Kṛṣṇa points out them: aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣā dharma, dharmasya asya (BG 9.3). This principle of religion, those who do not accept it as authority, so the result is that they can never have any connection directly with Kṛṣṇa, and, as the, as such, aprāpya mām, because they do not have any access to Kṛṣṇa, therefore nivartante, they remain... Nivartante means remain. Where does, do they remain? Mṛtyu-saṁsāra, mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani, this life: birth, death, birth, death, birth, death. Vartmani means this life: birth, death, birth, death. Go on like that. And that birth, death, does not mean that next birth you'll have similar facilities or similar life, human being. No. Birth-death means you have risk also. You can get your next birth not exactly a human being. You... Not exactly in America or not exactly in India. Oh, you may be transferred to any other country or any other planet or any other species of life. There is no certainty. That will depend according to your work. So this is the... This is called the path of birth and death. Mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. Have your birth, remain for some time, enjoy or suffer. Then again give up this body and enter into the womb of another mother, human being or animal. Then prepare your another body. Then come out. Then begin your work. This is called mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani.
If anyone wants to avoid this path of birth and death, this risk, then they must take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not my version. The Lord says Himself. If you want to study Bhagavad-gītā seriously, then here is a point. Here is a point. If you read Bhagavad-gītā as a matter of relaxation, that is different thing. But if you want to take benefit out of Bhagavad-gītā, this instruction is very much important.
- aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣā
- dharmasyāsya parantapa
- aprāpya māṁ nivartante
- mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani
- (BG 9.3)
Mṛtyu-saṁsāra means this path of regularly, as we are passing on...
- ahany ahani lokāni
- gacchanti yama-mandiram
- śeṣaḥ sthitam icchanti
- kim āścaryam ataḥ param
Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, he was asked, "What is the most wonderful thing in the world?" He replied... He was very learned king. "Yes. The most learned thing, most wonderful thing in the world..." You, you have heard seven wonderful things in the world. So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja said: ahany ahani lokāni gacchanti yama-mandiram. Yama-mandira means "the temple of death." Every minute, every second, we are experiencing that living entities are going to the temple of death, either man, animal, ant, so many. This world is called therefore mṛtyu-loka, "the planet for death." "The planet for death." So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja said, ahany ahani lokāni gacchanti yama-mandiram. Ahani, ahany ahani means daily, every day, every moment. At least every day we see so many death list. If you go to the crematorium ground, you can see. So ahany ahani lokāni gacchanti yama-mandiram, śeṣaḥ sthitam icchanti. But those who are still alive, they think, "Oh, death will not take place. I'll live. I'll live." He does not think that he... You are also subjected to this principle of dying. But he does not take it seriously. This is called illusion, māyā. He thinks, oh, that "I shall live forever. Therefore let me do whatever I like. There is no question of responsibility." Oh, this is very risky life, very risky life. And this is the most covering part of illusion. One should be very serious that death is waiting. "As sure as death." If there is any surety in this world, that is death. Nobody can avoid it. And when there is death, oh, there is no more intelligence, no more your puffed-up philosophy. You are under the grip of nature.