View source for We have to take advantage of this favorable condition to end this miserable material existence. And if anyone does not take the advantage, then he is committing suicide

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{{terms|"We have to take advantage of this favorable condition to end this miserable material existence. And if anyone does not take the advantage, then he is committing suicide"}}
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{{compiler|Krsnadas}}
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{{first|18Dec11}}
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[[Category:We Have To]]
[[Category:Take Advantage]]
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[[Category:favorable]]
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[[Category:Miseries of Material Existence]]
[[Category:anyone]]
[[Category:Does Not]]
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[[Category:commit]]
[[Category:Suicide]]
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="0" parent="Lectures" text="Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures"><h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonBG32125NewYorkMay301966_0" class="quote" parent="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" book="Lec" index="125" link="Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966" link_text="Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966">
<div class="heading">Now, the living soul who is seated in such a favorable condition, if he does not cross over the material ocean, then he is making suicide. He is making suicide. Sa eva ātma-han. So we have to take advantage. We have to take advantage of this favorable condition to end this miserable material existence. And if anyone does not take the advantage, then he is committing suicide. That is the version of Bhāgavata. Or... Either he is personally committing suicide or any civilization which is checking this process, that is also violent, the most virulent type of violence, because people are misled. So this is the idea of the scriptures, that human life should be utilized only for spiritual self-realization.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966|Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966]]: </span><div class="text" style="display: inline; "><p style="display: inline; ">Therefore those who are devotees, those who are following the principles of devotion, they see the ideal. Well, our former ācārya or former devotee, I mean to say, guru or spiritual master, he had so much money, and he distributed in this way. The distribution, money, was accepted like that. So people would follow that. So Kṛṣṇa advises Arjuna that "You also become an ideal man, that you become a fighter for the cause of God. Then you become the ideal man. Your principle will be followed by others."</p>
<p>And that is what I want and therefore I am instructing you. Thank you very much. Now, if you have got any questions, you can put. (break) </p>
<p>...one is checked from doing his rightful duty. That is real violence. In some years ago at Jhansi I was, not in the sannyāsa days. I went there, and, by invitation of some friends, and they wanted to give me some lectures. That was Gandhi's birthday, and they asked me to speak on some nonviolence. So I spoke that violence means to check a person from the discharge of his duties. That is violence. That was my viewpoint.</p>
<p>Devotee: To interfere with another's course.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Now, every man has got his prime duty of life. If that duty is checked, that is violence. So I wanted to place, and that is a fact from Vedic literature, that human life is meant for realization of God consciousness or reestablishing his relationship, lost relationship, with God. This is the claim of every human being. Human being... I have several times explained to you. The human being is distinct from animal life in this way, that animal, they do not know what is the aim of life. The human life is meant for realizing, self-realization. If any civilization, that is checking people's progress in the matter of self-realization, that is the most virulent type of violence because people are being checked from the natural advancement of life. This human life is the point when one has to end all the miseries of material existence. That is the aim of human life. If people are not educated to that light, if people are misled in other ways, that is the greatest violence committed to the population. And according to the scripture, they are called ātma-han. Ātma-han means the greatest violence committed to the population. And according to the scripture, they are called ātma-han. Ātma-han means suicidal, suiciding.</p>
<p>There is a nice verse that just like this material world is accepted as a great ocean. Now, to cross over a great Atlantic Ocean from New York to, I mean to say, Portugal... Just like Columbus came. Now we have got great big ships, but he had to face many dangers. Just it is very difficult to cross over the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, but if you have got a very good vehicle, ship or anything else, you can very nicely cross over, similarly, the example is given that this material life is a great ocean, and this human body is a good boat. This human body is a good boat for crossing this ocean. And the spiritual master is a good captain. You see? And the instruction of Lord Kṛṣṇa, or a similar instruction, Vedic instruction, are favorable wind. Just like if you want to cross the Atlantic Ocean from New York, if the wind is blowing westward, then your journey becomes very favorable. So the favorable wind is blowing by this instruction of the Vedas, and there are many stalwart ācāryas who are just like the captain, and this human body is just like a good ship.</p>
<p>Now, the living soul who is seated in such a favorable condition, if he does not cross over the material ocean, then he is making suicide. He is making suicide. Sa eva ātma-han. So we have to take advantage. We have to take advantage of this favorable condition to end this miserable material existence. And if anyone does not take the advantage, then he is committing suicide. That is the version of Bhāgavata. Or... Either he is personally committing suicide or any civilization which is checking this process, that is also violent, the most virulent type of violence, because people are misled. So this is the idea of the scriptures, that human life should be utilized only for spiritual self-realization.</p>
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