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Material birth

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 4

The Lord and His confidential devotees appear many times to fulfill the Lord's mission, but since such births are transcendental, they are not accompanied by the miserable conditions of material birth, and they are therefore called divya, transcendental.
SB 4.20.34, Purport:

The Lord and the devotee appear in this material world birth after birth, but such births are transcendental. In the Fourth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā the Lord informed Arjuna that both He and Arjuna had undergone many, many births previously, but the Lord remembered everything about them whereas Arjuna had forgotten. The Lord and His confidential devotees appear many times to fulfill the Lord's mission, but since such births are transcendental, they are not accompanied by the miserable conditions of material birth, and they are therefore called divya, transcendental.

When religion, economic development and sense gratification are adjusted, liberation from this material birth, death, old age and disease is assured.
SB 4.22.36, Purport:

Regulated human civilization promotes dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa. In human society there must be religion. Without religion, human society is only animal society. Economic development and sense gratification must be based on religious principles. When religion, economic development and sense gratification are adjusted, liberation from this material birth, death, old age and disease is assured.

SB Canto 6

Yamarāja said, "Even a chronically sinful person who chants the holy name of the Lord, although not completely without offenses, does not take another material birth."
SB 6.3 Summary:

As related in this chapter, the Yamadūtas approached Yamarāja, who very exhaustively explained bhāgavata-dharma, the religious principle of devotional service. Yamarāja thus satisfied the Yamadūtas, who had been very disappointed. Yamarāja said, "Although Ajāmila was calling for his son, he chanted the holy name of the Lord, Nārāyaṇa, and simply by a glimpse of the chanting of the holy name, he immediately achieved the association of Lord Viṣṇu's order carriers, who saved him from your attempt to arrest him. This is quite all right. It is a fact that even a chronically sinful person who chants the holy name of the Lord, although not completely without offenses, does not take another material birth."

SB Canto 8

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is completely free from material birth, death, old age and disease.
SB 8.3 Summary:

The Lord exists at all times. This is extremely difficult for a nondevotee to understand. Although the transcendental Supreme Personality of Godhead is perceivable by everyone, only the pure devotees perceive His presence and activities. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is completely free from material birth, death, old age and disease.

SB 8.3.8-9, Translation:

The Supreme Personality of Godhead has no material birth, activities, name, form, qualities or faults. To fulfill the purpose for which this material world is created and destroyed, He comes in the form of a human being like Lord Rāma or Lord Kṛṣṇa by His original internal potency. He has immense potency, and in various forms, all free from material contamination, He acts wonderfully. He is therefore the Supreme Brahman. I offer my respects to Him.

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

SB 10.14.20, Translation:

O Lord, O supreme creator and master, You have no material birth, yet to defeat the false pride of the faithless demons and show mercy to Your saintly devotees, You take birth among the demigods, sages, human beings, animals and even the aquatics.

SB 10.87.50, Translation:

He is the Lord who eternally watches over this universe, who exists before, during and after its manifestation. He is the master of both the unmanifest material energy and the spirit soul. After sending forth the creation He enters within it, accompanying each living entity. There He creates the material bodies and then remains as their regulator. By surrendering to Him one can escape the embrace of illusion, just as a dreaming person forgets his own body. One who wants liberation from fear should constantly meditate upon Him, Lord Hari, who is always on the platform of perfection and thus never subject to material birth.

SB 11.21.24, Translation:

Simply by material birth, human beings become attached within their minds to personal sense gratification, long duration of life, sense activities, bodily strength, sexual potency and friends and family. Their minds are thus absorbed in that which defeats their actual self-interest.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Adi-lila

Foolishly proud of their material birth as brāhmaṇas and their consequently higher position in the social order, such pāṣaṇḍīs think of the other classes—namely the kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras—as lower classes.
CC Adi 17.212, Purport:

Great so-called svāmīs have written books saying that one may chant any name—Durgā, Kālī, Śiva, Kṛṣṇa, Rāma, and so on—because any name is all right for invoking an auspicious atmosphere in society. Thus they are called pāṣaṇḍīs—unbelievers or faithless demons.

Such pāṣaṇḍīs do not know the actual value of the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Foolishly proud of their material birth as brāhmaṇas and their consequently higher position in the social order, they think of the other classes—namely the kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras—as lower classes. According to them, no one but the brāhmaṇas can chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, for if others chanted the holy name, its potency would be reduced. They are unaware of the potency of Lord Kṛṣṇa's name.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

One should not be proud of his material birth, material opulence, material education and beauty and with these things try to conquer the mind of an advanced student of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 30:

One should not be proud of his material birth, material opulence, material education and beauty and with these things try to conquer the mind of an advanced student of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One who thus goes to a Kṛṣṇa conscious person, thinking that he would be favorably induced, is deluded about this science. One should approach a Kṛṣṇa conscious person with all humility and put relevant questions to him. If one goes to challenge him, such a highly elevated Kṛṣṇa conscious person would not be available for any service. A challenging puffed-up person cannot gain anything from a Kṛṣṇa conscious man; he would simply remain in material consciousness.

Nectar of Devotion

In order to make an escape from this material condition, one is advised to visit a temple of Viṣṇu with devotional consciousness. Then one can very easily get out of the miserable condition of material birth.
Nectar of Devotion 9:

It is stated in the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya, "Persons who are impelled by pure devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and who therefore go to see the Deities of Viṣṇu in the temple will surely get relief from entering again into the prison house of a mother's womb." The conditioned soul forgets the trouble of living within the mother's womb during birth, but it is a very painful and terrible experience. In order to make an escape from this material condition, one is advised to visit a temple of Viṣṇu with devotional consciousness. Then one can very easily get out of the miserable condition of material birth.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

When Śukadeva Gosvāmī heard that some of the gopīs, simply by concentrating on Kṛṣṇa as their paramour, became freed from all contamination of material birth and death, he said, "The gopīs did not know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They accepted Him as a beautiful boy and considered Him to be their paramour. So how was it possible for them to get freed from the material condition just by thinking of a paramour?"
Krsna Book 29:

Mahārāja Parīkṣit heard Śukadeva Gosvāmī explain the situation of the gopīs who assembled with Kṛṣṇa in the rāsa dance. When he heard that some of the gopīs, simply by concentrating on Kṛṣṇa as their paramour, became freed from all contamination of material birth and death, he said, "The gopīs did not know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They accepted Him as a beautiful boy and considered Him to be their paramour. So how was it possible for them to get freed from the material condition just by thinking of a paramour?" One should consider here that Kṛṣṇa and ordinary living beings are qualitatively one. The ordinary living beings, being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, are also Brahman, but Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme—Parabrahman. The question is, If it is possible for a devotee to get free from the material, contaminated stage simply by thinking of Kṛṣṇa, then why should this not be possible for others who are also thinking of someone?

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

When you work transcendentally, neither good nor bad, for the sake of the supreme consciousness, transcendental position, you don't get this material birth at all.
Lecture on BG 2.49-51 -- New York, April 5, 1966:

Because you are very rich man, you cannot avoid your death. You cannot avoid your disease. You cannot avoid your old age. Similarly, as the man who is poor man, he is also cannot, he also cannot avoid old age, he cannot avoid death, he cannot avoid disease. Similarly, the troubles of material existence is there, both in good life and bad life. But when you work transcendentally, neither good nor bad, for the sake of the supreme consciousness, transcendental position, you don't get this material birth at all. Therefore that is real good. You are above this birth, death, old age and so many troubles, miseries of life.

When you work transcendentally, neither good nor bad, for the sake of the supreme consciousness, transcendental position, you don't get this material birth at all.
Lecture on BG 2.49-51 -- New York, April 5, 1966:

Śrī means beauty. And bad work is just opposite. Now, good work or bad work, now, when you take your birth in a good family, when you are very much educated, very much beautiful, but still, you have to accept the, I mean to say, triple miseries of material existence. That you cannot avoid. That you cannot avoid. Because you are very rich man, you cannot avoid your death. You cannot avoid your disease. You cannot avoid your old age. Similarly, as the man who is poor man, he is also cannot, he also cannot avoid old age, he cannot avoid death, he cannot avoid disease. Similarly, the troubles of material existence is there, both in good life and bad life. But when you work transcendentally, neither good nor bad, for the sake of the supreme consciousness, transcendental position, you don't get this material birth at all. Therefore that is real good. You are above this birth, death, old age and so many troubles, miseries of life.

For one who has understood factually the result is, simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, the result is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti, he doesn't get any more material birth.
Lecture on BG 6.40-42 -- New York, September 16, 1966:

That is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that one who has understood what is Kṛṣṇa, how Kṛṣṇa takes His birth, how Kṛṣṇa acts, what are His activities, for one who has understood factually the result is, simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, the result is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti, he doesn't get any more material birth. Then? Where does he go? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). "He comes to Me." That means in the supreme abode of Kṛṣṇa. That is the highest perfection.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

So our problem is that we may not make any more cause for our next material birth. That is called akāraṇam.
Lecture on SB 1.5.11 -- New Vrindaban, June 10, 1969:

So our problem is that we may not make any more cause for our next material birth. That is called akāraṇam. Akāraṇam. Just like I have got this body. The cause is my previous activities, in my past life's activities. Similarly, if I continue my materialistic way of life, then I am causing another material body. This is called kāraṇam. If I have got a doggish mentality, then I am causing myself to get a dog's body. Akāraṇam.

If you simply understand what is Kṛṣṇa, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti, there is no more material birth.
Lecture on SB 1.8.45 -- Los Angeles, May 7, 1973:

Real problem is how to stop this repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. That is real problem. That problem is being solved by Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If you simply understand what is Kṛṣṇa, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), there are no more material birth.

Our business is to serve Kṛṣṇa, but as soon as we give up this idea, we want to become master. That is the beginning of our material birth.
Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 11, 1975:

We are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. As soon as we want to become master, that is the beginning of our first birth in the material world. We have got independence. Because, Kṛṣṇa says, mamaivāṁśo jīva bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7)—we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa—so Kṛṣṇa has got full independence, but we are minute; therefore we have got minute independence. Our business is to serve Kṛṣṇa, but as soon as we give up this idea, we want to become master. That is the beginning of our material birth.

Unless we give up this sex desire, completely unagitated, there is no possibility of stopping this repetition of material birth—birth, death, old age and disease.
Lecture on SB 7.6.17-18 -- New Vrindaban, July 1, 1976:

So we have to give up. So there is therefore regulative principle. At least, no illicit sex. Get yourself married, live like a gentleman, take responsibility, then gradually you'll be able to give up this sex desire. Unless we give up this sex desire, completely unagitated, there is no possibility of stopping this repetition of material birth—birth, death, old age and disease. That is not possible.

Festival Lectures

Civilization is punar janma jayayaḥ, how to conquer over next material birth. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Sri Vyasa-puja -- Hyderabad, August 19, 1976:

They do not know. They have forgotten this culture. Misusing this human form of body like animals, eating, sleeping, mating and defending. This is not civilization. The civilization is punar janma jayayaḥ, how to conquer over next material birth. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Therefore we are presenting so many literatures. It is being accepted all over the world, learned circle. Take advantage of this movement. We have tried to open, our humble attempt to open a center here. Do not be envious upon us. Kindly take mercy upon us. We are..., our humble attempt. And take advantage of it. That is our request.

How to conquer over next birth, next material birth, they do not know. Foolish persons they have forgotten Vedic culture, what is the Vedic culture.
Sri Vyasa-puja -- Hyderabad, August 19, 1976:

This is whole Vedic literature. Punar janma jayayaḥ. How to conquer over next birth, next material birth, they do not know. Foolish persons they have forgotten Vedic culture, what is the Vedic culture. Vedic culture is to conquer over the next birth, that's all. But they do not believe in the next birth. Ninety-nine percent people, they have gone so down from the Vedic culture. The Bhagavad-gītā also the same philosophy is there. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). This is Vedic culture. Vedic culture means by the evolutionary process we come to this human form of life. Here is the chance of stopping transmigration of the soul from one body to another. Tathā dehāntara prāptir, and you do not know what kind of body I am going to get next. This body may be prime minister and next body may be dog by the laws of nature.

Philosophy Discussions

Those who are not envious, who accept Kṛṣṇa's instruction, who surrender unto Him and who understand Kṛṣṇa, for them this is the last birth, material birth.
Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Hayagrīva: Kṛṣṇa says that over and over in Bhagavad-gītā. He says it many times.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that, that is for the dviṣataḥ krūrān (BG 16.19), those who are envious of Kṛṣṇa. For them, continuous. And those who are not envious, accepts Kṛṣṇa's instruction, surrenders unto Him and understands Kṛṣṇa, for them this is the last birth, material birth. After this he goes back to home, back to Godhead.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

When a person goes to the spiritual master, that is his second birth because he is born foolish. Take birth by the combination of father, mother—that is material birth—that is a birth of ignorance, just like animals.
Room Conversation -- January 17, 1971, Allahabad:

Prabhupāda: Yes. And that sacred thread is the certificate that he has accepted a spiritual master. That is our Vedic system, identity, thread, sacred thread. So the upana... The saṁskāra is called upanayana-saṁskāra. Upanayana means he has gone near the spiritual master. Therefore he is now dvija, second birth. When a person goes to the spiritual master, that is his second birth because he is born foolish. Take birth by the combination of father, mother—that is material birth—that is a birth of ignorance, just like animals. The animals also take their birth in that way. There is no different process, the sex life. So what is the difference between animal and man? Therefore, upanayana, dvija.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

So long I am carrying out the orders of the senses, then I am involved in this material birth, death, transmigration.
Arrival Room Conversation -- July 2, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: Everyone wants sense gratification, to be servant of the senses. If the senses want "Do this," he will do it. And our movement is that we shall not hear the dictation of the senses; we shall do what Kṛṣṇa says. That is just opposite. So long I am carrying out the orders of the senses, then I am involved in this material birth, death, transmigration. Today I am running on this nice car. Next I can stand up here as a tree. Who can check it? After death you are completely under the... You are... Your life also completely under the laws of nature. So there is no discussion, no understanding, no knowledge about this.

If you transfer yourself in the spiritual kingdom, then tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti, then you don't get any more material birth there.
Evening Darsana -- July 7, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is, I was discussing. Yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). You can go to the higher planetary system where the devas, the demigods live. Their duration of life is very, very big. Our six months is equal to one day there. Such ten thousands of years they live. But they die. It is not permanent. But the duration of life is very big, the standard of life is very high. These are the advantages. But there is death, old age, disease; birth, death, old age and disease. But if you transfer yourself in the spiritual kingdom, then tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), then you don't get any more material birth there. That is because we are eternal, we living entities. We do not die. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). After giving up this body we do not die actually; we accept another body.

Page Title:Material birth
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Tripti-Madhavi, Labangalatika
Created:25 of Apr, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=8, CC=1, OB=3, Lec=10, Con=3, Let=0
No. of Quotes:25