, how we are getting that form of life next? Because we are eternal, we are changing this body. Neither we do know there are two kinds of bodies: the gross body and the subtle body. This gross body is made of earth, water, fire, air, ether; and the subtle body is made of mind, intelligence, and ego. Within the subtle body, the soul is there. Now, when this gross body becomes useless or unworkable, then the subtle body carries me to another gross body. This is called transmigration of the soul. But we do not see the subtle body. Every one of us, we know that we, we have got mind, but we cannot see the mind. Neither we can see intelligence, neither I can see what is my ego. But they are existing. So it is not necessary that everything you have to see with your blunt eyes. The eyes, they are not perfect. Just like the other side of this hall is dark, I cannot see you. Although I have got the eyes.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Pittsburgh, September 8, 1972:

Dehinaḥ, of the living soul, the body is changing. Similarly, after death, after so-called death... Because there is no death. After stoppage of the function of this gross body, the soul is transferred to another gross body. This statement we get from Bhagavad-gītā. And if we accept this statement, "This is fact," then our spiritual life immediately begins. Without this understanding, there is no question of spiritual understanding. Everything vague, simply mental speculation, "maybe," "perhaps." These theories are being forwarded by so-called scientists and philosophers. But we don't accept such things as "perhaps," "maybe." No. We accept what is fact. It is not a question of belief; it is a question of fact. So this is the fact.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Manila, October 12, 1972:

Just like your friend has gone to India. How do you know? You know that he purchased a ticket for India and he has gone to India, so there is no need of agitation, "Oh, where he has gone? Where he has gone? Where he has gone?" Similarly, when a man dies, one who is dhīra... Here especially the word is used, dhīras tatra na muhyati. Muhyati means bewildered. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Just like the parents. The child is changing body. The mother knows, "My child was six inches long within my womb. When he came out, he was twelve inches long, then thirteen inches, fourteen inches, in this way, now three feet, four feet." The mother is not agitated the child is changing body. Similarly, a dhīra, one who knows the laws of transmigration of the soul, he does not lament at the death of his father or friend. He knows that "My father has now gone to such and such place." That also he can know. How? With reference to the śāstra. Therefore, Vedānta-sūtra says that you should see everything through the śāstra, śāstra-cakṣuṣā.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 19, 1972:

Kṛṣṇa says, dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As the soul, dehī, is passing through different types of body, even in this life... First of all, he gets a small body within the womb of the mother. Just like a pea. And that pea changes into another form, another form, another form. Then when the form is complete with hands and legs, it comes out. Then again changes from babyhood to childhood, from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood. In this way, the living entity is changing the body. Not that the living entity itself is changing. It is changing simply body, according to the necessity. That is explained here. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). The point was to convince Arjuna that "Do not be bereaved because your

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- London, August 19, 1973:

The example is given, dehāntara. Just like I was boy. Then I became young man. So the body changed. And now I have become old man. The body changed. But I am existing, dehi, the proprietor of the body. So where is the difficulty to understand? Dehinaḥ. Dehinaḥ means "of the proprietor." The body is changing. I can understand that my body has changed. So next life the body may change. "May" not. It will change. But I may not remember. That is another thing. Just like in my last life, what was my body, I do not remember. So forgetfulness is our nature. Because I forget something, that does not mean that things did not take place. No. In my childhood I did so many things. I do not remember. But my father (and) mother, who have seen my childhood, they remember. So forgetting does not mean that things did not take place. Similarly, death means I have forgotten what was I was in the past life. That is called death. Otherwise I, as spirit soul, I have no death. Suppose I change my dress. In my boyhood I was in a different dress. In my youthhood I was in a different dress. In my old age, or as a sannyāsī. I am in a different dress. So dress may change. That does not mean the owner of the dress is dead or gone. No.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- London, August 19, 1973:

So when Kṛṣṇa comes, He comes in His original form. But unfortunately, we understand Kṛṣṇa as one of us. He is one of us because He is father, we are sons. One of us. But He is the chief. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He is more powerful, the most powerful, supreme powerful. We have got little power. That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa... We cannot be equal. Nobody can be equal with Kṛṣṇa, or God, or greater than Him. Everyone, under Kṛṣṇa. Ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142). Therefore everyone is servant of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the only master. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram: (BG 5.29) "I am the enjoyer only. I am the proprietor." Kṛṣṇa says. That is the fact. So we are changing our body, but Kṛṣṇa does not change. One should understand this. The proof is that Kṛṣṇa says, vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). He remembers past, present and future.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- London, August 19, 1973:

Just like Kṛṣṇa says Arjuna, in the Fourth Chapter you will find, Kṛṣṇa says that "This philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā, I spoke to the sun-god, some forty millions of years ago." How He remembers? Because He does not change His body. This is simple fact. We do not remember because we are changing body every moment. That is medical science. We are changing the corpuscles of blood. Every second, the body is changing, imperceptibly. Imperceptibly, body is changing. Therefore the father and mother cannot understand how the body is changing imperceptibly. But third person, if he comes all of a sudden and sees the child has grown very big, he says, "Oh, you have grown so big?" But the father-mother does not see that he has grown so big. Because he is always seeing, and the change is taking place very imperceptibly, every moment.

Just like cinema spool. The picture is changing, but it is changing in such a way, we are seeing that one man is dancing only. But he is dancing means he is changing his body. He is changing his picture. Similarly our body is also changing. But I am not changing, you are not changing. My body is changing. That is to be understood.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- London, August 19, 1973:

So we are all individual souls and we are eternal. But because we are changing body, therefore the birth, death, old age, disease, these are calculation. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means that to get out of this changing position, come to the permanent. Because we are eternal. That should be the question, that everyone wants to live eternally, nobody wants to die. Everyone. If I come before you with a revolver, "I shall kill you," you shall immediately cry, because you do not want to die. This is not very good business to die and take birth again. It is very troublesome. That I know imperceptibly, that "If I die, I will have to take place again in the wombs of the mother, and maybe nowadays mother (is) killing the child within the womb. Then again another mother." This process is going on. So that trouble, being killed, to live within the womb of the mother, these things are very troublesome. We have got in the sub-consciousness all this trouble. Therefore we do not want to die. Because we have to again accept another body. And the process of accepting the body is very long and very troublesome. We know all these things. Therefore we do not want.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- London, August 19, 1973:

So dhīras tatra na muhyati. It is very simple thing. Suppose a young man, a boy, changes his body, bodily symptoms. Just like a boy has no mustaches or beard, but all of a sudden the hairs grow. Does he cry, "Oh, why I am growing hair? Why I am growing?" Because that is the necessary change of body. Why he should be perplexed, "Why my body is changing?" Similarly, my body is changing, this body to another body, I am dying. Why shall I be perplexed? The intelligence is that "What kind of body I am going to get?" That is intelligence. Otherwise why one should be perplexed? Dehāntara-prāptiḥ.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Germany, June 18, 1974:

According to your karma, or work, you get a body, either as a king's son or a cobbler's son or a dog's son or a cat's son or a tree's son or a plant's son. This is the nature. This is to be understood. Kṛṣṇa said in the last verse that "Don't think we did not exist in the past. We are existing at present, and we shall continue to exist in the future." Exactly like that, that we live in one apartment. Then, if I am able to pay more rent, I transfer to another apartment. Or if I cannot pay the present rent, then I'll have to move to another, less rented apartment. This is called: "I existed in one apartment, Now I am existing in one apartment, and I shall exist in another apartment." So I am eternal; I am simply changing my apartment or dress. This simple thing. Asmin dehe yathā. As kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, in this life I am experiencing that I changed so many apartments—I was a child; that apartment I changed into boyhood; then again I changed that apartment into youthhood; then I am old man—so when this apartment will be vacated, I'll have to accept another apartment. Where is the difficulty to understand? I must possess one apartment or body. The body is the apartment.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Germany, June 18, 1974:

There is no difference. Simply a small quantity and big quantity. The ant's body is also made of the same ingredient, the elephant's body is also made of same ingredient, and this gigantic universe, so many planets, sun, moon and sky, that is also made of the same ingredients. It is only difference of big apartment and small apartment. That's all.

But the proprietor or the occupier of the apartment is different. That is to be understood. He's changing apartments. So that is also explained here. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). This kaumāraṁ yauvanam... We say "This is child's body." "This is boy's body." So they are different apartments. And according to the apartment, one's intelligence or consciousness is developed, according to the body. When the living being, or the soul, gets a... That you'll see. A poor man living in a poor cottage or very unclean apartment, his mentality is different. Another gentle, respectable gentleman, he's living in a very nice house, nice apartment, his mentality is different. So according to the circumstances, the mental changes are there. But the poor man is also a human being, and the rich man is also human being.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Germany, June 18, 1974:

This is law, going on. And that is... How nicely it is explained. Dehinaḥ asmin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As we have changed so many different types of body even in this duration of life... Now, how this change is taking place, that you cannot imagine. Therefore we say the same body. But actually it is not the same body. The body is different. It is changing. And because the person, the soul, is there, therefore it is changing. And as soon as the person is not there... Suppose in a child's body, a born baby, a dead body, it will not grow or it will not change. So long the soul is there, it will change. So Kṛṣṇa said that "We existed in the past." This is authoritative statement. So it is to be understood that I existed in the past in different body. As I existed, say, seventy years before in a different body, I was jumping as a boy, now I cannot jump. Now I have to take the stick. This is a different body. So where is the difficulty to understand? If the same body had been, then I could jump like a boy. I remember that I jumped. But now it is not possible. I have to take help of three men. (laughter) So it is different body. Although imperceptibly it has changed, but the body is different. Body's different.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Germany, June 18, 1974:

So to become dhīra means not to use this, I mean to say, very important, very useful body, human body, to pass as cats and dogs. That is very dangerous. It is a great loss. Prahlāda Mahārāja instructed this. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. We have to (be) very, mean, intelligent to understand that "I have got this body. Must be after many, many births." That is the evolutionary theory. I can understand that this tree... That is also a living being, but it is standing there for thousands of years. Thousands of years, they are standing. So many Napoleons, so many Kaisers, so many Hitlers came and gone, but the tree is standing. That is a punishment. But that is also a living being. It is also growing. As your body is growing or changing, that body's also growing and changing, unless you pour water on the root of the tree, no eating, then it will die. Similarly, if you don't eat, you'll die. You'll die. There is no difference. It is the simply different methods of living. That's all. The cats and dogs living in a certain method. The human being is living in a certain method. The trees are living in a certain method. The fish in the waters, they are living in the certain method. But the eating, sleeping, mating, defending is there. Is there. So according to the different bodies, they're living differently.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Public Lecture With German Translation Throughout -- Hamburg, September 10, 1969:

So life after death is not very difficult to understand. We have got different grades of life. Just like the child is crying, that is also life. Then the child body vanquished, then gets another body, boy's body. Then this body also vanquishes. Another body, youthful body. This body also vanquishes. And then an old man's body like me, this will also vanquish. So the logic is as the other bodies vanquish and I get a next body, similarly, when this old body will be vanquished, I'll get another body. So here it is stated by the supreme authority, Kṛṣṇa, that as these bodies are changing in this duration of life... It is changing. The old body, the child's body, boy's body of me, they are no longer existing, but I am existing. I know that I had a small body like this. I had a boy's body, youthful body. I can remember. Therefore I am eternal. The bodies are temporary.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Public Lecture With German Translation Throughout -- Hamburg, September 10, 1969:

So, if we like, we can go to the higher planetary system, heavenly planetary system. Just like we are trying to go to the moon planet, but we have not been successful. In this way we cannot go there. Each planet, each and every planet, has got different atmosphere. So unless your body is completely competent to live in such planet, you cannot go there. Just like the scientists say that in the moon planet the temperature is two hundred degrees below zero. Similarly, in the sun planet the temperature is very, very high, hundred and thousand times degrees above the normal. So in this way, every planet has got different atmosphere, different temperature, different standard of life, different duration of life. So one has to become competent to transfer himself in a particular type of planet. So we, as spirit soul, dehī, the possessor of this body... Dehī means one who possesses this body, or the occupier of the body, the spirit soul. That is eternal. Changing body only, but eternal. Therefore we should not be interested to these different types of temporary body. That is not very good intelligence. So we have to prepare ourself. If we want... There is a full description of each and every planet. And we can prepare ourself according to our desire, which planet we wish to go. But Kṛṣṇa says, mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām (BG 9.25). "Persons who are engaged in My occupational duties, they will come to Me."

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Public Lecture With German Translation Throughout -- Hamburg, September 10, 1969:

We are conditioned in every step by the laws of material nature. Still, foolishly, we are thinking we are free. This is foolishness. We are so much controlled by the material nature, exactly like a small child is pulled by the ear by his mother. "Come here." He comes here. "Go there," and goes. Just like a dog. A dog may feel very freedom, jumping. But as soon as the master says "Come here," he comes and immediately chained. This is our position. So that is our position, that we are completely under the clutches of material nature, and according to the modes of material nature, we are acting and changing our body in different species of life. So our real business in this human form of life is to get, try to accept the process by which we can get free from this conditioned life. The process is that we have to give up all our false consciousness. We are, under false consciousness, I am thinking, "I am Indian," you are thinking you are German, and the dog is thinking "I am dog," and cat is thinking "I am cat." So this bodily consciousness, bodily concept of life, will keep us conditioned within the material nature.

Lecture on BG 2.13-17 -- Los Angeles, November 29, 1968:

Madhudviṣa: Thirteen. "As the embodied soul continually passes in this body from boyhood to youth and then to old age, similarly the soul also passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change." Purport: "Since every living entity is an individual soul, each is changing his body at every moment, manifesting sometimes as a child, sometimes as a youth, and sometimes as an old man, although the same spirit soul is there and does not undergo any change. The individual soul finally changes the body itself in transmigrating from one to another. And since it is sure to have another body in the next birth, either material or spiritual, there was no cause for lamentation by Arjuna on account of death, either over Bhīṣma or over Droṇa, for whom he was so concerned."

Prabhupāda: Now, this simple fact, as it is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, that dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13), the change of body is taking place every moment. Every moment. Just like this child, the child, if there is some measuring instrument, if you measure this child today, tomorrow you'll find the child has grown or changed the body. That is a medical science also. The body is changing. The body is changing, but the soul is there. Just like I had my childhood body, boyhood body, and now I am in a different body, but I remember all the activities of my childhood. Therefore I am permanent. And body is changing. This simple truth, what is the difficulty for the people to understand this simple truth? The body is changing, but I am not changing. I am eternal. Therefore I am not this body. I am not changing. This simple truth, the first instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa has begun instructing Arjuna... After Arjuna has accepted his discipleship, the first instruction is this, that "You are lamenting on the body of your grandfather and teacher regarding fighting, but your grandfather, or the soul...," which is already explained that, "You are soul, I am the supreme soul, or all these kings and soldiers who has assembled, they are also souls. They existed in the past. Now they have changed their body. Again they will change their body, but they will exist." This is the instruction. The body is changing, and the vivid example? That in this life you are changing body. So what is the difficulty of understanding this simple truth that the soul is different from the body? And so far eternity of the soul, that is also, there is proof. Because in childhood I was present, in boyhood I was present, in youthhood I was present, and in this old age I am still present.

Lecture on BG 2.13-17 -- Los Angeles, November 29, 1968:

So naturally it is concluded that when I change this body, I exist. When I change this body... This body will be changed. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As the parents of this child... Now she is, say, one-feet long only. When this child will grow five feet long, the father and mother, will they cry, "Oh, my child! Where is my child, that one-feet long?" He knows. The parents know that my child is there, but changed the body. This is a fact. Similarly, "You are lamenting on the body of your grandfather and teacher, even they change their body, what is the cause of lamentation? They will exist." This is the beginning of instruction of Bhagavad-gītā or spiritual instruction. Unless one understands this simple fact, that the soul is different from this body, the soul is eternal, the body is temporary, changing... Because without understanding this, there is no spiritual education. A false education. If one identifies with this body, there is no understanding of spiritual knowledge.

Lecture on BG 2.13-17 -- Los Angeles, November 29, 1968:

Madhudviṣa: "Rather he should rejoice at their changing bodies from old to new ones."

Prabhupāda: Now here is another argument, that "Why you are going to lament on the body of your grandfather? He's grand old man. If he does not die, if you do not kill him, how long he will live? So you kill him or not kill him, he will die. And you should be rather joyful because your grandfather is going to have again..." This is only for argument. "...again have a new body." The... When Caitanya Mahāprabhu met Chand Kazi... I think I have explained this story many times. Chand Kazi was Mohammedan. So you know the story that Caitanya Mahāprabhu started civil disobedience, disregarded the section, I mean to say, imposed by the magistrate Chand Kazi that "You cannot hold the saṅkīrtana. The people are disturbed." Just like you are being threatened by the police. So this is not new thing. This thing is going on from the very beginning, even Caitanya Mahāprabhu's time. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu disregarded the notice. "Don't care for this Kazi. Go on." And when people... He was very popular, but we are not popular. Caitanya Mahāprabhu (laughs) was Kṛṣṇa. He had attraction. He was, although a boy of twenty years old, He had many followers. He ordered, "Oh, Kazi has ordered to stop. Now I order that hundreds of thousands of people shall assemble this night, and we shall go to the Kazi's house." This is civil disobedience.

Lecture on BG 2.13-17 -- Los Angeles, November 29, 1968:

Madhudviṣa: "Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent there is no endurance and of the eternal there is no cessation. Seers have concluded this by studying the nature of both." Purport: "There is no endurance of the changing body. That the body is changing every moment by the actions and reactions of different cells is admitted by modern medical science, and thus growth and old age are taking place. But the spiritual soul exists permanently, remaining the same in all changing circumstances of the body and mind. That is the difference between matter and spirit. By nature the body is ever-changing and the soul is eternal. This conclusion is established by all classes of seers of the truth, impersonalists and personalists."

Prabhupāda: This is... So far the constitution of the spirit is concerned, it is eternal. That is accepted by all philosophers, personalists and impersonalists. The only difference is that the impersonalist says that after liberation, after getting freed from this bodily contamination, the spirit soul mixes with the Supreme Soul, all-pervading, without any individual existence. Just like the same example, that the small sky within the pitcher. When the pitcher is broken, the small sky within the pitcher mixes with the big sky. The Vaiṣṇava philosopher says that the small sky is individual. It mixes with the big sky, but it keeps its individuality. The example is given in this connection: just like a green bird entering a green tree.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Germany, June 21, 1974:

Everyone knows that "I am in this material world. I must enjoy to the fullest extent." One who is unaware of the fact that "I am going to take another life," he is thinking, "This is a combination of this matter—earth, water, air, fire. So when it will be broken, then everything will be finished. So so long I have got this opportunity, let me enjoy to the fullest extent." This is called material mentality, atheist, atheist, who does not know that we are eternal soul, we are changing body only. The atheists think that after finishing...

Here in the Western country, big, big professor, they are also under the same impression, that when the body is finished, everything is finished. No. That is not. Therefore that is the beginning of instruction. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). You are changing different bodies. By finishing the body, you are not finished. You are not finished. We can understand with little thinking that in this body I am..., even in this life. At night I get another body. I dream. I dream there is tiger. I go to the forest, and there is a tiger, and it is coming to kill me. Then I am crying, and actually I am crying.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Germany, June 21, 1974:

So I am eternal. But when I work with the subtle body, I forget this gross body. And when I work with this gross body, I forget this subtle body. So either I accept the gross body or subtle body, I am eternal. I am eternal. Now the problem is how to avoid this gross body and subtle body. That is problem. That means when you remain in your original body, means spiritual body, and do not come to this gross or subtle body, that is your eternal life. That is... We have to achieve. This human life is a gift by the nature or by God. Now you realize that you are changing your different condition, distress and happiness, being forced to accept some kind of gross and subtle body. That is the cause of your pains and pleasure. And if you get out of this gross and subtle body, remain in your original, spiritual body, then you are free from these pains and pleasure. That is called mukti. Mukti. There is a Sanskrit word. Mukti means liberation, no more gross body, no more subtle body. But you remain in your own original spiritual body. This is called mukti. Mukti means... It is described in the Bhāgavatam, muktir hitvā anyathā rūpaṁ sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. That is called mukti. Anyathā rūpam. Anyathā rūpam means in otherwise, staying or living in otherwise. Otherwise means that I am spirit soul. I have got spiritual body. But some way or other, circumstantially, on account of my desire, I get sometimes human body and sometimes dog's body, sometimes cat's body, sometimes tree's body, sometimes demigod's body. There are different, 8,400,000 different forms of body. So I am changing according to my desire.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Mexico, February 14, 1975:

Hṛdayānanda: (translating) If also on other planets one has to continue changing bodies?

Prabhupāda: Yes, the planets... There are different planets means different facilities of material convenience.

Hṛdayānanda: (translating) Who is in charge of giving us our next body?

Prabhupāda: God. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati. God, in His Supersoul feature, He is situated in everyone's heart and he is seeing all our activities, and he is awarding the different kind of bodies. You can... If you like, you can find out this verse,

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
(BG 18.61)

You can explain this. Find out. (Hṛdayānanda reads translations in Spanish) Purport? (Hṛdayānanda reads purport in Spanish) So we have to accept that we are fully under control. If childishly we say that we are independent, that is foolishness.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Mexico, February 14, 1975:

Hṛdayānanda: He asked about heart transplants, where does the soul go in heart transplant, when they change the heart from one body to another body. He's asking about that.

Prabhupāda: Heart changing?

Hanumān: No. Now they're doing this heart transplantation. They're taking the heart of one person...

Prabhupāda: The soul changes from this heart to that heart. That's all. Just like you are running your car. It stops. Then you change, this car to that car. That's all. (laughter) This is it. It is very common thing.

Devotee or Guest: (Spanish)

Hṛdayānanda: If by purifying ourselves we feel our relationship that we have with the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is the center of purification.

Hanumān: Prabhupāda, I would like to know, if there is no birth in the spiritual world, how do we re-enter the spiritual world?

Prabhupāda: Hm? Birth means, first of all you take your birth where Kṛṣṇa is now present. Kṛṣṇa is present in one of the universes. There are innumerable universes. So you take your birth in the next universe, or where Kṛṣṇa is now. Then you become trained up. And when you are trained up, then you personally go to Vaikuṇṭha. No birth. Hm, what is that?

Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Hyderabad, November 21, 1972:

The purpose of Kṛṣṇa, to teach all these things to Arjuna... Because he was very much perplexed how he would live, killing all his kinsmen, brothers. So Kṛṣṇa wanted to point out that "Your brothers, your grandfather, they'll not die. They'll simply transfer the body. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). As we change our dress, similarly we change our bodies also like that. There is nothing to be lamented." In another place, Bhagavad-gītā, therefore, it is said, brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20). "One who has understood Brahman," prasannātmā, "he's always joyful. He's not disturbed by these material conditions." That is here stated: yaṁ hi na vyathayanty ete. These different transformation, different changes of nature, body, and everything, one should not be disturbed by all these things. These are external. We are spirit soul. It is external body, or external dress. That is changing. So if we understand nicely, na vyathayanti, and you are not disturbed by these changes, then saḥ amṛtatvāya kalpate, then he's making progress, spiritual progress. That means, spiritual progress means, he's making progress towards eternal life. Spiritual life means eternal, blissful life of knowledge. That is spiritual life.

Lecture on BG 2.19 -- London, August 25, 1973:

It is my duty to serve Kṛṣṇa, I am eternal servant of... Kāryam. Must I do it, must I serve Kṛṣṇa. That is my position. That is sannyāsa. Anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryam karma karoti yaḥ. The karmīs, they are expecting some good result for sense gratification. That is karmī. And sannyāsī means... They are also working very hard, but not for sense gratification. For the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. That is sannyāsa. This is sannyāsa and karmī. Karmī also works very hard, harder and harder but all for this āmiṣa-mada-sevā. Āmiṣa-mada-sevā. Vyavāya, only for sex life, eating meat, and intoxication. And a devotee works in the same way, hard, but for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction. This is the difference. And if you, one life before, like this, no more sense gratification, simply for Kṛṣṇa, then you come to this position, na jāyate, no more death, no more birth. Because your position is na jāyate na... That is your actual position. But because you are in ignorance, pramattaḥ, you have become mad, you have become crazy; therefore you have taken to this process of sense gratification. Therefore you are entangled in a material body, and the body is changing. That is called birth and death.

Lecture on BG 2.20 -- Hyderabad, November 25, 1972:

So in God's creation everything is unlimited. It is not limited with our perspective of knowledge. So there are so many, innumerable universes, innumerable planets, and there are innumerable living entities. And all of them are rotating according to their karma. And birth and death means changing, one body to another. I make one plan in this life and... Because everyone is in the bodily concept of live. So so long we are in the bodily concept of life... "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," "I am vaiśya," "I am śūdra," "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am so and so." These are all bodily concept of life designations. So so long I am in bodily concept of life, I think, "I have got this duty to do. As brāhmaṇa, I have got to do such and such things." "As American, I have got to do so many things." So long this consciousness will continue, we'll have to accept another body. This is the nature's process.

Lecture on BG 2.20 -- Hyderabad, November 25, 1972:

Dehī, the living entity, simply changing the dress. It is the dress. This body is dress. Now the question is... Just like there was some discussion that the spirit has no form. How it can be? If this is, this body is my dress, how I have no form? How the dress has got form? My coat or shirt has got a form because my body has got a form. I have got two hands. Therefore my dress, my coat, has also two hands. My shirt has also two hands. So if this is dress, this body, as it is described in the Bhagavad-gītā—vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22)—so if it is dress, then I must have a form. Otherwise how this dress is made? It is very logical conclusion and very easy to understand. Unless I have got my own form, how the dress has got form? What is the answer? Anyone can say? How the original living entity can be without hands and legs? If this body's my dress... Just like you go to a tailor. He takes measurement of your hand, of your leg, of your chest. Then your coat or shirt is made. Similarly, when you have got a particular type of dress, it is to be assumed that I have got my form, spiritual form. Nobody can refute this argument. And apart from our so-called argument, we have to accept the statement of Kṛṣṇa. The... Because He's authority.

Lecture on BG 2.20 -- Hyderabad, November 25, 1972:

So if I think that I, I am this coat, that is my ignorance. And that is going on. The so-called service to the humanity means washing the coat. Just like if you are hungry and I wash your coat very nicely with soap, will you be satisfied? No. That is not possible. So every one of us is spiritually hungry. What these people will do by washing the coat and shirt? There cannot be any peace. The so-called humanitarian service means they are washing this vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni. That's all. And death means... It is explained very nicely that when the dress, your dress, my dress, becomes too old, we change it. Similarly, birth and death means changing the dress. It is very clearly explained. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Jīrṇāni, old dress, old garment, we throw it away, and take another new dress, new garment. Similarly, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti. A new, fresh dress. Similarly, I am old man.

Lecture on BG 2.20-25 -- Seattle, October 14, 1968:

Viṣṇujana: "Forgetfulness of this relationship by the atomic soul is the cause of one changing his position from one tree to another or from one body to another."

Prabhupāda: Now here... He's giving trouble to the friend. I am giving to my sincere friend Kṛṣṇa simply trouble. Just like a bird is flying from one tree to another. The friend bird is also there. He has no business, he has no interest to be there because he is not eating anything from the tree. He has nothing to do. But because his friend is there, he goes. So we are changing our body as the bird, the changing from one tree to another. But Kṛṣṇa, the supreme bird, is also going with me. Go on.

Viṣṇujana: "The jīva, the soul, is struggling very hard in the tree of the material body. But as soon as he agrees to accept the other bird..."

Prabhupāda: That's all.

Lecture on BG 2.21-22 -- London, August 26, 1973:

So this is another way of convincing that... Very simple thing. Anyone can understand. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya. As our garments, coats and shirts, when they are old, rotten, no more usable, so we throw it away and get a new garment, shirt, coat. Similarly, the soul is changing garment from childhood, from babyhood. Just like a baby has got a shoe, but when he gets the child's body the shoe does not fit. You have to take another shoe. Similarly, when the same child grows or changes body, he requires another shoe. Similarly, the soul is changing his body exactly as we change our garments. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni. Jīrṇāni means when it is old enough, not fit for use, yathā vihāya, as we give it up... Vihāya means give it up. Navāni, new garment. Naraḥ aparāṇi gṛhṇāti. Now the body has been compared herein as the garment. Just like coat and shirt. The tailor cuts the coat according to the body. Similarly, this material body, if it is shirt and coat, then this is cut according to the spiritual body. The spiritual body is not nirākāra, without form. If it is without form, then how the garment, the coat and shirt, has got hands and legs? It is common sense. The coat has got hand or the pant has got legs because the person who is using the coat, he has got hands and legs.

Lecture on BG 2.22 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:

So one should understand this verse very seriously. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro 'parāṇi (BG 2.22). It has been especially mentioned: nara. Nara means human being. The cats and dogs, they are changing their body, the same process, but they cannot understand. But here especially mentioned: nara. Human beings should understand this scientific knowledge that "Your, this body is just like a dress. It is changing." And we are changing... Just like according to price, we have a dress. If you go to a garment store, you can have nice dress if you pay more. And if you get less, you get a third-class dress. Similarly, there are eight million species or forms of life. Somebody is in the cat's body. Somebody's dog's body. Somebody's in human being's body. Somebody is in demigod's body. These bodies are offered by prakṛti according to price you pay. This is called karma. This is karma. If you perform good karma, then you get good body. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrīḥ (SB 1.8.26). This is the janma. You get good birth, you get money, you get education, and you become beautiful by pious activities. And by impious activities, just the opposite. So either you get this or that, after all, it is birth and death. (break) ...how to stop the cycle of birth and death. Otherwise it is animal civilization.

Lecture on BG 2.24 -- Hyderabad, November 28, 1972:

Dharma, if we take these two words... Sanātana means eternal. That is called sanātana. And dharma, dharma means occupation, characteristic. Dharma does not mean some superficial ritualistic ceremonies. Dharma means the characteristic. That is real meaning. Dharma is not a kind of faith. Dharma is characteristic. Sanātana-dharma means sanātana characteristic, eternal characteristic. The changing... Now, I have got now this body, Indian body, and then, next body may be cat's and dog's or demigod's, according to my karma. So the body changes. So sanātana-dharma cannot be applied to this body. Sanātana-dharma means the characteristic of the soul. That is sanātana-dharma, to understand the characteristic of the soul. Kṛṣṇa is describing here the characteristic of the soul: sanātana. And at the conclusion, He gives you information of the sanātana-dharma. What is that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is sanātana-dharma. Kṛṣṇa is sanātana, I am sanātana, you are sanātana.

Lecture on BG 2.25 -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:

So this is the position. One is actually serving, not master. But he's thinking that he's master. This is māyā. So when we give up this false prestigious position that I am master, then you are liberated. Hitvā anyathā rūpam. Mukti, the definition of mukti is hitvā anyathā rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa avasthitiḥ. Anyathā rūpam. Now we are struggling hard within this material world, under the influence of māyā, changing different types of body. Sometimes I am going to the heavenly planets. Sometimes I am going to the hellish planets. Sometimes I am rich man. Sometimes I am poor man. Sometimes brāhmaṇa, sometimes śūdra. Sometimes tiger, sometimes tree. In this way, sarva-gata. Everywhere within this universe, the living entities are struggling for existence. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhāni indriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūta (BG 15.7). Kṛṣṇa says, "All these living entities, they are My part and parcel, but foolishly, being carried by the mental concoction, prakṛti-sthāni, within this material world, karṣati, struggling to become master." This is the disease.

Lecture on BG 2.27-38 -- Los Angeles, December 11, 1968:

"He who dwells in the body." He began this instruction that deha, dehī—the body and the proprietor of the body or the resident of the body. Just like this hall, and we are a resident of this hall. We are different. We are not this hall. This lecture room, we are within this lecture room, but that does not mean that we are or I am or you are this lecture room. Similarly the soul dwells in this body. The body is changing but the soul is not changing. That was the beginning of conversation with Arjuna after his surrendering unto Kṛṣṇa as disciple. And again He concludes in that way, that the soul... "Take it from Me, because you have accepted Me as your spiritual master." This is the significance. If you accept somebody as spiritual master, you have to accept whatever he says. Otherwise there is no need. But if you cannot understand, you can inquire sincerely. That is not barred. But you have to accept. So Kṛṣṇa says, conclusion, what is that? That "Within this body..." What is that?

Lecture on BG 2.28 -- London, August 30, 1973:

Pradyumna: "Take for example a big skyscraper manifested from the earth. When it is dismantled, the manifestation becomes again unmanifested and remains as atoms in the ultimate stage. The law of conservation of energy remains, but in course of time things are manifested and unmanifested. That is the difference. Then what cause is there for lamentation either in the stage of manifestation or unmanifestation? Somehow or other, even in the unmanifested stage, things are not lost. Both in the beginning and at the end all elements remain unmanifested, and only in the middle are they manifested, and this does not make any real material difference. And if we accept the Vedic conclusion as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (antavanta ime dehāḥ) that these material bodies are perishable in due course of time (nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ) but that soul is eternal, then we must remember always that the body is like a dress. Therefore why lament the changing of a dress? The material body has no factual existence in relation to the eternal soul. It is something like a dream. In a dream we may think of flying in the sky or sitting on a chariot as a king, but when we wake up we can see that we are neither in the sky nor seated on the chariot. The Vedic wisdom encourages self-realization and the basis of the nonexistence of the material body. Therefore in either case, whether one believes in the existence of the soul or one does not believe in the existence of the soul, there is no cause for lamentation for loss of the body."

Prabhupāda: One point in this connection is that at night when I am dreaming I forget this body. This body, in dream, I am seeing that I have gone in a different place, talking with different men, and my position is different. But at that time I don't remember that actually my body is lying on the bed in the apartment where I have come. But we don't remember this body. It is everyone's experience. Similarly, when you come again, awakening stage in the morning after getting up from the bed, I forget all the bodies I created in my dream. So which one is correct? This is correct? This body's correct, or that body's correct? Because at night I forget this body, and in daytime I forget the other dreaming body.

Lecture on BG 2.30 -- London, August 31, 1973:

So one who does not know Kṛṣṇa, rascals, they accuse Kṛṣṇa as immoral of woman-hunter, like that. And they take pleasure in this. Therefore, they paint pictures of Kṛṣṇa, His affairs with the gopīs. But they do not paint picture how He is killing Kaṁsa, how He is killing the demons. They do not like this. This is sahajiyā. They, for their debauchery, for their business of debauchery, they like to be supported by Kṛṣṇa. "Kṛṣṇa has done this." "Kṛṣṇa has become immoral. So therefore we are also immoral. We are great devotee of Kṛṣṇa, because we are immoral." This is going on. Therefore, to understand Kṛṣṇa, it requires a little better intelligence. Better intelligence. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān (BG 7.19). Jñānavān means the first-class intelligent wise. Māṁ prapadyate. He understands what is Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. Such kind of intelligent mahātmā... You can find out rascal mahātmā, simply by changing dress, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, declaring himself as God or Kṛṣṇa. Kick on their face. Kṛṣṇa is different from all these rascals. But if you understand Kṛṣṇa, if you are so fortunate—ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). Only the most fortunate persons can understand Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa. Ei rūpe.

Lecture on BG 2.40-45 -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1968:

There are many big industrialists earning money like anything, hoarding money. But this money, this acquisition or educational qualification... Suppose in this life you become a great scientist, a great scholar, M.A., Ph.D, D.A.C., LL.D., so many titles, and very good opulence, or very good beautiful body, so many material... These are material acquisitions, to get birth in high family, to become highly educated, highly educated, to become very rich, these are material acquisitions. But Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says that all these acquisitions will be finished as soon as the body is finished. The people, they do not know it. They are thinking that "Whatever I am acquiring in this body, that will go with me, or I shall be happy with these acquisitions." That is called illusion, māyā. Because they have no knowledge that "I am spirit soul. I am changing this position of different bodies." Vāsāṁsi jīrnāṇi yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Just like we change our dresses. This knowledge is lacking in the present civilization. They want to make permanent settlement here, but forget that "Any moment, I shall be kicked out of this situation. I shall have to accept another situation." That is the lack of education in the modern civilization. They are accepting something temporary as permanent settlement. This is called illusion.

Lecture on BG 2.40-45 -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1968:

Yes. That I just now explained. That is liberation. I am identified just now with this matter. "I am this body, I belong to this country, I belong to this world." This is illusion. And as soon as I can understand that I belong to none of these, I belong to Kṛṣṇa, that is enlightenment. Simply changing the understanding. It is not very difficult. But it is difficult one who cannot understand. That is another thing. But if one can understand this fact, then he's immediately enlightened. Just like this light, it is now enlightened. There is illumination. And as soon as the switch is off, immediately darkness. And switch is on, immediately light. So it is not very difficult to understand what is enlightenment. Enlightened means ahaṁ brahmāsmi. I do not belong to this material world. I belong to the Supreme Spirit. That conviction makes you enlightened. So anyone who has got this conviction, he's enlightened. This is not very difficult.

Lecture on BG 2.51-55 -- New York, April 12, 1966:

So practically there is no death. Death means changing the body. We have already discussed this point. Now... But that janma, that birth, oh, it is stated here that it is a bondage. Janma-bandha. Bandha means bondage. Practically there is similarity in English. It is called bandha. And in English, bond. There is similarity of sound. Janma-bandha. So this janma, so long, so long your mind will be absorbed in the activities of this material world, you are sure to take birth again. So that activities, by intelligence, have to be purified in such a way that it will not affect you. It will not affect you. That is the tactics. This tactic... So we should be very serious. We should be very serious that many, many lives, many, many lives we have passed, but there was no opportunity to get out of this tribulation of birth, death, old age and diseases. Now here is a chance. Here is a chance in the human form of life.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:

So if you train up... You have got this facility of life, comfortable life. Do not misuse it for becoming next life a dog. Utilize it to become next life God. That is success. You have got advanced intelligence, but this intelligence is given to you for understanding God and your position that by forgetting God you are in this material world, and in this material world you are changing one body to another. Sometimes American body, sometimes demigod's body, sometimes celestial body, sometimes dog's body, cat's body, tiger's body. This science is unknown. But this is the science. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ ahaṅkāra (BG 3.27). We have got this body, that body, this body, under the direction of the prakṛti, material nature. So therefore intelligence is that "If I am eternal..." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). You are not dying. Hanyamāne śarīre.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:

So I change this, myself. I am soul. I change from this gross body lying on bed in a very nice apartment, skyscraper building, but I have gone to the forest, and I am affronting a big tiger and I'm crying. In this bed I am crying. The friends say, "Why you are crying?" "Tiger, tiger, tiger." Where is tiger? This is called subtle body. So you are changing daily at night from this gross body to the subtle body. And again the dream is over, from the subtle body, again to the gross body. Every one of us has got this experience.

Therefore I am the enjoyer, puruṣa. I am changing simply body, this way or that way. This is my position. So one who is intelligent, that "I change body and different bodies. I am eternal, so what is my eternal business?" This is athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is called inquiry of the spiritual life. This is very simple thing, that "I am simply changing body. Then what is my real position?" This is intelligent. When a man comes to this position or this platform, to inquire, "Actually what I am?" that is beginning of human life. Otherwise, it is animal life. The animal also thinks, "I am dog," "I am tiger," "I am that." You are none of these, sir. These are all designations, for the temporary, for a certain period, ten years, five years, fifty years, utmost hundred years, then finished. But you are eternal.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to liberate these foolish persons who are entangled in this material world and changing one body after another, sometimes very happy and sometimes very distressed. This is going on.

Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said, tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehinām: "My dear father, or the best of the demons, you are asking me, so I say, I have learned this. What is that? That these people who are always full of anxiety," asad-grahāt, "because they have accepted this material world," tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5), "these persons, either in human being or animal or bird and beasts—full of anxieties."

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Montreal, August 24, 1968:

So this nature of material world is like that. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Chewing the chewed. You chew something, you throw it, and again somebody comes, chewing it. You see: punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Bhāgavata says that they are engaged with this material body and material activities. Just like you are changing, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), we are changing our body from one body to another. Similarly, as, with the change of my body my activities are also changed. The material is supplied by the material nature and my activities are different. In this way I am going on. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). But we cannot come to the conclusion that if there is any possibility for eternal life or eternal activity or no change, because you don't want change. Even at the time of death you are very sorry because you have to change the body. Even for changing one apartment for another apartment you are sorry. Therefore for a sannyāsī it is recommended that he should not live more than three days in a place. Because as soon as he lives more than three days, he'll get some attachment. Attachment. So he is forbidden. But at the present moment everything has changed. So bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate. We are in the existence of changing, always transforming from one platform to another, one form to another, one business to another. But our nature is eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This is, all this explained in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on BG 4.1-2 -- Columbus, May 9, 1969:

This forgetfulness means change of body. Just like we had some certain type of body in our previous life, but we do not know. Forgotten. Because I have changed the body, therefore I have forgotten. What to speak of my last birth? Even in your childhood, when you were, say, three or four years old, you did so many things. But do you remember them? No. Because you have changed the body. That body is gone. Therefore we have forgotten. Forgetfulness means change of body. We are changing body every second, every minute. Therefore we are forgetting. And Kṛṣṇa does not forget. That means he does not change body. This is pure understanding of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 4.3-6 -- New York, July 18, 1966:

Just like Kṛṣṇa's birth, Kṛṣṇa's appearance and disappearance, is just like the sun, is just like the sun. Now, sun, in the morning, you'll see that it, it appears as if it is born from the eastern horizon. It is not born. The sun is always in the sky. It is the position of the earth in which we understand that sun is now rising from the eastern horizon. He's neither rising, nor he's dipping into the sea. He is, the sun is as it is, in his position, but due to the position, changing position of this earth, we see that the sun is rising and sun is setting. Similarly, the Kṛṣṇa, when He comes as incarnation, He comes just like this, in the same way.

Lecture on BG 4.4 -- Bombay, March 24, 1974:

So in this way we are changing our body but because we are minute particle of Kṛṣṇa.... We have got qualities of Kṛṣṇa not cent percent. Seventy-eight percent. When they are perfect, so minute quantity, then we can also become a little more advanced than at the present moment. But not like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is cent percent perfect. We can become minutely perfect, seventy-eight percent. These are all analyzed by the Gosvāmīs. So in the present stage, our conditioned stage, there is no comparison with Kṛṣṇa, what to speak of becoming Kṛṣṇa. The rascal foolish persons, they claim that they have become Kṛṣṇa. It is not possible. This is the defect, that we forget. They ask so many the incarnation of God, about his past life. They cannot speak.

So this is the qualification of God. He knows past, present and future. And those who are false God, they cannot say. That is not possible. This is the test. They are claiming, falsely claiming. But God means, He knows. His body does not change. Past.... He knows past, present, future means His body does not change.

Lecture on BG 4.4 -- Bombay, March 24, 1974:

So this is also very difficult to become brahma-bhūtaḥ. We are now jīva-bhūtaḥ. But people are not interested to become brahma-bhūtaḥ or devotee of Kṛṣṇa. They are interested to continue this material way of life, changing the body. They do not know. They think this body is all in all, but that is not the fact. That is the first instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). You have to change your body, as you are already changing. These are stated there. So yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ (BG 7.3). Even those who are siddha... There are many big, big sannyāsīs, impersonalists. They cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. It is a fact. They consider Kṛṣṇa as ordinary human being. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). So it is very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa. But if you want to understand Kṛṣṇa, try to understand Kṛṣṇa from Kṛṣṇa, not otherwise. Then you will understand Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Bombay, March 25, 1974:

Our actual business is to go back to home, back to Godhead, not to enjoy in this material world. But still, because we want it, Kṛṣṇa gives us all facilities. Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). If we want to enjoy this material world, Kṛṣṇa will give us all the opportunities. You can become the topmost living entity like Lord Brahmā, and you can become an insignificant ant. According to your karma. Anumantā upadraṣṭā. So this is going on.

Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). In this way, we are wandering all over the universe as some body. Sometimes human being, sometimes demigods, sometimes cats, sometimes dogs, sometimes tree, sometimes plant, sometimes insect, sometimes Brahmā, sometimes ant, sometimes pig. Anything. There are 8,400,000 species of life. So this is our circulation. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that tava cārjuna. "As Paramātmā, I am with you always. And you are changing so many bodies."

Lecture on BG 4.6 -- Bombay, March 26, 1974:

Those who cannot understand, they make difference between His ātmā, Kṛṣṇa's ātmā, and Kṛṣṇa's body. They think... The Māyāvādī philosophers, they say that "Kṛṣṇa, He is God... Or godly." They have got the imagination. "But His body is made of matter." No. That is not. If His body had been made of matter, then how He could remember millions of years ago what He did? We cannot remember even what we did yesterday night or just this morning. We forget. The body's changing. The blood corpuscles are changing. That is scientific. But Kṛṣṇa hasn't got that. Therefore He is explaining Himself. We can understand Kṛṣṇa by Kṛṣṇa's explanation. We should not make any rascal interpretation. Then we'll not be able to understand Kṛṣṇa. Because our senses are imperfect.

Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Bombay, March 27, 1974:

We are changing this surrender to that surrender. No more Congress Party. Now Communist Party." Again, "No more Communist Party. This... This party, that party." What is the use of changing party? Because this party or that party, they are not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. So unless you come to the point of surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, there cannot be any peace. That is the point. Simply by changing from frying pan to the fire will not save you. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's last instruction is

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi...
(BG 18.66)

So the discrepancy of religion means... This is also stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. First class or superior dharma. Paraḥ means superior, transcendental. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). When we surrender to the Adhokṣaja... Adhokṣaja means the supreme transcendence, or Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Adhokṣaja. Ahaituky apratihatā. Ahaitukī means without any cause. Without any cause.

Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:

Just like when... Ordinarily, when we give up these bodies, we quit this body, we have to accept another body. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). We have discussed this point that we living entities, our life is going on simply by changing dresses from one body to another, transmigration of the soul according to our work. So this, this body is dress. Therefore I have got an actual body. Just like at the present moment we think, "This material body is my actual body and there is dress, shirt and coat. The shirt and coat is superficial to this actual body." But here in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that we have got our real, spiritual body, separate from the material covering. And as we give up old garments, old dress, and take up another, new dress, another new garment, similarly, we give up this body, material body when it is old enough, when it cannot be used or... Then we give it up, and we take another body. And this change of body is going on every moment and every second. This point also we have discussed.

Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:

Just like the, the entity, living entity is in the body... Just like a child. The living entity's there. The body is very small. But that small body is growing, growing. That is changing. And growing, growing, that small child becomes a boy, grown up boy. And that grown up boy gradually becomes a youth. And then that youth becomes an old man, old man. And then, after, at the end, when the body's no more useful, he changes to another body. So this death means the ultimate change of the present body. So this body's changing. Now, Kṛṣṇa says that as the body is changing, still, the person whose body is this, he's there. He's there. The child is grown up to a boyhood. That does not mean the living entity who came out as a baby is gone. No, he's still there. But his body has changed. Now, you cannot find the small body which came out of the mother's womb when the grown up boy. And you cannot find in a youth that grown, grown up boyhood photograph, or the body. That is gone.

Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:

Similarly, that change of body... So our body is like that. We are changing. In the material condition. In the material condition we are simply changing our body. That is our disease. This conditional life of changing the bodies, one after another, one after... Not only human body. We may have to change to animal's body, or to another demigod's body. There are different species of life. I have several times spoken before you, that there are 8,400,000's of species of life. So our body's being changed in this circle of these 8,400,000's of different species of life. This is called our material bondage.

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Montreal, June 14, 1968:

Similarly, the statement of Bhagavad-gītā, that mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10), this material world, this cosmic manifestation, is working very wonderfully, and controlling the moving and the not moving... We have got experience. Just like we are moving, man, animals. But there are certain other things, just like trees, mountains. They do not move. So moving or unmoving. But everyone is being controlled by the laws of nature. Carācaram. Cara means moving; acaram means not moving. Hetunānena kaunteya: "Because I am on the background," kaunteya, "my dear Arjuna, for this reason..." Hetunānena kaunteya.

mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
sūyate sa-carācaram
hetunānena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate
(BG 9.10)

Jagat, the progressive world, is parivartate, changing. In so many ways they are changing. This is the fact.

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Montreal, June 14, 1968:

Therefore, in spite of my changing different kinds of body, the consciousness is there. And when I shall change this body for another new body, this consciousness will go with me. And according to that consciousness, I'll get a particular type of body. So at the present moment, because we are changing different kinds of bodies, that means my consciousness is not pure. And we have to make our consciousness pure, which is technically called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And as soon as the consciousness is pure, you get your eternal existential life. That is the sum and substance of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. And this movement is for that purpose, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have any other inquiry about?

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Montreal, June 14, 1968:

Yes. This incarnation is going on every minute because you are changing your body. Imperceptibly you are changing your body. That is a medical, scientific point, that we are changing our body every second, every minute. This change, you call change, or you can transfer your identity from one body to another. It means the same thing. You see?

So similarly, the ultimate change of this body is called death. When this body is no more workable, then we transmigrate to another body. That body is offered to us according to our consciousness. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). At the time of death, the situation of your consciousness makes you ready for accepting a similar body. And if you quit this body in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you get a body by which you can associate with Kṛṣṇa. That is to be understood, how it is possible. Therefore the training should be Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Bombay, March 29, 1974:

That is real knowledge. We should not be disturbed by the material problems. You cannot avoid them. So long... Just like if you are in the winter season, how you can avoid cold, infection by cold, or affection by cold? You cannot avoid. That does not mean, because it is the season is very cool and you cannot take bath. No. You must take bath. That is Aryan civilization. Still in India we'll find in the villages severe cold. Still the people are taking bath early in the morning. They are accustomed. But now we are giving up. Now we are rising at seven o'clock because we are advanced in education. And if there is maṅgala-ārātrika, it is nuisance. This is our advancement of civilization at the present moment. But if you go in the villages, you'll find that the villagers rising early in the morning, they're taking bath, changing cloth, and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa as far as possible. Still in the mass of people of India, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness is still existing, it is not yet lost.

Lecture on BG 4.10 Public Meeting -- Rome, May 25, 1974:

Yes, the soul does not manipulate. It simply... Just like you had your childhood body, boyhood body. Now you have got a body of young man, youthhood body. And again you will get an old man's body, just like I have got. So these bodies are changing. Here everyone can remember that "I had a small body," but that body is not existing anymore. But I know that I possessed such body. Similarly, when this body will be finished, you will accept another body. You may forget it. Death means forgetting. But the body changing of body is going on perpetually, and spiritual life means how to stop this change of body and remain in the spiritual body. That is blissful and full of knowledge.

Lecture on BG 4.15 -- Bombay, April 4, 1974:

The old system is going on, everything. The sun is also the old. The sun is rising as it was doing in olden times. The moon is also rising. The years and season are changing. Everything is going on. Why we should not accept the system of Vedic knowledge, the oldest of all in the world? There is no history. That is intelligence.

So Kṛṣṇa advising here, evaṁ jñātvā kṛtaṁ karma pūrvair api mumukṣubhiḥ. What Kṛṣṇa said? That the karma should be divided according to the quality of the person. There are three qualities—sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa—of the material world. Guṇa-mayī māyā. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā (BG 7.14). So guṇa-mayī. Guṇa means the three qualities: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. And guṇa, another, means rope. Just like strong rope, three, three ropes. You take three ropes and wind it, it becomes very strong. That is also guṇa-mayī. So Kṛṣṇa advised, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). So guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ, guṇa, quality, is there. Now you act according to the quality. Don't be idle.

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

We have got experience every day. Just like in daytime we have got this body. At night, when we dream, we have got a different body. We go elsewhere; we're working differently, forgetting this body, and again, daytime, we forget our body which was seen in the dream. That is also dream; this is also dream. This is daydream, and that is night dream. But the seer, the soul, is permanent. He is in the daytime and he is also nighttime. So this is our position. We are changing our body.

Just like I was a child, you were a child, but that we have forgotten. But that does not mean I did not have. Similarly, in the past I had a body, in the present I have got a body, so why not in the future? This is common sense. In future you must have a body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Kṛṣṇa says, authority. I may say, "There is no body," but Kṛṣṇa says, "There is body." And how this body is manufactured? Karmaṇā, by your work. If you work foolishly in the tamo-guṇa, then you get the body of ignorance, ugly body, abominable body, poor body, without any education, without any knowledge. These things are there. And if you work sattva-guṇa, then you get better body. And rajo-guṇa, then in the middle-class body. These are stated in the śāstra. You have to accept it.

Lecture on BG 4.20-24 -- New York, August 9, 1966:

Just like I have come to your place as a foreigner. Suppose I am here for last one year. I may remain here for three months more or one year more, or then I may go back. Similarly, we are all foreigners in this material world. We come here for certain... That is changing bodies, changing bodies, changing place. So this is not our place. Our real place is... (break)

...the human society. This sacrifice of saṅkīrtana-yajña. It is nothing manufactured, it is recommended in Vedic literature. It was actually performed by Lord Caitanya. So there is nothing unauthorized. It is completely authorized. So I shall request all friends and audience here to take up the matter very seriously and just try to execute it, although there are some impediments. So any good thing you do, there will be so many impediments. But we have to execute our mission.

Thank you very much. If there is any question, you can ask. (end)

Lecture on BG 4.22 -- Bombay, April 11, 1974:

"Live like this" means you live in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, nirmatsara, siddhāv asiddhau samaḥ. That can be possible only when you live in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then all our actions will not be binding upon us. Otherwise any little thing we do, yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9), we shall be entangled. And that is material life. If we become entangled more and more, then the process of changing body, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), it will go on. Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). Although this body is temporary, it is full of miseries. That we do not understand. We are thinking that we are very happy. Where is your happiness?

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that even though you think that by material advancement you have become very happy, but you should always keep in your front janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Then you have to die. Then where is your happiness? If you can make such arrangement that you will not die, whatever you have created you will enjoy, then it can be said as happiness. But that is not possible.

Lecture on BG 4.26 -- Bombay, April 15, 1974:

Just like both of them have been described as prakṛti. Bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. And apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. The parā, it is prakṛti. Suppose there are two prakṛtis, two women. One has dressed an man and one has dressed as woman. But how they can enjoy? Because actually they are prakṛtis. Simply by changing the dress, there is no possibility of enjoyment. Prakṛti. Therefore it is simply mental concoction. Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). This is going on.

Therefore those who are too much engrossed in the bodily concept of life, for them, this yoga system... Dhyāna, dhāraṇa, prāṇāyāma, āsana, ity ādi. Different methods. Yama-niyama. But that yoga process also requires saṁyama. Saṁyamāgni, it is said. Saṁyamāgniṣu juhvati. This yoga practice means you have to control the senses, saṁyamāgni, sacrifice. The spirit of enjoying spirit should be sacrificed tin the fire of saṁyama.

Lecture on BG 4.39-5.3 -- New York, August 24, 1966:

Similarly, if our purpose is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, either I dress myself in this orange color or either you dress in coat, pant, and shirt, oh, there is no question; there is no difference. There is no difference. So the... Because the aim is the same. Everyone combinedly, we have formed a society to work combinedly. Oh, there is no restriction that "Only these orange-colored sannyāsīs will be allowed in the sannyāsī and not the white dress, a man in coat-pants," no. That is not purpose. If the purpose is that we have to become Kṛṣṇa conscious—we have to work combinedly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness—there is no question of changing the dress, neither you haven't got to renounce your present position.

Lecture on BG 5.7-13 -- New York, August 27, 1966:

There is a very good example here, that lotus, lotus flower and leaves of the lotus stem. So if you put some water, that water does not stick into the lotus leaf. By natural way. It will not touch. It will then never be moist. Similarly just like the lotus flower leaf does not moist, although it is in the water... Lotus flower is in the water, and the leaves are also in the water, but it has no connection with the water. Even a drop of water, if you put on it, it will at once fall down. Lotus flower. It is so made by nature. So here the same example is there, that although we may be in this material world, so because I am staying in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and I'm acting under the direction of Kṛṣṇa, therefore nothing will affect me. Nothing will affect me. Because due to this material affection, contamination, now I am in trouble. I am getting this body one after another just like changing dress. So myself, the pure spirit soul, so I am now in contamination because I am absorbed in the material consciousness.

Lecture on BG 5.14-22 -- New York, August 28, 1966:

He knows that "When the time will come, either the favorable things will come or unfavorable things will come in the law of nature. Let me be engaged in my own business, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Yes." Sthira-buddhir asammūḍhaḥ brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ. Sthira-buddhiḥ. He is steady. He is steady in his conclusion. He is not changing, steady in his conclu... Asammūḍhaḥ. Asammūḍhaḥ means he is not bewildered, brahma-vit, because he knows what is Brahman and brahmaṇi sthitaḥ, and he is situated in Brahman. Sthira-buddhir asammūḍhaḥ brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ.

bāhya-sparśeṣv aksaktātmā
vindaty ātmani yat sukham
sa brahma-yoga-yuktātmā
sukham akṣayam aśnute
(BG 5.21)

Now, the one who is situated in that transcendental position, he is not attached... Bāhya-sparśeṣu asaktātmā. Now, those who are materially situated, they take pleasure outside, which is in contact with my senses. In contact with my senses. And the highest contact of senses in the material world is the sex contact. So one who is situated in this Brahman, so he has no connection with the external things and enjoy with the sense attachment, bāhya-sparśa. Sparśa means touch, and bāhya means external.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, March 12, 1970:

That I have already explained. Time is relative. (break) Time is eternal. Eternal. But it is... Just like Brahmā's duration of time. That is... According to our calculation, that is eternal, many, many millions of years. But Brahmā is also subjected to birth and death. Although time is eternal, but within this material world we are not eternal on account of material contamination. But time is eternal. Time is eternal; God is eternal; you are also eternal, living entity. Simply our work is not eternal. That can be changed. That we are... Changing our work... Suppose in this life you are American. Your work is different from the China. But next time, when you change your body to something else, your work changes. In this body you are human being. Next time, if you become a dog or a demigod, then your work changes. So we are changing our work according to the change of the body. Therefore work is not eternal. So our whole material existence is due to different kinds of work. So if we make the work also eternal, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness activities. Then we come to the eternal. But in the material existence our work is not eternal. We have understood that "I am not this body." Theoretically. If not practically, theoretically because we have heard from Bhagavad-gītā that dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā: (BG 2.13) "As the soul is changing the body every moment..." And I am not this body. The body is changing.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Gainesville, July 29, 1971 University of Florida:

So we have to think, five thousand years ago a personality like Arjuna, he expressed his inability to practice this aṣṭāṅga-yoga system, and what to speak of us? Therefore the conclusion is that in this age when people are very short-living... At least, in India the average duration of life is thirty-five years. In your country it may be more than that, but actually, as your grandfather lived for one hundred years, you cannot live. The things are changing. Especially the duration of life will be reduced. There are prediction in the śāstras. In this age the duration of life, people's sentiment for becoming merciful, brain substance, in so many ways they are being reduced. They are not so powerful. So the duration of age is very small. We are always disturbed, and practically we have no knowledge about spiritual science. For example, that in this university... Not only in this university—there are hundreds and thousands of universities all over the world—there is no department of knowledge where the science of the soul is taught.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Gainesville, July 29, 1971 University of Florida:

It is very simple to understand. As I have changed so many bodies, not only childhood, babyhood, boyhood, youthhood. According to medical science we are changing body every second imperceptibly. So this process, that the soul is permanent... Just like I remember my babyhood body or childhood body. I am the same person, soul, but I have changed so many bodies. Similarly, when ultimately I shall change this body, I shall have to accept another body. This simple formula is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Everyone can think on it. And there must be some scientific research. Recently I got one letter from a doctor in Toronto. He suggested there is body..., there is soul. I had some correspondence with him. Actually this is a fact. The soul is there. There are so many proofs. Not only in the Vedic literature, but even ordinary experience. The soul is there, and the soul is transmigrating from one body to another. This is going on, but unfortunately there is no serious study on the subject matter or department of knowledge in the universities. This is not very good.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 13, 1972:

Those who have developed attachment for Me, mayy āsakta, only attached to Kṛṣṇa..." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. This is yoga. It is already explained by the end of the Sixth Chapter. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā (BG 6.47). One who has developed attachment for Kṛṣṇa, he has come to perfection, simply by developing. And this development of attachment is possible by this arcana-vidhi. Just like our, rising early in the morning, offering maṅgalārātrika, then changing the dress, garlanding, dressing, so many things. From morning, four, to, up to night at ten o'clock, there is program. That is real temple worship. Not that the temple is closed whole day and night, and the pūjārī goes for five minutes and bells the bell, again close. No. There is system. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mār janādau **. So many activities in temple worship. So for the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, neophytes, those who are serious to become, to awaken his attachment for Kṛṣṇa, they must take to this arcana-mārga. This is called arcana-mārga, temple worship.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Sydney, February 16, 1973:

Why the rainy season is there? Can you answer why the rainy season is there? Why it is raining? These are periodical changes. Just like there is summer season, winter season, rainy season. Similarly, this material world is subjected to the seasons or changes. It is called jagat. Jagat means which is changing. But we do not like this changing because we are eternal. We have been put into this condition, changing condition; therefore we are not happy. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to get ourselves out of this changing condition to the eternal condition. It is very, I mean to say, what is called, intelligent question: Why there is Kali-yuga? Kali-yuga means these ages are change. Just like the same way, as there is summer season; after summer season, there is rainy season; after rainy season there is winter season.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Upsala University Stockholm, September 8, 1973:

Description of God. He's nitya. Nitya means eternal. And we living entities, we are also eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). We, at the present moment, in the material condition, we are changing body. That change of body is called death. Actually, the living entity within the body, he has no death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. This description we have got in the Vedic literature. So God is also nitya, eternal. We are also eternal. God is also cognizant, and we are also cognizant. We have got knowledge, and God has got knowledge. The difference is that I have got knowledge limited within this limit of this body. I have no knowledge what is going on in your body; neither you know what is going on in my body. Therefore, we are individuals. But God is, although individual, He's spread everywhere. That is God.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Upsala University Stockholm, September 8, 1973:

So in order to enjoy this spiritual pleasure, you have to practice some tapasya, austerity. Because you are spiritual, every one of us, spiritual. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. We are not this material body. We change. It is for certain years. Again we change: another body, another body. This changing of body is going on because we are seeking material pleasure. So God is giving us different types of body for enjoying different types of material pleasure. But if we want to enjoy spiritual pleasure, then you do not require to change body. That is the mission of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That every one of you want pleasure, but that pleasure, in the material world, you cannot enjoy perpetually. But if you purify yourself of this material contamination, if you do not accept this material body again, and you remain in your spiritual body, then you enjoy transcendental bliss eternally.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974:

Then, as we are growing old, then one day the body will be finished. This is the material nature. Either you take it personally, individually, your body, or this gigantic body of the universe, in whichever way you may take it, the nature is bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Here the material nature is you take your birth or appearance and again disappear and again appear. This is the instruction of spiritual life. The spirit soul is there, but it is not getting a permanent settlement. This is material world. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As the body is changing, there are so many children, they will also become old like me. But the spirit soul is there. In the presence of mother, although the body is changing, the mother knows that "My son is there." Although from babyhood the son has grown to boyhood, the body, original body, child's body, baby's body, is not existing, the mother knows that "My boy is there."

So this is commonsense understanding. People do not understand it, very nice common sense, that the body is changing but the soul is there. Exactly the same example: the mother knows that "My boy, my child, although he has changed body, now he has grown-up, say, fifty years old, but my child he is. He is my child." Where is the difficulty to understand? Anyone can understand. But people do not believe in the transmigration of the soul. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). This kind of education, what is the value? The real knowledge begins when we understand that we are not this body, material body. I am different from body.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hong Kong, January 25, 1975:

So dehī... Just like we change from one place to another, from one apartment to another. That you have got experience. Similarly, in the material condition of life we, the proprietor of the body, we are changing, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ, from one body to another. This is the first knowledge, preliminary knowledge. People have no preliminary knowledge even. Everyone is thinking, "I am this body." "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya." It is not this body I am. I am put into this body under certain circumstances. Otherwise I am not this body.

So this realization can be possible by yoga practice, mystic yoga. So there are many yogis. Generally, the haṭha-yogīs or aṣṭāṅga-yogīs who try to understand himself by mystic yoga process... But this has been summarized in the Bhagavad-gītā at the end of the Sixth Chapter. I am just trying to read from the Seventh Chapter. So at the end of the Sixth Chapter, Bhagavān says, yoginām api sarveṣām: "There are many yogis. So out of all the yogis..." Yoginām api sarveṣām (BG 6.47). Sarveṣām means "of all." There are different yogis.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hong Kong, January 25, 1975:

We are changing our form of life from one body to another, but if we want to understand God... That is essential. So long we do not understand God, so long we do not go back to home, back to Godhead, our struggle for existence will continue. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). They struggle. Everyone struggles hard to become happy, but that is not possible. Simply searching after, searching after happiness, our time comes: "Finished. Your business is finished. Now get out." That is called death. So death is also Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). Mṛtyu, Kṛṣṇa, comes as death. During your lifetime, if you do not understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this Kṛṣṇa will come as death and take away everything what you have got. Sarva-haraḥ. Then your body, your family, your country, your bank, everything business, business—finished. "Now you have to accept another body. You forget about all these things." This is going on. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

So actually, to approach God does not mean that we shall ask him for our bread. Bread He is supplying. You ask or do not ask, the arrangement is there. Therefore the Bhāgavata says, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ: "Anyone who is expert, he should try to achieve that thing..." Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). We have, or we are wandering, upary adhaḥ. Upary means up, and adhaḥ means down. There are higher planetary system; there are lower planetary system; there are middle planetary system. Therefore it is called tri-loka, three worlds. So we living entities, according to our different desires and different activities, we are being promoted to the higher, to the lower, or keeping ourself in the middle. This is going on perpetually. But we are not getting information what is the aim of life. Therefore śāstra says that we have traveled so many times—not only once—life after life, in so many forms of life, in so many different planets. But still, we haven't got the information what is the aim of life. We are simply changing one body to another and searching after something, happiness. But we have not received it. Simply we are wandering. So in this human form of life we should try to achieve that thing which we did not get, wandering so many times throughout the whole universe. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18).

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

So attachment there is. One, everyone, can understand what is attachment. But this attachment should be turned over for Kṛṣṇa. Then your life is successful. This is explained here. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. And if you simply turn your attachment to Kṛṣṇa... You know what is attachment. "So then I shall have to give up attachment for my family, for my business?" No. Keep the center attachment in Kṛṣṇa and do whatever you are doing. That's all right. Just like family. So it does not mean because you have turned your attachment, therefore your family attachment should be withdrawn. No. It will be polished. The family attachment will be polished. If you train your family in Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Just early in the morning rise up. You can control your family in that way: "Now get up. Take your bath." Have maṅgala-ārati. Then chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, read Bhagavad-gītā. Then take prasādam. Then go to office or work. So in this way, if your mind is in Kṛṣṇa and if you act accordingly, then that is perfection. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended this process, that you stay in your position. There is no question of changing your position. But from that position you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. And the easiest process is: chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is not at all difficult provided we agree to accept it. Then we can gradually understand "What is God, what I am, what is my relationship with God," and so on, so on. Everything will be clear.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

So take instruction from God to understand God. Then your life will be perfect. And if you understand God, then your all problems solved. Our real problem is repetition of birth and death. That is real problem. That we do not know. We are callous. We do not know what is the position of my real self. That we do not know. This is called ignorance. That instruction is given in the Bhagavad-gītā in the beginning. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This living spirit... Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācin na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This, I mean to say, spirit soul is never born. Then what is this birth? The birth is of this body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāram (BG 2.13). This change of body We are changing body. But I am the eternal. I know that I had a body of a child. The body is gone. The childhood body is no more existing. But I know that I had a body. This is the proof that I am eternal; the body is changing. This is the way. I was a young man; now I am old man. But I know, "I was young man. My body was like this. I was doing that." But now that is not possible because that body has gone. So similarly, the conclusion is that when this body will be vanquished, I shall accept another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13).

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- London, August 4, 1971:

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 (BG 2.20). Kṛṣṇa teaches. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācin..., nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ purāṇo 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 youth-hood, youth-hood 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.

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973:

Who is accepting another body? The Darwin's theory is that the body is changing to another body. That is nonsense. That is not the fact. The soul is transmigrating from one body to another. That is knowledge. This is fact. So we can discuss if it is needed, but this is the fact. There is the soul, and these eight elements, material elements, they are outer covering. That you have got... As you have got shirt and coat, the shirt is the inner covering, the coat is outer covering. Similarly, the body is made of earth, water, air, fire. This lump of matter is nothing but distribution of the material elements. Just like we make some machine by manipulating the material elements. This is also just like a machine. And it is stated here in the Bhagavad-gītā, yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. We have been given this machine to move. By whom it is given? By māyā, by the illusory energy.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- San Francisco, September 11, 1968:

To be employed in the service of the supreme pure. The Lord is supreme pure. In the Bhagavad-gītā, in the Tenth Chapter you'll find that Kṛṣṇa is described by Arjuna pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān: "You are the supreme pure." So if we want to serve the senses of the supreme pure, then we have to become pure also. Because without... Being pure means spiritual. Spiritual life means pure life, and material life means contaminated life. Just like we have got this body, material body. This is impure body. Therefore we suffer from disease, we suffer from old age, we suffer from birth, we suffer from death. And in our actual, pure form, spiritual form, there is no such suffering. There is no birth, there is no death, there is no disease and there is no old age. In the Bhagavad-gītā you have read it, nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Nitya. Although I am the oldest, because I am changing my body... I am, as soul, pure. I have no birth, I have no death, but I am simply changing body. Therefore I am the oldest. So although I am the oldest, I have got my new spirit. I am always fresh. This is my position.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:

Actually a living entity is eternal, but the problem is that he is changing body. Just like either I may live at Canada or USA or India, I shall live somewhere, but nobody will allow me to stay. Except in my own country, nobody will allow me to stay for long time. Similarly, this is not your place. This material world is foreign country for you, this material world. We belong to the spiritual world. We belong to the world where life is eternal, where life is blissful, and where there is no ignorance. Just like Kṛṣṇa's body is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā and other Vedic literatures that īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ means His body is made of spiritual eternity, sat, and cit, full of knowledge, and ānanda, and full of bliss. In the Vedānta-sūtra also, it is stated about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the Absolute Truth, as ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: "By nature He is full of bliss, the Absolute Truth, Absolute Person."

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Bombay, February 18, 1974:

So, to get this human form of life, one has to wait for many, many millions of years, according to evolutionary process. Aśītiṁ caturaś caiva lakṣāṁs tāñ jīva-jātiṣu. In the Padma Purāṇa the evolution theory is described. That is taken away by Darwin, and in a perverted way he has described Darwin's theory of evolution; but that is not very scientific, although it is going on as scientific. But evolution theory is fact. Not that all of a sudden you get this body of human being, no. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), "After death there is another body, dehāntara." Just like in this life also, we get dehāntara, another body. From baby's body to child's body, child's body to boy's body, boy's body to youth's body, from youth's body to old man's body; then, after old man's body, why not another body? But the rascals, they do not believe transmigration of the soul. It is very quite reasonable. After changing so many bodies, I have come to this old body. So what after this old body? There must be some body; it is quite reasonable. But these rascals have no brain to understand that there is life after death. Big, big professors in European countries, they do not believe transmigration of the soul.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Bombay, February 18, 1974:

So everyone can say, "I have given birth to so many children, so many houses, so many factories. I am also God." No. You cannot be God, because you do not know, abhijña... You do not know the past, present and future. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ (SB 1.1.1). Kṛṣṇa is abhijña. Just like in our body. We are eating. How this eating, I mean, the substance is transformed into different secretion and again blood, again flesh, again bone? How these are, we do not know. But it is actually happening. Anvayād itarataḥ. I know that I am eating, but itarataḥ, how this eating substance are transformed into bones, marrow, stool, I do not know. Therefore I am not abhijña. But about Kṛṣṇa it is said, abhijña. "He knows everything." How this world is going on? How these planets are rotating? How seasons are changing? Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ. Actually, it is happening due to the rotation of the sun; every scientist knows. But how the rotation of sun is going on, that they do not know. That we know. How? It is said in the Brahma-saṁhitā, yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ. "The sun is moving by His order." Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: (BG 9.10) "Under My supervision, everything is going on." That is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is not ordinary thing.

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Bombay, February 19, 1974:

Dhīraḥ, those who are actually learned, sober, he is not agitated by the death of a man because he knows that the soul has now changed this body to another body, just like he was changing from child's body to baby's body, baby's body to boy's body, boy's body to youth's body, from youth to old man's body. Now, from this old man's body, now the body cannot be used. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Just like old garments we give up and take another garment, similarly, so long we are in the material world, we accept another material body. This is called transmigration of soul, death and birth. But when you are liberated from this conditioned life—you are fit for going to the spiritual world in your spiritual body—that is perfection of life. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). That is wanted. That is wanted. You give up this body. Don't accept any more any material body, either Indra's body, Brahmā's body, or the body of the worm of the stool. You can have any body, according to your mentality. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). Your body, are you making now. So at the time of death, the condition of your mind will transfer you with mind, intelligence, subtle body. They are seeing that this gross body's finished, but they cannot see that there is another body which is made of mind, intelligence and ego. That is called subtle body. That will be explained, next verse.

Lecture on BG 7.4-5 -- Bombay, March 30, 1971:

According to Lord Buddha's philosophy, that this body is combination of matter... So when we dismantle the matter, nirvāṇa, then there is no more feelings of pains and pleasures. That is called śūnyavādi. But we are neither śūnyavādī or nirviśeṣa-vādī. We are saviśeṣa-vādīs. Saviśeṣa-vādi means that the spirit soul has got its form, and this body has got form. Just like dress takes its form because the man has got a form. This body is considered as dress. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). We are changing our dresses as much as we change our old dress to new ones. Old order changes, yielding place to new. So this body, because we, in our spiritual body we have got form, hands and legs, therefore we develop a material body which has got hands, legs, etc. That we can understand very easily. Just like your coat and shirt cannot have hands and legs without you having your hands and legs; similarly, this material body which is considered as dress means it has developed on the personal body of the spiritual form. This is called saviśeṣa-vāda.

Lecture on BG 7.7 -- Bombay, February 22, 1974:

So He is the ultimate cause, He is the cause of all causes. Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1). Parama īśvaraḥ, the supreme controller. In this way we have to understand Kṛṣṇa. Then our life will be successful. Because our, this human life is meant for understanding Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). This is the real knowledge. Unless you come to this real knowledge, your life is unsuccessful. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante: (BG 7.19) "Those who will not accept Me in one life, he has to wait for many, many lives, but to come to this conclusion, that vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā... (BG 7.19)" If you actually want to become mahātmā, then you have to come to this point, that vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). That is mahātmā. Mahātmā does not mean by simply changing this dress. Mahātmā means who understands Kṛṣṇa. He's mahātmā because his soul is increased in dimension to understand Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa ma... (BG 7.19). Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). As soon as you become mahātmā, then you are no longer under the control of this material nature. That is also confirmed. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Otherwise, you have to remain under the clutches of māyā and punished by him.

Lecture on BG 7.8-14 -- New York, October 2, 1966:

The seed within me, within you, everyone, the seed is there. And as soon as the seed takes place in the mother's womb, the seed begins to fructify, little by little. Then it comes out. When it is properly developed with hands and legs and eyes, it comes out from the mother's womb. Then again develops, again develops. He becomes a boy, he becomes a youth, he becomes a... So many things, changes everything. But that seed is permanent. The body is changing, but the seed is there. Therefore it is sanātana.

It is very easy to understand how we change our body. We are changing our body every moment, imperceptibly. Imperceptibly, we are changing our body every, every moment, every second. So change of body is a fact. Therefore that bījam, that small particle, spark of spirit, that is sanātana. This body is changing. Now, when it is changed to another body, that means transmigration of the soul from one body to another. This is a fact, and it is not very difficult to understand. We are changing our body every moment. Bījaṁ māṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ viddhi pārtha sanātanam (BG 7.10), buddhir buddhimatām asmi. One who is very intelligent, that intelligence, extraordinary intelligence, must be considered, "Oh, he is Kṛṣṇa." Without being especially favored by Kṛṣṇa, nobody can become extraordinarily intelligent. Anyone... Everyone is trying that "I shall be more intelligent than my friend, my others," but without Kṛṣṇa's, I mean to say, special favor, nobody can become extraordinarily intelligent. Therefore, wherever you find extraordinary intelligence, you should consider, "Oh, there is Kṛṣṇa." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 7.14 -- Hamburg, September 8, 1969:

So it is, this is very troublesome business. (laughs) So why should we accept this troublesome business? Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). This body is changing. Just remember your childhood. Oh, how much troublesome life we have undergone in our... At least I can remember. Everyone can remember. So stop this problem. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). And what is the difficulty? You do your own work and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. We don't say that you stop your business, stop your occupation. You remain. Just like he is teacher. All right, he is teacher. He is jeweler. Remain jeweler. He's something, he's something. That doesn't matter. But be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Think of Kṛṣṇa. Take kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Everything is there. And be happy. That is our propaganda. You learn yourself, and preach this cult. People will be happy. Simple method. (end)

Lecture on BG 7.28-8.6 -- New York, October 23, 1966:

The nature's law is, if you are practiced under certain condition of life, and at the end of death, if you think of that life, then your next birth... The next birth is, means, carrying the idea of this birth to the next birth. You are changing simply bodies, death. Suppose you are poet. You are a thoughtful poet. Now, when you change your body, oh, you'll still remain a poet. By changing your body, it does not become something else. So the thought is the real thing. That will carry you to the other body. This is, this is gross body, and there is subtle body. The subtle body is mind, ego and intelligence. So when you give up this gross body, the subtle body carries me to another gross body, another gross body. But when you become on the same level of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then your this subtle body also cannot act. You directly go in spiritual body to Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 8.1 -- Geneva, June 7, 1974:

Mukti means no more material body. That is called mukti. We are now conditioned by this material body. In the material world, we are changing one body after another, but there is no mukti. There is no liberation. Mukti is... Simply by changing body, we are not mukta. Mukta means we change this body not to accept any more material body, but we remain in our own spiritual body. Just like if you are diseased, you are suffering from fever, so when there is no more fever, but you remain in your original healthy body, that is called mukti. It is not that mukti means to become formless. No. The same example: You are suffering from fever. To become free from fever does not mean that you become formless. Why I shall become formless? My form is there, but my form is no more disturbed by the fever, feverish condition. That is called mukti. Roga-mukta, free from disease. Therefore it is called muktvā kalevaram. Just like the snake. They sometimes give up the outer covering of the body. Have you seen?

Lecture on BG 8.5 -- New York, October 26, 1966:

Yes. That elevation you can achieve immediately simply by changing your consciousness. What do you mean by elevation? A man is called uneducated and another man is called very learned. What is that? He has practiced how to become educated. That's all. Similarly you practice. Here is the practice. And you become elevated. There is no, I mean to say, impediment. Anyone can elevate himself immediately. There is no question of waiting. Because the process of change is going on. If you accept the change immediately, and then you follow, you become elevated.

Lecture on BG 8.15-20 -- New York, November 17, 1966:

We are just in the middle planetary system. There are fourteen. Caturdaśa-bhuvana. There are seven down and seven up. We are in the middle. So Kṛṣṇa says that ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ: "Oh, what to speak of moon planet or sun planet or Venus, if you even enter into the highest planet, which is called Brahmaloka, still, there is birth and death, punar āvartinaḥ, repetition of birth and death, repetition of birth and death." Punar āvartinaḥ means just like I have got this body. Now, say, I'll live eighty years. Now I am seventy-one. So after nine years I'll have to change this body. Sure. There is nobody can, by scientific process, can stay here. No. That is not allowed. You have to change your body. This is called punar āvartinaḥ, changing... Just like you change your old dress, similarly, you have to change your old body, again enter into another new body. So this is called punar āvartinaḥ. So Kṛṣṇa says that "If you enter in this material world, if you enter even to the highest planet..." What to speak of this moon planet... Moon planet is just our neighbor. Your modern scientists have calculated that if we want to go to the highest planet, it will take—this same speed of sputnik, twenty thousand miles per hour—still, it will take forty thousands of years to reach the highest planet. That is the scientific view.

Lecture on BG 8.20-22 -- New York, November 18, 1966:

Here it is clearly said, puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha bhaktyā labhyas tv ananyayā. Tv ananyayā means "without any other engagement." Bhakti means... The definition of bhakti, devotional service, is given in authoritative books like Nārada Pañcarātra. It is said there that... This is the definition of bhakti: sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Now we are encumbered with so many designations, designation. This body is Indian—it is a designation. Your body, American—it is a designation. You are not this body, not this designation. Suppose if your university gives you one degree, M.A. or B.A., Ph.D., oh, that degree you are not. It is a designation. So bhakti means you have to get yourself from this designation. Designation. Sarva upādhi. Upādhi means designation. So somebody, if gives me title, Sir Anatole, or this or that, oh, I become very happy: "Oh, I have got this 'sir' title." But I forget that this is my designation. It will exist so long I have got this body. But the body is sure to vanquish, so designation will vanquish. When you get another body, then you get another designation. Suppose in this body I am American and next body you get China. Then you become Chinese designation. So we are changing our designation. We should stop this business of designation. You see? So sarvopādhi-vinir... If one is determined to get out of all these nonsense designations, then he can attain bhakti.

Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976:

Similarly, God is also being like us, but He is Supreme Being. That is the difference between God and me. I am also being, you are also being, but we are not Supreme Being. We are under some control. But God is not under control. He is the controller, but He is never controlled. (aside:) Make it louder. That is explained in the Vedic literature, the definition of God. The definition of God is given there, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ. The Supreme Being is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). And He is... Vigraha means He has form. He is person, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. But His person, His form, is different from our form, our present form. Our present form, as we have got the material tabernacle, that is temporary. Your form, my form, this is changing. We are not existing in the same form.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:

That is the test. As soon as he has become Kṛṣṇa conscious, he has fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. Immediately he becomes the greatest mahātmā. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. A mahātmā like me, because, simply by changing dress... That is another thing. Because sometimes this dress gives us good opportunity for easy livelihood. That is another thing. But those who take this dress for begging and for fulfilling the hungry belly, that is..., that mahātmā is different thing. He is not mahātmā; he is durātmā. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that if one is inclined to collect money by showing Deity, it is better to become a sweeper in the street. It is better to become a sweeper in the street, because he's earning his livelihood honestly. And this man who is keeping a temple and doing all nonsense, simply by showing Deity, collecting some money, this class of men, they're most sinful. You cannot do so. You cannot take other's money. You'll be debtor.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Melbourne, April 20, 1976:

So more you become advanced in spiritual consciousness, the material necessities become minimum. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **. That is possible. That is not story. There are many instances, and the more you become advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, spiritual life, these necessities of life, necessities of body... Because body is different from the spirit soul. The necessities of the body is material, and the necessities of the soul is spiritual. But unfortunately, although the spirit is there, we are so much absorbed in material consciousness, we do not understand what is spirit soul. We are simply busy in taking care of the body. So this is not very good condition. This is material condition. And it is very risky if we simply... Simply to take care of the body means creating different desires. "I shall be happy in this way. I shall be happy in this way." So nature's mercy is that as soon as you think that you will enjoy life like this, she will give you good opportunity. That means changing a body wherein you can enjoy the material facilities very easily.

Lecture on BG 9.3 -- Toronto, June 20, 1976:

So there are two ways, as I have already explained, that if you like you can become free from this bondage of material body. If you like. And if you don't like you can continue your material way of life, changing different material bodies. Changing different material body is described here: mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. Mṛtyu. Because with any body, material body, either cat's body, a dog's body or human being's body or demigod's body or even Brahmā's body, you have to die. There is no escape. Therefore it is called mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. And the, another path is, aprāpya mām, this mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani means you don't get Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says aprāpya, not getting mām, Me. Two alternatives. Either you get Kṛṣṇa and go back to home, back to Godhead, this is one path. And the other path that you remain in this material world and repeatedly get a body and die again, get again another body. This is going on. Repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. So Kṛṣṇa is, because He is our supreme father, supreme friend... suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām.

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Melbourne, April 22, 1976:

That is our practical experience. We are changing our body. In the mother's womb we were very small. In the first night after sex the two seminas, they mix up and then it becomes a form of a pea. Within that pea form, substance, the living entity takes shelter and gradually grows. Then there are nine holes, and then the hands and legs and everything becomes complete, and when, if he can sustain, then nature's law push him by the air, and he comes out of the mother's womb, and then again grows in different types of bodies and then he becomes old man. Then, when the body is no more usable, then the body is finished and the soul again enters another mother's body. This is called transmigration of the soul. This is going on, but this is not very happy thing. Today you may have Australian body or American body or Indian body, but when this body is finished, what is the next body you are going to get? You must have information. You are human being. But that education is not there. There is no education throughout the whole world how the soul is being transmigrated from one body to another, what body we are going to get next. This will be happy or distressful?

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Melbourne, April 22, 1976:

Just like this transmigration of the soul. How simply it is, people cannot understand it, but Kṛṣṇa is explaining this transmigration of the soul so nicely.

dehino 'smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati
(BG 2.13)

That Kṛṣṇa says that asmin dehe: "In this body there is the proprietor of the body, soul. And because the proprietor of the body is there, therefore body is changing different forms." How? Now, just like from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, youthhood to middle-aged, then old man. And when the body is no longer durable, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. As you have come through so many bodies, so when the body is no more usable, you get another.

Lecture on BG 9.24-26 -- New York, December 12, 1966:

Just like we are changing different dresses. Sometimes I am, I have got this body, Indian, sometimes you have got this body, American, and sometimes I may get the body of a dog or a hog or something else. I may get the body of demigod. As these changes of dresses are going on, cycle of birth and death, transmigration of the soul in different forms of life, similarly, there is transmigration of the soul in different planets. So ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ... This system of going up and down should be stopped. That is the business of an intelligent person. Yad gatvā na nivartante (BG 15.6). We should try to go (to) that planet where going, no more coming back. That is Kṛṣṇaloka. That is Vaikuṇṭha, the spiritual sky. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20). Beyond this material sky there is spiritual sky. There are spiritual planets, and Kṛṣṇaloka is there. So Kṛṣṇa gives here hint that mad-yājino 'pi mām: "As others are going, trying to go in other planets, similarly, those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, those who are absolutely worshiper of the Supreme Lord, they will come to Me. They will come to Me." Mām upetya tu kaunteya. In other place... There are several places mentioned, this fact.

Lecture on BG 9.24-26 -- New York, December 12, 1966:

Now, after offering Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is not taking it away. You are... You are taking the prasādam. That means the whole thing becomes spiritualized. So in this way we can spiritualize the whole world, whole world, simply by changing our consciousness. We are... We are anxious for peace. This is the process of peace; you change your consciousness. Don't accept anything for your sense gratification. Everything is there. It is supplied by the Supreme Lord. Everything is the property of the Supreme Lord. You are falsely claiming that you are the proprietor. You are not proprietor. How you can be proprietor? Suppose before you came to America from Europe... The land was there. And suppose sometimes you leave this land. Oh, the land will remain there. Or suppose I take my birth in America. So before my birth the land was there. And after my death, the land will be there. If you trace out history, go on tracing. When the land was not there, you'll never find. Therefore the land is God's. Why do you claim that "This is my land"? The earth belongs to God. Everything belongs to God. This consciousness should be changed if you at all want peace. If you encroach upon God's property and take it as your own thing and try to utilize for your sense gratification, you cannot expect any peace, cannot expect any peace. Suppose you have stolen something from somebody else and if you want to enjoy, you'll be always in trouble because the police search will be there, and as soon as you are caught, you'll be in trouble. Similarly, the nature is the police agent of God. As soon as you want to gratify your sense by utilizing the property of God, then you'll be in trouble. The nature will inflict miseries upon you. This is the law of nature.

Lecture on BG 9.34 -- New York, December 26, 1966, 'Who is Crazy?':

Fifty years before when some of you, of course, not all of you are fifty years old. Say, forty years before, or thirty-five years before, when you were, or twenty-five years before, when you were not born, can you say what was your designation? Were you American or Indian or Chinese or Russian, can you say? Say, after getting out of this body, do you think that you'll continue as American or Indian or Chinese or Russian? Suppose you are now in America, in the land of America. So next life you may be in China. Who can say? Because we are changing our bodies, you cannot say that we are not changing our bodies. Can you say that you are not changing your body? Yes, we are changing. When I was born, from the mother's womb, my body was so little. Now how I have changed my...? Where is that body? Where is that body when I was a child? Where is that body when I was a boy? Where is that body when I was a young man? I have got my photograph, my studentship. Oh, Swamiji, you were like this? Where is that body? Where it has gone? So we are changing, but I am the same man. I am thinking, "Oh, in my childhood, I was doing like this. Oh, in my youthhood, I was thinking like this. In my boyhood, I did so many things." Now where those days gone? If my body, everything has gone away? It is simply remembrance.

Lecture on BG 10.3 -- New York, January 2, 1967:

He is the proprietor. Asammūḍhaḥ. Asammūḍhaḥ means one who understands this simple philosophy, he is not illusioned. Every one of us is illusioned. This is illusion. Just like we are claiming this land as our land. "We are Americans. It is our land." "I am Indian. Oh, India is my land." This is illusion. So practically we see that how I become the owner of this land? Before my birth the land was there, and after my death the land will be there, and I do not know where I am going to take my birth. So how many times after repeated birth and death I shall go on claiming, "This is my country; this is my home," and again leave it and go another place: "This is my country; this is my home." Is it not nonsense?

If I am eternal, I am simply changing my dress, and I do not know how many times I have changed my dress during this life, and if I claim a particular dress, "Oh, this is my dress," is it not nonsense? You are changing dress always. You are changing your country, you are changing your form, and still you are claiming, "This is mine." And you are too much engrossed in this conception of life.

Lecture on BG 10.3 -- New York, January 2, 1967:

Oh, generally we are born all fools, because as soon as I take my birth, I am nourished by my parents very nicely, and I am educated in such a way that I falsely claim some land as my land, I falsely claim something which is not at all... But we are educated in that. This is called national education. That means to make you more foolish. That, the so-called national education, means to make you more and more foolish. I am already born foolish, and my education is given to make me more foolish. Just I am not foolish? Because I am changing my, this country, I am changing my society, I am changing my body. Still, I am claiming, "This is mine."

You have got so many "mines." You have got so many dresses. Why do you claim a particular dress as "this is yours"? Why? Don't you think that after changing so many dresses, if you are particularly situated in certain kind of nice dress, may be very nice dress, but why do you attach so much importance on that nice dress? Why don't you understand that this dress is nice. That's all ri... Next moment I may be in a very ugly dress. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). As you are associating with the different kinds of material modes of nature, we have to change your dress. That is in the grip of material nature. You cannot say. You cannot dictate, "Oh, nature, please don't change my dress. Keep me American." No. She is not your order-supplier. She will see what dress you require. So she will examine what is your mentality. "Oh, your mentality is dog, doggish? Take this dog's dress. No more American dress." And if you have god's mentality, "Oh, take this god's dress."

Lecture on BG 10.8 -- July 31, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

So in this way we shall be implicated with so many sinful activities that our life will be entangled. On account of our foolish civilization we do not understand what is the entanglement of life. The entanglement of life is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), to change this body. As we are changing body, the child is changing body to become a boy. The boy is changing body to become a young man. The young man is changing body to become an old man. Similarly, when the old man changes the body, he gets another body. If a young man challenges the laws of nature, that he is not going to be old man, that is false prestige. He must have to become an old man. Similarly, if some rascal says that "I don't believe in the next life," that is his foolishness. He has to change his body. Nature's law is going on. You are not controller of the nature, you are controlled by nature. So if we entangle ourself with sinful activities then next life means we get low grade life.

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Paris, August 10, 1973:

Kṛṣṇa doesn't make your body. You desire. Kṛṣṇa orders māyā, the prakṛti, material nature: "You give him such kind of body." Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Prakṛti's not working. Prakṛti has given me this body not out of her own accord. Kṛṣṇa has ordered: "Give this person, this living entity, such a body." Maybe it is Brahmā's body. Maybe it is ant's body. Maybe it is demigod's body. Maybe it is the body of the worm in the stool. Different kinds. Eight million, four hundred thousand species of body. These bodies, we are getting according to our desire. Because except Kṛṣṇa consciousness desire, all desires are subjected to the material conditions.

And as soon as we get Kṛṣṇa consciousness desire, we get immediately free from this transmigration of the soul from one body to another. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). If you become simply Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then no more botheration of changing this body. You get your spiritual body, go back to home, back to Godhead. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Bombay, September 25, 1973:

Sometimes we are getting this body of human form, sometimes we are getting the body of a demigod's, sometimes we are getting the body of a rich man, sometimes we are getting the body of a poor man, sometimes we are getting the body of a cat, sometimes of a dog, sometimes so many things, trees, plants, aquatics. There are eight million four hundred... This is our position. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As we are changing our body every moment, from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youth-hood, similarly, by changing this body we get another body. Dehāntara-prāptiḥ. But we do not know what kind of body we are going to get next life. We are blind. This is called ignorance.

Generally, they are thinking this body is all in all there is no rebirth. No. The example is given here in the Bhagavad-gītā. Just like a child has his future, another body, boyhood body. The boy has got his future, another body, young man's body. The young man has got another future, old man's body. Similarly the old man has got another body after death. Tatha dehāntara-praptiḥ.

Lecture on BG 13.1-3 -- Durban, October 13, 1975:

We are not this body. I am not this body; you are not this body. We are changing body every moment, imperceptibly, changing body. Sometimes it is found that the child has grown now to become a boy. But he has not become suddenly a boy. The body has changed. Body has changed every minute. But all of a sudden or at a certain moment we see that the body has changed. So this is real knowledge, that "I am not this body. I am changing my body, and when I shall finally change this body I will get another body." This is my position. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13).

So Kṛṣṇa says, etad yo vetti taṁ prāhuḥ kṣetra-jñaḥ iti tad-vidaḥ. If one understands that he is not this body, he is different from this body... From practical example and practical experience one can understand it. Especially human being can understand it. And if the human being neglect this understanding, then he remains animal—sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). That is the injunction of the śāstra.

Lecture on BG 13.1-3 -- Durban, October 13, 1975:

So then why He is there? Because He is friend. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). It is stated in the Vedas that two friendly birds. God is our actual friend, well-wisher friend, suhṛdam. He is simply trying to turn our face towards Him. So long he does not do so, he is changing different body and God is also going with him—He is so friendly—just to advise him in due time, that "Why you are changing from one body to another, one body to another? Why don't you come to Me and live peacefully in blissful life?" That is God's mission. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7).

So God is so great friend of ours. He is always witnessing, witnessing. And as I am desiring, God is giving us facility. "All right, you want to enjoy like this? You take this body and enjoy." Actually you are not enjoying. When we have no discrimination of food, we can eat anything and everything, just like the hogs and pigs, so God says, "All right, you take the body of a pig and hog, and you can eat even up to stool. I give you the facility." That is as we are desiring.

Lecture on BG 13.2 -- Melbourne, April 4, 1972:

You are thinking one boy here, because he is Australian, you are thinking more intimate relationship with him, and because I am Indian, you may not think more, in such intimacy. Because the bodily connection is there. But Kṛṣṇa said that "This is not very intelligent knowledge." Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca. A person who does not lament for this body, he is actually learned. Gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ (BG 2.11). Paṇḍita means learned scholar. So either this body is in living condition or it is in dead condition, a paṇḍita, a learned scholar, one who knows things as they are, he does not take care of this body. Not take care actually, he does not think very seriously about this body. That was the answer given by... Because this body is after all, a lump of matter. Actually, so long the soul is there, it is moving. It is growing or changing bodies or so many importance is there due to... Therefore, unless we come to this understanding, that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul," ahaṁ brahmāsmi, there is lack of knowledge. That is being instructed by Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Bombay, December 30, 1972:

But that opportunity is given by Kṛṣṇa. Because He's witness. He is anumantā, upadraṣṭā. He's seeing everything. He is within our heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So in this way we are changing different varieties of life... Sometimes human being, sometimes animal, sometimes demigod. Sometimes something else. Sometimes rich man, sometimes poor man, sometimes brāhmaṇa, sometimes śūdra. In this way, we are wandering in different species of life, and different position, in different planets. There are millions and trillions of planets. And there are eight million, four hundred thousand species of life. In this way, we are wandering. this is our position.

So this is not very good business. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). We accept... Just like we have got this now human form of body, Mr. Such-and-such, very good position, very good business, very good... But at any moment, I'll be kicked out. At any moment. That is no guarantee. And again I'll have to accept according to my karma, another body where I may not get this position. I may be... I may not be even human being. Because, according to my mentality, I'll get the body. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). Our next birth will be settled according to the mental condition at the time of death.

Lecture on BG 13.19 -- Bombay, October 13, 1973:

This body, how many bodies you have changed? Even in this life, we are changing our body. Every one of us, a little body of a child, then little grown-up body of a boy, then youthful body, then this old body. So as we are changing body, dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Similarly, after giving up this body, I will have to accept another body, and there are for eight million four hundred thousand species of forms of body. According to our karma, we have to accept another body.

Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). By superior arrangement. You cannot say that "I want this kind of body." God is not your order supplier. You'll get. Either you ask for it or don't ask for it, you according to your karma, you'll have a next body. Karmaṇā daiva... By the superior arrangement. If you work in this life like God you'll get next life a god's body. And if you work in this life as a dog then you get next the life as a dog. That is not in your hands. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Guṇaiḥ. According to your qualities, as you will work, and prakṛti, nature, will give you a similar body.

Lecture on BG 13.20 -- Bombay, October 14, 1973:

Similarly, change of body means I forget this body. Last life, I had some body, but I cannot say what kind of body I had. Of course, there is science, astronomy and other things. They can speak, but I don't believe it. Or even if I believe, what can I do with that? So we are changing. But the consciousness is not vināśi. Avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. So because the consciousness is not changed, it is creating another body according to consciousness.

Just like we create favorable circumstances to enjoy even in this life. Why this struggle for existence? We are trying to make a favorable condition for enjoyment. This is struggle for existence. Nobody is satisfied with the present position. Everyone is struggling hard. But he does not know that any material arrangement, according to my intelligence, will never make me happy. That we do not know. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "You rascal, nonsense, give up this business." Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). "You are rascal number one. You have forgotten your constitutional position. Now you give up all these engagements if you want to be happy." Mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. "Just be under My control." "And what benefit I shall derive?" Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ: "I'll give you protection." Because you're suffering for your sinful activities... everything is sinful activities. Everything.

Lecture on BG 13.26 -- Delhi, September 22, 1974:

You are not dead simply by annihilation of the body. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam. You are nitya, śāśvata. Na jāyate na mriyate. You have no birth, no death. The birth and death is simply changing body. Just like we have changed so many bodies. I was a child. But the child body is no longer to be seen. That does not mean I am dead. I had my body of a child. That body is now finished. There is no such body. You can see in photograph your body, childhood body, but where is that body? That body is gone. So body gone, but you are living. Where is the difficulty to understand? And Kṛṣṇa says, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). The body being lost, the person is not lost. The person is living. Exactly.

Just like I was a young man like you. I was also very beautiful at that time. But where is that body? But that body is gone, but that does not mean I am dead. Similarly, when this body, this old body, when it will be not workable, the machine will not act, so I or you, every one of us will have to change. Suppose your car is going on. Somehow or other the car stops. Then you take another car and continue your journey. The car stops to work does not mean that the man who is in the car, he also stops. No. He continues. Therefore it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Your work is not stopped. You are transferred to another body. And because we have to work with this body in this material world,... Just like car is already ready.

Lecture on BG 16.1-3 -- Hawaii, January 29, 1975:

This body is deha, body, but I am not this body. You think over. If you take this finger, you study, am I this finger? No, the conclusion will come: "It is my finger, not I finger." Simply little knowledge required. How? Now, Kṛṣṇa gives this example, that dehinaḥ, asmin dehe yathā dehinaḥ kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā. He has explained in different ways, but the beginning is this, that this body is changing. You had a small body, baby's body. Where is that body? If I say, "Where is that body?" what you will answer? But you know that "I had a small body." I know. Everyone will know. But where is that body? That body is not existing. I was also young man like you, but now I am an old man. Old man means my body is different, old body. Your body is different. So Kṛṣṇa giving this very nice example. As the baby is changed into a boy, a boy is changed into a youth, a youth is changed into old man, so this changing is going on, but I or you, we know that "I had such body."

Lecture on BG 16.1-3 -- Hawaii, January 29, 1975:

I have several times spoken to you that in my, when I was about six months old, I remember, I remember I was lying down on my eldest sister's lap, and she was knitting. I still remember it very vividly. And so many things I remember. But where is that body, lying down on the lap of mother or sister? You cannot say... Either you say it has grown, grown or not grown... According to medical science, it is not grown; it is changed. The body is changing. Just like in a film spool, you will find so many bodies. One hand is like this, one hand is like this, one hand is like this, and when they are taken together, it moves like this. This is the film. Film means there are different bodies in different position and when they are taken at once, it, likes that it moves. The picture is not moving. Similarly, we are changing of the different body, but it is taking place so quickly and so imperceptibly by Kṛṣṇa's energy. The machine is so nice that we are thinking that it is growing. It is not growing, all different bodies, all different. Every moment, every second. That is the scientific. The blood corpuscles are changing, and the body is different.

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Hawaii, February 4, 1975:

So that they do not find. They do not... They have no eyes to see. They simply see the superfluous combination, permutation. No. That superintendence is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ (BG 9.10). The Bhāgavata also says, daiva-netreṇa. Daiva-netreṇa means "under the leadership of the Supreme." As soon as one dies, gives up this body... He does not die; he changes the body. Now, the next body... Here is a duration of changing body. Say for a hundred years the changing is going on. Then, after that, when he changes this body, then there is daiva-netreṇa, the judgement: "What kind of body should be awarded this living entity?" That is called daiva-netreṇa. And when it is decided that "He has done such and such thing; therefore he should be promoted," "He has done such and such thing; he should be degraded," "He has done such and such thing; therefore he should go back to home, back to Godhead"—all these judgements are taken—then he's offered.

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Hyderabad, December 16, 1976:

So people are surprised. They do not believe that they are... But dhīras tatra na muhyati: Those who are dhīra, sober, intelligent, they understand, "Yes, there is dehāntara-prāp..." The example He's giving, dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). Just like we are changing body, kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, similarly, the old body, "old order changes to a new." Again we get another body. And this is very, very great botheration of life. They do not understand. But it can be stopped. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). It can be stopped. How? Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa. Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). You simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself. Where is the difficulty to understand Kṛṣṇa? You haven't got to speculate. You haven't got to manufacture ideas what kind of Kṛṣṇa He is. He is present, dvi-bhuja-muralīdhara-kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa when He was present in the, upon this earth, everyone has seen. Kṛṣṇa has His temple, thousands and millions of temples, Kṛṣṇa. You can see His picture. Description is there, veṇuṁ kvaṇantam, in the Vedic literature.

Lecture on BG 18.67 -- Ahmedabad, December 10, 1972:

So the difficulty is the people cannot understand these things. They are of opinion that after this life, everything's finished. The greatest scientists, philosophers, they are thinking like that. That means practically they have no sense. Why there is no life after death? I am experiencing that I was a baby, and after that baby body is finished, I got a body of child. Then, from child body, I got the body of a boy; then as a young man, then I have got this... Now, why not after changing this body, another body? Where is the reason? In my this experience I get that I have changed so many bodies. But I remember. I am existing. Although my different bodies are finished, I am existing. Similarly, tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). Similarly, I shall get another body. So what kind of body I shall get, that is the preparation stage in this life. What kind of body I'm going to get. That is karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1). As you are working here, this is a chance, human body. Here is a chance. You can make your next body as lower animals, or demigods, or go back to home to Godhead. Whatever you like. Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25). These are the instructions of Bhagavad-gītā.

Page Title:Changing (BG Lectures)
Compiler:SunitaS, Mayapur
Created:07 of Aug, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=143, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:143