Birth, death, old age and disease (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"birth, death, disease and old age" |"birth, death, disease, and old age" |"birth, death, old age and disease" |"birth, death, old age, and disease" |"death birth, disease and old age"

1969 Correspondence

Now Krishna has bestowed His Mercy upon you in giving you the opportunity to make final solution to the problems of birth, death, old age and disease, and if you follow the principles strictly, you will come out successful.

Letter to Yamunacarya -- Tittenhurst 21 October, 1969:

To follow in the footsteps of the Mahatmas means to give submissive aural reception to the words and instructions of the bona fide Spiritual Master in the line of disciplic succession from the Lord Himself. When the Lord appeared on this earth 5,000 years ago, He instructed Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna, and this purely transcendental message of Krishna has been passed down for the past 5,000 years by the media of sincere disciples giving submissive aural reception to the words of Krishna via the medium of the bona fide Spiritual Master. This acts like electricity, and if you touch a wire anywhere which is connected to the powerhouse, then you will be in contact with the electric current. But if the wire is broken or separated from the powerhouse, then there will be no electric current. Similarly, if we hear the unadulterated message of Lord Krishna from the authorized source, we will immediately be in contact with the transcendental atmosphere; but if we listen to someone who is presenting a broken, concocted version of Bhagavad-gita, that will be useless. So try to understand our philosophy very sincerely and carefully. I am so pleased to learn that you are giving such nice assistance to Kirtanananda, and you continue in this capacity at least for the time being. Please chant 16 rounds minimum every day, and follow the four regulative restrictions which are as follows: no illicit sex-life, no intoxication, no eating of meat, fish or eggs, and no gambling. I am enclosing a page with instructions for executing Krishna Consciousness. When you have questions you consult with Kirtanananda, or else I also will be pleased to help you. Now Krishna has bestowed His Mercy upon you in giving you the opportunity to make final solution to the problems of birth, death, old age and disease, and if you follow the principles strictly, you will come out successful.

1971 Correspondence

This unnatural life of repeated birth, death, disease and old age can be stopped when his consciousness is dovetailed with the Supreme consciousness of God.

Letter to Dr. Bigelow -- Allahabad 20 January, 1971:

When a soul wants to enjoy this material world, forgetting his real home in the spiritual world, he takes this life of hard struggle for existence. This unnatural life of repeated birth, death, disease and old age can be stopped when his consciousness is dovetailed with the Supreme consciousness of God. That is the basic principle of our Krishna Consciousness Movement.

So we inform them of Lord Caitanya's sublime message which easily enables any man to overcome the difficulties of materialistic existences and graduate to the pure transcendental platform where he finds shelter from the ravages of birth, death, disease and old-age.

Letter to Citsukhananda -- Gorakhpur 21 February, 1971:

It is our main consideration in the development of our centers that the people should be attracted to this Krsna consciousness Movement one way or another. So we inform them of Lord Caitanya's sublime message which easily enables any man to overcome the difficulties of materialistic existences and graduate to the pure transcendental platform where he finds shelter from the ravages of birth, death, disease and old-age.

It is said in the Vedas that one should not take on the responsibility of Parenthood unless he can deliver the child from the repeated cycle of birth, death, disease and old age.

Letter to Babhrubahan -- Bombay 4 March, 1971:

A Krishna Conscious marriage is not based on sense gratification but rather mutual cooperation between husband and wife for making advancement is spiritual life and also for raising Krishna Conscious children. It is said in the Vedas that one should not take on the responsibility of Parenthood unless he can deliver the child from the repeated cycle of birth, death, disease and old age. So in this way mold your life in service to the Lord and be happy.

1972 Correspondence

Raising children is a great responsibility, and a prospective parent should be convinced that he can deliver his child from the clutches of birth, death, disease and old age.

Letter to Koumadaki -- Australia March 27, 1972:

Raising children is a great responsibility, and a prospective parent should be convinced that he can deliver his child from the clutches of birth, death, disease and old age. If that conviction is there, then there is no objection to having hundreds of children and raising them to be pure devotees of Krishna.

1973 Correspondence

Actual fact is that this material world is a miserable, negative place, full of danger at every step, duhkhalayam asasvatam, temporary abode of death, birth, disease and old-age, home of suffering and pain only.

Letter to Lynne Ludwig -- Los Angeles 30 April, 1973:

After all, to give up one's life completely for serving the Lord is not so easy thing. And Maya, or the illusory material energy, she tries especially hard to try to get back and entrap those who have left her service to become Devotees. So sometimes in the neophyte stage of devotional service, in order to withstand the attack of Maya and remain strong under all conditions of temptation, young or inexperienced devotees will adopt an attitude against those things or persons possibly harmful, threatening to their tender devotional creeper. They may even over-indulge in such feelings just to protect themselves, and thus they will appear to some non-devotees, who are perhaps themselves still very enamoured by the material energy of Maya, as being negative or pessimistic.

But actual fact is that this material world is a miserable, negative place, full of danger at every step, duhkhalayam asasvatam, temporary abode of death, birth, disease and old-age, home of suffering and pain only.

1974 Correspondence

The real problem is the repetition of birth, death, disease, and old age.

Letter to People of Bangkok -- Bombay 14 December, 1974:

The Krishna Consciousness mission is not sectarian. We want to do what the United Nations has failed to do. The human form of body is an opportunity for solving all the problems of life. Through evolution we come to the human life for solving this problem. The real problem is the repetition of birth, death, disease, and old age.

But there is another status of life where there is no birth, death, disease, and old age. The Krishna Consciousness movement is the means for promoting the human being to that status. This is a great science, and it is elaborately explained in the Bhagavad-gita.

The chief problems of life are collectively birth, death, old age and disease. Bhagavad-gita gives information how to solve these four problems.

Letter to Sri Raghava Charyulu -- Bombay 23 December, 1974:

So I request you to observe more and more the cosmic manifestation; how it is created by the energy of the Supreme Lord. Actually by the evolutionary process when a living entity comes to the status of human life it is his duty to solve all the problems of life. The chief problems of life are collectively birth, death, old age and disease. Bhagavad-gita gives information how to solve these four problems.

1975 Correspondence

I request you to study my books carefully and you will find a treasure house of scientific information in relation to the ultimate goal of life and conquering the major problems of life, birth, death, old age, and disease.

Letter to Mr. Gold -- Bombay 16 January, 1975:

I have written many books already which are full of the different aspects of this deep philosophy of Krishna Consciousness. I request you to study them carefully and you will find a treasure house of scientific information in relation to the ultimate goal of life and conquering the major problems of life, birth, death, old age, and disease.

We are interested in solving the real problems of life, birth, death, old-age, and disease.

Letter to Radha Krishna Dhawan -- Honolulu 10 June, 1975:

We are trying to set a perfect example according to the Bhagavad-gita as it is, how to execute simple living and high thinking. We are not interested in any material comforts of life which are limited and temporary. We are interested in solving the real problems of life, birth, death, old-age, and disease. These problems must be solved, and Krishna gives the formula in the Bhagavad-gita.

But even if one is pious he cannot escape from the sufferings of material existence in the shape of Birth, death, old age and disease.

Letter to W.J. Carpenter -- New Delhi 30 November, 1975:

But even if one is pious he cannot escape from the sufferings of material existence in the shape of Birth, death, old age and disease. Therefore the only solution to all problems of life social economic, or political is to surrender to Krishna. Krishna says "the material nature is very difficult to overcome, but one who has surrendered unto me can very easily cross beyond it."

1976 Correspondence

Everything material, without connection to Krsna, is to be rejected as stool, otherwise we will waste valuable time needed to solve the real problems of life, namely, birth, death, disease, and old-age.

Letter to Dr. Wolf -- Honolulu 20 May, 1976:

Misery is misery; and you have to die, good die or bad die? So to us everything material, without connection to Krsna, is to be rejected as stool, otherwise we will waste valuable time needed to solve the real problems of life, namely, birth, death, disease, and old-age.

So long we have got this material body the problems of birth, death, old age, and disease will continue.

Letter to Dr. Suresh Candra -- Hyderabad 8 December, 1976:

I'm very much pleased for your proposal to devote your life for Krishna's service. You are a qualified man. Anyone can become a pure devotee by engaging himself in the business of glorifying the Supreme Lord (Sankirtana movement). So long we have got this material body the problems of birth, death, old age, and disease will continue. Therefore, to help the devotees when they're in bodily ailments is also a great great service.

1977 Correspondence

Although they spend billions of dollars of the public's money for ventures like going to the moon and collecting dust there, they cannot solve the basic miserable conditions of birth, death, old age and disease.

Letter to Charles Gold -- Bhuvanesvara 29 January, 1977:

It is difficult to understand why this inductive process is being credited as the highest form of knowledge, since the material scientists who follow this method are not able to do anything towards solving the basic problems of humanity. Although they spend billions of dollars of the public's money for ventures like going to the moon and collecting dust there, they cannot solve the basic miserable conditions of birth, death, old age and disease. Neither do they give us definite information of the cause of the universal manifestation, nor—despite their wild claims—can they produce even the smallest form of life.

Can they deliver even an ant from the miserable conditions of this spot-life, from birth, death, disease, and old age? No.

Letter to VARIOUS -- Unknown Place Unknown Date:

So why you doubt Vedas and not scientists. I cannot even see into the next room, how I can see anything very surely so many millions of miles distant? But if someone who has been there tells me, then I can know everything about that place. So we must have to take the authority of experienced persons to get the truth, and what experience our so-called scientists have got? Can they deliver even an ant from the miserable conditions of this spot-life, from birth, death, disease, and old age? No.