BG 13.08-12 amanitvam adambhitvam... cited (Lec)

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: "13.8-12" or "acaryopasanam saucam" or "amanitvam adambhitvam" or "asaktir anabhisvangah" or "bhaktir avyabhicarini" or "constant and unalloyed devotion to Me" or "duhkha-dosanudarsanam" or "freedom from entanglement with children, wife, home and the rest" or "janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi" or "mayi cananya-yogena" or "putra-dara-grhadisu" or "the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.10 -- London, July 12, 1973:

Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means: try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Simply if you try to understand... You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa fully. That is not possible. Kṛṣṇa is unlimited. But to our limited knowledge, whatever is possible, that is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. As far as we can understand about Kṛṣṇa, if we simply understand Kṛṣṇa, His transcendental nature, His transcendental activities, divyam... Janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). Divyam means transcendental. It is not ordinary. Tattvataḥ, in truth, in fact. Then you become free from this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Very easy thing.

Lecture on BG 1.30 -- London, July 23, 1973:

Nobody thinks that there is no happiness within these three worlds, beginning from Brahmaloka down to the Pātālaloka. Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). There is no happiness, even if you go to the Brahmaloka and get the opportunity of living like Brahmā, millions of years, and thousand times better standard of life. Still it is not happiness. They do not know it. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Therefore mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate. Therefore our aim should be only how to go back to home back to Godhead. That should be.

Lecture on BG 1.36 -- London, July 26, 1973:

A devotee will never accept. Ahiṁśa. Ahiṁśa. That is the third quality. Amānitvam adambhitvaṁ ahiṁśā kṣāntir ārjavam (BG 13.8). These are... Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Amānitvam. Amānitvam means to accept this body as "I am." This is amānitvam, er, not to accept. That is amānitvam. Everyone is proud that "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Englishman." So it is boastful, very proud of this body. So knowledge means "I am not this body. I am not this body." That is amānitvam. Adambhitvam. As soon as we become aware that "I am not this body," then my false pride immediately goes. Amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁśā. Then ahiṁśā, nonviolence. Ārjavam, simplicity.

Lecture on BG 2.2 -- London, August 3, 1973:

Kṛṣṇa says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu-darśanam (BG 13.9). One should see to the duḥkha, unhappiness, on account of birth and death. So suppose you will get next life in the heavenly planet, or you shall become very rich man, or you shall become very learned man, but you have to go through these distresses, janma. They do not consider this. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu-dar... Those who are actually learned, they, they should know that "Why shall I go again in the process of birth and death?" We have forgotten how much difficulty it is, how much troublesome it is, how much distress it is to remain in the womb of the mother for taking birth again. That we have forgotten. Therefore this kind of conclusion is not very intelligent conclusion.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

You may be, may be proud of your scientific advancement of knowledge, but Bhagavad-gītā says that four things... Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). "My dear sir, however you may make advancement in scientific knowledge, you cannot stop birth, you cannot stop death, you cannot stop old age, neither you can stop diseases."

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 18, 1972:

We may manufacture very wonderful machine and weapon, but after all, we are subjected to the rules of māyā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You cannot get out of these four principles of māyā's machinery janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. Therefore the sane man, who is actually learned, he surrenders to Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- London, August 19, 1973:

Permanent problem has been due to my ignorance, I am taking birth, I am accepting death, I am accepting disease, I am accepting old age. This is real problem. These are real problems. Therefore Kṛṣṇa has said, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam: (BG 13.9) "Actually those who are in knowledge, they should see all these four problems, birth, death, old age and disease."

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- London, August 19, 1973:

Why death takes place? I want to live very healthy life. Why disease comes? I don't want to become old man. Why old age comes?" Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). These are the problems. So solve this problem simply by taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa. And for understand Kṛṣṇa, the Bhagavad-gītā is there, so nicely explained.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- London, August 20, 1973:

Either man's body or animal's body, as soon as you get this body, you must suffer. This is the punishment of nature. You must suffer. A king cannot say that "Because I have this queen's body, king's body, there is no suffering." This is nonsense. You have to suffer. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). At least these sufferings must be there: the sufferings of birth, sufferings of death, sufferings of disease and sufferings of old age. There must be. Either you become king or you become a dog or you become a cat, it doesn't matter, even if you become Brahmā.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Germany, June 21, 1974:

A very rich man is situated little comfortably. The common distress and unhappiness, er, happiness, that is common. What is that common? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). To take birth either as a dog or as a king, the distress is the same. There is no difference because the dog has to keep itself within the womb of the mother in an airtight condition for so many months, and the man, either he is king or anything, he has also undergo that tribulation.

Lecture on BG 2.18 -- Hyderabad, November 23, 1972:

The śarīriṇaḥ, the soul, which is within the body, that is nitya, eternal. Now, although it is nitya, it is fallen in certain condition of this material body, that it appears to be dying. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). He's under the tribulation of birth, death, old age and disease on account of this material body. Therefore, if you actually want to give service to the humanity, then give service to the soul, and if you give service to the soul, automatically the body is also served.

Lecture on BG 2.25 -- London, August 28, 1973:

Manufacturing, big, big physician, M.D., a pharmacist(?) But that does not you'll live. No, you'll have to die, sir. So the boil is there. A little application of temporary medicine, it may... Therefore there is no happiness at all in this material world. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said that, "Why you are feeling happy? You have to die, after all, which is not your business. You are eternal, but still you have to accept death." Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is your real problem.

But these rascals they do not know. They think death is natural—after death everything is finished. Now so long I am not dying, let me enjoy.

Lecture on BG 2.25 -- London, August 28, 1973:

So they do not understand that there is a controller. We may theorize and so many ways of our happy life. But you cannot be happy, sir, so long you have got this material body. That's a fact. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Therefore intelligent persons, they should be... Kṛṣṇa is making everyone intelligent: "You rascal, you are under the bodily concept of life. Your civilization has no value. It is rascal civilization."

Lecture on BG 2.26-27 -- London, August 29, 1973:

We are also cultivating this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Our aim is also the same. Duḥkha-nivṛtti. Kṛṣṇa says janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We keep always in view that in this material existence there are four kinds of miserable condition, primarily. To stop this. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). Everyone's aim is duḥkha-nivṛtti. It may be presented in a different way. So the Buddha philosophy is also duḥkha-nivṛtti, stop pains.

Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:

This affection is not bad, but this affection will lead me again to have another body. My whole process is that how to get out of this bodily relation, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). The whole human activities should be concentrated to get rid of this bodily, material bodily connection. Then I shall be happy really. Real happiness, real freedom. That is real freedom. For want of this spiritual knowledge, we do not know how much free we are.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:

Kṛṣṇa therefore presents that "Your real problem is birth, death, old age, and disease, your real problem. You are making solution of all the problems by scientific advancement, by education, by so on, so on, political maneuver, everything. It is all right, but how you are going to solve this problem—janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9)? How you'll solve this problem?" Actually human life is meant for solving this problem, not this temporary problem. Temporary problem will go on. If you don't solve this problem, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, then any form of life, there will be problems. Even if you are elevated to the heavenly planets, there are also problems. Indra is not very happy there, the king of heavenly planet. Although the higher planets, the duration of life, the standard of civilization, standard of comforts many, many thousand times greater than here, but the same problem—janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi—is there. You cannot avoid it.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:

So if one is actually interested how to become liberated from this material bondage, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)—these are the problems—then, according to śāstra, according to mahājana, one must take to this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. This is our, I mean to say, purpose.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:

Because this human form of life is meant for that purpose. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu... (BG 13.9). This human life is meant for getting out of this encagement of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is human form of life. It is meant for. Unfortunately there is no education that "Why? I do not want death, but why death is compulsory? I do not want old age; why old age is compulsory? I do not want to take birth; why birth is compulsory?"

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:

You may be very much advanced in scientific knowledge, but you cannot stop death. That is not possible. Neither you can stop old age, neither you can stop birth. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that you may be very much advanced, you have mitigated all your sufferings, all the problems of life, but these problems of life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, birth, death, old age and disease, that you cannot avoid. That is not possible. So, if, but everyone has got the tendency to avoid birth, death, old age, and disease. Why? Because the spirit soul, M am, in reality. I am not subjected to birth, death, old age, and disease.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Bombay, March 21, 1974:

And because he's creating his karma-phala, he's getting another body. Sometimes the ant's body, sometimes Brahmā's body, sometimes cat's body, sometimes American body, sometimes Indian body, sometimes monkey's body. In this way, we are wandering all over the universes. This is called disease, material disease. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

So one who is wise, one who is learned, he should try to understand how to get out of this cycle of birth and death, repetition of birth and death. Now you have got this American body, very nice—rich nation's body.

Lecture on BG 4.3 -- Bombay, March 23, 1974:

We are suffering. But we do not know. We are so fool. Just like animals. We do not know what is the aim of life. Aim of life, that is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). When we can understand that "This process of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease, this is not wanted by me..." Nobody wants to die, but death is forced upon him. He does not think that "This is my problem. I do not want to die, but death is as sure as anything." So this is the problem.

Lecture on BG 4.3 -- Bombay, March 23, 1974:

That is our aim. The human form of life is meant for finishing all these problems, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), and go back to home, back to Godhead. But people do not know... They are not educated what is God, what is God's place, where to go back, what is my position, what is my relation. Nothing of these things are educated or given lessons in any university anywhere.

Lecture on BG 4.3 -- Bombay, March 23, 1974:

We should be very serious about the problems of life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). That is spiritual advancement. Unless you come to the serious point, unless you have become very intelligent, that "I do not want to die. Why death is there...?" This is intelligence. You may solve your temporary problems, but you cannot, by your so-called materialistic activities, solve the problem of death.

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Montreal, June 14, 1968:

Why you are expecting that some day will come when science will be perfect? Throughout the whole history of the human society, never it has been possible that one can give life. There is no such instance in the history. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). The four principles of material inebrieties, namely birth, death, old age, and disease, nobody has been able to check in the past history of human society, and how you can believe that in future these problems, namely janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, birth, death, old age, and disease, will be solved by the advancement of science? So at least we cannot believe. And no sane man will believe it.

Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Bombay, March 29, 1974:

The human life is meant for making a solution of the repetition of birth and death. That is real problem. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We are finding fault with so many things. But really we should find fault with this process of repetition of birth and death. People are now being educated in this way that there is no more life. You have got this life and you enjoy the senses as far as possible.

Lecture on BG 4.10 Public Meeting -- Rome, May 25, 1974:

The miserable conditions of material life have been pointed out by Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says that the problem of life is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), meaning that birth, death, old age and disease, these are our problems. So long we are materially attached, we have to accept a type of body according to our resultant action of activities. There are 8,400,000 species of bodies.

Lecture on BG 4.10 Festival at Maison de Faubourg -- Geneva, May 31, 1974:

So we have to cure this disease, material disease, accepting this material body. Our real problem, which is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam... (BG 13.9). Our real problem is that we are accepting a material body, and after some days, we are giving up the present material body, and we are accepting another material body. How we are accepting different bodies? That you have got experience.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Vrndavana, August 2, 1974:

So long we have got this body, material body, we must be unhappy. First of all, we must try to understand why we are unhappy. We are unhappy because we are in this material body. And the... What is that unhappiness? It is ending in four principles, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). To take birth and again to die, and so long we live we must suffer from some disease, and we must become old. Plain truth.

Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:

So our problem is that we are suffering all kinds of miseries on account of this material body. Now, our business should be that we shall be cultured in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that in next life will be my spiritual body. Then the solution of all problems solved. And so long we shall get material body repeatedly—just like we give up this dress and take another dress, similarly, we shall continue—then the four kinds of miseries, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), or at least these four kinds of miseries—the miseries of birth, the miseries of death, and the miseries of old age, and miseries of diseases—we have to suffer.

Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:

Real problem is, as Kṛṣṇa says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9), that I am implicated with this process of repetition of birth and death, and after birth, there is suffering, old age, disease. He does not consider it. He thinks, "This is natural." No, it is unnatural. One who does not understand this, he's alpa-medhasa, poor, poor fund of knowledge.

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- New York, April 8, 1973:

The real problem is... It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), birth, death, old age and disease. This is real problem. Nobody wants to take birth. At least nobody wants to die. Birth and death. Wherever there is birth, there must be death. Anything which is born must die. So janma-mṛtyu. And old age. So long you live, you have to change your position. So one position is this old age. Just like we have become old. There are so many complaints. Jarā. And vyādhi. And when we become diseased. Everyone should become diseased. Everyone should become old. Everyone must die. This is the problem. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam.

We are trying to mitigate all our miserable conditions of life. That is struggle for existence. We are scientists. We are discovering many counteracting processes to get out of distresed condition. But the difficult position, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, we are avoiding. Because we cannot do anything. We cannot even... The so-called science, they cannot solve this problem.

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- Johannesburg, October 19, 1975:

And ultimately, as Kṛṣṇa points out, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You may have solved all other problems. Very good. But what about your birth, death, disease and old age? These are the intelligent questions. We have to answer. We have to make solution. Then you say that this material world is very nice. But if you are always faced with so many problems and still you say that "Material world is very nice," so what you are? Foolish. You do not know what is the meaning of pleasure.

Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:

We shall be... One should understand that "In spite of having all these facilities of material life, I am not free from four things: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)." Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. "I am not free from four, four these things, material laws of nature." What is that? "I am not free from repeated birth and death. I am not free from old age. I am not free from diseases."

Lecture on BG 4.15 -- Bombay, April 4, 1974:

Nothing is modernized. You can say, "modernized," but the principle is the same, old system. Nobody can change. And people are dying also. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). That is also the old system. Everyone is taking birth, everyone is growing, everyone is falling diseased, and everyone is dying. Can the modern system stop this? The modern system can say, "Now you do not require to eat, you do not require to sleep," or "You do not require to have sex,"or "You do not require to defend?" No. The same system. "The old wine in a new bottle."

Similarly, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, five thousand years before, Kṛṣṇa said... This is real problem: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. "The same problem is still going on. So it is useless to say that modern time, modern ways, modern things. There is nothing modern. The old thing is going on.

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa says that our real problem of life is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). That is the problem. Repetition of birth. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). We take one body according to karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur dehopapattaye (SB 3.31.1). We get a body according to karma, daiva-netreṇa. That is not in your hand.

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

When you are within the womb of your mother, you have to suffer the same pain, either you become in the queen's womb or in the cobbler's wife's womb. That packed up situation... But they do not know. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā. There are so many sufferings. In the process of birth. There are so many sufferings in the process of birth and death and old age. A rich man or poor man, when we are old, we have to suffer so many invalidity.

Similarly, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Jarā, jarā and vyādhi and mṛtyu. So we are not conscious about the suffering position of this material body. The śāstra says, "Don't accept again any material body." Na sādhu manye: "This is not good, that you are repeatedly getting this material body." Na sādhu manye yata ātmanaḥ. Ātmanaḥ, the soul is encaged in this material body. Yata ātmano 'yam asann api. Although temporary, I have got this body. Kleśada āsa dehaḥ.

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

Akarmaṇa means there is no reaction. Reaction. Karma, if you do nice work, it has got reaction. It has nice body, nice education, nice family, nice riches. This is also nice. We take it as nice. We want to go to the heavenly planet. But they do not know that even in the heavenly planet there is the janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- New York, August 5, 1966:

If you actually want to do something good to your family, then you try to make all the members of your family Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then your life will be successful. If you want to make them otherwise, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you will be serving, not serving, you will be rendering them disservice. Because any knowledge will not help your wife or children. Any knowledge, any amount of knowledge, will not help his real problem. What is his real problem we do not know. The real problem is... That we do not know. The real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9).

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- New York, August 5, 1966:

Our position is that, so far our material existence is concerned, that there are so many things that... But one thing, or the four things, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, that we are under the entanglement of repeated birth, death, diseases and old age, these four things does not depend on war or peace. Suppose there is no war. Can you get free from diseases? Suppose there is no war. Can you get free from death? Suppose there is no war. Can you become, remain a young man all the time? No. Your problem is these four things. You have to solve that thing. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Bhagavad-gītā says that this war or no war, that is no question. So long the human society will be there, there will be sometimes fighting, sometimes peace, sometimes... That is another thing.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- New York, August 5, 1966:

The whole problem is that a learned man sees that "My problem is that I don't want to die. Why there is death? I don't want to be old man. Why I, there is old age?" These are... These are the problems. Real problem, these are the problems. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. A learned man, a man of real knowledge, he should see that "I am..." Not only war. Suppose there will be excessive heat. Oh, I am so much disturbed. There is no peace. Oh, there is excessive snowfall, cold. Oh, I am disturbed. So there are so many disturbances.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- New York, August 5, 1966:

That is your problem. That can be solved by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are talking the wholesale solution, not a particular thing. There are so many disturbing things, especially they are under the headings of these four principles: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). So... Mad-dhāma gatvā. Just the other day we discussed the śloka, that tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya: (BG 4.9) "Now, one who becomes Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the result will be that just after quitting this body, he comes to Me, no more coming to this material world."

Lecture on BG 4.21 -- Bombay, April 10, 1974:

Sattva means my existence. At the present moment my existence is not śuddha, purified. Just like if your health is contaminated, then you get some disease. So for the soul, the living entity, this disease, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9), this is a kind of disease.

Lecture on BG 4.22 -- Bombay, April 11, 1974:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that even though you think that by material advancement you have become very happy, but you should always keep in your front janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Then you have to die. Then where is your happiness? If you can make such arrangement that you will not die, whatever you have created you will enjoy, then it can be said as happiness. But that is not possible. You have to die. Therefore Kṛṣṇa gives more prominence to these four kinds of miseries: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam.

Lecture on BG 4.23 -- Bombay, April 12, 1974:

The real science is how to stop this business. That is being advised in Bhagavad-gītā. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma (BG 4.9). People do not understand this, that our real problem is not become promoted to the higher position, but to stop this birth, death, old age, and disease. That is real problem. So Kṛṣṇa says that gata-saṅgasya.

Lecture on BG 4.24 -- Bombay, April 13, 1974:

This human form of life is purposeful. Don't waste. That is the injunction of the śāstra.

Therefore there are so many Vedic literatures just to awaken this humanity or human society to the point of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so that they may be relieved from this business of janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is required.

Lecture on BG 5.14-22 -- New York, August 28, 1966:

Practically the major questions which are embarrassing us... Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). We are embarrassed with the material miseries of life. That has not been solved. The major questions have been set aside. Simply by thinking that "There is no God. We are God. Science is everything," oh, do you think that is advancement of knowledge? No.

Lecture on BG 6.40-43 -- New York, September 18, 1966:

We should finish this business in this life so that, according to Bhagavad-gītā, as it is said, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya: (BG 4.9) "Then, after leaving this body, then he does not take birth again in this material world, where janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), repeated birth, and death, diseases, are there, but he comes back to Me, Kṛṣṇa." Samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ. Mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ. Murāri. Murāri means Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 6.47 -- Ahmedabad, December 12, 1972:

The last stage of life should be especially meant for tapasya. Not that up to the point of death we shall remain addicted to this worldly life. No. So this life is meant for purifying our existence. That means stop this cycle of birth and death. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We should always keep in front. We may think, we may be puffed up, as very much advanced in material comfort, but,... You may do so, but, at the same time, you should keep in front, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. You should always think that what advancement we have made? Have we stopped dying? Have you stopped birth? There are so many contraceptive method, but the population is increasing, the birth is going on.

Lecture on BG 6.47 -- Ahmedabad, December 12, 1972:

A struggle, a heavy struggle, a hard struggle. That struggle. And we are thinking: "This is advancement." You struggling just like ass . So the whole day and night you are working. Actually I am working very hard, but I am thinking that I am advancing. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. We are trying to find out so many medicine. So many humanitarian work. What is that? There is famine, there is struggle. Why don't you do something so that people will not be anymore in famine, any more in distress. There will be no more scarcity of water.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

Either you are pious man or the impious man, when you are in the womb of your mother the difficulties and the pains perceived within the womb of the mother is the same, either you are black or white, either you are Indian or American or cat or dog or anyone. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). The troubles of birth, the troubles of death, and the troubles of disease, and the troubles of old age are everywhere the same. It is not that because you are born in a very rich family, you'll be immune from diseases. It is not that you'll not become old. It is not that you'll be saved from the troubles of birth or you'll be saved from the troubles of death.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

Just to detach our life from all nonsense things and attach to Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have to make your mind attached to something. But if you make your mind attached to something nonsense, then the same thing, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), birth, death, old age, disease. You have to suffer. You have to suffer. Your science, your material science, or nothing... No. Nobody can make any solution of these sufferings. But if you want real solution, permanent solution, permanent life, then you become attached to Kṛṣṇa. Simple method

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974:

Always we are in miserable condition. The summary miserable condition is, as described in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). That is intelligence, that "I am now put under... Although I have solved all my problems..." But Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, "You have solved all your problems by your so-called scientific advancement; that is all right. But where is your solution of janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, repetition of birth, death, old age and disease? Where is your solution?"

This is very intelligent question. Kṛṣṇa says therefore that "You have solved all the problems of miserable condition of life. That is all right. But you should always keep in front these problems, prominently: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu..." Janma, the tribulations of janma, to live within the womb of the mother, everyone, we have suffered, but we have forgotten.

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973:

So actual siddhi means to overcome these four principles of miserable condition of life. That is perfection. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Everything is being attempted to suppress our miserable condition of life. That is going on. All advancement of science, knowledge, philosophy, theology, anything—the idea is how to stop the miserable condition of life. But the real miserable condition of life according to Bhagavad-gītā is birth, death, old age and disease. Don't go, take seriously, the side—miserable condition.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:

And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is also said that those who are intelligent persons, those who are making progress to become wiser, for them four things should be kept always in view. What is that? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-dosanudarśanam (BG 13.9). We may think very..., that we are very safe and we are making good advancement in economic development, but there is no solution for these four problems, as enunciated by Bhagavad-gītā, janma, mṛtyu, jarā, vyādhi. Oh, there is no solution for birth. There is so much attempt for birth control all over the world, but still, in every minute or in every second some percentage of population is increasing. Janma, mṛtyu.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Bombay, March 29, 1971:

We must have our eternal body. That is possible. You can have your eternal body like Kṛṣṇa. At the present moment, although we are eternal, we have to accept a certain type of body which is not eternal. Asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). Asann api. This body is temporary, but it is very miserable. It is always giving us trouble. That we should know. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

So in the human society there must be some program how to cultivate such knowledge which can give me relief from this repeated birth and death. That is perfect human society. Otherwise those who are being carried away by the waves of material nature like cats and dogs, that is not proper human society.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1973:

The difficulty is that they do not know what is siddhi. At the present moment, people are so ignorant that they do not know what is siddhi. The major problem of life, that is unsolved. Everyone is trying to make a solution of some temporary difficulties, politically, socially, economically. But real solution, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam... (BG 13.9). Janma, birth, mṛtyu, death, and jarā, old age, and vyādhi, disease—to get out of this entanglement. Duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam.

This is our real miserable condition. We have to die. We have to take birth again, and again we have to become old, and there will be disease.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1973:

This is the intelligence. They are trying to go to the moon planet, or somebody, by karma-kāṇḍīya consideration, they are trying to go to the heavenly planet. But wherever you go, you must know that these four conditions of material life, they are present. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

So if you can conquer over this miserable condition of life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, that is siddhi. Otherwise it is not siddhi, that if I can construct a skyscraper building or even if I go to the Brahma-loka to get millions and millions of years as duration of life... Brahmā's life, it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Millions of years.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1973:

They, these mūḍhas, they are very much proud of their education and knowledge, but if you ask them that "What solution you have made for these four miseries of life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)?" they have no answer. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, that manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). They do not know siddhi, what is siddhi. Yogis are engaged for aṣṭa-siddhi.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1973:

Just like Viśvāmitra Muni, he was such a great yogi that he used to create human being from trees. So you can get all these siddhis by yoga-siddhi or by any other process, but real siddhi is how to get out of this entanglement of janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. That is real siddhi.

So they do not know it. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3). Out of millions and millions of persons, one can understand what is siddhi.

Lecture on BG 7.8 -- Bombay, February 23, 1974:

We are trying our best to make solution of all problems of life. The real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), birth, death, old age and disease. But if you can conquer over birth, no more birth... As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). No more birth. "Then it is finished? I am finished?" No, you are not finished.

Lecture on BG 7.9-10 -- Bombay, February 24, 1974:

You can say, "All these material bodies, they are for a few years." But it is kleśada, it is so much miserable. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu... (BG 13.9). People have lost their brain. They do not know what is actually unhappiness, miserable condition. They have no... "All right..." That is all... Animals, the animals do not know. He's going to the slaughterhouse. "All right, let me go." That's all.

Lecture on BG 7.11-16 -- New York, October 7, 1966:

So we have become so fools, and we are very much proud of our education. Can you conquer material nature? Who has conquered? The material nature is always inflicting upon us threefold of miseries. That's all right. Again the four things, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam: (BG 13.9) the birth, the miseries of birth; the miseries of death; the miseries of old age; and miseries of diseases—can you solve? No. Then what advancement of knowledge you have got? The death is there. The old age is there. The disease is there. Then what advancement you have made? You are so proud. This is called māyā. He is in the same stage, miserable stage, but he is thinking that "I am advanced in knowledge. I am advanced in knowledge." This false pride. You see?

Lecture on BG 7.14 -- Hamburg, September 8, 1969:

That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). One who is actually learned, advanced in knowledge, he should know that these four things, the miseries of taking birth... The misery of taking birth means we have to take, we have to appear... After this body is finished, we have to take another body. How this body is constructed, developed?

Lecture on BG 7.14 -- Hamburg, September 8, 1969:

But there is suffering. A young man cannot understand, but one who is old, he can understand, there is suffering. Suffering of old age, suffering of birth, suffering of death, and suffering of disease. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). If you are proud of your advancement of knowledge, that you have solved all the questions, all the problems, in the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa says, "Don't think like that. That is your foolishness. These problems are there. What you can do?" That is learning: "Yes. Problems are not solved.

Lecture on BG 8.12-13 -- New York, November 15, 1966:

You can, you can manufacture something which will accelerate death, but you cannot manufacture anything which will stop death. That is not in your power. So those who are intelligent enough, they are not concerned with these four things, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi: (BG 13.9) birth, death and old age. They are concerned to have a spiritual life, complete, full of bliss and full of knowledge, and that is possible when you enter into the spiritual planets. That will be explained.

Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976:

So human form of life is meant for understanding, as I am explaining, what is the problem of my life. I do not wish to die; I am put to death. I do not wish to become old man; I am obliged to become old man. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). So he... Just like the same example, a thief. When he is free, if he thinks, ponders, that "Why I was put into this miserable condition of six month prison life? It was so botheration," then he becomes actually human being. So similarly, the human being has got advanced power of deliberation.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:

Nivartante: he wanders, he travels within this material world, mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. Because you cannot avoid mṛtyu. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), this is the law of this material nature. Mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. But if you want to avoid this mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani, then you must be Kṛṣṇa conscious, you must surrender to Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Melbourne, April 23, 1976:

Everyone is thinking like that, so everyone is a patient of psychiatrist. How we can declare independence? There is no independence. We are completely dependent on the laws of material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is knowledge. Nobody wants to die, but nature says, "You must die." Where is your independence? Nobody wants to take birth, enter into the mother's womb. But you must enter. Nobody wants to become old man. Nature says, "You must become old man." Nobody wants disease.

Lecture on BG 9.5 -- Melbourne, April 24, 1976:

And if he is killed, if the child is killed, then his term of imprisonment in that body is not finished. Therefore he has to enter again another body, again enter into the mother's womb. And, it may be, many hundreds of years may pass on before he can again see light. So it is great suffering.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa presents, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Intelligent person, they should always keep before, the sufferings. We are making solution of our suffering for ten years or fifty years or hundred years because we cannot live here more than hundred years. So that is temporary.

Lecture on BG 9.5 -- Melbourne, April 24, 1976:

Either I get the body of a demigod or I get the body of a hog or pig or anything, it is suffering because I have to give up one body; that is suffering. I have to accept another body; that is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). And as soon as I get body, the disease and old age is there. Therefore any type of body you get...

Lecture on BG 13.2 -- Melbourne, April 4, 1972:

This is the problem of life. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Bhagavad-gītā says that "You may think of yourself as very happy within this material condition. You may think. That is called māyā. Actually, it is not happiness. "I am working very hard day and night to decorate my country, my society, my family, my house. Everything. That is not very happiness, working very day and night. But it is māyā.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Bombay, December 30, 1972:

Although there are innumerable planets, but even if you go to the moon planet, your problem is not solved. What is the benefit? If you... Suppose if you go to moon planet. How your problem is solved? The real problem is that I am forced to accept different types of body. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). And as soon as I accept body, I have to be under the tribulation of material nature.

Lecture on BG 13.6-7 -- Montreal, October 25, 1968:

And actually, if we falsely claim that "I am God," then we have to show godly power. Unless we show godly power, simply claiming that "I am God," that is dambha, that is false pride.

Therefore the first condition of acquiring knowledge is adambhitvam. Amānitvam adambhitvam. First of all to deny that "I am not matter. I am..." Then "If I am not matter, then I am God." Oh, then Kṛṣṇa says, "No. That is your false pride. You are not God." Adambhitvam. Amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā (BG 13.8). Then nonviolence. As soon as one is a realized soul, he will be nonviolent. These are the different stages of acquiring knowledge.

Lecture on BG 13.6-7 -- Montreal, October 25, 1968:

Because we are part and parcel of God, the godly qualities are there. It is simply covered. Just like the fire is covered by ashes. If you fan out the ashes, then the fire comes out. Similarly, spirit soul is pure. So when he comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he becomes pure soul. Amānitvam adambhitvam. Amānitvaṁ sva-sat-kāraṇam apekṣatvam, adambhitvam dharmikatva-khyāti-phalaka-dharmācaraṇa-virahaḥ.

Adambhitvam means one should not think... Suppose I am very much advanced in spiritual knowledge, but I should not be very much proud of it. Generally, in this age people want false, I mean to say, designations, that "I am very religious.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, September 30, 1973:

Prabhupāda:

amānitvam adambhitvam

ahiṁśā kṣāntir ārjavam

ācāryopāsanaṁ śaucaṁ

sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ

indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam

anahaṅkāra eva ca

janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-

duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam

aśaktir anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ

putra-dāra-gṛhādiṣu

nityaṁ ca sama-cittatvam

iṣṭāniṣṭopapattiṣu

mayi cānanya-yogena

bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī

vivikta-deśa-sevitvam

aratir jana-saṁsadi

adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ

tattva-jñānārtha-darśanam

etaj jñānam iti proktam

ajñānaṁ yad ato 'nyathā

(Bg. 13.8-12)

Śrī Kṛṣṇa has explained... The question was kṣetraṁ kṣetrajñam, and jñānam and jñeyam, the questions. What is this body... (aside:) I am overlapped. Kṛṣṇa has explained already,

ṛṣibhir bahudhā gītaṁ

chandobhir vividhaiḥ pṛthak

brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva

hetumadbhir viniścitaiḥ

(BG 13.5)

There are many scriptures and many philosophers, ṛṣis, as I explained yesterday, nāsau ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnā: "He's not a philosopher who hasn't got a different opinion." Because this material world is practically a challenge to the supreme authority. The supreme authority Kṛṣṇa, He's the bhokta actually, He's the enjoyer.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 2, 1973:

Prabhupāda: So we have discussed about the body, kṣetra. The question of Arjuna was kṣetra, kṣetrajna, jñānam, and jñeyam. Now kṣetra, we have discussed yesterday. Kṣetra, this body, is combination of "the five great elements, false ego, intelligence, the unmanifested, the ten senses, the mind, the five sense objects, desire, hatred, happiness, distress, the aggregate, the life symptom, and convictions—all these are considered in summary to be the field of activities." Yesterday we have discussed.

So we should not mistake this that we accept the field of activities identified with myself. That is going on. Suppose you have got a piece of land as agriculturist, and you produce your food grain in large quantity or small quantity. It doesn't matter. Similarly, this body we are utilizing.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 2, 1973:

The human life should be utilized for understanding the Absolute Truth. The next paragraph, that describes how one can understand the Absolute Truth. Amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam. So our life should be utilized for understanding the Absolute Truth, not for economic development. Economic development, what is already destined, you cannot improve less or more. It is already settled up.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 2, 1973:

That is mentioned here. The central point of process of knowledge is mentioned here, Mayi cānanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicariṇī. One has to be fixed up on this point. There are eighteen different description of the process of knowledge, but the central point is mayi ca. Mayi ca. Ca means... That is the main point. Without Kṛṣṇa, if you simply try to become elevated in knowledge, that will not stand. That will not stand. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says mayi ca. Mayi cānanya-yogena. Ananya-yogena means without any deviation. Ananya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī. Without any deviation. Avyabhicāriṇī means without any disturbance. Ananya-bhakti.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 2, 1973:

So akiñcana-gocara. That real God can be realized by a person who is humble and meek. Amānitvam adambhitvam. Go on. "Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The other nineteen items automatically develop." Yasyāsti bhaktir-bhagavaty akiñcanāḥ sarvair guṇair tatra samāsate surāḥ. Automatically. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam etaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavanti. This is the Vedic assertion. If you simply understand one, that Kṛṣṇa, then you understand everything.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 3, 1973:

Prabhupāda:

amānitvam adambhitvam

ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam

ācāryopāsanaṁ śaucaṁ

sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ

(BG 13.8)

So, Kṛṣṇa, the supreme authority, Supreme Personality of Godhead, He's speaking the process of acquiring knowledge. Jñānam. So, the first beginning of knowledge is humility. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught,

tṛṇād api sunīcena

taror api sahiṣṇunā

amāninā mānadena

kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

(CC Adi 17.31)

Anyone this humbleness and humility is taught everywhere. Without being gentle, humble, how one can be a man of knowledge? But at the present moment the humility is forgotten. Everyone is proud unnecessarily.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 3, 1973:

We accept Kṛṣṇa as a big man, that's all, not as God." That means he does not understand what is Kṛṣṇa. So what is the use of Vedānta? There are so-called Vedantists, they avoid Kṛṣṇa. They'll write comments on Bhagavad-gītā, avoid Kṛṣṇa. This is going on. This is going on.

But actual knowledge means to come to the point of knowledge one has to acquire these qualifications. But if one at once takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness as it is stated, mam ca vyabhicarini. What is that? Mayi ca ananya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī. Bhakti-avyabhicāriṇī. vyabhicāriṇī means mixed with other things. There is karma, jñāna, yoga, and bhakti. So there are, everything must be with bhakti; otherwise there is no success. Even if you are a karmī, you must add bhakti.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 3, 1973:

So where is the scientific solution of death? Who can say, where is the scientist who can say that no more there will be death, no more there will be disease, no more there will be old age. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. That is stated here. This is knowledge. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. One should...

Everyone is trying his best to mitigate distressed condition of life. Duḥkha-nivṛtti. Everyone is trying. I am in miserable condition. If I get so much money my miserable condition will be mitigated.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 3, 1973:

So everyone is after money. But that mitigation is temporary. Suppose if you get some money, you get a nice apartment, nice bank balance. Does it mean you have ended your main problems of life, janma-mṛtyu, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). So they have become so foolish, so degraded, that they do not know what is the meaning of life, what is the problem of life, how to make solution of the problem. Nobody is interested. Simply cats and dogs, that's all. As the cat and dog is working very hard simply for eating, sleeping, and mating, that's all.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 3, 1973:

So this problem does not come. They are simply making adjustment, a temporary problem. That is not human civilization. Vedic civilization means to solve the major problems of life. That is Vedic civilization. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). They don't care for these troubles.

Formerly people were very happy so far material conditions were concerned. They had no complaint. Everyone was happy, everyone was getting ample food. And why they shall not get? If the birds, beasts—they are getting their ample food, even up to death. There is no complaint amongst the birds and beast unless one is in the human society.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 3, 1973:

The so-called knowledge is useless not unless you can solve the problems (?) what is the meaning of this knowledge? Therefore Kṛṣṇa says knowledge means one must know this is my real acute miserable condition of life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is knowledge.

So to begin with knowledge, Kṛṣṇa recommends amānitvam, humility. Because the real disease of material life is that he is not humble. He is always proud. Little possession. Svalpa-mātrena.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 5, 1973:

So we have been discussing for the last few days about the process of knowledge. So we have discussed already amānitvam, humbleness. Amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā (BG 13.8). Ahiṁsā, non-violence. So ahiṁsā kṣāntiḥ, tolerance, ārjavam, simplicity. These things we have already discussed.

Now another important thing is ācāryopāsanam. If you want to make progress, then you have to approach ācārya. Just like if you want to be educated, you go to school, you go to college, you go to university, similarly, if you want to be advanced in knowledge... knowledge means not this material knowledge. Actual knowledge is to advance in spiritual knowledge.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 5, 1973:

Ācārya means knows. One who knows the purpose of Vedic literature, he practices in his life, and he teaches his disciple. He is called ācārya. So ācārya upāsanam. Before worshiping the Lord... Just like here Kṛṣṇa said in the beginning, ācāryopāsanam, and in the middle he says, mayi cānanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī. So before engaging yourself in devotional service to the Lord, you must first of all worship ācārya, ācāryopāsanam. One cannot become a devotee personally. Just like some rascals say, "What is the use of accepting guru?" Of course, they have got very bad experience.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 5, 1973:

In the beginning it is taught, amānitvam, anahaṅkāram. And then janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. We are very much busy to make solution of the problems of life. Political problems, economical problems, social problems. They are also problems. But real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, that you have to take birth, you have to die, and when you are in life, you have to suffer from diseases, jarā-vyadhi, and you have to become old. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha. These are really problems. But who knows that these are the real problems? They have taken it, accepted it.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 5, 1973:

These problems are already solved, even by the birds and the beasts. These are not the problems. They are already set up. Real problem is here: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

Another problem is asaktiḥ. We are very much attached to our so-called home, so-called wife, children. And here is, jñāna means that asaktir anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ, āsaktir. You should, therefore, at a certain age, according to Vedic civilization, one is forced to give up this attachment. Naturally, one is attached to wife, children, home.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 5, 1973:

Go to the forest for tapasya. That was the system. Here at the present moment, everywhere, all over the world, when he is going to die, still he is attached to his political life, social life, family life. That is not knowledge. That is ignorance. You must be detached. Vairāgyam. Anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ. Putra-dārā-gṛhādiṣu. Family life. Putra means children. Dārā means wife. Gṛha means home. Putra-dārā-gṛhādiṣu. Asaktir anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ. Nityaṁ ca sama-cittatvam iṣṭāniṣṭopapattiṣu.

In this way you have to be situated on the devotional service. Devotional service is not sentiment. Just like Kṛṣṇa, after describing so many stages of advancement of knowledge, then he says, mayi ca ananya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī. Ananya-yogena. Always... Yoga means linking up. Always linking up with Kṛṣṇa. Mayi. Kṛṣṇa says mayi, "Unto Me, Kṛṣṇa." Mayi ca ananya-yogena bhakti-yogena. So you can become attached with Kṛṣṇa if you are dovetailed in the service of Kṛṣṇa, not casually, but constantly. Mayi ca ananya-yogena bhakti-yogena avyabhicāriṇī. Acyabhicāriṇī means without break, always, constantly. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛdha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14).

Lecture on BG 13.13 -- Bombay, October 6, 1973:

So this chapter is explanation of the knower and knowledge... The knowledge, the chapter has already explained, in order to make progress in the line of knowledge there were about twenty items: amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir arjavam (BG 13.8). These are the process, not to become falsely proud of possessing knowledge. There are symptoms that who is actually in knowledge and those symptoms have been explained. Amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam. The most important... Of course, all the items are very important. Still, approaching the ācārya... (break) ...portion of Kṛṣṇa. Racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭim. One portion, Paramātmā. That Paramātmā portion is the Mahā-Viṣṇu, Mahā-Viṣṇu lying on the Kāraṇārṇava, the Causal Ocean.

Lecture on BG 13.13 -- Bombay, October 6, 1973:

In that chapter it is already said that janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). The subject matter should be how to understand or how to get relief from the repetition of birth and death, old age and disease. This is knowledge. And here also Kṛṣṇa says again, anyone who comes to the ultimate goal of knowledge, then he becomes immortal.

Lecture on BG 13.13 -- Bombay, October 6, 1973:

We are disturbed by the bodily concepts of life, every one of us. Everyone is busy how to relieve the bodily pains and pleasures. That's all. The real pains and pleasure: that the living entity who has accepted this material body, he has to continue these pains and pleasure. That is explained in the Bhagavad, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). So you there is no science to give relief from janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. How can expect relief? It is temporary relief. So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, we should not be disturbed by the temporary pains and pleasure.

Lecture on BG 13.14 -- Bombay, October 7, 1973:

So we are now discussing jñeyam, the object of knowledge. Previously we discussed the process of knowledge, amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam, ācāryopāsanam... (BG 13.8). Twenty items we have discussed. The chief is: mayi cānanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī. The chief of them is bhakti, mayi ca ananya-yogena, without any diversion. Ananya-yogena bhakti-yoga. That is the chief point. Then other qualities of knowledge will develop automatically. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12).

Lecture on BG 13.14 -- Bombay, October 7, 1973:

As soon as you become a pure devotee of the Lord, all the good qualities of the demigods, surāḥ. There are two classes of men: sura and asura. Sura means devotees, and asura means nondevotees. So good qualities can be found in the suras. Ahiṁsā amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam (BG 13.8). There are many instances that the devotees are all qualified.

Lecture on BG 13.16 -- Bombay, October 10, 1973:

So jñeyam. Kṛṣṇa is explaining the subject matter of knowledge. First of all Kṛṣṇa has explained the process of knowledge. Amānitvam adambhitvaṁ kṣāntir ārjavam. Mayi cānanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). These are the process of knowledge, to know. If we remain befooled, ignorant, that we are missing the chance.

Lecture on BG 13.18 -- Bombay, October 12, 1973:

And He is in everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Simply we have to know the process how to know Him. That is explained already, We have discussed. Amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam (BG 13.8), ācāryopāsanam, indriya, vinigrahaḥ, bhakti-yoga... Māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena... (BG 14.26). These things are already discussed. So human life is meant for understanding this. Athāto brahma-jijñā... These are all Brahman subject. They are not material subject matter. Tattva-vastu. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11).

Lecture on BG 13.19 -- Bombay, October 13, 1973:

Madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ. And if you are in darkness, neither you have knowledge, neither you have the capacity to enjoy this world, simply lazy and sleepy. That is the darkness. Then you become animal, trees, and other lower classes of species of life. These three things are going on.

Therefore, this knowledge means that to understand the Absolute Truth. That process is described. Jñānam. Amānitvam adambhitvaṁ kṣāntir ārjavam, ācāryopāsanam, bhakti. Māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate (BG 14.26). Adhyātma-jñānārtha-darśanam. Everything is described. Kṛṣṇa said therefore that iti kṣetraṁ tathā jñānam. "I have described about this body and I have described about the knowledge and the object of knowledge.

Lecture on BG 13.19 -- Bombay, October 13, 1973:

So we are also searching after, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we are also trying to become eternal. We are making scientific improvement how to live long. Nobody wants to die. That is also described previously. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Actually we are making struggle. hard struggle, just to conquer over this miserable condition of life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. But that is not possible. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, you can conquer when you get the same nature as that of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 13.19 -- Bombay, October 13, 1973:

Only this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is there. How to conquer over death. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). If one person is intelligent, if he's in knowledge, he should know that what improvement we are making. I am, I am Professor Einstein, big professor of science." "Sir, what you have done? You'll not die?" "No, I die." Then what is improvement? What is your improvement? Oh, you have discovered atomic bomb? That's all? Death is there.

Lecture on BG 13.20 -- Bombay, October 14, 1973:

Just like when we are diseased, we go to the physician and we try to cure the disease, similarly, we do not know what is our main disease. That is explained by Kṛṣṇa previously. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)—this is our real disease, to take birth, to die, to become old and to become victims of disease. But nobody knows how to cure this, and still, we are very much proud of becoming advanced in education and civilization. This is called illusion. This is called illusion. The real disease is how to stop janma-mṛtyu.

Lecture on BG 13.21 -- Bombay, October 15, 1973:

One must take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness to save himself. Try to understand Kṛṣṇa only. Then you are saved. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). The problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu... (BG 13.9). This problem we have set aside. We are busy for a few years life, fifty years, twenty years or... We have forgotten that we are eternal. We don't die after the destruction of this body. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This is my problem, what kind of body again I am going to get.

Lecture on BG 13.22 -- Bombay, October 20, 1973:

But the disease is birth and death. Even if you take birth in the Brahmaloka, Kṛṣṇa says, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). Even if you promoted to the Brahmaloka, the highest planet, there is also death. You cannot avoid. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). That is real knowledge, that "I don't want to die, but I am forced to die. I don't want to become old man, but I am forced to become old man. I don't want any disease, but disease is forced upon me." So these are the real problems.

Lecture on BG 13.22 -- Bombay, October 20, 1973:

And impious activities, the opposite number: in a family, abominable, pāpa-yoni, lower-grade family, not very beautiful, not educated, suffering in so many ways. So either you get this life or that life, the janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi is there. It is not that because you have got very beautiful body and born in very high-class family and highly educated, you will avoid janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. That is not possible. The real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi.

Lecture on BG 13.22 -- Bombay, October 20, 1973:

Past life, by our pious activities or impious activities, we have got a different type of body, here or in higher planetary system. That's all right. But that is not solution of my problem. The real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). So we should try, we should save time and utilize it, how to get out of this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. That is the whole Vedic civilization.

Lecture on BG 13.22 -- Bombay, October 20, 1973:

So modern civilization, they have no such information. Everyone is trying to improve his condition according to the quality. But that is not improvement. Real improvement is how to get out of this cycle of birth and death. That is real improvement. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. Thank you very much. So I will have to go with Mr. Ganatra. You can have your ārati. (end)

Lecture on BG 13.24 -- Bombay, October 23, 1973:

So the aim of life is always being stressed by Kṛṣṇa, to stop this process of undergoing different changes of body. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Na bhūyo 'bhijāyate. In many place Kṛṣṇa has said this. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). This is the aim of life. But people are misled by the blind leaders. We can say, "rascal leaders," but it may be very strong language.

Lecture on BG 13.24 -- Bombay, October 23, 1973:

This body, kṣetra, the owner of the body, kṣetra-jña, and the proprietor of the body, the Paramātmā, the owner of the body. We have already discussed all these things. You should remember very nicely. That is real knowledge. Jñānam.

What is the process of knowledge? Amānitvam adambhitvaṁ kṣāntir ārjavam ācāryopāsanaṁ bhakti-yogam. To know the problems of life, This is knowledge. The aim of life. The aim of life is not to take birth again. So who is understanding all these things. Nobody is interested. Simply they are interested in the animalistic way of life. That's all.

Lecture on BG 13.26 -- Bombay, October 25, 1973:

So again Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is stressing on the point, how to avoid death. This is the whole scheme of Vedic knowledge, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9), but people have no knowledge. They have become just like animals. Animal, you take them to the slaughterhouse, they cannot do anything. They are becoming slaughtered. So people at the present moment, they are also being slaughtered by the laws of nature.

Lecture on BG 13.26 -- Bombay, October 25, 1973:

Everyone should be eager to save his friend, to save his son, to save his disciple from the imminent danger of birth and death. But they have no... Neither they do know how to stop it, neither they are interested. But that is the real problem, how to stop. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

So here Kṛṣṇa said, anye tu ajānantaḥ śrutvā, simply by hearing. If you hear from a realized person—of course, interestedly, seriously—then you can get benefit, śrutvā. Śrutvā anyebhya upāsate. Just like it is very natural.

Lecture on BG 13.26 -- Bombay, October 25, 1973:

You have many, many lives, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). You have many species of life. But what you could not get in those lives you can get it now. Mānuṣam. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy arthadam. In this human form of life, you can make the solution of the problems of this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9).

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, te 'pi. Te 'pi means those who are sincere and seriously hearing about this Kṛṣṇa consciousness message. Te 'pi. Simply by sitting down. You haven't got to study Sanskrit. To become, by becoming a Sanskrit scholar, that is good but it is not necessary also. Simply you have to hear the message. Te 'pi ca atitaranti, transcend, ca, they also. Simply by hearing.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:

One who is not mature in his performance of yoga, he is given chance, another chance—another chance in a very nice family, śucīnām, very pure brāhmaṇa family; śrīmatām, very rich, royal or very rich mercantile family. These are chances. Nature, under the order of Kṛṣṇa, is giving chances to us, giving chance to us to come out of the entanglement of birth and death: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). One should be intelligent to see the troubles of these four incidences of life: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. That is the whole Vedic system—how to get out of these clutches. But they're given chance that "You do this, you do that, you do that," so regulated life, so that ultimately he can come out.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Hawaii, January 31, 1975:

And what is the purpose of daivī sampat? Daivī sampad vimokṣāya: (BG 16.5) "If you develop your daivī sampat, then you become fit for vimokṣāya, for liberation." What is that liberation? Liberation means janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), liberation from these four things: no more birth, no more death, no more disease, no more old age.

So people are unaware, and they are not interested what is vimokṣāya, what is nibandhāya. Exactly like cats and dogs, they are after these four principles of material body. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying little bit. Success or no success does not matter. As we are servant of Kṛṣṇa, it is our duty to present the real thing. Now you accept, not accept. That is not my business. I can request you that you accept this principle and be liberated from these sufferings of material life. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. But we have become careless. "Never mind I shall again take my birth, again die, I shall become dog." In this Hawaii sometime I was speaking in the university. So when I was speaking like that, one student said, "What is the wrong there if I become dog?" Yes, he flatly said. "I shall forget everything." So this is the university education, that one is not afraid of becoming a dog.

Lecture on BG 16.10 -- Hawaii, February 6, 1975:

Because we have got the circumstances, unclean body, because we have got unclean body, therefore there is birth and death. Just like as soon as you are infected, there is fever, similarly, the birth and death is a kind of disease. It is also listed with disease. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). They are on the same category: birth, death, old age and disease. They are on the same category. But we take care of two things, namely old age... We try to remain young by cosmetic, but that is not possible. Similarly, we want to live forever. The lady doctor was (saying), "Yes, we can extend little more." Then what...? After all, you have to die. Extend little more or little less, you cannot avoid death.

Lecture on BG 18.45 -- Durban, October 11, 1975:

Real independence is how to get out of the clutches of these material laws. Therefore Kṛṣṇa presents before you the problem amongst... We have got so many problems, but that is temporary. Real problem is, Kṛṣṇa says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). A man of knowledge should always keep in the front the real problem. What is that? Birth, death, old age, and disease. This is your real problem. So the human life is meant for solving these four problems: birth, death, old age and disease. And that can be done by Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 18.67 -- Ahmedabad, December 10, 1972:

But even if you go to the Brahmaloka, where the duration of life is so long and the comforts of life are many, many thousand times what, which we can perceive here, Kṛṣṇa says that "Even you go there, then the birth, death, old age and disease is there. You cannot avoid it." Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

Brahmā, when he was approached by Hiraṇyakaśipu to have the benediction to become immortal, Brahmā said, "Oh, I am not immortal. How can I give you the benediction?" So any planet within this material world, you may go, you may try to become happy, but there is no such thing as immortality.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.3 -- Rome, May 27, 1974:

What your scientists will say? "Oh, this is natural." But you cannot fight. You do not want to die, but death is forced. And even though you do not like, you say, "Oh, it is natural." You cannot explain why death is forced there, why birth is forced there. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). You do not want to become old man. Why you are forced to become old man? You do not want to have disease. Why you are forced to accept disease? They have no sense. They are so dull-headed. They do not want any solution.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- New Vrindaban, September 4, 1972:

You can theorize so many things. You may become a very great scientist, but when death will come, you cannot protect yourself. That is not possible. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You may be puffed up for advancement of your scientific knowledge, but you must be under the control of birth, death, old age and disease. So this is prakṛti, nature, and nature is controlled by God.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Delhi, November 12, 1973:

Sahasrāṇām means many thousands times of thousands. So a man tries to become siddha. Siddha means perfect. What is that perfection? The perfection means to stop this repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is perfection. This is perfection. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu... (BG 13.9).

Everyone is trying to be perfect. The whole struggle of existence is going on all over the world, how to become perfect. So that perfection ideal is different of different persons.

Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Delhi, November 13, 1973:

Even if you go to the Brahmaloka, where the duration of life you cannot calculate and the standard of life is very, very good, but still, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartinaḥ, wherever you go, the janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9) is there. You cannot avoid it. So this information, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is even up above Brahmaloka. Therefore it is the most beneficial welfare activities in the world, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to awaken Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975, University Lecture:

And at last, to become liberated, mokṣa. Mokṣa means to get out of the entanglement of material miserable condition of life. That is called mokṣa. What is the material miserable condition of life? There are many. But the essence is, as presented by Kṛṣṇa, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Everyone is trying, struggling for existence, to get out of the miserable condition of life. Everyone is trying. The standard of miserable condition may be different. One has got a million dollar.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975, University Lecture:

Dharma means to mold your life in such a way that ultimately you become disentangled from this complication of material life. The complication of, essence of the complication, is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi: (BG 13.9) "Birth, death, old age, and disease." This is material complication because we living entity, na jāyate na mriyate vā; we have no birth, no death. This is our position. We are... Simply we are changing body.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975, University Lecture:

You cannot stop birth, you cannot stop death, you cannot stop disease, you cannot stop old age.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa gives the essence of knowledge, janma... Jñānī means one who can see "What is the problem of my life." Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is the problem. Therefore dharma means āpavargyasya, how to avoid birth, death, old age and disease.

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Delhi, November 18, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa is father for all living entities. They are simply struggling here in this material world under different desires, and therefore they are getting transmigrating from one body to another, and in this way they are wandering within this material world. That is their real disadvantageous position. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says the real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is the real problem. Whole spiritual process should be executed to get out of this entanglement of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. That is real problem.

Lecture on SB 1.2.14-16 -- San Francisco, March 24, 1967:

It is not that because a child is born of a very rich family, he hasn't got to go into the womb of his mother and suffer the consequence. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). The distress of birth, death, disease and old age equally there, either you become born in a very high family or either you born in a very low family, either you're born in India or you are born in America.

Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- San Francisco, March 25, 1967:

Just see the fine result: janma-bandha-vinirmuktāḥ padaṁ gacchanty anāmayam: "Then he becomes free from the bondage of birth and death, no more birth and death." Janma-bandhana. This is a, this is a very strong shackle. You see? Janma. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). The modern scientists, modern philosophers, they do not think about these four things, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, birth, death, disease and old age. They set it, set them aside. "Oh, let them be happy. Let us enjoy this life, hogs and dogs." This is human life.

Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- San Francisco, March 25, 1967:

I have already explained to you another, some other day, that suppose by good action I get good birth, good riches and good features of the body, good education, all these thing I get, but that does not mean that I am free from the material pangs. The material pangs are janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi: (BG 13.9) birth, death, old age and diseases. Because you are rich man, because you are beautiful man, because you are educated man, because you are born in a aristocratic family, that does not mean that you have avoided death, old age and disease.

Lecture on SB 1.2.19 -- Calcutta, September 27, 1974:

So certainly there are many times more comfortable life, standard of life, very, very high, in the heaven, other planetary systems. But Kṛṣṇa says that any one of the planets you can go, but the material disease will not be relieved, the material disease, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). We cannot understand. This is our real disease, repetition of birth, janma, and repetition of death. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. And repetition of becoming old. And vyādhi, repetition of being affected by various types of disease.

Lecture on SB 1.2.19 -- Calcutta, September 27, 1974:

So we have to follow. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Don't follow rascals and fools. Then it will be useless waste of time. Follow the great ācāryas. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. One who is ācāryavān, who has accepted ācārya, he knows. Others, all are fools, rascals. Ācāryavān. Ācāryopāsanam. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam, ācāryopāsanam (BG 13.8). You have to first of all worship the ācārya.

Lecture on SB 1.2.23 -- Vrndavana, November 3, 1972:

Now, for our..., solving our problems... What is our problems? That we do not know. There is a great problem. The problem is repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is the problem. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Those who are intelligent, they will..., they will see that these are the real problems. But they do not care.

Lecture on SB 1.5.28 -- Vrndavana, August 9, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa says, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). If you remain within this material world, even if you are promoted to the highest planetary system, Brahmaloka, Satyaloka, still, you have to accept the material bondage, means janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Brahmā, he also dies. Although he has got very, very long duration of life, he also dies. So Kṛṣṇa therefore recommends, yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama: (BG 15.6) "If you come to My place, then you are no more under the laws of birth, death, old age, and disease."

Lecture on SB 1.7.18 -- Vrndavana, September 15, 1976:

Just like sometimes out of disappointment, too much suffering, one commits suicide—death. So death means very, very painful, as much as birth is also very, very painful. Therefore Kṛṣṇa presents, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyadhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). One who is intelligent enough, he should always keep before him the sufferings of birth, death, old age, and disease in front.

Lecture on SB 1.7.20-21 -- Vrndavana, September 17, 1976:

When the disease is there, either you are big man or rich man or poor man or small man, everyone has to suffer. So long you will be in the material world, if you do not rectify yourself, śuddha-sattva... Tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). If you don't rectify your existence, then this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi will go on (BG 13.9). Then what is the good? Actually, there is no good. 'Ei bhāla, ei manda'—ei saba 'bhrama'.. It is simply mental concoction.

Lecture on SB 1.7.22 -- Vrndavana, September 18, 1976:

Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). Simply a struggle. There is no happiness. But these foolish persons, they do not know that there is suffering and how to stop this suffering. That is real problem. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Intelligent persons should always keep in view that "These are my real sufferings." Not that "Temporary I have got some misunderstanding with some friend, or temporary I do not get some nice food, and therefore suffering." These sufferings are extra, but real suffering is this-janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi.

Lecture on SB 1.7.30-31 -- Vrndavana, September 26, 1976:

And this yearly, we live, we human being, we live for a hundred years, and the demigods, they live for ten thousands of years. But wherever you live, either as insect or as demigod, there is no rescue from the process of janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). That you cannot escape. Either you become a small insect or you become as powerful as Lord Brahmā, you have to die. There is no escape.

Lecture on SB 1.7.30-31 -- Vrndavana, September 26, 1976:

Spiritual life means punar janma naiti. Punar janma means this material world. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). One janma, then death, again janma, again death. And between the death and birth or birth and death there is disease and old age. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha (BG 13.9). This is our real problem.

Lecture on SB 1.8.33 -- Los Angeles, April 25, 1972:

Ātyantika means ultimate. Duḥkha means sufferings. That should be the aim of human life. So they do not know what is ātyantika-duḥkha. Duḥkha means suffering. So ātyantika-duḥkha is pointed out in the Bhagavad-gītā. "Here is the ātyantika-duḥkha, sir." What is this? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Birth, death, old age and disease.

Lecture on SB 1.8.52 -- Los Angeles, May 14, 1973:

This is impurification. So they do not know that "Death is not my obligation. Because I am impure, therefore I am dying. Birth is not my obligation. Because I am impure, therefore I am taking birth." Janma-mṛtyu... Four things: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Janma, birth, is due to my impure consciousness. Therefore if we purify our consciousness by advancing, by developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we become pure. This is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Lecture on SB 1.9.48 -- Mayapura, June 14, 1973:

Tendency is to crow, to make vibration like these frogs. That is our tendency. Because we are also conditioned souls, and the frogs, or any animal, they are also conditioned souls, conditioned by the material nature. Therefore tapasya, austerity, is required to nullify, to counteract this conditional state of living. Now we are conditioned. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We are conditioned by these four principles: birth, death, old age and disease. This is our condition. The scientist rascals, they are trying to improve the condition of living, but what is the improvement? There is death, there is birth, there is old age, and there is disease. No improvement. If you want to improve your condition, if you want to come back to original constitutional position, then tapasya, then you require to undergo austerity.

Lecture on SB 1.14.43 -- New York, April 7, 1973 :

But these foolish persons they are thinking that, that "Our material pleasure will be very much enjoyable when it is put into the golden pot instead of iron pot." Mūḍhāḥ. They are called mūḍhāḥ. (laughter) They do not know the..., our real business is how to get out of this material body. That is, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is real knowledge. One should keep in his thought that "My real distress of life are these four things, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi to take birth, to die, to become old and to become diseased. This is my problem." But they do not know this. They are now busy in the petroleum problem.

Lecture on SB 1.15.25-26 -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1973:

Nine hundred thousand species, there are. So because we are in the material contact, and according to our desire, we are having different types of body—aquatics, trees, birds, like that. This is our botheration. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), in this way you are... This is our problem. Therefore human civilization means when people are interested to solve the problems. That is human civilization.

Lecture on SB 1.15.44 -- Los Angeles, December 22, 1973:

This is the Brahmā's twelve hours. That is Brahmaloka. You cannot calculate what is the duration of life there. But even if you go there, the problem, death will be there. The problem death will go. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). The problem which is here... Just like the birth-death problem is within the ant society, birth-death problem is there within the animal society, birth-death problem is there in the human society, similarly, birth-death problem is in the moon society or sun society or Brahmaloka society, anywhere in this material world. That is real problem.

Lecture on SB 1.16.7 -- Los Angeles, January 4, 1974:

History they can hear. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "It is the duty of a human being, even from childhood, kaumāra..." Kaumāra means from the age of fifth year up to tenth year. This is called kaumāra. So people should be educated about this, that the problem is how to stop janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). This education. This is called Bhāgavata instruction. You are noting. We are talking on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:

What is the impurification of existence? The impurification of existence is this birth, death, old age and disease. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Everyone is inclined to live, but nature will not allow you to live. Nobody likes to die, but nature will force you to become dead. Nobody wants to become old man, but nature will force you to become old man. Janma... And nobody wants to suffer from diseases, but nature will force you to suffer from diseases.

Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:

The Bhagavad-gītā says that problem, one should be very vigilant to the problem. And what is that problem? He says, Kṛṣṇa says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. They do not know what is the real problem. Real problem is repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is real problem. Whole Vedic civilization is meant for stopping these problems, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. The whole Bhagavad-gītā is taught... You are reading Bhagavad-gītā. You just try to understand what is the real problem. The real problem is birth, death, old age and disease.

Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Hawaii, January 17, 1974:

The main problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). That is main problem. So our cultivation of knowledge, advancement of civilization, should be on the basis of solving the main problems, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, not the temporary problem. For the temporary problems, it is advised that the temporary problems, they come and go. Just like nowadays there is the petrol problem. Petrol is there, but because the Arabians are restricting supply, it has become a problem.

Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Vrndavana, March 17, 1974:

Without following the principles, religious principles... The human life is given a chance by the nature, that "In this life you make a solution of this birth and death," janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). So these rascals do not know that janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi is actually problem. They are simply trying to solve so many temporary problems. They do not know the real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. Therefore, following the real religious principle means sad-dharma.

Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Paris, June 11, 1974:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa points out in the Bhagavad-gītā that real freedom is when you get freedom from four different problems. What is that? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). If you get freedom from these four things—no more death, no more birth, no more old age, old age, and no more disease—that is freedom. But where is that freedom? The so-called scientists, big, big scientists, they have very scientifically advanced, but they had no freedom from death.

Lecture on SB 2.1.2-5 -- Montreal, October 23, 1968:

Without soldiers, nobody fights. So they are our soldiers: this body... Everyone wants to keep this body fit. And maintaining the children and the wife... Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu. We are thinking that "My, this body and wife and children and home and country and society will save me." I am struggling against... What is that struggling? I do not wish to die. I do not wish to be diseased. I do not wish to become old man. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). I don't wish to get birth again, or I want to stop birth. Janma-mṛtyu. I want to stop death. I want to stop disease. And I want to stop old age. These are the activities, material activities, struggling against.

Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Delhi, November 6, 1973:

In this way we have to mold our life if we are actually interested to become free from this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9), if we actually want to get free from the repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. That is our real problem. People do not understand that this is our real problem. They are simply engaged in some temporary problem. The real problem is that "Why I am dying?

Lecture on SB 2.1.4 -- Vrndavana, March 19, 1974:

In this way, I have been entangled in this transmigration of the soul. This is my problem. Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, says, "Real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)." This is not problem. Nowadays they have discovered so many problems. But actual problem—janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi—they are not very much serious. Therefore they have been described here as pramattaḥ, madmen.

Lecture on SB 2.1.4 -- Vrndavana, March 19, 1974:

Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā (SB 7.5.31). Therefore it is called durāśayā. He's thinking that "These things will give me protection." No, that is not possible. You cannot get rid of the four principles of material life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), by these soldiers. That is not possible. They will die, you will die. Your... Formerly, your father died. Your father's father died. Everyone will die. This is called martya-loka. Everyone will die. But we are actually hankering after existing. We do not wish to die.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Los Angeles, August 13, 1972:

This verse we have been discussing last week, the answer of Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Parīkṣit Mahārāja, who inquired from him: "What is my duty at the verge of my death?" This is very important point, that we have to prepare ourself for the next moment of our death. People forget it. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Janma, the pangs of birth, the pangs of death, the pangs of disease and the pangs of old age. Anyone who is progressing in self realization, he should keep always these four things before him. He should not forget.

Lecture on SB 2.3.9 -- Los Angeles, May 26, 1972:

Birth, as I have many times explained... Nowadays, it is so much suffering that a child is born within the womb, and there is abortion, killed. "Kill him." But they do not understand the suffering, that one chance given that it will get a body and come out and maybe able to come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that opportunity... he's being killed within the womb. But these rascals, they do not know what is the suffering. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9).

Lecture on SB 2.3.18-19 -- Bombay, March 23, 1977, At Cross Maidan Pandal:

Guest (2): What is the importance of health in life, and how does Guruji advise people to maintain health, and how does it connect to your mission?

Prabhupāda: What is health? First of all you have to understand that however healthy you may be, you must die. What problem you have solved? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9), Kṛṣṇa says. It is not my manufacture. However you may try to remain very healthy, nature's law is that you must die. How you can help yourself? After all, you have to meet death. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. So long you have got this material body, there is no question of health. You must suffer. You may be very great scientist in oblivion, but the nature's law must act.

Lecture on SB 3.25.2 -- Bombay, November 2, 1974:

So foolish people, they do not know what is the miserable condition of this material life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says real knowledge is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), to know that "However great I may be, these four principles of miserable condition of life, there are." It is existing in the Brahmaloka, in the Pātālaloka, everywhere, sarvatra. Gabhīra-raṁhasā. Tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā. In the due course of time. This is the most wonderful thing.

Lecture on SB 3.25.3 -- Bombay, November 3, 1974:

We are going to learn technology. That is our misfortune. Technology is śilpa-karma. Just like an artistic man. That is not real education. Real education is how to solve the problems of life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). That is education. So this education, this transcendental education, is to enlighten people how to become relieved from this entanglement of material life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi.

Lecture on SB 3.25.8 -- Bombay, November 8, 1974:

What university education? They give some technical education, that śilpa-vidyā, to earn money and eat and sleep and have sex life and die. This is the education. This education is described here that duṣpārasya, andhasya duṣpārasya. This kind of education will not help us because our sufferings are different. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

So this Sanātana Gosvāmī, I was speaking to you. He was minister. He had enough money. When he retired, he came to home bringing money with him, one big boat full with golden coins. Just imagine. Big, big coins in those days.

Lecture on SB 3.25.10 -- Bombay, November 10, 1974:

So qualitatively I am also sac-cid-ānanda. So why I am enjoying this temporary life for ten years or twenty years or two hundred years? This is called knowledge. Etaj jñānam. Other jñānam, they are not jñānam. I have said many times. They are arts, śilpa, to live for some time and make some artistic way of living condition and forget my real problem—janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). So for this purpose one should approach guru. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21). One who is actually interested for spiritual life, he should inquire about a guru. Not as a fashion, that "I may... Let me keep one guru and..." No. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Just like Devahūti is doing. Uttamam, something beyond this darkness. Tama means darkness, and ut means above. Uttama.

Lecture on SB 3.25.15 -- Bombay, November 15, 1974:

They do not have idea even that birth and death can be stopped. They think it cannot be stopped. Mo... Big, big scientists, they cannot stop. Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that you should keep in your front four different types of miserable conditions. What is that? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). You may be very advanced in scientific knowledge, but what is, where is the possibility of stopping these four principles of miserable condition of life? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. They are not interested. But when we can stop these four principles of miserable condition, namely, no more birth, no more death, no more disease, no more old age, that is called liberation. You can have it. Simply you have to clear your consciousness.

Lecture on SB 3.25.15 -- Bombay, November 15, 1974:

Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). So these are needed. So anyway, even if you go to the Brahmaloka, that is not also perfection. Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). There is no benefit. Because there also the four principles of miserable condition, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), they are there, even in the Brahmaloka. Brahmā also dies. Brahmā also takes birth. You know it. Brahmā, he also took birth from the lotus flower generated from the navel of Viṣṇu. So there was birth.

Lecture on SB 3.25.16 -- Bombay, November 16, 1974:

Cetaḥ khalu asya bandhāya muktaye cātmano matam. Cetaḥ, this heart, is the cause of our bondage, and the heart is the cause of our liberation. When it is dirty, then it is cause of bondage, conditioned life. Conditional life means that janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). I take one birth, one body, and I stay for sometimes, enjoy or suffer. There is no question of enjoyment, only suffering. And then again I die. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). And I get another body and again begin another life. Maybe very good life, or maybe cats' and dogs' life, a tree's life.

Lecture on SB 3.25.16 -- Bombay, November 16, 1974:

You may be very rich man, very, I mean to say, influential man, prime minister... Even Jawaharlal Nehru-last time he became paralyzed. So you cannot avoid these things. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You should not be puffed-up because you have got some bank balance, you are happy. No. Your real unhappiness—these four things: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. That any intelligent man should always keep in front, that "These are my distresses." These temporary distresses and to relieve it, that is not very good. You must make ultimate finishing of all distresses. That is bhakti-yoga. That is bhakti-yoga. And that bhakti-yoga begins this, by hearing and chanting.

Lecture on SB 3.25.20 -- Bombay, November 20, 1974:

But the Bhagavad-gītā, Bhagavān, personally says that "Your real miserable condition of life are the four things: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)." But who is taking seriously? There are so many advancements of education, scientific and... Who is making research work how to stop death? No. Nobody is there. No scientist's brain is working. But it is possible. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). These rascals, when they forget that death is not our business, it is artificially imposed upon us, so we must become deathless again... That is the human life perfection.

Lecture on SB 3.25.20 -- Bombay, November 20, 1974:

So therefore these discussions which are going on, that is only for how to get liberation from the four principles of material condition, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. That is called mokṣa. Mokṣa, or liberation. So the... It is just like beating the dead horse. Nobody is interested about mokṣa. Or nobody can conceive even that there is something as mokṣa. Mokṣa means to get free from this condition of birth, death and old age. That is called mokṣa, liberation.

Lecture on SB 3.25.20 -- Bombay, November 20, 1974:

So we should not be foolish like that, mūḍha. We should be intelligent that this life, this material life, is simply struggle for existence. We want to exist. We do not want to die. We do not want, do not want to be diseased. We do not want birth, therefore there are so many contraceptive methods. But we do not want... Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), old age. Just like we are old men. So many difficulties there are. So we do not want all these things, but it is forced upon us. But we are not intelligent enough to, how to make a solution of these problems. Therefore our predecessor, Sanātana Gosvāmī, first of all put this question that ke āmi kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya. He was minister. He was intelligent and learned scholar, brāhmaṇa. So he inquired this. So we should be inquiring that "We are making so much struggle for existence, but existence is not allowed. Then what is the reason?"

Lecture on SB 3.25.28 -- Bombay, November 28, 1974:

The whole world is struggling, some temporary. The real business is ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti, everyone is trying to minimize the miserable condition, but they are busy for temporary miserable condition. But the Vedic knowledge is how to mitigate the topmost miserable condition. That topmost miserable condition is the repetition of birth, death, and old age. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam, anu-darśanam (BG 13.9). We should not be very much afflicted with these temporary things. We must have the sense how to solve the ultimate miserable condition of life. That, tad-vijñānārtham, in order to know that science sa gurum evābhigacchet.

Lecture on SB 3.25.39-40 -- Bombay, December 8, 1974:

So if actually, if we want to become free from the clutches of this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi... (BG 13.9). That is our problem. Here... We have discussed many times that we, as spirit soul, we are not this body. I am not this body. You are not this body. I am Brahman, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. You are also Brahman, or spirit soul. But I am not Para-brahman. That is mistake. Neither you are Para-brahman. There are two words in the scriptures: Brahman and Para-brahman, ātmā and Paramātmā, īśvara and Parameśvara.

Lecture on SB 3.25.41 -- Bombay, December 9, 1974:

This is actual fact. We have forgotten. Therefore we are not afraid of. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that your real trouble is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You have to accept your birth within the womb of your mother in a packed-up condition, body developing. The germs, the worms within the urine, stool, biting very delicate skin. You cannot make any adjustment, simply moving. And if one is little pious, he can pray to God, "Please get me relief from this condition.

Lecture on SB 3.25.41 -- Bombay, December 9, 1974:

So these things you have to pass. And again disease, again old age, and again death, and again birth. This is bhayaṁ tīvram. But the... We have become... By the spell of māyā, by illusion, we are thinking, "Now we are making very much progress." What progress you have made? Have you stopped birth, death, old age, and disease? These troubles are awaiting. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You should always think that "I am waiting for the miserable condition." It is already miserable condition. Even in living time there are threefold miseries. Even you sit down peacefully, then the mosquito will bite you, bugs will bite you, and you will get some letter from some enemy.

Lecture on SB 3.25.41 -- Bombay, December 9, 1974:

Everyone is suffering. Temporary, superficially, one may think that he is very happy, or I may think that "He is happy; I am not happy," but nobody is happy in this material world, because the four things is inevitable for everyone, the prime minister or the man in the street, everyone: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). And there is so much trouble in the matter of birth and death and old age and disease. We are forgetting. That is called tīvraṁ bhayam.

Lecture on SB 3.26.6 -- Bombay, December 18, 1974:

These rascals, they are bewildered by the three kinds of material modes of nature. Tribhir guṇamayair bhāvair mohitaṁ nābhijānāti, mām ebhyaḥ param. They cannot understand that in the background of everything there is the supreme authority of God. This is called atheism. Although they are being kicked every moment by the modes of material nature, they are feeling that "I am under the control of some power, superior power..." That is appreciating. Just like I gave you the example: the death, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). They are trying to stop, the birth control, but still, the statistics is that every second or every moment, every three minutes, there is one population increased. So this is janma. Similarly, mṛtyu. Mṛtyu means death.

Lecture on SB 3.26.15 -- Bombay, December 24, 1974:

That is foolishness. The atheist class of men, they say that "We do not believe in God." But that is craziness. You may believe God or may not believe, but you are under the stringent laws of God. That you cannot say, that "I am free." No. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You may be very big scientist, very big man, very big prime minister and whatever you may be. You are under the control of these criminal laws: janma, birth; mṛtyu, death; old age, and disease. Then how you are independent? Where is your independence? How we can say that "You are free. You don't require to obey the laws, or dharma"?

Lecture on SB 3.26.18 -- Bombay, December 27, 1974:

The real problem is, Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Our real miserable condition of life is birth, death, old age, and disease. Where is scientific help to mitigate these miseries? There is no stoppage of birth; there is no stoppage of death; there is no stoppage of disease. You can manufacture very good medicine for disease, but you stop disease. That is not possible. So our so-called meritorious activities in scientific research and education, they have been described in the Bhagavad-gītā as duṣkṛtinaḥ, mischievous activities.

Lecture on SB 3.26.22 -- Bombay, December 31, 1974:

So the mission of human life should be how to clarify this consciousness again into that pure consciousness of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the mission of human life. The consciousness is impure; therefore there are so many varieties, material varieties, and we are captivated by these material varieties. But that is not giving us any happiness. We are especially very much unhappy on account of janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). So if we want to get relief from the miserable condition of this material life...

Lecture on SB 3.26.47 -- Bombay, January 22, 1975:

In the Kali-yuga, because main business is how to get relief from this material bondage... Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). People do not understand even that what is really our distress. Kṛṣṇa says, the Supreme Personality of Godhead says personally, "These are your miseries." What? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi: (BG 13.9) "Repetition of birth and death. This is your real misery of life." What you are thinking of this misery or that misery? They are all temporary. They are all under the laws of material nature. You cannot get out of it.

Lecture on SB 3.26.47 -- Bombay, January 22, 1975:

So if you are actually interested to get out of miserable condition, then try to get out of these four miserable condition of life: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). That is intelligence. Don't be bothered with the temporary miserable or happy. They will come and go. Tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. If you cannot bear, then try to tolerate. That is the qualification of brāhmaṇa. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā, tolerance. We should not be disturbed, "Now I am in miserable condition." Tolerate. The miserable condition will come this material world. Don't be very much happy when you are in happy condition of life; neither you become mad in miserable condition of life. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and make your life success. That is required. This is the propaganda of this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 4.14.14 -- November 16, 1971, Delhi:

So in the material world, this prosperity, so-called prosperity, is not prosperity, because the next life I do not know what is going to happen. And the next life is there. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Therefore learned man, he sees always that "My happiness..., what is the value of this happiness? I will have to die, I will have to accept old age, I will have to suffer from disease. And as soon as I die, again I will have to enter into the womb of a particular mother to take birth again." So where is the happiness? In the womb of the mother to live for ten months in a very awkward position—we have forgotten—that is not very happiness.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- London, August 30, 1971:

If you say that "Yes, I am enjoying this. I am enjoying this life very nicely. I don't require to give up this material body," no. It is foolishness. You are not enjoying. You may think so, but the real problem is there. What is that? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You may enjoy very nicely because you are Englishman or American, you have got money, but what about the question of death? Do you enjoy death? If a body is... Of course, one who is frustrated, one who wants to commit suicide, that is a different thing. For a sane man, does he enjoy birth, death, old age and disease? Therefore Bhagavad-gītā points out that you may feel very happy with your so-called material senses, but you should see to the real problem of life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi: birth, death, old age and disease.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Johannesburg, October 20, 1975:

In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We are trying to be happy fighting with unhappiness, but we do not know our real unhappiness are that we have to die, we have to take birth again, we have to become diseased and we have to accept old age. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. This is intelligence, that "I am trying to solve all the problems of life by advancement of civilization, education, scientific knowledge and so many things. That's all right. But what is the solution of my, these four principle of miserable condition: birth, death, old age and disease?" And because we cannot make any solution, we set aside these four problems.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Delhi, November 28, 1975:

The problem is that we are suffering threefold miseries, every one of us. Maybe the degree different, but under being intoxicated, we do not take the sufferings as sufferings. That is another madness. But the sufferings are there. That is being pointed out by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You may be very perfect by arranging your material civilization to enjoy life but, you will not be allowed to live. That we do not see. There is no insurance. I am making very nice arrangement for my future enjoyment, having good bank balance, nice skyscraper building and other things, but where is the guarantee that you shall live and enjoy? That we do not see. Therefore we are madmen. If you are arranging something utopian for happiness, and if you understand that "I shall die tomorrow," then immediately my enthusiasm will decline. "Now, who is going to take so much trouble? I am going to die tomorrow."

So tomorrow not, say hundred years after, you will have to die. You cannot escape this. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. So therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "You are very scientifically advanced. There is no doubt about it. But what about your death? Why you shall accept death? You are eternal." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). "You do not die after the destruction of this body."

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1976:

Real life is eternal life, without any birth, death, old age and disease. Where is that science? There is no such department of knowledge that how one can live eternally without any disease, without any old age and without any death and without any birth. If there is birth there is death. And between the two, birth and death, there is old age and disease. Where is that scientist who are trying to solve this problem?

And Kṛṣṇa put this problem before us: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is knowledge. They are making plans for so many things, but where is that plan to stop janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha? That is not so easy. Therefore they have avoided it. They do not touch this point. They are making arrangement for temporary so-called happiness. That attempt is done even by cats and dogs. That is not successful life. I have several times told you... This is Vedic civilization.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Bombay, December 25, 1976:

So we are parts and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa admits, mamaivāṁśo jīva bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7), ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). We are sons of God, Kṛṣṇa. Not that by imagination; God Himself says. And all śāstra says that jīva is equal in quality with God. That's a fact. Then why we are subjected to this birth and death, old age and disease? That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We are trying to solve all problems of life, but real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. Where is that scientist, where is that education to conquer over birth, death, old age and disease? They are trying to control: birth control, over-population. But that is not a problem. Birth control cannot be. That cannot be. The birth is increasing. That is not possible. And why birth control? That is also a long subject matter.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Bombay, December 25, 1976:

So if we want to avoid this punishment, duḥkhālayam, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-dosānudarśanam (BG 13.9), this polluted condition... This is polluted condition. I am eternal, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So our question should be... (break) The human life is meant for inquiring about our permanent life. He requires a guru. Not a guru who can give me some so-called happiness by manufacturing some material things.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:

Sattvam means your existence has to be purified. Our existence, this existence is not purified, therefore we have got this material body. Now what is the decitement (?). Let us have this material, we are enjoying very nicely. What is this bad? But these rascals, they have no idea that we can avoid the, I mean to say, miserable condition of this body. We can avoid. This, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudar... (BG 13.9), but they do not know that this is unhappiness, this is distaste.

They are so callous, just like animal. They cannot think that there is possibility of not being slaughtered. When they are taken in the slaughter house, they agree to go because they know there is no other way. We have been made, meant for being slaughtered.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 11, 1975:

So why should we waste our time? Why we should be entangled in this bodily concept of life and become subjected to the transmigration of the soul from one body to another? We should be disgusted, this repetition of birth and death. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). One should be intelligent enough to understand, "Why I should be subjected to birth and death?" Nobody wants to die. Ke āmi kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya. Nobody wants the threefold miserable condition of this material life, but it is forced upon us, and we are thinking "Independent." That is foolishness. We are not independent.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:

So quality is the same. So our seeking after eternity, seeking after full knowledge and to remain blissful, that is our nature because we are part and parcel of God.

But on account of being covered by these material elements—earth, water, air, fire, ether, mind, intelligence, and ego—we are suffering this disease—janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Janma means birth, and mṛtyu means death. As soon as we take birth, it means we must be prepared for death. I am increasing my age means decreasing my age, not increasing. When a child is born, if some friends asks, "When this child is born?" "Now, one week before," that means the child has already died one week. From his duration of life, make one week minus. So we are dying every moment. Mṛtyu, death, is sure. "As sure as death."

Lecture on SB 5.5.10-13 -- Vrndavana, November 1, 1976:

Either in this planet, or in other planet, or this condition, that condition, the threefold miseries, adhyātmika, adhidaivika, and adhibhautika, and these miseries, and janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi... Kṛṣṇa says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Kṛṣṇa never says that "Within this universe, if you go to the heavenly planet, then you can avoid janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi." Never says. Nobody says. Kṛṣṇa says, "Even you go to the heavenly planet," ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ, "the janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, they are everywhere; you cannot avoid." Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). "But if you come to Me," paraṁ dhāma, "then you can avoid."

Lecture on SB 5.5.18 -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1976:

The proper way is that you should know the problem of life, and Kṛṣṇa personally says, "This is the real problem of your life." What is that? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is problems. But they do not know. All rascals. Kṛṣṇa says, na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. And don't they read? "I am reading Bhagavad-gītā, I am great politician and great leader. I am reading Bhagavad-gītā." What do you understand? Do you understand that the soul is immortal and it is transmigrating, tathā dehāntara-prāptir? Do you know all this problem? Then why you have become national leader?

Lecture on SB 6.1.1-4 -- Melbourne, May 20, 1975:

Just imagine their year. And such ten thousands of years you can live if you can go to the moon planet. The day and night, fifteen days, your fifteen days, is equal to their one day. No, twelve hours. That means your one month is their one day. Now calculate one day, then thirty days, one month. Then twelve months equal to one year. Such ten thousands of years. Just imagine. You can go there and live like that, yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25), if you like. But that is not eternal life. After that long period, you have to die. So Kṛṣṇa says janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You are trying to avoid all kinds of miserable condition, but your real miserable condition is your birth, death, old age, and disease. Try to avoid it. That is perfection. That is spiritual life.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1 -- Melbourne, May 21, 1975:

So you are growing the same body or better body or lower body, and when it is mature, then you come out. You begin again your life. That is called pravṛtti-mārga. In this way we have to accept birth, death, old age. As soon as you get this material body, there is birth, and as soon as there is birth, there is death. And as soon as the body is there, it is growing old. It is suffering disease.

So if you want to avoid these four things... That is specially pointed out by Kṛṣṇa, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). You are solving your problems, but what, how you have solved your birth, death, old age, and disease? That is the question by Kṛṣṇa. Have you solved? Then what is the use of solving problems? The real problem is there. But if you want to solve this real problem, then you should take up this nivṛtti-mārga.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Sydney, February 17, 1973:

Just like Sanātana Gosvāmī, when he approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he placed this question, "Why? Why I am suffering?" Ke āmi, kene jāre tāpa-traya. "I do not want to die. Why there is death? I do not want to suffer from disease. Why there is disease? I do not want to take birth. Why I am put into the womb of mother again and again? Janma-mṛtyu jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). And I do not want to become old. Why I am forced to become old?" When a person comes to this standard, to inquire "Why these things are there?" this is real intelligence. Intelligence does not mean you gather, like asses, all the stones and iron and put them together and be satisfied that "Oh, I am very happy."

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Sydney, February 17, 1973:

The different types of bodies means that is our punishment. We may think it as happiness, but as soon as you accept a material body, you are subjected to the four principles of material distresses. What is that? Janma, mṛtyu, jarā, vyādhi. You may think that you are very scientifically advanced—"There is no more distress in my life"—but Kṛṣṇa says, "No. If you are intelligent, then you should think of these four principles as distresses." What is that? Birth, death, old age and disease. But the modern so-called scientists, they cannot make any solution to birth, death, old age and disease; therefore they have left them aside: "Oh, don't care for them." That is ignorance. Our real problem is not this temporary problem that we are in such and such distressed condition. That is temporary. But real problem is, as Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). If anyone is intelligent enough, he should always keep before him that there are, these are my distresses: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. I don't want to die, so what I have done for stopping my death? What have I done to stop my birth? Huh? Because as soon as I die, again I enter into the womb of a particular type of mother. Hm? Again I have to live there, packed up. That is the... Everyone knows. I cannot move even. No independence. The insects biting my delicate body, I cannot protest. I'm simply suffering. So many things. After coming out of the womb, still there is suffering. Suffering, suffering, suffering—the whole life is suffering—but I do not know how to compensate the suffering. That I do not know. That is ignorance. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. Just like the ass cannot understand that he's suffering, loading so much cloth upon his back. That is ass, one who cannot understand the suffering. And we are taking it, "This is now pleasure. This is not suffering, this is pleasure. I am working so hard." I remember long ago, about forty years ago, one of my servants, he left my service and he was pulling on ṭhelā. You know ṭhelā, a hand-pulled cart? So after that he came to see me. I asked him, "How you are doing now?" So he was very pleased that "I am working, pulling on this ṭhelā and eating sumptuously, and by evening it becomes all digested and again I'll eat." That is the (indistinct). He's eating sumptuously, and by working, by pulling on the ṭhelā, hard labor, whole thing is digested and again goes in the evening he eats very sumptuously, he is very pleased. That is his success of life. So people are doing like that. They are eating in the morning and working very hard whole day, and in the evening again he becomes hungry and eats more sumptuously. That is his happiness. That is his happiness. But he does not think that these distresses are there, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Sydney, February 17, 1973:

As soon as there is any shaking in the airplane, they begin to scream. (laughter) He's afraid of death, but he says, "Oh, that is not a problem." He has got his experience that at the time of death it is very severe punishment. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam: "You may be satisfied with your foolish idea that you are very happy, but if you are intelligent then you must always keep yourself..."

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Sydney, February 17, 1973:

If you simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa—why Kṛṣṇa advents Himself, why does He come, why does He disappear, what are His activities, what is His philosophy, this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa, then the result will be tyaktva deham. After giving up this body, no more accepting. Then you stop your janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). This is the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6-8 -- New York, July 21, 1971:

Just discover a tablet that you take this tablet—there will be no more any disease. That is not possible. Disease will be there. You can invent some better medicine. That is, that is the way. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). One might think that he has solved all the problems of his life, but where is the solution of these four problems: birth, death, old age and disease? That is intelligence.

But there is a solution. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 6.1.8 -- New York, July 22, 1971:

And that is practically observed all over the world. But similarly, there are other laws, that you cannot kill even an ant. Then you are responsible. You have no right to kill. And in the Bible also, we see, Lord Jesus Christ says, "Thou shalt not kill." So killing is not allowed in any religious principle. Anyone who is killing, he's not considered in the human society. You cannot kill. The... Lord Buddha's also principle is ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ, no killing. Lord Jesus Christ also says, "Thou shalt not kill." In our Bhagavad-gītā it is also said, amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā (BG 13.8). Ahiṁsā means not to become violent, not to kill.

Lecture on SB 6.1.9 -- Los Angeles, June 22, 1975:

Real problem is that we should stop our suffering. But the karmīs, they are interested in the temporary cure, and they do not know how to cure completely. There will be no more suffering. That they do not know. But a Vaiṣṇava, because he is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he knows what is real suffering—because he understands from Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa says that "Your real suffering is these four things, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi: (BG 13.9) repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease. Actually this is your problem." So without devotees, without hearing from Kṛṣṇa, these rascals, they do not know actually what is the problem nor what is suffering

Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Honolulu, May 13, 1976:

So here it is recommended that unless we follow the rules and regulations, then there is no possibility of curing our material disease. The whole process is we are in materially diseased. Otherwise we are as good as Kṛṣṇa, but because we are materially diseased, we are in the difficult position of birth, death, old age and disease. Kṛṣṇa says. This is real problem. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). So if we want to be cured from this disease, then we have to follow rules and regulation, just like a patient, if he wants to be cured from the disease, he has to follow the rules and regulation prescribed by the physician.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Auckland, February 22, 1973:

So anyway, our controlling business is also interruptable. I want to control. Just like this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). I want to control death, disease, but I cannot. Everyone is trying. As soon as one is diseased, he tries to control it. He goes to take help from other, the physician, but he cannot. Therefore he is not supreme controller. And at the same time, I want something, but it is not happening. Just like I want to eat something palatable, but due to my diseased condition, I cannot eat. Forbidden apple.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Los Angeles, June 27, 1975:

That is being presented by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā, that "This is your sickness, real sickness." What is that? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You are trying to be unaffected by all kinds of sickness, but your real sickness is this material disease: you take birth, you die, you become old, and you suffer from diseases. This is your real sickness. But who is caring for this? Where is the scientist who are investigating how to stop death, how to stop birth. They are, of course, investigating how to stop birth, but still, birth is going on. This sort of stopping births, by killing the body, is not stopping because the body is not the person.

Lecture on SB 6.1.20 -- Honolulu, May 20, 1976:

Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam, nāpnuvanti mahātmānāṁ saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ (BG 8.15). So this is place of duḥkhālayam. Any commonsense man can understand that Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā... You may challenge, "Where is the unhappiness? We are very happy." Madmen. Kṛṣṇa points out, "No, it is not place of happiness." Why it is not place of happiness? Now, janma-mṛtyu-jarā vyādhi-duḥkha-dośānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Why don't you see the real unhappiness? This is real duḥkha, or unhappiness. What is that? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. You have to die. You have to take birth within the womb with so much risk that even your mother can kill you. Is it very happiness?

Lecture on SB 6.1.24 -- Honolulu, May 24, 1976:

So he was engaged in maintaining the family. Everyone is engaged like that. Cats and dogs also do that. It is not very extraordinary thing. Sometimes they say, "It is my duty." Yes, it is duty, but the prime duty is to solve the real problems: how to stop mṛtyu, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). That we forget. Minor duties we take priority. That is the present situation. They do not know that there is life after death, and according to our karma, we are getting the next life. This morning we were discussing, Kṛṣṇa is always ready. Automatically it is going on. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). As you desire according to the contamination of different modes of material nature, immediately the body's ready. Immediately after death.

Lecture on SB 6.1.30 -- Philadelphia, July 14, 1975:

Death will be there. You study the machine or do not study the machine, in due course, time, the death will come and will take you. The machine will stay. So this is intelligence. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu... (BG 13.9). You cannot cure even one disease. You are embarrassed with the cancer disease. You find out how the cells are working, how it can be changed, and there will be no cancer. No, that you cannot do. You go on studying simply, waste your time. So śāstra says, "Don't waste your valuable time in that way. Try to understand God. Use your intelligence for this purpose."

Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- Surat, December 16, 1970:

A man, jaundice, suffering from jaundice, if you give him something just like candy, sugar candy, he'll taste it as bitter because he is suffering from jaundice. But sugar candy is not bitter. Similarly, in our diseased condition, this material body, actually you cannot taste real happiness. That is not possible. Therefore we have to cure the disease. Bhagavad-gītā therefore says curing the disease means janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-doṣa..., kleśa-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Those who are actually advancing in spiritual life, they should always keep in front that "We may advance in so many things, but these four things—birth, death, old age, and disease—cannot be solved by our so-called material advancement of science."

Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- Surat, December 16, 1970:

In the spiritual sky you will find happiness, real happiness. In the material sky there is no happiness. How it can be happiness, because the four things are there, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)? If you think it is happiness in spite of your death, then you are a fool. You do not want to be a dead man, but you are forced to accept death. You do not want to become old man, but you are forced to accept. And these things, if you accept—happiness—that is your foolishness.

Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- Honolulu, May 31, 1976:

Kṛṣṇa says, "Birth, death, old age and disease, these are your problems." Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Does it mean that these sufferings of birth, death and old age and disease, there is none in America or in other, moon planet? No. There is also same. Neither in greater portion, proportion. So there is stringent laws of the material nature everywhere, and there is God behind him, behind the nature. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Everything is going on under the direction of the supreme controller, and these are officers, just like Yamarāja, strictly following the regulative principles, the order of sun-god.

Lecture on SB 6.1.38 -- Los Angeles, June 4, 1976:

Everybody knows it. Similarly, the whole cosmic manifestation, what you are seeing, so big things—it may be very big thing, but the process is the same. Either you take the body of an ant or you take the body of Brahmājī or... The process, the same rules and regulations. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). There is no change. So that is God. God is producing by His exhaling, inhaling, so many universes. Why should you take such a cheap God? As soon as the God has got some toothache, he goes to the dentist. And he's God! Don't take such cheap Gods. We don't take them. At least, we Kṛṣṇa conscious persons. Just to accept Kṛṣṇa as God...

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- Surat, December 22, 1970:

Prabhupāda: So Lord Buddha converted Ashoka, Emperor Ashoka, to this religion. Therefore whole India became Buddhist. And later on, when Buddhism was driven out of India, the Jainism and similar other religious principles became visible. Ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ. Lord Buddha... Ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ is also Vedic religion, but they stressed especially on ahiṁsā. In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find: amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam (BG 13.8). These are the different steps of progressing in knowledge and religion. The first thing is amānitvam. Amānitvam means very humble. Very humble. And therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches that tṛṇād api sunīcena, "Just become humbler than the straw in the street or grass." To become religious means... Lord Jesus Christ also, he taught like that—"The humble and meek will attain the kingdom of God." Is it not said like that?

Haṁsadūta: He said, "The greatest amongst you shall be the last..."

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Haṁsadūta: "...and the servant of all."

Prabhupāda: So this is taught also in the Bhagavad-gītā. Amānitvam adambhitvam. No false pride. Then ahiṁsā. Unless one is prideless, unless one is humble, it is not possible to become nonviolent. So this nonviolence is also there, the Vaiṣṇava. So automatically they don't encourage animal-killing. So every religion, the highest principle of any religion is there in Vaiṣṇavites, or the followers of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 6.1.44 -- Los Angeles, July 25, 1975:

Pitā na sa syāj jananī na sa syāt. The sastric contraception means that "If you cannot educate your sons how to stop repetition of birth, then don't become a father. Don't become a mother." This is śāstric... "Don't become a guru. Don't become so on, so on, well-wisher, if you cannot stop."

So how it can be stopped? Unless there is spiritual education, unless one is spiritually enlightened, you have to undergo the process of birth, death, old age and disease. You may talk very highly and foolishly, but the process of nature, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), that you cannot stop. That is... Therefore any education which does not give enlightenment on the subject matter of how to stop death, they are all foolish talking. That's all. This is the conclusion, not bhadrāṇi, abhadrāṇi. Sambhavanti bhadrāṇi viparītāni cānaghaḥ, kāriṇāṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sti. Guṇa-saṅgaḥ. Therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to give the association of goodness.

Lecture on SB 6.1.46 -- San Diego, July 27, 1975:

The whole Vedic civilization is based on this idea, that "Stop this nonsense business, repetition of birth, death, old age." Therefore Kṛṣṇa said, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is knowledge. What knowledge, this technical knowledge, this knowledge? You cannot stop these things. Therefore main business is how to stop it. And because they are foolish people, they think that "These things cannot be stopped. Let us go on with this repetition of birth and death, and in each life let us struggle for existence." This is material civilization, ignorance, no knowledge.

Lecture on SB 6.2.11 -- Vrndavana, September 13, 1975:

Still nice. That's all. This is going on. So it is padaṁ padaṁ yad vi... They are making scientific researches to become happy, but these rascals, they do not know how to stop death. So what is the nice? But they have no brain to understand. But Kṛṣṇa says, "These are the problems, my dear sir. You scientists, you are trying so many things." Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). First of all find out what is your problem. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. You have to take birth, you have to die, you have to suffer from disease, you have to become old. Stop it first of all; then talk of scientific advancement. Otherwise you are nonsense. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on SB 7.5.31 -- Mauritius, October 4, 1975:

Nobody wants to die. So you cannot surpass the laws of nature. Therefore Kṛṣṇa presents in the Bhagavad-gītā that "You are trying to solve the problems of life, but here are the real problems of life: janma-mṛtyu-jarā vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9)." The real problem is that there is death, there is birth, there is old age and there is disease. This is real problem. That problem is due to this material body. Therefore our real problem is that we have got this material body, but we have no sense that "Within this material body I am the spirit soul, living. So how to get out of this material body and again revive our spiritual body?"

Lecture on SB 7.6.5 -- Vrndavana, December 7, 1975:

On account of our different karma, we get different body. So this body is undergoing the six kind of changes. But the soul, he is not going any change. He is the same.

So here it is said that we are changing, bhava. Ever-increasingly we are taking birth. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is our actual distress, that we are obliged to take birth, death, disease, old age. So we are struggling against it. Nobody wants to become old man, especially in this winter season. It is very difficult for old men. So, but you have to accept jarā and vyādhi. Nobody can escape disease. Nobody can escape birth. Nobody can escape death. But struggle is going on.

Lecture on SB 7.6.5 -- Vrndavana, December 7, 1975:

Just like here you see in India and Europe, America. They have got the high standard of life, they have got skyscraper building, very big, big roads, motorcar. But what is that? Simply struggling. Are they happy? We are poor country. Of course, we have no such opulence. But the standard, the janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), is there, not that they are sitting idly and food is coming automatically. No. They have to struggle. So either you be in the heavenly planet or in the lowest planet, the struggle is there.

Lecture on SB 7.6.6 -- New Vrindaban, June 22, 1976:

So it is very difficult to convince the people of the modern days how they are wasting their time, how they are risking their life by this way of irresponsible life of material existence. They are thinking that "The more I enjoy sex, the more I enjoy sleeping, that is perfect. That is my profit." And to convince them, "No, it is simply loss, you are simply risking your life," it is very difficult. But this is the fact. This is the fact, in this way, because in this duration of life, human, if I do not make my life perfect, stop the materialistic miserable condition, namely janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)—birth, death, old age and disease—then I am missing the opportunity. Next life will be given by the laws of nature. Just like you are in the forest, you see so many trees are standing. You do not know how many years they will stand. Yes. It is possible. If I have acted just like a tree, nonsense, no-sense... Just like tree has no sense. If you cut it, he does not reply.

Lecture on SB 7.6.7 -- Vrndavana, December 9, 1975:

So fifty years out of one hundred years, fifty years wasted by sleeping. And then balance fifty years, twenty years in childhood and youthhood, sporting, playing; another twenty years in old age... Jarayā grasta. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). These are inevitable. As birth is inevitable, death is inevitable, similarly, old age is inevitable. So in this way our time is wasted because we do not know how valuable this human form of life is. There is no such education. They think human life is as cheap as dog's life, but factually it is not. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). One gets this human form of life, 8,400,000 species of life, especially advanced life, the Aryan civilization... Aryan means advanced, advanced in spiritual knowledge.

Lecture on SB 7.6.8 -- Vrndavana, December 10, 1975:

Otherwise that attachment will continue, and you'll never be able to give up this attachment, and the spiritual..., material condition of life, the accepting one body, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), accepting one body and accepting another body, this will continue. But the real business of human life is to end this materialistic way of life, that die and again take another..., janma, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), to be implicated in these four things. Then our suffering will never end. This is spiritual life. Spiritual life means to end the sufferings of material existence. That is Prahlāda... Dharmān bhagavat..., durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma.

Lecture on SB 7.6.8 -- New Vrindaban, June 24, 1976:

Everything will be finished. Nobody can give us any protection except Kṛṣṇa. If we want to be freed from the clutches of māyā-janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)—we must take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa through the spiritual master and live with devotees who have engaged themselves for the same purpose. It is called... What is that exact word? Sakhi or something. Now I am forgetting. But in the same category we must live and execute our Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9 -- Vrndavana, December 11, 1975:

So many wonderful things are going on. They cannot explain even how things are going on, and still they are proud of scientific advancement and declare, "There is no God." This is foolish civilization, narādhama. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ (BG 7.15). And they are engaged in sinful activities. To solve the population—janma, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)—they are killing. That means increasing problem. They do not know the actual fact, that by this killing process they are increasing the problems of life. So what is due to? This is due to sneha-pāśair dṛḍhair baddham. We are bound up by the shackles of nature, and it is due to our attachment for material existence. Attachment. And we have to undo this attachment, vairāgya. Undo this attachment means vairāgya, detachment. That is the thing necessary.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9 -- Vrndavana, December 11, 1975:

So people are increasing more and more and becoming under the clutches of māyā. That is janma-mṛtyu-jāra-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Clutches of māyā means birth, death, old age, and disease. This is māyā's shackles, or ropes. But they do not care for it. They do not take into account that "I am eternal, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). I do not die even after the destruction of this body, so why shall I suffer in this way repeatedly birth and death?" And that is also not only inconvenient, but very much painful.

Lecture on SB 7.9.4 -- Mayapur, February 11, 1976:

Every living entity originally nitya-siddha, but somehow or other, just like Jaya-Vijaya, fell down in this material world, and he was delivered also, both of them were delivered. So although you have fallen in this material world, and suffering the pangs of material existence, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), on account of accepting this material body, still, Kṛṣṇa personally comes, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). This is glāniḥ, discrepancies. We are living this material existence, this is not real life. Real life is to become mahā-bhāgavata.

Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Calcutta, March 5, 1972:

Suppose if I want to protect this body with all hygienic principles, soaps and pumice and injection and medicine and so many things, does it mean that you shall live? Can you overcome the laws of nature? No, that is not possible. Can you overcome the laws of nature that you will not fall sick? No, that you cannot. Can you make any material laws or scientific knowledge that you will not become old? No. You cannot stop death, you cannot stop birth, you cannot stop old age, you cannot stop disease. So what is the value of your material knowledge? And these are the troubles. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Any intelligent man will see that what is the value of my material knowledge? I have to die. I have to be victim of disease and old age. Then what is the value? The best thing is that so long this material body is there, you have got the opportunity to develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, do that. That will save you from all dangers. Otherwise, nothing will save you. Simply śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8), simply waste of time. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Mayapur, February 17, 1976:

As soon as you become thief, you are punishable. Similarly, anyone who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he's immediately punishable. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). The punishment will go on in various ways. That is going on. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kono bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). The punishment... This is punishment. That is presented by Kṛṣṇa. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This duḥkha, janma-mṛtyu, repeatedly to take birth and die, this is punishment. But these rascals, they do not care for it. They have become so rascal that "Oh, oh, that mṛtyu? I shall die because it is nature." Why it has become your nature? Your nature is eternity. But they have no brain to understand. They have become so foolish.

Lecture on SB 7.9.14 -- Mayapur, February 21, 1976:

In every step there is danger. Every step there is envious creatures. You cannot live here peacefully. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). Kṛṣṇa says. It is a place simply for suffering, and that also not permanent. You cannot make any comprise that "All right, it is suffering. That's all right. Still, I shall stay here." No, that is also not possible. Aśāśvatam. You have to die. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You cannot solve these problems, miserable condition. Ultimately you have to die. So people do not understand. Therefore they are called mūḍhas.

Lecture on SB 7.9.19 -- Mayapur, February 26, 1976:

Why there should be hospital? Why not stop disease? That is scientific advancement. Stop disease, and there will be no need of opening hospital. Kṛṣṇa therefore presents in the Bhagavad-gītā that "You rascal, you see. Real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)." You can invent very nice, up-to-date, modernized medicine, but why don't you stop disease? That you cannot do. That is not possible. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. You are taking so many measures to stop untimely death. Just like in your country there are beaches and so many warning, "Don't come here." And there is guard seeing if anyone is dying, so... But you cannot stop death. That is not possible. You may take measure, so many. You cannot stop death.

Lecture on SB 7.9.41 -- Mayapura, March 19, 1976:

Death must be there. One who has taken birth, he must die. The janma-maraṇa. And as soon as you take birth, 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.

Lecture on SB 7.9.43 -- Visakhapatnam, February 22, 1972:

Veda means knowledge. So in the Vedas, they are giving direction how to live. Even if you want to be materially prosperous, you have to follow these rules and regulations. And if you want to get out of this material world, these are the rules and regulations. Otherwise, we have to meet always... Already there are calamities. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), the calamities of birth, the calamities of death, the calamities of old age, the calamities of disease, they are already there. And above that, the calamities of war, pestilence, famine, earthquake, and so many other things.

Lecture on SB 7.9.43 -- Calcutta, March 23, 1976:

The Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja asked by Dharmaraja that "What is the most wonderful thing in this world?" he said, "This is the most wonderful thing." What is that? Ahany ahani lokāni gacchantīha yama... "Every moment people are dying." Lokani, every planet. Not that in this planet there is death; in other planet there is no death. No. Within this material world every planet, either Brahmā or the small, insignificant ant, must die. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Everyone has to die. There is no excuse. So, and still they are planning permanent settlement. So, this is their vimūḍhaka.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 7, 1973:

We have to purify these indriyas, the senses and... That is called tapasya. Tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1). By tapasya, by taking little austerity, by tapasya... Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyed. At present, our sattva, this existence, this is not śuddha. This is not pure. Therefore we have to undergo the tribulation of material nature. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. But we don't want this. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We don't want. Although we are trying to be happy, but we do not know how to become, I mean to say, free from the material contamination. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. They are trying to open hospitals

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 7, 1973:

There are so many rascal Gods—they are becoming old. Why they becoming old? God never becomes old. It is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). God is always just like young boy. Why these rascal Gods becoming older? So janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Jarā means old age, and vyādhi means disease. Birth, death. You cannot stop.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.11 -- Mayapur, April 4, 1975:

So that is our real business. This requires little intelligence, that "We are eternal. Why we are put into this process of taking birth and death?" Kṛṣṇa also says, "This is the real misery of life—janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9)." They are trying, the so-called scientists, trying to increase... If the scientists sees that a man was to die immediately—now he has lived one hour more—he thinks that his science is successful. That is their foolishness.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.16 -- Mayapur, April 9, 1975:

When you come to this intelligence, then athāto brahma jijñāsā; then the inquiry about spiritual life begins. But unfortunately, we are in such a civilization that we have no time to think of this great dangerous position of changing body one after another, and we have accepted it that "There is no remedy; we have to change or die for good." These theories, this ignorance, is going on, and Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the only movement which is trying to educate man to this standard of knowledge, that he may at least think that "I am not this body, as I understand from the śāstras. I am within the body. So how I can become free of this material body?" That is our real problem. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

So if we take it very seriously, then we become gradually advanced and eligible or fit candidate to go into the spiritual world—dīvyad-vṛndāraṇya-kalpa-drumādhaḥ. We can go there. That is wanted. Be serious. Don't be misled by the allurement of māyā. Remain strong.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.1 -- Mayapur, March 1, 1974:

Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva says that na sādhu manye. He was instructing His sons, "My dear boys, this kind of life, irresponsible life, to do anything and everything for sense gratification, is not very good." Why? "Now, because you are creating another body." You have already got experience of this body. It is full of miseries, adhyātmikā, adhi (?), adhibhautika, three kinds of miserable condition of life. Beyond that, there is ultimate miseries. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). But they are so rascals, they do not know how death taking place, what is after death, what is mṛtyu, what is death, what is birth, what is disease, whether they can be cured, when one can be free from all these troubles. They do not bother.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.1 -- Mayapur, March 1, 1974:

One who has got this human form of life, if he does not understand what is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, his life is spoiled. Jāniyā śuniyā viṣa khāinu: knowingly they're eating poison, because by coming in contact with Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa they can go back to home, back to Godhead, and there will be no more janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Such opportunity is human life, simply to understand Rādhā Kṛṣṇa. And therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is mahā-vadānyāvatāra, because He is teaching about the love of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and teaching everyone kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāyate, real destination of life, how to achieve kṛṣṇa-prema, and He's personally teaching. Namo mahā-vadānyāya. Rūpa Gosvāmī understood it: "Here is namo mahā-vadānyāya, most magnanimous incarnation."

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.1 -- Atlanta, March 1, 1975:

Kṛṣṇa says, mad-yājino 'pi yānti mam: (BG 9.25) "Anyone who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he comes to Me." So why not go to Kṛṣṇa? Then the question will be: "What is the benefit of going to Kṛṣṇaloka? What is the difference between going to heavenly planet or any other planet and going to Kṛṣṇa?" The difference is, any planet go, you are under the four material regulation, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi: (BG 13.9) birth, death, old age and disease. But if you go to Kṛṣṇa... Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). If you go to Kṛṣṇa, then you don't get any more chance to come down and take a material body. You can live there eternally blissful life of knowledge. That is the difference.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.4 -- Mayapur, March 4, 1974:

People want to be satisfied with little benefit, with little benefit. No, that is not our mission. We want the supreme benefit. Supreme benefit is that you are now entangled in the process of birth, death, old age and disease in the material existence. The real benefit is how to save yourself from these four difficulties. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We are embarrassed with so many difficulties, but real difficulty is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi: birth, death, old age and disease. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to give you ultimate benefit: no more birth, no more death, no more disease, no more old age. Always mind that.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.100 -- Washington, D.C., July 5, 1976:

If you are completely under the rules and regulations of the material nature, what is the meaning of this independence? So those who are paṇḍita, they do not take it as independence. They do not take it. Therefore Sanātana Gosvāmī said, āpanāra hitāhita kichui nā jāni. "I do not know what is independence, I am dancing like dog, independence." Therefore he says, āpanāra hitāhita kichui nā jāni: "How independence I can get, that I do not know." Real independence is, as Kṛṣṇa puts in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). One who is intelligent, he sees that "My real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, birth, death, old age and disease."So when we get free from these four problems, that is real independence. Otherwise, there is no independence. I may dance with independence, but any moment I shall have to leave my country, my society, my friends, my family, any moment, "Get out immediately. No, no independence." That is my position. So that is intelligence.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.102 -- Baltimore, July 7, 1976:

So there is no question of peacefulness, birth and death. And then old age. Just like I am old man, so many troubles I have got. So old age. And disease, everyone has got experience, even headache is sufficient to give you trouble. The real problem is this: birth, death, old age and disease. That is the statement given by Kṛṣṇa, that janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). If you are intelligent, you should take up these four problems of life as very dangerous.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.120 -- Bombay, November 12, 1975:

That is intelligence. "Precaution is better than cure." If you know how to protect yourself from disease, then that is better position than to become diseased and cured. That is not very good intelligence. Rather, don't be diseased, not that you become diseased repeatedly and go to the medical man and be cured. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). They have been described as chewing the chewed again and again. So actually our problem is that we are diseased at the present moment, every one of us. What is that disease? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is our disease: we are forced to die, we are forced to take birth, we are forced to become old and we are forced to become diseased. This is our problem, but nobody inquires about this. When there is death forced upon us, they simply cry, "Oh, my father is gone. My father is gone." When we are diseased, then we cry. But nobody inquires that "Why I am put into this condition?" That is intelligence.

Sri Isopanisad Lectures

Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 9-10 -- Los Angeles, May 14, 1970:

So yesterday we have explained to some extent what is the culture of nescience and what is the culture of knowledge. Culture of knowledge means spiritual knowledge. That is real knowledge. And advancement of knowledge for comforts or to protect this material body, that is the culture of nescience. Because however you may try to protect this body, its natural course will take place. What is that? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). You cannot relieve this body from repeated birth and death, and while manifested, disease and old age. So people are very much busy for culturing knowledge of this body, although they are seeing every moment that this body is decaying. The death of the body was registered when it was born. That's a fact. So you cannot stop the natural course of this body. You must meet the process of the body, namely, birth, death, old age, and disease.

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- Los Angeles, November 9, 1968:

So Śaṅkarācārya is lamenting, bālasya tāvad kriyā-saktaḥ: "Oh, what I see? I see the boys are engaged in playing." Bālasya tāvad kriyāsaktas taruṇas tāvad taruṇī-raktaḥ: "Young boys, they are after young girls. That is their business. Boys are playing. Young boys are after young girls." And vṛddhas tāvad cinta-magnaḥ: "And those who are old, they are absorbed in thought, 'Oh, what I have done? I could not do this. I have...' " Vṛddhas tāvad cinta-magnaḥ, taruṇī, parame brahmaṇi ko 'pi na lagnaḥ: "Nobody is interested with the Paraṁbrahman. Oh, what nonsense society it is." He analyzed the whole population—boys, youths, old men—and he saw nobody is, no rascal is interested with Brahman. So that is the position. But it is meant for Brahma-jijñāsā. This is the defect of material civilization. The human form of life is being spoiled, simply spoiled. And they are... Māyā is dictating, "Oh, you are making so much advancement. Thank you." What advancement you have made, sir? Bhagavad-gītā says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Your problem is birth, death, old age and disease. What you have made for these four problems? What solution you have got? Your scientific advancement? Is there any solution of controlling birth? They have invented so many contraceptive methods. Still, in every minute, there is three human increasing. Where is your birth control? You cannot control. So birth... Similarly, death. So many medicines, so many scientific research, this thing, that thing, they have invented. And what you have done? You have stopped death? "No, sir." Then? Birth, death, old age. What your scientific advancement of knowledge has done to stop old age?

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- Los Angeles, November 9, 1968:

So janma, mṛtyu, jarā, and vyādhi, and disease. You are counteracting one disease; another disease is coming out. They complain that "India is poor. There are so many diseases," but here there are so many cancer. So you cannot stop this, the nature's way. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Your only business is to find out Brahman. That is your business. Nature has given you sufficient means to live very comfortably everywhere. If you get a piece of land and one cow, your whole economic question is solved. You haven't got to go fifty miles for working. There is no necessity. Wherever you are living, take little land and keep one cow. Your economic question is solved. So nature has given you all facilities.

Festival Lectures

Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Bombay, May 5, 1974:

And multiply these forty-three lakhs of years by one thousand, that duration of time is Brahma's twelve hours, one day. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam arhad yad brahmaṇo viduḥ. So that Brahmā who lives for millions of trillions of years—still, he has to die. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu-darśanam (BG 13.9). Wherever you go within this material world, either in the Brahmaloka or in the Patala-loka, you have to die. That is the problem. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, "Real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, birth, death, old age and disease." Just try to... So Hiraṇyakaśipu wanted to solve these in a materialstic way, but that is not possible.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Lecture -- Mayapur, February 8, 1977:

This is the real suffering of the humanity. I especially speak humanity because in the human form of life one can actually understand what is the position, what is the value of life. The value of life one should understand that we are in the cycle of birth and death. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Once we take birth and again we die. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānu-darśanam (BG 13.9). So one should be intelligent to understand that I am eternal. I learn from Bhagavad-gītā and Vedic literature that ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am eternal." Why I am dying? This is intelligence. This is intelligence. Otherwise cats and dogs. A dog, a cat, does not know why he is dying. Neither he knows that he is eternal. But a human being can take information from the śāstra that he is eternal and he does not die on the destruction of the body. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Kṛṣṇa is giving this information. Tathā dehāntara. This is our real unhappiness. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. But if we are kept in darkness about this and simply we become busy with some superficial things, bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇu, durāśayā. It is durāśayā.

Sri Sri Kaliya Krsna Deity Installation -- Lautoka, Fiji, May 2, 1976:

Actually there is no enjoyment here. Where is enjoyment? When we have to die, then where is the question of enjoyment? Does anyone want to die? No. Nobody wants to die. If there is some danger immediately, immediately we shall flee away. That is Nobody wants to die. Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā the four principles of unhappiness is described by the Supreme Lord, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Those who are intelligent, they will see four principles of major suffering. What is that? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, to take birth, to die, and to suffer from disease, and to become old. So, so long you have got this material body, you have to suffer. Now, under the spell of māyā you can accept suffering as enjoyment, That is your business, But it is suffering.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Srila Prabhupada Welcomed by Governor at Hotel De Ville -- Geneva, May 30, 1974:

At the present moment—now I am coming from India—in Bombay there is strike, railway strike. People are in so miserable condition to go to their work fifty miles, forty miles, hundred miles, for earning their bread. This kind of economic situation has increased the problems of life. Rather, if we accept this economic problem solution, then anywhere, any part of the world, you live. You don't require to go outside, hundred miles, two hundred miles, five hundred miles. No. You produce your food there, keep animals, then everything is solved. Actually, the problem is, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). One should take up these problems very seriously: birth, death, old age and disease. So... Actually, as spirit soul, we have no birth, no death. You will find in the Bhagavad, na jayate na mriyate vā kadācit: "The living entity does not take birth." Na jayate na mriyate vā: "Neither he dies." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre: (BG 2.20) "After the destruction of the body, the living entity does not annihilate.

Arrival Address -- New York, July 9, 1976:

We are loitering throughout the whole universe. This is conditional stage of our materialistic life, and we are simply suffering. People are kept into ignorance without knowing the aim of life, how we are suffering in this materialistic way of life. They are so dull-brained that Kṛṣṇa says personally that here the real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You are simply busy with some petty problems. And they are not problems. Real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. Why...? We are eternal living entities. Why we should be subjected to birth, death, old age and disease repeatedly? This is real problem. Unfortunately there is no such education all over the world to deal with the real problem.

Arrival Lecture -- Calcutta, February 4, 1977:

God has many potencies. They have been divided into three primarily: external, internal, and marginal; bahiraṅgā-śakti, antaraṅga-śakti, and taṭasthā-śakti. So we jīvas, living entities, we are also another energy of Kṛṣṇa, in between the material and spiritual. So if we like we can remain in the spiritual world; if we like, we can remain in the material world. If we remain in the material world, then, temporary, we enjoy happiness or distress. There is no happiness. Sometimes we take distress as happiness. Actually there is no happiness, because however happy you may be, you have to change this body. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). So this happiness... Suppose this life I am a king. Maybe for few years, but I have to change this body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). So there is no happiness. Suppose you arrange very nicely to live here very happily in this world, but you'll not be allowed to live. You'll not be allowed.

Arrival Lecture -- Calcutta, February 4, 1977:

Mām aprāpya nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani (BG 9.3). So mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani is not good life. Mṛtyu, mṛtyu... Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. If you take birth, then you'll have to die, and if you have to die, you have to take birth again. This is called mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartma. So this is not very good business. That intelligence is lacking. We are simply trying to adjust things for a few years, but we are not taking account of our real life. Our real life is na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). That is real life, that we do not die. But our brain is so dull that we have accepted janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9) as usual thing. But death can be checked. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If you so desire, you can stop it. There is no difficulty. Very easy. And that is also explained by Kṛṣṇa: janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa.

Initiation Lectures

Lecture & Initiation -- Seattle, October 20, 1968:

So duration of life is very uncertain in this age. At any moment we can die. But this life, this human form of life, is meant for a sublime gain. What is that? To make a permanent solution of the miserable condition of our life. In this... So long we are in this material form, this body, we have to change from one body to another, one body to another. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Repeated birth, repeated death. Soul is immortal, eternal, but changing, just like you are changing the dress. So this problem they do not take into account, but this is a problem. The human life is meant for making a solution of this problem, but neither they have any knowledge, nor they are very much serious about solving these problems.

Initiation Lecture -- London, August 22, 1971:

That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā in the Thirteenth Chapter, that janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This prescription is given for the man who is cultivating knowledge. For fools, everything is all right. That is a different thing. For a child, if you give the child a little poison, oh, it will eat, because it does not know. Whatever he gets. If you'll give fire, oh, it will try to eat it. So... But those who are in knowledge, cultivating knowledge, for them there are twenty items in the Bhagavad-gītā. Amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam ācāryopāsanam. (BG 13.8) Ācāryopāsanam, accepting spiritual master, this is also one of the items, twenty items, for advancing in knowledge. So this initiation process is ācāryopāsanam, beginning of worshiping the spiritual master. So in that, I mean to say, list of how to progress in knowledge, so these four principles, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam... One should always put in his front that "However expert I may be, I'll have to meet death, I'll have to take birth, I'll have to become old man, and I'll have to suffer the pangs of diseases." Then what is advancement? Either you become very rich man or become a Brahmā or become a small ant, you have to die. Just like when Hiraṇyakaśipu worshiped Lord Brahmā and asked him the benediction that "Sir, make me immortal." And Brahmā said, "I, myself, is not immortal. How can I make you immortal?" So immortality is not possible. Then how it is possible? We want immortality. Now we are sitting here. If there is some siren, then immediately on the roof of this house, atom bomb will be dropped. Then immediately we shall flee away from this place. Why? Because we are not prepared to meet death. We do not wish to die. That's a fact. But death is forced.

Initiation Lecture Excerpt -- London, September 7, 1971:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement... They are trying to go to the nature. Just like there is a propaganda, nature means to become animal. They live like animals, naked. They have sex life on the street. They say it is freedom. But the rascals do not know there is no freedom at all. Where is freedom? So long you are under the grip of material nature, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), where is freedom? By nature does not mean that you have got freedom. There is no freedom. We are all conditioned. Simply falsely we are thinking of freedom. It requires little brain. Where is freedom? Nobody wants to die, and where is the freedom not to die? Who has got the freedom? Nobody wants to become old, and where is the freedom? Everyone becomes old. But I have got the desire. Even old man, old woman tries to remain young by cosmetic help, to be good looking, and where is the freedom? By nature he is becoming bad looking. So there is no freedom. It is false idea, freedom. Nobody wants to die; death is sure.

General Lectures

Lecture to Technology Students (M.I.T.) -- Boston, May 5, 1968:

The idea is that we are making progress, certainly, in technology, in economics, in so many other departments of human necessities. But Bhagavad-gītā says that real problem of this world, or real problem of our life, it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). If you are intelligent enough, then you should see the real problem is birth, death, old age and disease. Janma means birth, and mṛtyu means death. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā. Jarā means old age, and vyādhi means disease. So actual material problem is this, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. We have forgotten that "In the abdomen of my mother, how precarious condition I was living in." Of course, we can know from the description of medical science or any other science how the child is packed up there and how much suffering is there. T

Lecture on Teachings of Lord Caitanya -- Seattle, September 25, 1968:

So Sanātana Gosvāmī is presenting himself that "People call me very learned man, but I am so learned that I do not know why I am suffering from these threefold miseries." These question do not arise. Actually, when people will come to the understanding, when they will inquire that "Why I am suffering from the threefold miseries...?" The threefold miseries is summarized in Bhagavad-gītā by four principles: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). If a man is actually learned and intelligent, he should always see before him that there are four kinds of distresses. What is that? The distress of taking birth, the distress of dying procedure, janma-mṛtyu, and distress of old age, and distress of diseases. So we are very much proud of our advancement of knowledge, but actually there is no solution for these four principles of miseries. There is no remedy.

Lecture on Teachings of Lord Caitanya -- Seattle, September 25, 1968:

So many medicines, so many cosmetics, but old age is taking place. And so far disease, we can discover many high-grade medicines, but there is no stoppage of disease. So one should be very intelligent that there is no remedy for these four kinds of miseries, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. And a learned man should be inquisitive, "If there is any remedy?" So Sanātana Gosvāmī is presenting himself before Lord Caitanya, that "People say that I am very learned man. But I am so learned man that I do not know what I am and why I am suffering from these miseries although I do not like to suffer." Go on.

Lecture Excerpt -- Los Angeles, January 13, 1969:

Lord Jesus Christ also said like that, that "If one gains everything and then loses his own soul, what does he gain?" Similarly, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. A man's life is defeat only. However he may be very expert in driving motorcar day and night, this way and that way, very busy man, but if he does not inquire about his self—"What I am? Wherefrom I have come? Where I have to go to? Why I am suffering? Why I am put to this disadvantageous position?"—when one does not inquire for all these things, then his activities are defeat, only defeat. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness will save not only humanity but the living entities from this disastrous position of repeated birth and death. The Bhagavad-gītā, therefore, they stress on this point. Lord Kṛṣṇa stresses that janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam: (BG 13.9) "You are very much proud of your knowledge, but if you want to be at all a man of knowledge, a man of wisdom, then you should first of all keep before you the problems of birth, death, old age and disease, because your so-called advancement of knowledge cannot make a solution of this birth, death, old age and disease."

Lecture at International Student Society -- Boston, May 3, 1969:

The animals, they don't care for death. Now, here is a slaughterhouse. Another animal is being killed, and this animal, little grass, oh, he is happy. He does not know that "Next moment I am going to be killed." This is ignorance. Ignorance means animal life, and knowledge means human life. Therefore there is so much educational system in every human society. Why? Knowledge means human life, and ignorance means animal life. So why should we be ignorant of these four problems, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9), the problems of birth, death, old age and disease? Why you set aside these problems and think you are happy? That is animal life. They don't care for the problems, and eating grass. That is animal life. Yes?

Lecture at Engagement -- Columbus, may 19, 1969:

We request you, most humbly, that you take these sixteen words, you chant, and your heart will be cleansed of all dirty things. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Every dirty things. Our, we do not know how long we are changing births—900,000 species of births in the water, and two million species of life as plants and leaves and trees, and so many lives as reptiles, and cats and dogs and so many... Now we have come to this, by evolutionary process, this civilized form of life, human form of life, very beautiful form of life. Why you should waste this life, again go to that cycle of changing birth after birth, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9)? The intelligent man should understand, try to understand, how much miserable it is to undergo birth and death and disease and old age. Don't be carried away by whims. You are intelligent boys and girls, born in rich family and rich nation.

Conway Hall Lecture -- London, September 15, 1969:

So we do not know when we shall be removed immediately by the freaks of nature. Therefore the intelligent man should try to know, "What is my constitutional position? Why I want to stay, but some superpower kicks me out of this stage? Why?" (Why?) This is question. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra instructs that every human being, not the animals but human being, you should not be bewildered. You should question, "Why I am suffering threefold miseries? Why... I do not want death. Why death overcomes me?" Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). An intelligent man should always keep before him four principles of material miseries: birth, death, old age and disease. These are instructions of the Bhagavad-gītā. One who is making progress in knowledge, he must keep before him these four problems—birth, death, old age and disease. You may be very much proud of your scientific advancement of knowledge, but here is the real science. If you can overcome birth, death, old age and disease, then you can say your science is triumphant.

Lecture 'Nobody Wants to Die' -- Boston, May 7, 1968:

Ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). You have to come back. And besides that, any planet you go within this material world, the four principles of material sufferings are there. What are those? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi: (BG 13.9) birth, death, old age and disease. Everywhere there is. Your period of life may be very long, but these four things are there. You have to take your birth. Suppose you prepare yourself for going to the moon planet. Then next life, after leaving this body, you'll be pushed into the womb of a mother there in the moon planet, and you'll come out with a suitable body. So the birth is there, and wherever there is birth and death, there is disease and old age. But I am, as spirit soul, I am free from... Asaṅgo 'yaṁ puruṣaḥ. I have nothing to do with birth, death and disease and old age. I am spirit soul.

Lecture (Day after Lord Rama's Appearance Day) -- Los Angeles, April 16, 1970:

So there are four problems. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is mentioned that janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). If you are actually intelligent, then you must keep these four problems before you. Do not think that the problems of life are solved by material advancement. Do not think that by building, constructing skyscraper houses, the problems of life are solved. No. The problems of life are these four principles: birth, death, old age and disease. If you cannot solve these problems, then your problems of life remain the same. The solution of the problems... Just like our bodily demands, namely eating, sleeping, defending and mating.

Lecture Excerpt -- Bombay, November 7, 1970:

The more you chant, your heart will be cleansed from all material dirty things. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). And the problems of your life within this material world... These are simple words, but it requires lots of explanation. What is the problem of our life? That you do not know. The modern education never gives enlightenment what is the problem of life. That is indicated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that those who are educated, advancing in knowledge, they should know what is the problem of life. The problem of life is, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). One should always feel the inconvenience of taking birth, janma; mṛtyu, inconvenience of death; jarā, inconvenience of old age; and inconvenience of disease. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi.

Lecture -- Gorakhpur, February 18, 1971:

Everyone, we are seeking after ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Because Kṛṣṇa is ānandamaya, and we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, naturally we are also ānandamaya. But we have fallen in the circumstances where there is no ānanda. Those who are seeking after ānanda, they are under illusion, will o' the wisp. There is no ānanda. "Why there is no ānanda? There are so many things to enjoy." No. Kṛṣṇa says that this place is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). So how there can be ānanda? It is certified by the Supreme Personality of Godhead that it is duḥkhālayam, it is the place for miserable condition of life. So how there can be ānanda?

Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, "Those who are intelligent, they should always place before them four principles of miserable condition." Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We should not be illusioned. We should know that there is, I mean to say, distresses when we take birth. We have forgotten. We do not know how much suffering we had to undergo when we were within the belly of our mother. It is very miserable condition. We had to remain there in packed-up condition like this in a bag, and it is suffocating.

Lecture -- Gorakhpur, February 18, 1971:

Just to remind us. Not only he has given us Vedas and Purāṇas to remind us that "Your position is different than you are thinking. You are thinking that you are a material product. That is illusion. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. You are brahma-vastu. You are part and parcel of Brahman..." Therefore there are so many literatures-vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15)—just to draw your attention to come to Kṛṣṇa. Just to draw your attention, that "You are My part and parcel. You are My eternal son. Why you are rotting in this miserable condition of life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)?" Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Therefore Kṛṣṇa's advice is give up all nonsense engagement; simply surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). Just try to understand Kṛṣṇa favorably, not like Kaṁsa or so-called scholars, but with natural affection for Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll be happy. That is our program.

Lecture on Teachings of Lord Caitanya -- Bombay, March 17, 1971:

So, everyone wants. So this is going on, (indistinct) narake. Sometimes in the heavenly planet, sometimes in the hellish planet, this is going on, but this business is not good. Na sādhu manye. Even if you get the body of the heavenly planet, what you get? There is also janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). You have to die there. Even Brahma dies. Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). So this is the process going on. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, sādhu-śāstra-kṛpāya yadi kṛṣṇonmukha. Our only business is how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That can be done simply by the mercy of sādhu. Therefore sādhus' business is, "Go from door to door and enlighten them." Mahad-vicalanaṁ nṟṇāṁ gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasām. The sādhu's business is that he goes from door to door and tries to invoke Kṛṣṇa consciousness, dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture -- Detroit, July 16, 1971:

Blissful means without enjoyment there is no bliss. Ānandamaya abhyāsa. So we must be blissful. We must enjoy life very nicely. But that is not possible here, because here we are in diseased condition. The proof of diseased condition is that there is birth, death, old age and disease. These are very nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Every effort is being made here to surpass distressed condition and to reach to the platform of happiness. The whole struggle is there. Why people are running by motorcar this way and that way? The background is to be happy, how to become happy. But they are making planning: "I shall be happy in this way. I shall be happy in that way." Just like there is advertisement, "Come on. There are some naked girl pictures." They are inviting, "Come here. You will be happy." So we are planning for happiness.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 12, 1971:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja's recommendation is very genuine. That is the Vedic system. But he was unfortunately born in an asura family. His father was a great asura. Asura means godless. He had also undergone severe austerity to achieve the power. He was defeated by the demigods. So he left his home and underwent severe austerities so that the whole universe became trembled and Brahmājī came to appease him, "What do you want?" He said, "I want to become immortal." So Brahmājī said, "How can I give you the benediction of immortality, because myself I am not immortal?" Everyone has to die in this material world, either one may be Brahmā or a small ant. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). "So this is not possible. I cannot make you immortal."

Then very diligently, he said, "All right, then no man will kill me."

"All right, accepted."

"No demigod will kill me."

"Also accepted."

"I shall not die at daytime."

"That's all right."

"I shall not die in night."

"That's all right."

"No animal can kill me."

"That's all right."

"No weapons can kill me."

"That's all right." In this way, he thought that "I am very intelligent and I am cheating Brahmājī. Indirectly, by different way, I have now become immortal."

So he also underwent great austerities, but for material enjoyment. He wanted to live forever in this material world. So he was never interested to teach his children about Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Rotary Club Lecture -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:

A dog lies on the ground; we lie down on very silk bed and very nice apartment. But we are thinking this is advancement of civilization. No. This is not advancement of civilization. The advancement of civilization is that "Why I am put under the material laws?" Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu-darśanam (BG 13.9). One must be complicated... Everyone is trying to live. Nobody wants to die. Nobody wants to take birth. He's afraid of dying and again entering into the womb of mother. But less intelligent class of men, because they cannot make any solution, they make a wash-off: "Oh, there is no life after death." No. That's not fact. That's not fact. There is life.

Rotary Club Lecture -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:

Our senses are uncontrolled, so our senses are dragging to the darkest region of existence. We do not know that. But we are simply chewing the chewed. We do not try to solve the problem of life; we are simply chewing the chewed. The so-called sociology, politics, or humanitarian work, it is simply chewing the... Just like we are trying to open hospitals. We think it is very great task. But we can... We do not think that how to get out of the diseased condition of life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9).

Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 5, 1972:

Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Actually who is in knowledge, he should know, "Where is happiness? I do not wish to die; I am dying. I do not wish to be diseased; I am diseased. I do not wish to become old; I am becoming old. So where is my happiness?" This is called māyā. There is no happiness, but still, he's thinking that he is in happiness. This is called illusion. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). So this is... Just like the animal is in illusion. A hog is eating stool, but he's thinking that "I am enjoying, very nice." He's becoming fat. This is called illusion. You are not happy.

Lecture at Indo-American Society 'East and West' -- Calcutta, January 31, 1973:

Aśītiṁ caturaś caiva lakṣāṁs tāñ jīva-jātiṣu. They're all mentioned. The evolutionary theory, it is not new thing, as it is stated by Darwin. It is there in the Padma Purāṇa. But it is very perfectly explained there. Darwin has not very perfectly explained. There are so many defects. But real thing is that the living entity, soul, is transmigrating from one body to another and the chance of developed consciousness is human form of life. In this human form of life, if we do not understand "What I am, wherefrom I have come, where I am going next, why I have taken this body, subjected to so much miserable tribulations of life which I do not want?"

Ultimately, all our miserable conditions have been summarized into four, birth, death, old age and disease. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We are trying to have, become happy by our scientific knowledge, by advancement of knowledge, but Kṛṣṇa says that you cannot make any solution of these four problems. What is that? Birth, death, old age and disease. That is not possible. So we are happy by false happiness. This is called māyā. This is culture, this Indian culture. They agree, there is a māyā. This is Eastern culture. Māyā. Māyā means we are falsely happy. We are thinking that "Now I am well situated." But I am not thinking any moment, next moment, I may be kicked out of the situation and everything finished. Why I am being kicked out? I want to stay here permanently. Nobody wants to die. Why he dies? Where is the solution? This is lack of knowledge.

Lecture -- Jakarta, February 28, 1973:

There are millions and trillions of Vaikuṇṭha planets. Vaikuṇṭha planets... Vaikuṇṭha, Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha yasmād. Kuṇṭha means anxiety. Just like within this material world we are full of anxieties. Similarly, when you..., when we go to the spiritual world there is also planet like this, but there is no kuṇṭha, there is no anxieties. Here anyone, up to Brahmā, ā-brahma bhuvanāl lokān punar āvartino 'rjuna, even if you go to the highest planetary system within this universe, still your anxiety will go with you. Your anxiety for what? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). The anxiety for death, anxiety for birth, anxiety for disease—these are the sum and substance of all our anxieties. Anxiety must be there. Therefore when Prahlāda Mahārāja was asked by his father, "My dear son, what nice things you have learned? Will you kindly explain?

Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:

This is real problem. I don't want to die, but death is forced upon me." So these question should be raised by really advanced human being, that "I don't want all these things. I want to enjoy this material world, but I am forced to change into a body. I cannot enjoy. I cannot enjoy." This is real problem. That real problem has been discussed in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We want to enjoy. Suppose I am a technologist. I want to enjoy this material world. I manufacture something, very good facility for living condition, as we are doing. But before finishing my desirable construction, nature takes me away.

Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:

At any moment I shall be kicked out, 'Get out!' " That brain is lacking in the present civilization. Therefore it is said in the Bhāgavatam, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto. Because these persons are abodha, have no knowledge, therefore they are trying for something to enjoy which may not be allowed by him. It is not actually allowed to him. Nobody wants to die; he wants to enjoy, live here. But that is not possible. So this is the real problem, that we have accepted a condition of life in the material world which will not allow me to fulfill my desires to the fullest extent. That is the real problem. And that is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu... Those who are actually thoughtful, they should know these four principles of problem or unhappiness always in front. He should think that "I am trying to enjoy. I'm planning to enjoy this material world, but I have to die. I have to give up this body, at any moment. There is no guarantee that I shall live so many years.

Pandal Speech and Question Session -- Delhi, November 10, 1973:

Mr. High Commissioner and Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your coming here, taking so much trouble, to participate in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And I shall simply try to draw your attention about the importance of this movement. Importance of this movement is this, that we do not know what is the aim of life. The modern civilization, all over the world, especially in the Western world—nobody knows what is the actual problem and what is the aim of life. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. The Bhagavad-gītā says, "The real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9), that birth, death, old age and disease, these are the problems." If you take birth, then you will have to die. Anyone who takes birth, he must have to die. And so long, between birth and death, there is old age and disease. Actually, these are the problems. So far we are concerned, living entities, every one of us, that is described in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture at World Health Organization -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:

The Supreme Lord is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), eternal, full of bliss, and knowledge. But we have got this body, material body, which is full of ignorance, full of miseries and neither... It is only temporary. This is our position. Therefore tapasya should be executed, how we can also revive our original constitutional position, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. This is called śuddhyet sattva. Just like when a man becomes diseased, it is his duty to go to the physician, consult him, take some medicine to get out of the disease, similarly, human life is meant for to get out of this disease. What is that disease? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

La Trobe University Lecture -- Melbourne, July 1, 1974:

Nobody wants to take birth, but he is forced to take birth. Nobody wants to become old man, but he becomes old man. And nobody wants to become diseased, but he is forced to take some disease. This is our condition. Now this human form of body is a chance to understand what is our real inconvenience—birth, death, old age, and disease—and to think of whether there is any way out of this entanglement of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are educating people how to get out of the clutches of illusion that continually, one after another, we have to take birth. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Real problem is this. So if we take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness—that means if we understand, "What is God? What I am? What is our relationship? What is the ultimate goal of our life?" If these things we understand, then we can get out of the clutches of illusion, repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, sum and substance.

Lecture with Translator -- Sanand, December 25, 1975:

So our real problem is that we... Every one of us, we are the spirit soul, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. We are struggling for existence within this material world. So manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7), struggle for existence. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "Your real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9)." We are eternal. We understand from Bhagavad-gītā, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So if I am eternal, nityaḥ śāśvata, then why I am accepting death? This is real question. But foolishly we are thinking, "I am this body." Therefore we remain as an animal. So we should be interested to understand actually "What I am," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is real solution of all problems. This is called knowledge. But sometimes we are misled by misleaders; therefore we still remain in darkness in spite of cultivating knowledge. But actually, when we cultivate knowledge under the guidance of real guru, then we can understand vasudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (BG 7.19).

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Jeremy Bentham:

Śyāmasundara: He says we can determine what is happiness for the whole by examining what is happy for the individual.

Prabhupāda: Happiness, happiness is... What is happiness, that is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Happiness means absence of distress. That is happiness. So Bhagavad-gītā recommends that janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You may think that you are very happy but this is not happiness. You have to see to your distressed condition because you have to take birth, you have to die, you have to suffer diseases and you have to suffer, janma-mṛtyu-jarā, old age. So where is your happiness. If the distresses are present, then where is your happiness? This is another ignorance. This is a... Nobody wants to die but death is there. Then where is your happiness? Nobody wants to become old but the old age is there. You must become old. Then where is your happiness? Nobody wants diseases but disease is there. You cannot avoid it. Then where is your happiness? This is less intelligence. That actually you are not in happiness but by your so-called philosophizing theories, you are trying to be happy, means another illusion and we take it as happiness. Actually it is not happiness. Where is your happiness?

Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey:

Śyāmasundara: When we were discussing the utilitarians, we discussed that their goal was to achieve what was desired by the people, to do whatever was required...

Prabhupāda: No. Desired by the people-happiness. But they are trying to give happiness temporary, and we are giving happiness direct. Just like Bhāgavata says, yasmād brahma-saukhyam anantam, tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyed sattvam (SB 5.5.1). Purify your existence, and you'll get perpetual, eternal happiness, bliss. So everyone is working hard for happiness, but how happiness can be attained in diseased condition? So cure the disease and he'll get it eternal. That is... Here is a physician. If you go when there is ailment, if you go to him, "Sir, cure me." "Why?" because it is impediment to happiness. Similarly, the real disease is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). You cure this, then you get real happiness.

Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey:

Śyāmasundara: These utilitarians said that activity should be to achieve all that is desired by the people, but Dewey says that activity should be to achieve what is worthy to be desired.

Prabhupāda: No, no. First thing is, people are desiring happiness. Whatever one may desire, the ultimate end is happiness. Nobody can deny this. But a diseased fellow, if he thinks that "I am happy," that is false happiness. A diseased man cannot be happy unless the disease is cured. Sometimes we go to a diseased person and ask, "How are you?" "Yes, I am all right." If he is all right, why is he lying down? He is not all right. He is artificially saying that "I am all right." What is this "all right"? Similarly, these foolish people, they are thinking, "I am happy." What is their happiness? If you have to die, then where is your happiness? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. A real intelligent person will see that these are the things which are giving me distress: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. So where is the happiness? Foolishly if we accept something as happiness, that is not happiness. Real happiness is when you are free from these four principles of distress: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Otherwise, where is your happiness? But if you think that "Although I am dying, I am happy," that is another thing, a fool's paradise.

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Śyāmasundara: He says that (indistinct). These tendencies, demonic tendencies, that (indistinct) a personality, Jung sees them often as external beings that have entered into us.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Just like to become feverish, that is not my natural state. Under certain circumstances, I have become weak (indistinct) fever, but that is not my natural condition. If medicine is given, the fever is gone. Then I am (indistinct), and that is called mukti. Mukti, liberation, means to get out of this feverish condition. That's all. (indistinct) mukta, in Sanskrit it is called. Roga is not natural. It comes, disease comes. So whatever disease... Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), that all these four things are disease, externally. Otherwise the living entity has no birth, no death, no disease, no illness. Nitya sasta (Sanskrit). How they're getting older? These are externalities. People are so ignorant that they don't know how to drive away these external (indistinct) conditions. They think it is natural, "Let me suffer." That is their ignorance.

Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte:

Śyāmasundara: Kṛṣṇa's order is what is good.

Prabhupāda: That is actually doing. Actually in our experience also, just like a soldier, he kills by the order, superior order of the state. He is given gold medal. And if the same man, when he comes home, if he kills, he is hanged. Why? Because you can kill under superior order, not whimsically. Generally the order is not to kill, but if he says now kill, you can... that is order, that you have to take. And if you say at that time, "Sir, you told me not to kill," that is (indistinct). General order and specific order. So Kṛṣṇa says, amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam (BG 13.8). He is giving the process of knowledge, amānitvam adambhitvam, not to be proud, ahiṁsā, nonviolence. These are there, eighteen qualities for understanding spiritual values. So it is general. Now for particular purposes if Kṛṣṇa says, "Yes, you must kill," you must abide by that order. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Page Title:	BG 13.08-12 amanitvam adambhitvam... cited (Lec)
Compiler:	MadhuGopaldas, Visnu Murti
Created:	01 of Mar, 2011
Totals by Section:	BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=284, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:	284