View source for Devata and asura does not mean that asuras are very ugly and devatas are very beautiful. Even the ugly man can become a devata, or even a beautiful man may become asura. That is due to his mentality. Because, after all, the soul is pure

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{{terms|"Devata and asura does not mean that asuras are very ugly and devatas are very beautiful. Even the ugly man can become a devata, or even a beautiful man may become asura. That is due to his mentality. Because, after all, the soul is pure"}}
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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="LectureonBG213NewYorkMarch111966_1" class="quote" parent="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" book="Lec" index="58" link="Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966" link_text="Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966">
<div class="heading">Devatā and asura does not mean that asuras are very ugly and devatās are very beautiful. Even the ugly man can become a devatā, or even a beautiful man may become asura. That is due to his mentality. Because, after all, the soul is pure. When he is in unnatural condition of life, wants to enjoy simply the material senses, he becomes asura. So asura can be turned into devatā. There is no hindrance.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966|Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Now, this Prahlāda... Prahlāda was a boy, a child, not boy. He was only five years old. So his father called him, "My dear son, what you have learned from your teacher best? Please explain." So he is explaining this, that</p>
:tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ
:sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt
:hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ
:vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta
:([[Vanisource:SB 7.5.5|SB 7.5.5]])
<p>"My dear father..." And his father was materialist. Therefore materialists are called in Sanskrit language, asura. Asura. There are two kinds of human being all the time: asura and deva. Deva. Deva means human beings who are connected with the Supreme Lord. Their life is for realization of the Supreme Truth. They are called deva. Just like in higher planets, there are also living beings. They are called devatās, demigods, because their magnitude of pleasure is far, far greater than ours. But because they do everything in relation with the Supreme Lord, therefore they are called devatās, devatā. Devatā means demigods. And asura. Asura means just the opposite. They simply enjoy life for the matter of sense pleasure. That's all. So those who are interested in sense pleasure, they are called asuras, and those who are interested, unending spiritual pleasure, they are called devatās. Devatā and asura does not mean that asuras are very ugly and devatās are very beautiful. Even the ugly man can become a devatā, or even a beautiful man may become asura. That is due to his mentality. Because, after all, the soul is pure. When he is in unnatural condition of life, wants to enjoy simply the material senses, he becomes asura. So asura can be turned into devatā. There is no hindrance.</p>
<p>So Prahlāda Mahārāja... Just see. The father was asura, and the son was devatā. So asura's son can be devatā. And a devatā's son can be asura. Just like in India. In India nowadays there is a great movement for removing the caste system because the higher caste, brāhmaṇas, they are claiming, due to their birthright, higher position, and the others, they are in inconvenience: "Now, nowadays the brāhmaṇas are doing the same thing, what we are doing, a śūdra. Why he should claim?" So there is quarrel. You see? So devatā and asura, the division is that, of course, the... Of course, according to our śāstra, the brāhmaṇa family means devatā family. But because nowadays they are descendants, they have deviated, deviated from the brahminical culture, they are not to be considered as devatās. That is also mentioned in the śāstras. They are called brahma-bandhus. According to śāstra, they are called brahma-bandhus. Brahma-bandhus means son of a brāhmaṇa but not the brāhmaṇa. Just like a son of high-court justice. He can claim that "I am the son of a high-court justice." That's all... But because he's the son of a high-court justice, he cannot claim that "I am also the justice of the high-court." So that consideration is there.</p>
<p>So asura, devatā, there is no such formula that "In this line only the asuras will come, and in this line only the devatās will come." The asura can be converted into devatā, and the devatās also can be converted into asuras, according to their action. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 4.13|BG 4.13]]). In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that "This whole division of caste, that is created by Me." Mayā sṛṣṭam: "I have created." But how it is? Now, according to guṇa and karma, according to quality and according to his work. He never says, "According to birth." So just see. Now, here, Hiraṇyakaśipu... Hiraṇyakaśipu is asura, but his son is devatā, Prahlāda. Now, according to birthright, he should be also asura, but no. He is devatā, Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja is counted one of the great pers..., twelve great personalities who can distribute transcendental knowledge. They are called mahājana. Mahājana.</p>
<p>Now, this Prahlāda Mahārāja, because he's mahājana, his statement should be accepted. So he's saying to his father, asura-varya: "My dear father, you are the greatest of the asuras." Asura-varya. Varya means greatest. So even if he is father, he addresses his father, asura-varya, asura. "Because your aim is simply sense pleasure." You see? So tat sādhu manye asura-varya dehinām. The father asked the son, "What you have learned, the best thing?" So he's also saying sincerely before his father the best thing that "My dear father, for the dehinām..." Here also the same thing, dehinām. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe ([[Vanisource:BG 2.13|BG 2.13]]). Dehinaḥ. Dehinaḥ means the spiritual spark who has accepted this material body. This material body is foreign. That will be explained. Just like your coat and shirt is foreign to your self. Similarly, this material body is foreign. So dehinām... Dehinām means one who has accepted this material body. So we are accepted, mean... "Accepted" means we have done something by which we have been forced to accept, forced to accept. Just like if we are put into the prison house, the prison house has got separate dress. So when you are put into the prison house, you have to keep aside your own household dress, and you have to take that particular dress. If you say, "No, no. I cannot accept this dress. I am a gentleman. I have got costly dress. I shall put on that," no, you must, forced. Similarly, we, we living entities, we are forced to accept different kind of dress. There are 8,400,000 kinds of dresses like this body. And your body, my body, you see? Now we are here, several ladies and gentlemen, but you'll find that nobody's body will be similar to the other's body. God's arrangement is so nice that everyone has got his particular body according to his work. It is so nice arrangement. You see. You'll find millions of persons, and everyone you'll find different from the other. You won't find two similar persons. You see? So dehinām. Because there are different kinds of mentality, not that all our mentality is one and the same. No, no. We are... And the law of nature is so finer that, according to the different kinds of mentality, they have got different kinds of bodies. So dehino 'smin.</p>
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