Mike Robinson: Thank you very much for reading that. So can you explain to me just a bit more? If the soul is undying, does everybody's soul go to be with God when they die? Do you have a belief in a heaven or a hell, or . . .?
Prabhupāda: Not necessarily. If he's qualified, if he qualifies himself in this life to go back home, back to Godhead, then he can go. If he does not qualify himself, he gets another material body, and there are 8,400,000 different forms of body. And according to his desire and karma, activities, the nature, laws of nature, gives him a body. Just like a man infects some disease and he develops that disease. Is it difficult to understand?
Mike Robinson: It's very difficult to understand all of it. Perhaps if we can back . . .
Prabhupāda: Now suppose somebody has infected some smallpox disease. So after seven days it develops. What is that called, that period?
Mike Robinson: Incubation? Is that the word?
Prabhupāda: Ah, incubation, no, another technical, yes, if after some time, the disease comes. There is a technical name. Anyway, so you cannot avoid it. If you have infected some disease it will develop, by nature's law. It is not possible to avoid it. Similarly, during our this life, we are in association with different modes of material nature, and that will decide what kind of body we are going to get next life. That is under strictly under the laws of nature. Everything is under the laws of nature. You have no control over it, you are completely dependent. But people, on account of dull brain, they think that they are free. They are not free. They are imagining they are free. They're completely under the laws of nature. So this next birth will be decided according to my activities this life, sinful or pious, like that.
Mike Robinson: Your Grace, if we perhaps could go back over that just for a minute—you said nobody is free.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Mike Robinson: But are you saying that if we live a good life we in some way determine our future as well?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Mike Robinson: So we are free to choose insofar as what we believe is important. I mean religion is important, because if we believe in God and live a good life . . .
Prabhupāda: There is no question of "believe." Don't bring this question, "believe." It is law. Just like there is government, you believe or not believe, who cares for you? That is government. Similarly, you believe or not believe, there is God. If you don't believe in God and do independently whatever you like, then you'll be punishable.