So we are so foolish that we do not believe in the next life. That is simply foolishness. There is next life, especially when Kṛṣṇa says. You can say, "We don't believe it." You don't believe or not believe, it doesn't matter. You are under the laws of nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22), Kṛṣṇa said. Why one has become nicely situated? Why one is situated, one man is . . . one living entity is eating very nicely very nice foodstuff, and another animal is eating stool? This is not accidental. This is not accidental. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). Because one has acted in such a way that he has to eat stool, he must eat. But the māyā, the illusory energy, is so clever that while the animal is eating stool, he's thinking, "I am enjoying heaven." This is called māyā. So even by eating stool he's thinking that he is enjoying heavenly pleasure. Unless he's covered by that ignorance, he . . . If he remembers that "I was . . . In my previous life I was human being, and I was eating so nice foodstuff. Now I am obliged to eat stool," then he cannot prolong. That is called prakṣepātmika-śakti-māyā. We forget. Forgetfulness.
So this forgetfulness is going on. Evaṁ sva-karma-patitaṁ bhava-vaitaraṇyām anyonya-janma maraṇa. Here is again, anyonya-janma: "Not only this birth, but another birth, another birth, another birth." You cannot say that "This is the final" or "This is the beginning." No. That is not. Anyonya-janma-maraṇa. In another body also there is birth and death. As in this body we have got birth and death, similarly, in another body also, either I take my birth as Lord Brahmā or a small, insignificant ant, it doesn't matter. Any material body you take, there is birth and there is death. You may live . . . Just like we are human being; we may live for many years, hundred years, in comparison to the ant's life, and similarly, we may live hundred years, and Brahmā is living for millions of years. So it does not mean there is no death. Death must be there. One who has taken birth, he must die. The janma-maraṇa. And as soon as you take birth, the all the material conditions, tri-tāpa-yātana—adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika—you have to accept. There is no rescue. As soon as you take birth, janma-maraṇa, jarā . . . Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). As soon as you take birth, then you have to take jarā, old age; and vyādhi, and disease; and last, maraṇa.
So we do not understand this. This is called ignorance, foolishness. Prahlāda Mahārāja, Vaiṣṇava, he understands this, that "I am fallen in this miserable condition," evaṁ sva-karma-patitam, "by my own activities. Not only I; everyone in this material . . ." That we should know. Don't think that "He's suffering. I am enjoying." I am also suffering. If I am not suffering now, I will have to suffer. Suffering must be there. This world is meant for suffering. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), Kṛṣṇa says. "This is a place for suffering." You cannot enjoy. That is not possible. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam, nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gataḥ (BG 8.15). So unless you attain the complete perfection of life, saṁsiddhiṁ paramām, there is no question of stopping your miserable condition of life. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said, paśyañ janaṁ sva-para-vigraha-vaira-maitram. And in each and every life there will be this distinction, "This is mine, and this is your," "You are my friend" or "You are my enemy" and "I am your friend. I am . . ." This contradiction will go on. You cannot . . . That you see the whole world, they are sometimes fighting as enemies, and sometimes they are trying to make the United Nation. You see practically. Sometimes vaira, enemies, and sometimes maitram, friend. But this is all illusion. They will never become friendly. It is not possible. This contradiction will continue, sva-para-vairam, and create situation: "You suffer; I suffer. I snatch your ears and you snatch my ears," that's all. You have seen the punishment between the two boys? So we shall create this enmity and so-called friendship and then suffering. This is going on.