Asmin dehe, in this body, there is the proprietor of the body. That is soul. Asmin dehe, on this body, there is the proprietor of the body. This proprietor of the body constantly changing, different types of body. The example is given that kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, just like a child, he is changing his body to boyhood. The boy is changing his body to youthhood and young man is changing his body to old body. Similarly when the old man dies, he does not die, he accepts another body. This knowledge . . . dhīras tatra na muhyati. One who is actually in knowledge, he is not surprised that a man is dead. He is not dead and the example is given that he has change your dress. Now some of you are present here with a coat - black color, you can change it tomorrow to white color. That does not make any difference that you are dead. Similarly when we change our body just like I was a baby, everyone knows. I remember that I had a little body, I remember at least, but that body is missing now. I remember that I was young man, I had a very youthful body but that is missing now. My elderly person, He may also . . . he may also know that he has changed his body but he is not dead. I know that I'm actually in my body, I simply changed my body but I am leaving, I remember the body. Similarly when we change our body, It does not mean that I am dead. tathā dehāntaraṁ prāptir. dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). And further explained in the Bhagavad-gītā that Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). The living entity after the annihilation of this body does not dies. How it transmigrates? How this living entity transmigrates from one body to another by the subtle body. There is subtle body, this is gross body. The subtle body works when we are as . . . (indistinct)
We go outside my bedroom and we see so many things, we work in so many way that is subtle body. So after the destruction of this gross body, the subtle body carries me to another gross body. This is a great science. Great science, that it has explained very nicely in the Bhagavad-gītā and other vedic literature.
So why do you scientists of the western country do not take this matter seriously. I was invited, to speak in Boston, the Massachusetts technical institute. So I first inquired, all the students, where is your technological department? When the body stops, you can again give vitality and it may work, where is that technology? So the student liked it and we had very nice discussion. So we are very much advanced in technology but we do not know, what is the technology of the soul transmigrating from one body to another, that is ignorance. That is ignorance. And this ignorance prevails in animals also. The animals do not know because they are not advanced in knowledge. But they have got also soul. Their soul is evolving or transmigrating from one body to another. There is a system jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. From the aquatics because the whole world was merged into water, devastation. Therefore the beginning of living entities, the aquatics . . . from the aquatics, they come to the plants, trees. Then from plants,trees to insect, from insect to birds, then birds to beasts, from beasts to human being . . . (sanskrit) . . . they are all mentioned.
The evolutionary theory is not new thing as it is stated by darwin. It is there in the padma purana but it is very perfectly explained there. Darwin has not very perfectly explained. There are so many defects but the real thing is that the living entity soul is transmigrated 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, where from I have come, where I am going next, why I have taken this body subjected to so many 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 problems." What is that? Birth, death, old age and disease, that is not possible. So we are happy by false happiness, this is called Maya. This is culture, this is Indian culture. They agree, there is a Maya. This is eastern culture, Maya. Maya means we are falsely happy, we are thinking that now I am well situated but I am not thinking any moment. Next moment I maybe kicked out of situation and everything finished. Why I am being kicked out? I want to stay here permanently, nobody wants to die. Why you die? You see. Where is the solution? This is lack of knowledge but there is solution. There is solution that is eastern culture. Eastern culture knows how to make this solution. Therefore you will find so many parties. The karmis, the jnanis, the yogis, the bhaktas, they are all trying to make solution of this four problems. Birth, death, old age and disease. That is eastern duty. So now it is very . . . happy moment that Indo-American Society. I wish that the Indo-American Society should give a special stress to know why these four miserable conditions of life cannot be solved. And there is a solution. We can give you the solution. In the Bhagavad-gītā there is solution:
- janma karma me divyaṁ
- yo jānāti tattvataḥ
- tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
- naiti mām eti kaunteya
- (BG 4.9)
That is culture. That is really business of the human being, that "I am put into this material condition of life. I am changing from one kind of body to another. Who knows that I am not going to become a tree next life?" But there is another species of life, like tree, like birds, like beasts. There is no guarantee. There is no scientific guarantee that, "You are not going to be tree, you are again going to become American." No, there is no guarantee. But there is guarantee. Because the so-called scientists cannot make solution of this problem, they do not believe in next life. That is their defect of knowledge, lack of knowledge. They cannot make any solution. He wants to live permanently, but he cannot live by the laws of nature. Why does he not make a solution of this? But we can give the solution. Everyone does not want to become old, but he becomes forced, forced to become old. Why he does not make any solution? But that solution we can give. This is Eastern culture.