Continuation of life

Expressions researched:
"Life is continuation" |"continuation of eternal life" |"continuation of his previous life" |"continuation of life" |"continuation of material life" |"continuation of miserable life" |"continuation of our material life" |"continuation of past different spheres of life" |"continuation of the materialistic way of life" |"continuation of the present life" |"continuation of this material life"

SB Canto 1

The merging of the living beings into the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu takes place automatically at the end of Brahmā's one hundred years. As soon as there is another creation by the supreme will of the Lord, all the sleeping, inactive living beings are again let loose to begin their activities in the continuation of past different spheres of life.

SB 1.10.21, Purport:

The merging of the living beings into the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu takes place automatically at the end of Brahmā's one hundred years. But that does not mean that the individual living being loses his identity. The identity is there, and as soon as there is another creation by the supreme will of the Lord, all the sleeping, inactive living beings are again let loose to begin their activities in the continuation of past different spheres of life. It is called suptotthita naya, or awakening from sleep and again engaging in one's respective continuous duty. When a man is asleep at night, he forgets himself, what he is, what his duty is and everything of his waking state. But as soon as he awakens from slumber, he remembers all that he has to do and thus engages himself again in his prescribed activities. The living beings also remain merged in the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu during the period of annihilation, but as soon as there is another creation they arise to take up their unfinished work.

SB Canto 3

Unauthorized persons perversely try to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and thus they commit offenses at the feet of the Lord, which even Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya dared not do. Thus they prepare for their continuation of miserable life.

SB 3.4.20, Purport:

The monistic dry speculators have no business in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam because this particular Vedic literature is forbidden for them by the great author himself. Śrīla Vyāsadeva has definitely forbidden persons engaged in religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and, finally, salvation, from trying to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is not meant for them (SB 1.1.2). Śrīpāda Śrīdhara Svāmī, the great commentator on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, has definitely forbidden the salvationists or monists to deal in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It is not for them. Yet such unauthorized persons perversely try to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and thus they commit offenses at the feet of the Lord, which even Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya dared not do. Thus they prepare for their continuation of miserable life.

This atheistic conception of life is killing human civilization, for it is without knowledge of the continuation of eternal life.

SB 3.20.18, Purport:

Andha-tāmisra involves considering death to be the ultimate end. The atheists generally think that the body is the self and that everything is therefore ended with the end of the body. Thus they want to enjoy material life as far as possible during the existence of the body. Their theory is: "As long as you live, you should live prosperously. Never mind whether you commit all kinds of so-called sins. You must eat sumptuously. Beg, borrow and steal, and if you think that by stealing and borrowing you are being entangled in sinful activities for which you will have to pay, then just forget that misconception because after death everything is finished. No one is responsible for anything he does during his life." This atheistic conception of life is killing human civilization, for it is without knowledge of the continuation of eternal life.

SB Canto 6

For the continuation of the materialistic way of life, the Supreme Lord creates happiness and distress, good fortune and bad, bondage and liberation, birth and death.

SB 6.17.23, Translation:

Although the Supreme Lord is unattached to our happiness and distress according to karma, and although no one is His enemy or favorite, He creates pious and impious activities through the agency of His material potency. Thus for the continuation of the materialistic way of life He creates happiness and distress, good fortune and bad, bondage and liberation, birth and death.

SB Canto 8

SB 8.19.25, Translation:

Material existence causes discontent in regard to fulfilling one's lusty desires and achieving more and more money. This is the cause for the continuation of material life, which is full of repeated birth and death. But one who is satisfied by that which is obtained by destiny is fit for liberation from this material existence.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

As the life is continued we have got experience—from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then in old body, then what is next?

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- London, March 11, 1975:

By the so-called advancement of civilization, we are becoming implicated to these material activities and we are forgetting our real business, self-realization, what I am. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. The real business is to enquire about Brahman, about ātmā, Paramātmā, but we are forgetting that. We are simply busy for the temporary life, say, for fifty years or hundred years, utmost. But we do not know the life is continuation. As the life is continued we have got experience—from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then in old body, then what is next?

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

This attachment is the continuation of our material life.

Lecture on SB 1.15.50 -- Los Angeles, December 27, 1973:

The whole world, this material world, is moving. What is the central point? Sex attachment. So one has to become free from this attachment. That is called vairāgya. Vairāgya.

So if one can give up this attachment from very beginning of life, that is brahmacārī. A brahmacārī is trained that "Don't be attached. You will save so much time and save your life." That is brahmacārī life. Because this attachment is the continuation of our material life. We have got different attachment, different varieties of attachment. The central point is sex. Therefore school, college means that to train the students how to become detached. That is the school, college. That is brahmacārī system.

They do not know also even that life is continuation. They think, "By chance, I have got this life, and it will be finished after death.

Lecture on SB 6.1.49 -- New Orleans Farm, August 1, 1975:

Harikeśa (leads chanting, etc.) Translation: "As a person in a dream while sleeping acts according to the body manifested in his dream, or accepts the body as himself, similarly, he identifies the present body as himself, which was acquired on account of past religious or irreligious life, and is not able to know of his past or future life."

Prabhupāda:

yathājñas tamasā (yukta)

upāste vyaktam eva hi

na veda pūrvam aparaṁ

naṣṭa-janma-smṛtis tathā

(SB 6.1.49)

This is our position. This is our advancement of science, that we do not know "What I was before this life and what I shall become after this life?" Life is continuation. That is spiritual knowledge. But they do not know also even that life is continuation. They think, "By chance, I have got this life, and it will be finished after death. There is no question of past, present or future. Let us enjoy." This is called ignorance, tamasā, irresponsible life.

In the human form of body, you can get the highest perfection, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that will stop your continuation of this material life.

Lecture on SB 7.6.4 -- Vrndavana, December 5, 1975:

It is said, arthadam. Whatever little life you have got, you can attain perfection. This is the advantage. You can attain perfection.

How perfection? Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā,

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mam ekam śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi...

(BG 18.66)

This is perfection. Kṛṣṇa says that "You give up all these nonsense engagement. Simply surrender unto Me, and I shall give you relief." Our continuation of material life means full of sinful activities. We act some way, and we get a similar body. And again the life continues and again we get another body, another body, another body. But in the human form of body, you can get the highest perfection, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that will stop your continuation of this material life.

Philosophy Discussions

Our life is continuation, but on account of impure understanding we are getting different types of body and you are suffering different varieties of miseries.

Philosophy Discussion on Arthur Schopenhauer:

Hayagrīva: As an example of suicide, he gives the..., he says that at the procession of Jagannātha in 1840, eleven Hindus threw themselves under the wheels and were instantly killed. And he also mentions the satī rituals of the woman throwing herself into the sacrificial fire, the fire of her husband's funeral pyre.

Prabhupāda: This is not suicide. This is... Our life is continuation, but on account of impure understanding we are getting different types of body and you are suffering different varieties of miseries. So this suicidal, this is not suicidal, that voluntarily accepting death, so that by dying, if he thinks of the spiritual life, he gets it. Just like Kulaśekhara, he has got a poetry that... In the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated, yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajanty ante: (BG 8.6) we get next life according to the desire at the point of death.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

That is continuation of life. Tyaktvā, everyone has to give up this body. And one who gives up this body but does not accept another material body, he has no more birth and death.

Room Conversation with Indian Man -- December 22, 1976, Poona:

Indian man: (laughing) I am a small fly before yourself. You are the ocean. I am a drop.

Prabhupāda: No. You are not fly, you are experienced. Therefore I am trying to explain. Find out this verse. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Punar janma naiti. That is continuation of life. Tyaktvā, everyone has to give up this body. And one who gives up this body but does not accept another material body, he has no more birth and death.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

The first defect of the civilization is that they are taking account of these fifty or sixty years of life. Life is continuation. That they do not know.

Room Conversation -- January 15, 1977, Allahabad:

Prabhupāda: If you do not know what is the aim of life, what is your duty, then what is your civilization? That they do not know. The first defect of the civilization is that they are taking account of these fifty or sixty years of life. Life is continuation. That they do not know. This life, I am getting this facility of this car; next life I become a tree. What is the advantage after fifty years, if you are going to be a tree, stand up for five hundred years? This philosophy they do not know. Tathā dehāntara-praptiḥ (BG 2.13). Here is the defect, that "You will have to change this body." They have become so dullheaded. "Oh, what is there? I change or die? It doesn't matter. Let me enjoy." This is the difficulty.

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Mathura Prasad -- Vrindaban 23 May, 1964:

Srimad-Bhagavatam gives all informations to attain the highest perfection of life both during the continuation of the present life as well as in the life after death.