Quitting this body (Conv and Letters)

Expressions researched:
"quit her body" |"quit your body" |"quits his body" |"quits his present body" |"quits this body" |"quitting the present body" |"quitting this body" |"quitting this present body" |"quitting this present material body"

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Interview with LA Times Reporter About Moon Trip -- December 26, 1968, Los Angeles:

Reporter: Well do you rule out talking about the beings living on the moon planet? Do you disregard talking about that because you feel it is too remote to chance that anyone would ever land there or do you have any feelings...

Prabhupāda: Remote chance in the present way of going there. But this is not remote. If one wants to go there, there is a particular ritualistic process. If you adopt that, then you can go in your next life. That means after quitting this body you get a different body and you get your birth there. That is Vedic process.

Reporter: Did you say through a particular ritualistic process you can go there in your next life?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Dr. Weir of the Mensa Society -- September 5, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: Human life is especially meant for, to come to that transcendental position, without any designations. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for that purpose. One should be always thinking of Kṛṣṇa or God. That position is perfect (indistinct). And if one keeps himself in that designation-less position, always thinking of himself, as part and parcel of God, then next life he goes back home, back to Godhead. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). After quitting this body he does not come back again to take another material body. He takes spiritual body, or develops a spiritual body and goes back to home, back to Godhead, which means eternal, blissful life of knowledge our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for that purpose.

Room Conversation with Dr. Weir of the Mensa Society -- September 5, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: Just like we follow Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa says that tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaun... (BG 4.9). that "Anyone who understands Me, follows Me, he, after quitting this body, no more accept this material body but comes to Me." Now, so long I accept this material body these problems are there, birth, death, old age and disease. Then if I don't accept this material body then these problems are solved immediately.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- July 19, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: That seeing is not ānanda. Seeing is ānanda, undoubtedly, but seeing and talking and becoming friend, that is higher. Friend or conjugal lover, father, mother. That kind of seeing is different.

Revatīnandana: If that yogi quits his body in that condition, does he attain a Vaikuṇṭha planet?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation with Indian Guest -- October 4, 1973, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Between Brahmā and ant, there are millions of other living entities, eight million. Not only one million. Millions. 8,400,000 forms of life. They're all imperfect because they have accepted this material body, either Brahmā or ant, but your perfection will come when you do not accept this material body. That is the, I mean to, the destination of Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti: (BG 4.9) "After quitting this body, he does not accept any more this material body." This, that means he, he becomes perfect.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Monsieur Roost, Hatha-yogi -- May 31, 1974, Geneva:

Nitāi: "Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits this body, that state he will attain without fail."

Prabhupāda: So we are practicing this bhakti-yoga and teaching others also.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- June 8, 1976, Los Angeles:

Rāmeśvara: Prabhupāda, when a living entity is in an animal body, and when he quits his body, there's no karma, he's just automatically promoted to a higher body?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Rāmeśvara: So then...

Prabhupāda: Animal life means there is no sin. It is promotion. Because they are animal, their consciousness is not developed. Just like a child—a child, if he steals, that is not sin. He will not be criminally charged. He is child. A dog goes left to the right or right to the.... He is not criminal. But if you do, you are criminal.

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

Girirāja: Purport. "The Lord's descent from His transcendental abode is already explained in the 6th verse. One who can understand the truth of the appearance of the Personality of Godhead is already liberated from material bondage."

Prabhupāda: Yes. He is already liberated. When one understands Kṛṣṇa properly. Then.

Girirāja: "And therefore he returns to the kingdom of God immediately after quitting this present material body."

Prabhupāda: That return to God is eternal. Suppose I am your guest here, so you may provide me for some days, but I cannot expect that you can provide me for all the days. That is my mistake. But if you go to your father's house, there is no question of. He takes. That is the required. Go to your father. Mām eti. Therefore this is the way of eternity, that you understand who is your father and you go back to Him. Then his life is successful. And who is the father?

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Rayarama -- Seattle 17 October, 1968:

There are many such nice ideas, for peaceful living on this planet and execute Krishna Consciousness, so that one may become completely freed from contamination of material existence, and get eternal life, just after quitting this body. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, Taktva Deham Punar Janma Na Eti Mam Eti Kaunteya. By simple prosecution of Krishna Consciousness, one goes back to home, back to Godhead, just after quitting this present body.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- New Vrindaban 1 June, 1969:

It is not necessary that hundreds and thousands of people will live in our temple, but if we can make effective propaganda, then the neighboring residents, householders, will be inclined to be initiated and follow the modes of temple life. So you encourage the visitors, boys and girls as well as married couples, to understand the value of life and how they can peacefully and happily live if they follow the routine worship method in the temple and establish this in their home to be happy in all respects. Krishna Consciousness Movement is actually an attempt to make all people happy generally and, becoming liberated in this life from material contamination, they'll be thus eligible to enter into the Kingdom of God after quitting this body.

Letter to Mukunda -- New Vrindaban 10 June, 1969:

Unless one is a resident of Krishna Loka, one cannot be a Spiritual Master. That is the first proposition. A layman cannot be a Spiritual Master, and if he becomes so then he will simply create disturbance. And who is a liberated person? One who knows Krishna. It is stated in BG, fourth chapter, anyone who knows Krishna in truth is immediately liberated, and after quitting the present body, he immediately goes to Krishna. That means he becomes a resident of Krishna Loka. As soon as one is liberated he is immediately a resident of Krishna Loka, and anyone who knows the truth of Krishna can become Spiritual Master. That is the version of Lord Caitanya. So to summarize the whole thing, it is to be understood that a bona fide Spiritual Master is a resident of Krishna Loka.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Dr. Ghosh:

Therefore our propaganda is to educate people to accept Krsna as the perfect leader in all fields of activity, and if people take to it seriously they will be happy in this life and after quitting this body he goes back to home, back to Godhead. There is no difficulty in understanding this philosophy in full brain and it is the urgent necessity that it be spread all over the world.

Letter to Gandharva -- Bombay 6 November, 1974:

So you have done you duty at the last moments of your wife's life so that she could hear them chanting. As to where she has gone, that depends on what she was thinking of at the time of her passing away. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: anta-kale ca mam eva/ smaran muktva kalevaram/ yah prayati sa mad bhavam/ yati nasty atra samsayah (BG 8.5). "And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt." To remember Krishna requires practice, and this is most easily done by chanting Hare Krishna mantra. I have told Nitai to spread the ashes here in the sea. The maha mantra is the only mantra that need be chanted. Do not neglect this.

1977 Correspondence

Letter to Artists -- Unknown Place Unknown Date:

Regarding your question, how could Visnu appear from the nostril of Brahma? The answer is that Visnu being all pervading, He can appear from anyplace. He appeared as Nrsimhadeva from the pillar. So, one may question how Visnu may appear from pillar, but actually He appeared. He is all powerful with inconceivable potency, and therefore He can appear Himself from anywhere He likes. When Lord appeared as a small hog from the nostril of Brahma He began to expand Himself more and more and gradually He became a gigantic boar. So these are inconceivable energy of the Supreme Lord. It does not, however, mean that Brahma's nostril is the birthplace of Visnu. The sun rises from the eastern horizon. That does not mean that eastern horizon is the birthplace of the sun. I hope you will understand the transcendental appearance and disappearance of the transcendental Personality of Godhead as such. In the Bhagavad-gita therefore it is stated that anyone who understands the transcendental position of the appearance, disppearance, and activities of Krsna becomes liberated immediately after quitting the present body.