No death (Lectures, SB)

Expressions researched:
"never die" |"never dies" |"no birth and death" |"no birth or death" |"no birth, death" |"no death" |"no punar death" |"no question of death" |"not dying"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 18, 1971:

We are all persons. Just like you consider me, I am the head of your society, similarly, there are so many heads, another head. Brahmā is head. There are so many Brahmās. Then, above them, there is Mahā-Viṣṇu, head. In this way, if you analyze, you'll go to Kṛṣṇa, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1), the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So He has provided everyone's food. There is no problem. It is mistake to accept it that "Because there is overpopulation in the world, there is problem." Just now like we were walking on the St. James Park, the swan, ducks, they are producing one dozen children at a time. And that is also twice, thrice in a year. So they have no problem. Where is the problem of overpopulation? They are not starving. Unless you go and capture them and kill them, they are not dying. You see from the birds, animals—nobody dies of starvation. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Kṛṣṇa is there. He is supplying food for everyone. So where...? There is no question of starvation. Then why rivalry? Rivalry means "I want to enjoy more sense gratification" That is rivalry. Otherwise, there is no question of rivalry. Everything is there, complete. Pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). God's creation is perfect. There cannot be any imperfectness. Even there is overpopulation, God will supply food. Don't bother. But because we have no faith in God, because we have forgotten God, we do not know what is God, therefore we have created the economic problem. Otherwise there is no problem. You can see how they are jolly, they are walking. So by nature's study we have to learn. If we don't go to the Vedic knowledge, we can see that "Where is the problem in the lower animals?" There is no problem. They are confident. The problems for lower animal is there when they are in the city, but if they live natural life, there is no problem.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- Caracas, February 23, 1975:

Lord says that "Under My superintendence the material nature is working, and therefore so many wonderful changes are going on." So nature is working under the order of the Supreme Lord, and we are under the stringent laws of nature. Therefore we are obliged to carry out the natural sequences. Just like I already explained, from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, youthhood to old age, these are natural laws. And after mature old age, you have to change this body and accept another body. So if we say that "I have no faith in the orders of the material nature. I avoid it," that is not possible. So therefore this dharma means you may have faith or may not have faith; you have to abide by the laws of nature. People therefore say, "As sure as death." I may think or you may think that "Don't care for death. There will be no death," but it will happen. Therefore the conclusion is that you cannot manufacture any laws of religion.

Man-made religion has no value. So man-made religions, there are so many religious system, the Hindu religion, Christian religion, Mohammedan religion or this religion, that religion. That is a kind of faith. But religion means the order or the laws given by God. Therefore here it is said, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra. Kaitavaḥ means cheating type of religious system. Real religion means "God is there. I am there. God is great. I am subordinate. I must abide by the laws of God." This is religion. At the present moment, under the spell of illusion in this material condition, we have forgotten our real religion. Real religion means to revive our consciousness—we say, "Kṛṣṇa consciousness"—or God consciousness, by which we agree to abide by the laws of God. So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā at the end, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). He says that "You have manufactured so many religious system. So you give up all these. You simply surrender unto Me."

Lecture on SB 1.1.4 -- London, August 22, 1971:

When we were in the womb of our mother, the situation was so troublesome that we remembered at that time Kṛṣṇa. "Kṛṣṇa..."Just like when we are in great trouble we sometimes remember God. Similarly, that condition, packed-up condition, when the child's in the belly... You get consciousness back... Death means unconscious for seven months. That's all. That is death. There is no death. Death means I give up this body, enter the womb of another mother's body. And the mother nourishes by the materials..., the intestine joined with the belly. So mother supplies it through the pipe and the child grows. When it is fully grown, then he gets back his consciousness. So at that time it becomes very much troublesome to remain in that packed-up condition. So those who are pious, virtuous, they remember at that time, "O Kṛṣṇa, I am again put into this condition of..."(laughter) Oh, don't laugh. It is very serious subject. Try to understand.

So everyone has passed this condition, but by the influence of māyā forgets. Bhajibo boliyā ese saṁsāra-bhitare. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, "At that time again I promised: 'This time by coming out of my mother's womb, I shall become a devotee.' " But as soon as he comes out, he becomes forgetful. This is going on. This is going on. There is no science, so-called science, who know, the scientists, who know these are facts, how we are passing through repeatedly unpleasant condition. When, as soon as we get a little light with this body, we forget everything. That is called māyā. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said the pushing, the point pushing, enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro lāgi': "Now I have brought this."

Lecture on SB 1.1.4 -- London, August 27, 1973:

Bālasya neha śaraṇaṁ pitarau nṛsiṁha nārtasya cāgadam udanvati majjato nauḥ. Ārtasya, one who is suffering from disease, it is not that because he is given the help of good physician and first-class medicine he'll be cured. No. There is no guarantee. There is no guarantee. We have seen. First-class medicine, first-class physician employed for curing one..., but he dies. So we have manufactured so many counteracting. The scientists, they are very much proud that "We are now manufacturing counteracting medicine." But where is your counteracting medicine for stopping death and disease? Disease is happening. You cannot make, manufacture any medicine that one tablet I take, I shall never be diseased or I shall never die. That is not possible. You are manufacturing some medicine for some disease. All right, that disease is cured, but another disease is there. Huh? Just like in India there are malaria or some disease. In your country there is cancer. Rich disease. You are rich men. That disease is also very rich. (laughter) India, poverty stricken, they suffer only a little malaria. That's all. Oh, you are rich. You have got cancer. There is no cure. That's all. Finished. This is actually to be studied.

So why this is happening? You may manufacture, you may invent so many nice things, counteracting all this suffering, but if you are neglected by Kṛṣṇa, no counteraction will save you. Tāvad tanu-bhṛtāṁ tvad-upekṣitānām. If one is neglected by God, he cannot be saved. There is no... That is not possible. So which point we were discussing?

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

This is dharma: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66), only one. That is dharma.

So here Sūta Gosvāmī is explaining that what is dharma. Dharma means dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. Dharma means to disentangle yourself from these material complexities. That is dharma. Now, the same thing... Anywhere you go, the Vedic literature, the same thing is there. 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. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). These are the instruction, that dehāntara-prāptir. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Just like these children. They have got a body now. This will be changed. When they will be young, a different body... And the young man, when he will be old, a different body. Similarly, the old man, when he will finish this body, he will get a different body. This is called dehāntara-prāptiḥ, accepting another body.

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

So we are changing, but we are so fool that we do not understand what is the real problem of life. We are simply busy in some temporary problems. Real problem is that a living being is eternal, and by the laws of nature, by his karma, he has to change his body. That is real problem. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. And we can see, if we have got eyes, that there are many varieties of life, 8,400,000 varieties of life. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. So Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. According to your karma, you will get another body. That What kind of body I shall get? That I do not know. Then what is your education? Suppose you are being educated. You know aim, that "I shall become a lawyer," "I shall become a scientist," "I shall become mathematician." With this purpose you are being educated. But what purpose you are being educated for the next life? Do you know this? No. Then what is your education? You may be very good scientist, but can you manufacture a scientific law that you will never die? No. That is not possible. You will never take birth after death? You will never be diseased? You can manufacture nice medicine for a type of disease, but you cannot stop disease. You cannot stop birth, you cannot stop death, you cannot stop disease, you cannot stop old age.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9-10 -- Delhi, November 14, 1973:

"In the absence of Indra the kingdom of heaven is not managed very nicely, so let me go an bring him again, excuse." So when he came, he asked the hog that "Come with me." "Where?" "To the heaven." "Oh, I cannot go. I have got my responsibility. I gave got my responsibility. I cannot go."

So this is the position. Everyone is very happy. This is called māyā's influence. Unless a hog feels happy, how he can live in this abominable life? This is called prakṣepātmika-śakti, covering. If one man knows or..., that "I was king in my previous life. Now I have become a poor cobbler" or something like..., then he will become mad. So therefore he forgets. Death means forget. Because the living entity does not die. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). There is no death. Death means forgetting everything of my past life. That's all. Just like we forget. At night, when we dream, we accept another body, and we forget this body. And in the daytime we forget the night dream body and accept this body. We have got daily experience. So death means forgetting the past life. Otherwise, there was past life. That's a fact. But as we forget daily night body in the daytime and day body at nighttime, so similarly, we are changing our body according to the infection of the quality or material nature, and we are entangled in this material world. Although we are part an parcel of Kṛṣṇa, God, or we ar sons of God, but unfortunately, we have come in contact of this material modes of nature. This is going on.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes. Kṛṣṇa is the father of everyone. He canvasses, "My dear children, why you are rotting in this material world? Come back."

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1972:

So anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. This is the result of bhajana-kriyā. Anartha. Anartha. Just like these things, as we prohibit—illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling—these are anarthas. They are not required actually. But people are habituated to these things on account of bad association. So if you associate with a really sādhu, if you execute really devotional service, these anarthas will be vanquished. That is the symptom. No more illicit sex. No more intoxication. No more gambling. No more meat-eating, fish-eating, egg-eating. No. That is called anartha.

People are not dying for want, for want of cigarette smoking. But it is habit. You can give it up. You can give up so many things which is not required at all. So these unwanted things will be automatically vanquished. This is the result of bhajana-kriyā. Not that I am chanting one hand, Hare Kṛṣṇa, and in another hand, smoking. This is not anartha-nivṛtti. The... If actually you are chanting, there will be no more in the other hand, smoking biḍi or cigarette. This is called anartha-nivṛtti. Then after anartha-nivṛtti, then you become cleansed. Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpam. This is called the freedom stage from all sinful activities. Because unless you are free from all sinful activities, we cannot engage ourself in devotional service.

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

It will not stand. You'll again come back. Suppose by intoxication you feel happy. Oh, that is not your actual happiness. Suppose by chloroform I am unconscious; I don't feel the pains of operation. Oh, that does not mean that I am out of these pains and pleasures. This is artificial. So real, real pleasure, real life is here, as recommended in Bhagavad-gītā by Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Just see. Karma-jaṁ buddhi-yuktā hi phalaṁ tyaktvā manīṣiṇaḥ. Manīṣiṇaḥ means the thoughtful. "They give up the reaction of, of work, being situated in the platform of consciousness. And the result will be that janma-bandha-vinirmuktāḥ, this bondage of birth and death and disease and old age, he becomes free from that." Then the next life? Padaṁ gacchanty anāmayam. Anāmayam. Anāmayam means where there is no death, no, I mean to say, old age, no birth, no disease. That is possible. That is called Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha. The Sanskrit word is Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha means anxiety, anxiety. Here, due to our material contamination, we are always full of kuṇṭha, anxiety. Even a bird, when he's eating, he's seeing like this; this way, this way, this way, "Somebody's coming, or kill me. Oh." Full of anxiety. We are also anxiety, anxious. The politician is anxious. So long we are in contamination of this material body, we must be anxious. We must be anxious.

Lecture on SB 1.3.17 -- Los Angeles, September 22, 1972:

So the whole Vedic system is to convince one that "You are not this body, and anything you possess in relationship with your body, they are all illusion. You are spirit soul, part and parcel of God, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore your duty is some way or other, come out of this entanglement of the bodily concept of life and bodily possession. Come out. Be free. Brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20). Now your position is jīva-bhūta." Jīva-bhūta means you are thinking that 'I am a product of this material world.' All scientists, all philosophers, they are the same concept, that "I am this body. Beyond this body there is nothing." All big, big professors, scientists, that "After this body is finished, everything is finished." But actually, that is not a fact. From Bhagavad-gītā you understand that na jāyate na mriyate. The spirit soul is never born, never dies. It is the body, material body, that takes birth and dies. But spirit soul remains. Dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). He transmigrates to another body, just like we are transmigrating from one body to another. There are so many children here. Now they are doing so many things foolish, but we enjoy because we know that this body is foolish body. Nobody grudges if a child does something which not to be done. Just like most children, they are chewing their thumb, but if you do that, that cannot be allowed. Because your body is different, and his body is different.

Lecture on SB 1.3.21 -- Los Angeles, September 26, 1972:

The child born of Satyavatī, he will accept, he will be given the throne. You give your daughter to my father." He still refused. He still, "Well, our son may be king, but then again, your son will become the king." In this way, he was hesitating. So Bhīṣmadeva immediately promised that "I shall never marry. Don't hesitate." So in this way he induced the fisherman to give his daughter to his father.

So father could understand that "My son is so great that he wanted to satisfy. I wanted this girl, and he has managed." So he gave him a benediction to Bhīṣmadeva, "My dear son, you are so benevolent, so magnanimous. So I give you one benediction that you'll not die unless you desire to die. Unless you fix up your mind, 'Now I shall die,' you'll never die. You remain a very strong brahmacārī." So Bhīṣma remained very strong brahmacārī. There is another incidence of Bhīṣmadeva's life, that Pāṇḍu-vaṁśa. So one girl was attracted. So she was conquered. So the girl thought that "I will be able to marry Bhīṣmadeva," but when she came at home, Bhīṣmadeva said, "No, you have been conquered to be married with my brother. I am brahmacārī. I cannot marry you." So the girl said that "You have kidnapped me, conquered me. You must marry." So "No, I shall not marry." Then the girl approached to his spiritual master, this Jamadagni, Bhṛgupati, that "This boy he has conquered me. Still, he is not marrying me." So Jamadagni said, "Bhīṣma, you must marry this girl." Bhīṣmadeva said, "No. I have promised to my father never to marry. I cannot marry." Then Jamadagni said, "If you don't marry, then I will force you to marry." So there was fight between Bhīṣmadeva, spiritual master and... (laughter) So the spiritual master became defeated. (laughter) Then he gave his blessings. "All right, you remain brahmacārī." (laughter)

Lecture on SB 1.4.25 -- Montreal, June 20, 1968:

We do not know. Nobody has served me notice. We find by practical experience that we are walking on the street—all of a sudden there is some accident, and we die. There is possibility. So the important point is that Mahārāja Parīkṣit was fortunate enough to get seven days' time before his death. But we do not know how much time is there for our death. So how much serious we shall be. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that "If you want to make spiritual advancement, then you should always think that "Death is next moment. Death is next moment." Because there is no guarantee when death is coming. If I think that death is next moment, that is not any utopian. The next moment may be my death. And Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, "But if you want to be materially happy, you should always think that 'I shall never die,' " although it is false idea. Everyone will die. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he was preparing. How he was preparing? He did not take seven days even a drop of water. He sat down tight on the bank of the Ganges, and the Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrated this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and he heard, and at the end of seven days, at the particular time, he was bitten by a snake and he left this world.

Now, the beginning of the Second Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the answer, śrī-śuka uvāca: "Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said." Because in the previous chapter the questions were put by Mahārāja Parīkṣit, that "What is my duty? What is my duty?" So he says... Because he wanted to know about Kṛṣṇa, so Śukadeva Gosvāmī is approving his very nice praśna, question:

Lecture on SB 1.5.17-18 -- New Vrindaban, June 21, 1969:

Next verse: bhakti-vāsanā sad-bhāva iti bhava avayad vistu kevalam sva dharma pakvo 'tha

vayaptya abhajatam(?) Now, once this Kṛṣṇa consciousness awakens, it is so nice that it will not let the person fall down. No. The... Rest assured. Fall down. It will go simply. If it is checked for the time being, but that checking is for temporary checking. It will again come out. So don't lose this opportunity. Go on with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the simple method. So there is no question of falldown. Bhakti-vāsanā sad-bhāvāt.(?) Bhakti-vāsanā, this desire, that "I'll serve Kṛṣṇa," this desire is sufficient to keep him, I mean to say, intact. This very desire, bhakti-sad-bhāvāt. This desire will never die.

tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido

na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ

tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ

kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā

(SB 1.5.18)

Nanu svadharma matrad api karmana pitṛloka srute, pitṛloka-prāpti phalaṁ asti va tatraha tasyaite kovida viveki tasyaiva hetoḥ tad arthaṁ yatra kuryād yad upary brahmaloka paryantam adhaḥ sthāvara paryantam brahmadbi jivena na labhate.(?) Now, those who are karma-kāṇḍīya, karmīs... Karmīs means those who follow strictly the ritualistic ceremonies, as it is indicated in the Vedas. They are karmīs. Karma, akarma and vikarma. There are three divisions of our activities.

Lecture on SB 1.7.5-6 -- Johannesburg, October 15, 1975:

So this question does not strike us, that "If I am immortal—I have no birth, I have no death..." na jāyate mriyate vā kadācit "...at any time. Not that sometimes I was dying. No, never." Nityaḥ śāśvato yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This is the position. "Then why I am accepting this birth and death and old age, disease? This is my problem." So we do not think that, neither we are educated how to stop it. But there is process. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā. If you simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa... Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Not Kṛṣṇa ordinarily-factually, kṛṣṇa-tattvataḥ. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ, actually, in fact, in truth. Then what is the result? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti: "His, the cycle of birth and death, old age, and dis..., stopped." Tyaktvā deham. We have to give up this body; that is certain. But after giving up this body, no more material body. Then what happens? He is finished? No, he is not finished. Mām eti: "He comes to Me, back to home." And when you go there, then you must possess the same body as Kṛṣṇa has got. Kṛṣṇa has sac-cid-ānanda-vig... Just like if you want to enter into the sun planet. The sun planet is made of fiery elements. Everyone there, their body is made of fire. So if you want to enter into the sun planet, then you must also make your body made of fire. Just like this body is made of earth, so similarly, there are different types of bodies made of air, made of water, made of fire, these five elements, material. Kṣitir āpas tejo marud vyoma. So in different planets... So if you go back to home, back to Godhead, then you have to gain your original, spiritual body.

Lecture on SB 1.7.7 -- Vrndavana, September 6, 1976:

Who is that man? You sit down properly. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (BG 7.19).

So how one can understand Vāsudeva? Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān (BG 7.19). After many, many births. Because we are—all living entities in this material world—we are all rascals. We must know it. All rascals. Abodha-jataḥ. Everyone who is born in this material world, either he may be... Even Lord Brahmā, and down to the small insect. Anyone who has come to this material world... Because we are not material. We are spiritual identity. Na jāyate na mriyate vā. Never takes birth, never dies. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This is the identification given by Lord Kṛṣṇa. But we are so foolish and rascals we never question that "My position is na jāyate na mriyate vā. I never take birth, never I die. Then why I am afraid of death and why I am actually undergoing birth and death? I am born, everyone knows. I come out from my mother. Therefore jāyate. So why I have taken birth? And again everyone knows, 'As sure as death,' mriyate vā. So why this discrepancy?" This is human being. The cats and dog, they cannot question these things.

Lecture on SB 1.8.25 -- Los Angeles, April 17, 1973:

That should be our business. We should not be disturbed by the so-called calamities. They are not so-called; they are factual.

So this question was there by Arjuna to Kṛṣṇa that: "Whatever You are speaking, it is all right. That I am not this body, I am soul. Everyone is not this body. He's soul. So on the annihilation of this body..." (Aside:) Stop that. "On the annihilation of the body the soul will exist. But when I see my son is dying, or my grandfather is dying, I am killing, how can I solace me that my grandfather is not dying, my son is not dying, the, simply it is changing? Because I am accustomed to think like that. So there must be grief." So Kṛṣṇa replied: "Yes, that's a fact. So that you must have to tolerate, that's all. There is no other remedy." Tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata.

Kṛṣṇa never said that these are not facts, what Arjuna explained that: "I know that when my son is dying, my son is changing the body, or my grandfather is dying, changing the body, I know this, but still, because I am affectionate on the skin, so I must suffer." The Kṛṣṇa replied: "Yes, the suffering is there. Because you are also on the bodily concept of life. So suffering must be there. So there is no other remedy than to tolerate. There is no other remedy." Mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14).

Lecture on SB 1.8.25 -- Vrndavana, October 5, 1974:

So the people do not know this philosophy: apunar bhava-darśanam. Punar bhava... Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). The rascals, they cannot understand that what is our real difficulty or suffering. Mūḍha. Therefore the mūḍhas, they do not know it, that what is our actual suffering.

We understand from Bhagavad-gītā, na jāyate na mriyate, that "This living entity is never born, never dies." This information we get, very simple information. We are taking information from whom? Kṛṣṇa, jagad-guru, the supreme guru, the original guru. Guru means Kṛṣṇa's representative. A guru cannot be manufactured. Guru means... Kṛṣṇa is jagad-guru, and one who speaks on behalf of Kṛṣṇa or one who speaks as Kṛṣṇa says, he is guru. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā: (CC Madhya 7.128) "You just become guru on My order." You cannot become guru automatically without following the order of jagad-guru. The government servant... Who is government servant? Who is strictly following the government order, that is government servant. Anyone can say, "I am government servant." No. How you can be? Similarly, guru means who is following the principles given by the jagad-guru. The... He's guru.

Lecture on SB 1.8.25 -- Vrndavana, October 5, 1974:

You can have your certificate by yourself, whether you have no more any desire for sex life. That's all, not that he has become impotent. If required, he can give birth to hundreds of children, but he does not like it. That is. That is the certificate. And so long we'll have any such material desire, then Kṛṣṇa is so kind—He will give you chance to take birth again.

Therefore the aim should be... Real happiness is apunar bhava-darśanam. Apunar bhava. This is going on. The jagad-guru is teaching, na jāyate mriyate vā. It requires little intelligence, that "Kṛṣṇa, the jagad-guru, is teaching that living entity is never born and never dies. So why I am taking birth and I am dying?" This much intelligence they haven't got... Because they do not take the instruction of the jagad-guru... He is describing, na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. Kadācit, at any time. Not that in the past he was dying. Kṛṣṇa says again in the Second Chapter that "All these soldiers and kings who have assembled there, so also you and Me, we existed in the past, we are existing now, and we shall continue to exist in the future." Therefore kadācit. Kadācit means "at any time." "Any time" means past, present and future. Time has got three factors. So at any time. Kadācit means at any time the living entity is never born, never dies. The... If this is the fact, why you do not think, "Then why I am dying? I must have to die. Death is as sure as anything."

Lecture on SB 1.8.25 -- Vrndavana, October 5, 1974:

So they have no even sense. They are so animalistic. Just like animal. He does not know that death can be avoided. So the animal civilization. This very question... In the Bhagavad-gītā, jagad-guru is teaching that try to understand this fact first of all. This is beginning of Bhagavad-gītā, tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). So there is no death, but you change your body just like you change your garment, you change your shirt and coat. Similarly, you change your body, but the thing is that this changing of body is not very happy task. Tomorrow... Today I am American, very happy, but tomorrow, if I change my body—I become a dog or even cow in America, I'll be sent to slaughterhouse. So changing of body is very risky. You Americans, human being, or Indian human being, anyway, you have got protection. But as soon as you change your body, American cow, then you are for slaughterhouse. Is it not a fact?

So change of body is very risky. Therefore Kuntī says, apunar bhava-darśanam: "Kṛṣṇa, by seeing You I can stop this again and again birth and death. Therefore let all the dangers remain so that we always seek to see You, because we have no other shelter. Whenever we are in danger, we simply ask Your favor. That is our business." So Kṛṣṇa was taking farewell from Kuntī to go back to Dvārakā. So that was the lamentation of Kuntī, that "Kṛṣṇa, You did so much for us. You saved us so many, from so many dangers. Now, because we are situated in our position—we have got the throne, we have got the kingdom—but You are going away? No, no, no, I don't want." Vipadaḥ santu. "Let us remain in danger always. Don't go. Please don't go. I prefer to remain in vipada." This is Kuntī's prayer. "I prefer because... Let there be all kinds of dangers in this life, but I, if, when I see You again and again, I advance. I advance in what?" Apunar bhava-darśanam: (SB 1.8.25)

Lecture on SB 1.8.28 -- Mayapura, October 8, 1974:

We therefore sometimes question that "Wherefrom God came?" So many odd questions they say. But God is eternally existing. That is the fact. We cannot understand that. Because we are in the material world, we have no experience of the eternity, what is eternity. We have no experience. We see everything as generated, and then it stays for some time, then it is finished. That is our experience. Janma, mṛtyu, vṛddhi. They have... They have made past, present and future, but it is divided into six development. One takes birth, then it develops, then it stays for some time, then it produces some by-product, then diminishes, and then, I mean to say, finished. Ṣaḍ-vikāra. Ṣaḍ-vikāra. This body, ṣaḍ-vikāra. So eternity, eternity means there is no ṣaḍ-vikāra, the six kinds of changes. There is no birth. There is no death. There is no diminishing. There is no by-product. Everything eternal, eternally existing.

So that kālam, that eternal time, is Kṛṣṇa. Tvām. Manye: "I think that eternal time, You are, Kṛṣṇa." That's the fact. And īśānam. Īśānam means the Supreme Controller. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Controller means īśvara; īśvara means controller. He's the Supreme Controller. He's controlling the whole creation. Īśānam. Kālam īśānam. But who is controlling Him? No, He is not controlled. Anādi-beginningless. Neither endless or beginningless, anādi or nidhanam. And vibhum, the Supreme. This is the understanding of Kṛṣṇa. We have to take lessons from authorities. Here is Kuntī, authority. Therefore his (her) statements are recorded in the śāstra. What is śāstra? Śāstra means, is, the record of the statement of authorities. That is called śāstra. Just like in law court, you put lawbooks. What is that lawbook? Lawbook means the statement of the authorities. Similarly, śāstra... Śāstra means śās-dhātu. Śāstra. Śāstra means weapon, and śāstra means the lawbooks. So what is the lawbook? Lawbook means some authority which has given the law. So the government gives law. So similarly, śāstra means the statement given by the authorities.

Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Mayapura, October 10, 1974:

So here Kuntī says, janma karma ca viśvātmann ajasya. Aja means who never takes birth. Ajasya. Aja, the living entities, they are also aja, but sometimes the living entity, being attracted by the material energy, they come to this material world. Then their quality of aja, or not to take birth, becomes vanquished, because in the material world one has to take birth. But actually spirit soul, or the Supreme Spirit, Kṛṣṇa, they are aja. Ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said clearly that living entity is aja, nitya, śāśvata, ayam. "Then how he is dying?" one may question. That is also replied: na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Don't think... That dying means he's changing body, not dying. Therefore... Because Kṛṣṇa says the living entity is aja, everyone can question that "If he's aja, he does not take birth, then why he's taking birth? Why he's dying?" The answer is immediately there: na hanyate: "Don't think that he's dying." Na hanyate. "No, I see his body's being burned." No, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). That body is being burned. That...

Suppose if your cloth is burned... In my childhood, when I was three, four years old, I was saved. My all cloth burned, and there is a scar. You have seen. I would have died that day, but fortunately I was saved. The cloth was burning. That, what is that called, matches color? So I was trying to burn, and it caught my cloth. So the cloth burned, but I did not burn. Similarly, this body also burns, but the soul... Nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi na dahati pāvakaḥ. The soul is never cut into pieces by any weapon, neither it is burned by the fire, soul. That is eternity. Anything material, it will burn, it will be cut into pieces, it can be dried up, it can be moistened. Because we cannot see the soul, so Kṛṣṇa has explained in a negative definition what is the characteristic of the soul. Nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ, na śoṣayati mārutaḥ (BG 2.23).

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Los Angeles, April 24, 1973:

To make the things zero. Because this life is so much troublesome, sometimes even one commits suicide to get out of this, I mean to say, troublesome life of material existence. So the philosophy of voidism, impersonalism is like that. Mean they cannot, shudder, to think of another life, again eating, again sleeping, again working. Because he thinks eating, sleeping, means on the bed. That's all. And suffering. He cannot think otherwise. So the negative way, to make it zero. That is void philosophy.

But actually that is not the case. The case is that you are in trouble on material condition. you get out of this material condition. Then there is real life, eternal life. Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is Aja. Aja means who has no birth and death. So we are also aja. How we can be otherwise? If Kṛṣṇa, I am Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel. The same example we can see. If my, if my father is happy, so I am the son of my father. Why I shall not be, I shall be unhappy? This is natural conclusion. Because I will enjoy my father's property as my father is enjoying.

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Los Angeles, April 24, 1973:

Similarly God is all-powerful. Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful, all beautiful, all-knowledge, everything complete. So I may not be complete, but because I am part and parcel, so I have, I have got all the qualities of God in part and parcel. It is not that... So God does not die. He's aja. So I also will not die. This is my position. And that is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā that: na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. When He's describing about the soul, Kṛṣṇa says that the soul is never born, na jāyate, na mriyate. And if one is not born, how he can die? There is no question of death. Death is for a thing which has got a birth. If one has no birth, there is no question of death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā. So we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. As Kṛṣṇa is Aja, we are also aja. That we do not know. This is ignorance. This is ignorance.

They are making scientific researches, but they do not know that every living entity is spirit soul. He has no birth. He has no death. He's eternal. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam, everlasting, purāṇaḥ, although oldest, na hanyate. The conclusion: na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So after the annihilation of this body the soul does not die. He accepts another body. This is our disease. This is called bhava-roga. Bhava-roga means material disease. So Kṛṣṇa, being the Supreme Living Entity, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13) Kṛṣṇa is exactly like us. Or we are imitation of Kṛṣṇa. The difference is Kṛṣṇa is vibhu, unlimited, and we are aṇu, we are limited. That is the difference. Otherwise, qualitatively, we are as good as Kṛṣṇa. Therefore whatever propensities Kṛṣṇa has, we have got all these propensities. Kṛṣṇa has the propensity to love the other sex. Therefore we have got this propensity, to love the other sex. The beginning of love is there in Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, eternal love between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. So we are also seeking eternal love, but because we are conditioned by the material laws, it is interrupted. It is interrupted.

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Mayapura, October 12, 1974:

When you understand that you are not this body but you are spirit soul, then, actually, if you realize, then, if I understand... Na jāyate na mriyate vā. The soul does not die. Then here the karmīs are working very hard because he's upset that "If I do not work hard, if I do not get money, then I shall die out of starvation." But if you are actually Brahman realized, if you understand that "I'll not die," then where is your activities? You'll not die. If somebody, some physician, gives you a tablet: "Now you take this tablet. You'll not die," then you'll stop working immediately, because "I'll not die." So brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. "That is all right. Now I am spirit soul. I understand I will never die." That is prasannātmā. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). There is no need of lamentation. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. But mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām. If you do not take to devotional service, simply by realizing that you are Brahman will not help. And by devotional service, you can become dear.

Just like Arjuna is addressed by Kṛṣṇa, bhakto 'si priyo 'si: (BG 4.3) "You are My devotee and very dear friend." So our business is, somehow or other, to become very dear to Kṛṣṇa, as a servant, as a friend, or as father, mother, or as lover. Some way or other, you become... Make Kṛṣṇa your dear as master or as son or as father or... Father, they are taki..., doing, everyone. Even ordinary person, if he is God conscious, he takes Kṛṣṇa as supreme father. Just like the Christians, they take that "O Father, give us our daily..." Father means to ask Him, "Give me, give me, give me, give me." Nobody wants to give father, but wants to take from father. Sometimes our students, when they spend extravagantly and I point out, he says, "My father has sent money." Sometimes. "My father has sent money." Yes. "Why did you stay at Ashoka Hotel?" "My father sent money." "Why not ask your father to send money? Why you are collecting by making life member?" So means idea of father... Father means that "Whenever I want to stay in Ashoka Hotel, he'll send money," not that "I will send money to father. He may stay at Ashoka Hotel." Nobody thinks like that. "Father may send money, and I shall stay in Ashoka Hotel." This is the idea of father. Father means to exploit him, to exploit.

Lecture on SB 1.8.35 -- Los Angeles, April 27, 1973 :

So, asmin bhave. Asmin means "this." Creation, bhave means creation. Bhava, bhava means "you become". "You become" means you vanish also. As soon as there is question of you become, you vanish also. Anything which is born must die. This is the law of nature. The so-called scientists are trying that they will stop death by their scientific research work, but they do not know that anything born must die. Janma-mṛtyu. This is relative. And anything which is not born, that will not die. The matter is born. Anything material, that is born. But spirit is not born. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācin. The soul is never born, and therefore never dies.

Now, bhave 'smin. Bhava, this bhava means this material world, cosmic manifestation. Bhave 'smin kliśyamānānām. Anyone who is within this material world must work. This is material world. Just like in the prison house, it is not possible that he will sit down and he will be honored just like son-in-law. No. In the, in our country son-in-law is very much worshiped. Worshiped means flattered. Never divorce the daughter. Therefore, nobody should expect that we may speak something humorous about son-in-law in India. Formerly... It is still the system that the daughter must get married. That is the responsibility of the father. It is called kanyā-dāna. A father may not get his son married. That is not very great responsibility. But if there is a daughter, the father must see that she is married. Formerly it was ten years, twelve years, thirteen years. Not more than that. That is the system. That was the Vedic system. Kanyā. Kanyā means before attaining puberty.

Lecture on SB 1.8.40 -- Los Angeles, May 2, 1973:

A child is coming, taking the body from the mother. It takes ten months to prepare the body from the blood and secretion of the mother. But the child is not matter. The child is a living entity. That living entity takes shelter into the womb of the mother, and the mother supplies from the body. By nature's way, it is going on. The mother does not know how she's supplying, but from her body, another body is created, and when it is fit, it comes out to work. This is birth. Not that the living entity is taking birth. Because that is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: na jāyate na mriyate vā. The living entity does not take birth, neither he dies. Anything which does not take birth does not die also. Death is for such thing which is created. Which is not created, it has no death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. Kadācit, at any time. Kṛṣṇa says kadācit. It is not that now it is not taking birth; formerly it took birth. No. Na kadācit. "Oh, I see this is, this is child is now born." No, it is not born. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ purāṇaḥ: that living entity is eternal; śāśvataḥ, always existing; purāṇaḥ, very, very old. Very, very old. Then? Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Don't think that when this body will be destroyed that living entity will be destroyed. No, it will continue.

Lecture on SB 1.8.42 -- Mayapura, October 22, 1974:

We don't want to change the body even. We have got attraction for the body. Even an animal or insect, living very wretched condition of life, still, if you want to kill it, it will protest. It will protest, "No, no. I don't want to be killed." This is the psychology.

So the, our real business is how to attain that eternal life. That is real business. Other business, they are not important. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (1.5.18). This is the instruction, that we should try how to become again immortal. We are immortal by nature, but we have covered by another nature, external nature, bahiraṅga-śakti And because we have been entangled with this material body, we have to die. Otherwise there is no death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā. The living entity does not take birth, neither it dies. Then why we are taking birth and dying? The..., this question does not arise to the fools and rascals of this materialist world. I was talking with one very big man in London, Lord Fenner-Brockway. He came to see me. So I asked him this question. He was old man. He was a, I think, older than me. He was eighty-four. So he said, "Yes, I'll die peacefully." You see? This question does not bother even any man. And I talked with that Professor Kotovsky in Moscow. He also said, "Swamiji, after death, everything is finished." You see? Big, big men in Europe, very exalted position, they do not know even that there is life after death. They do not know. And in India, I think, when I spoke in Calcutta, the American Consulate... There is a club, Indo-American Cultural. They invited. So they gave me the subject matter for speaking: "East and West." So in that meeting I said that "We don't make any such distinction, 'East' and 'West.' Because everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. But there is little difference between East and West. What is that difference? Here even an ordinary man, a cultivator, uneducated villager, he believes in the next birth. He believes. He's afraid of committing sin-'Oh, I'll have to suffer in my next life." And in the Western world, the big, big men like Lord Fenner-Brockway and Professor Kotovsky, they do not know that there is life after death."

Lecture on SB 1.8.43 -- Los Angeles, May 5, 1973:

This life, this material body means eating, sleeping and fearing. This is one of the symptom. Although I am eating very nicely, I am thinking whether I am overeating so that I may not feel sick. So bhaya is always there. A bird, you'll see eating, and looking this way, that way. Why? If some enemy is not coming. So, this is bha. Pa, pha, ba, bha, and ma. At last maraṇa, mṛtyu, death. This is called pavarga. Pavarga means pa, pha, ba, bha, ma. Pa means hard labor. Pha means so hard that foam comes out of mouth. And ba means he's still frustrated. And bha means fearfulness. And ma means mṛtyu. This is the call, apavarga.

So pavarga, and just the opposite is apavarga. Just the opposite. There is no labor, there is no foam, there is no frustration, there is no fear, and there is no death. That is spiritual world.

Lecture on SB 1.8.46 -- Los Angeles, May 8, 1973:

I promise that your daughter's son will inherit the kingdom." "No, no, no. Still I cannot." "Why?" "You'll marry. Then your son will be inheritor. My grandson will not be inheritor." He was calculating in that way, pākā businessman. (laughter) So he promised that "You give your daughter to my father, and I promise that I shall not marry. So there will be no son. So naturally my stepmother's son will inherit the kingdom." Then he agreed.

So Bhīṣmadeva's father, although it was little shameful that the son is canvassing for the marriage of father, still, he could understand that "My son is so sensible that I wanted to marry, and he has managed." So he gave him one benediction: "My dear son, you'll remain brahmacārī, I can understand. But I give you one benediction, that unless you desire to die, you will never die." Icchā-mṛtyu. "This benediction you will have. Unless you desire that 'Now I shall die,' nobody can kill you, and you'll never die." So this was, the... Therefore... And because he promised so seriously that "I shall not marry," he gave up his kingdom, therefore his name is Bhīṣma. Bhīṣma means "very serious." So this Bhīṣmadeva actually maintained the whole Pāṇḍava family. That means Pāṇḍava, the Pāṇḍava and Yudhiṣṭhira and Pāṇḍu, they are the sons of the stepmother. And because Bhīṣmadeva was elderly son, practically he maintained even Yudhiṣṭhira, here, Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Pāṇḍava. And then again, Pāṇḍu, he died, his sons, these Pāṇḍavas, Yudhiṣṭhira, they were also raised by Bhīṣmadeva. So much affection.

Lecture on SB 1.10.11-12 -- Mayapura, June 25, 1973:

Kṛṣṇa's working, Kṛṣṇa's fighting, Kṛṣṇa's loving, they're all transcendental subject matter. Aprākṛta. So janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. If anyone simply understands this subject matter, why Kṛṣṇa takes birth, why Kṛṣṇa works as ordinary man—these are all transcendental subject matter—then he becomes free. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, about His work, about His birth. Simply if we can understand. The Bhagavad-gītā is there. You can read and try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. The result will be, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Then after giving up this body, he never takes birth in this material world. Punar janma. Punar janma means within this material world. In the spiritual world there is no janma, there is no death. Punar janma naiti. Then where...? He's finished? No. Mām eti: "He comes to Me, back to home, back to Godhead." This is perfection.

So anyone who is interested in this highest perfection of life, punar janma naiti mām eti, not to take birth again in this material world, but to go back home, back to Godhead, such person... Caitanya Mahāprabhu speaks for such person: niṣkiñcanasya jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya, pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya. Pāraṁ paraṁ jigamiṣoḥ. Just like we are on this side of the sea. We want to go the other side of the sea. Similarly this bhava-samudra, we are on this part of the sea, material world. If we want to go to the other side, spiritual world, so we have to become niṣkiñcana. Niṣkiñcana means no more possessing anything material. That is called niṣkiñcana. If we hanker after possessing material...

Lecture on SB 1.15.31 -- Los Angeles, December 9, 1973:

He gave the instruction: "This is the position. You are like this. Your position is like this. You are now in trouble. You are in material existence. Why you are struggling for existence simply making your mind as the guide?" Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhāni indriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that "These living entities, they are My part and parcel. They're as good as I am, but..." Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhāni indriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣa... "They have made the mind, given the power of attorney to the mind, and therefore they are forced to the struggle for existence." This is the statement of Bhagavad-gītā.

So sane man should take lesson from Bhagavad-gītā that "If I am as good as Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is eternal, I am eternal; Kṛṣṇa is spiritual, I am spiritual; Kṛṣṇa never dies or never takes birth, I do not take birth; I never die," in this way actually we understand that I'm identical in quality with Kṛṣṇa. Then that is called brahma-sampattyā, this knowledge, brahma-sampattyā viśokaḥ. This is it. Then you become free from all lamentation.

Lecture on SB 1.15.36 -- Los Angeles, December 14, 1973:

This is the description of the soul. The soul is never born, na jāyate. Na mriyate, neither he dies. Na jāyate na mriyate vā. Kadācit, at any time. Not that sometimes we wish to live or sometimes we wish to die. No. Everlastingly, eternally, we never take our birth, never we die. Then what is this death? This death is of the material body, not of the soul. Therefore it is said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), more distinctly, that "We don't think that the soul is dead after the annihilation of this body."

So now the conclusion is that because we are marginal, in between the spiritual nature and the material nature, although we are spiritual, although our real nature is na jāyate na mriyate, we never take birth, never die, but on account of our contact with this material nature, we are getting this material body and the body is changing. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Body is changing. And that we have taken as our nature, birth and death. That is not our nature. We are spirit soul. We are put into marginal because... Just like the margin is explained: taṭastha. That is... We have translated into "marginal." Just like we go on the Pacific beach. Some day we find the water is covering the beach, and some day we see it is open. There is no water. So that is called marginal. Marginal. Sometimes it is covered by water; sometimes there is no water. Similarly, we, being marginal potency, we are sometimes influenced by this material nature, not always. Because at the present moment for sometimes we are under the material nature, now, if we try, then we can get out of this covering of material nature and come to the spiritual nature. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means don't remain in the marginal position. Come in the land so there will be no disturbance by the water. This is the position. If you remain on the marginal position, then sometimes you will be covered by the water and sometimes it will be dry. But if you little come forward this side, land side, the ocean has no power to touch you.

Lecture on SB 1.15.41 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1973:

So it appears that Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira knew how to practice the yoga. Not only Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, practically any high-class man, especially the brāhmaṇas and the kṣatriyas, every one of them knew this practice, yoga practice. So at the time of death they could utilize, how to give up this body. That is perfection of yoga. The yogis, they can give up the life or give this, relinquish this body, according to his own desire, not compelled by the material condition. That is yoga system. Generally, a man dies under the obligation of material laws. But a yogi, he controls in such a way that he leaves the body...

Just like Bhīṣmadeva. Bhīṣmadeva especially, his father gave him the benediction that so long he would not himself like to die, he'll never die, Bhīṣmadeva. He got this benediction from his father because his promise was very stern, severe. You know the story, that Bhīṣmadeva's father was captivated by the young girl, Satyavatī, and he wanted to marry her. A kṣatriya could do that. But Satyavatī's father disagreed. Although he was king, he could marry anyone he likes. But his (her) father... Still, with the permission of the parents. So the father denied, "No, no, I cannot give you my daughter to you." "Why?" "Because you have got grown-up son, and he will be the king. Why my daughter shall be married with you just like a maid-servant? No." So Bhīṣmadeva could understand that "My father desires to marry this young girl, Satyavatī, and there is some hindrances." So he approached, that "Why don't you give my father your daughter?" So he said, "Because you are his eldest son. You will become king." So he immediately promised that "No, your daughter's son will become king. I will not become king. Give my father, sir." So he said, "No, no, still it is not possible." "Why?" "Because you may not become king. Then your son will become king. I don't want that." So in this way Bhīṣmadeva said, "No, then I shall not marry. Is that all right? Still..." Then he gave his daughter, "Yes." Satyavatī.

Lecture on SB 1.15.41 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1973:

So his father, Śantanu Mahārāja, saw that Bhīṣma is so affectionate to his father that for the father's sense gratification he has sacrificed his own. So he gave him this benediction, "My dear son, you are so stern in keeping your promise. So I give you this benediction, that you will never die unless you desire." Therefore Bhīṣmadeva was lying on the bed of arrows, and he left this material world when he desired. So the yogis can do that. The yogis they control the soul. The soul is floating in different airs. So they can control. That is called ṣaṭ-cakraḥ. From the rectum to the abdomen, abdomen to the heart, heart to the collarbone, then collarbone to the palate, and then here. So one who can bring the soul here, they can get out from this hole, it is called brahma-randhra.

So they can go, the yogis, as they desire. Either he can go directly to the spiritual world, or if he likes, he can transfer himself to the higher planetary system. This is yoga practice. Anywhere he likes, he can go. It appears that Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja knew perfectly well. Similarly, we see from many other kings' life. Or this yoga practice was done by any gentleman. Therefore they were so sober, steady and determined. Everyone was a yogi. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is described, rājarṣi. Imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. Ṛṣi. Ṛṣi, saintly persons, they know how to practice yoga. So formerly the kings were as good as ṛṣis. They were simply sitting on the throne as a matter of responsibility to the citizens. They were not political opportunists. No. Nowadays people are political opportunists. As soon as they get some opportunity, they capture the power. Formerly... Just like Bhīṣmadeva. Actually, he would have been the king. But he was not opportunist. To serve his father he gave up everything. This is called rājarṣi.

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.

But what is my position? My position is that there is no death, no birth. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. In the Bhagavad-gītā, teaching, Kṛṣṇa is teaching that "Soul never takes birth, neither dies." Then what is this death? This is not death. This is changing of body. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Even if you take it is annihilation, yes, but the soul remains. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). People have no brain that "What is my problem? I am eternal. I have no business to accept so-called birth and death and disease and old age, but I am put under this condition. I have to die. I have to take birth. I have to become old. I have to accept disease." This is our real problem. But they have no information. They neglect this, because they cannot make any solution. They think, "It is usual. We have to suffer." Just like an animal. An animal is going, is taken to the slaughterhouse. He knows that "I have no means. I have to suffer," I mean to say, "be slaughtered." He has no means.

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

That is Kṛṣṇa-loka, Goloka Vṛndāvana. If you go there, then you do not come back again. There are many confirmation in the Bhagavad-gītā. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya: (BG 4.9) "My dear Kaunteya, Arjuna," janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ, "if anyone knows what I am, what I am, Kṛṣṇa, My birth, or janma..." Kṛṣṇa's janma, ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā. He has no birth, but still, He appears like taken birth. You can understand very easily. Just like every morning the sun is rising. It is not that a new sun is coming. The same sun of yesterday. It is not that it was finished yesterday. The sun was existing there in the sky, but on different position of this planet, I saw the sun is now set. Similarly, we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. If we have no birth and death, how Kṛṣṇa has birth and death? That is not the...

Therefore it is said, ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san. Although He has no birth and death, still, He appears just like He has taken birth from Devakī's womb. It is just like the sun is rising from the eastern side. It does not mean that the eastern side has given birth to the sun. No. Sun is very big than the eastern side. But it appears like that. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). Because there are many theologists. They say, "Why God shall take birth?" That is their argument. So our answer is, "Why God shall not take birth? If He is omnipotent, so why you are minimizing His power that He cannot take birth? He must take birth if He likes." And īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is staying within the heart of everyone. So within the heart for everyone, if He can come out, so what is the difficulty for Him, from within the womb of somebody He can come? What is the difference between heart and womb? And Kṛṣṇa entered within the womb of Mahārāja Parīkṣit's mother to save Mahārāja Parīkṣit. So Kṛṣṇa can do anything. Therefore Kuntī said that antar bahiḥ: "Kṛṣṇa is within and without. Still, we cannot see." Kṛṣṇa is within and without, both ways, but we cannot see either within or without. This is called māyā. This is called māyā.

Lecture on SB 1.16.8 -- Los Angeles, January 5, 1974:

So this kind of thinking by the person who is in māyā, that is also māyā. Therefore they are called Māyāvādī. Māyāvādī means all their philosophy is also māyā. It has no meaning. Therefore they are Māyāvādī. They are handling something in the māyā. Therefore they are called Māyāvādī.

So here it is said that nṛ-loke. Nṛ-loke, in this human form of body... Here advising, aho nṛ-loke pīyeta hari-līlāmṛtaṁ vacaḥ. This is advised. Those who are born in the human society, they should join this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement where simply hari-līlāmṛtaṁ vacaḥ, there is no other business. What is our business here? Constantly, twenty-four hours, we are engaged in hari-līlāmṛtaṁ vacaḥ. That's all. And so long you are engaged in hari-līlāmṛtaṁ vacaḥ, there is no question of death. There is no question of death. Then if you say, "We are seeing that devotees are dying," "Yes, but death has been stopped. "Then still, why he is dying?" "He is not dying. He is going back to home, back to Godhead." Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Tyaktvā deham. He has given up this body, but he is not going to accept anymore a body like this. Then? Mām eva: "He is coming to Me." What is that mām eva? Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). If you go somehow or other to Kṛṣṇa, you will never come back.

Lecture on SB 1.16.8 -- Los Angeles, January 5, 1974:

So in the meantime, in that treatment time, diseaselessness condition, if you make another infection, that is your fault. Otherwise, deathlessness begins from the day of initiation. Ādau gurvāśrayam. As soon as you take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master, your point of deathlessness begins immediately. Immediately. And if you continue the advice and instruction of the spiritual master, or the śāstra, then you become deathless. No more death. And Yamarāja wants to see that actually you are continuing your deathlessness process. This is... Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice. Therefore it is advised.

Now if somebody argues that "Here is... A devotee is also dying." A devotee is also dying. How can I say that it is deathlessness? No, he does not know. Devotee is not dying. There is very good example. Just like a cat. He catches the rat and he catches his cub also. But these two kinds of catching is different. When the cat catches a rat, that rat means his, "Chi chi chi," means dying, actually dying. And the cab (cub), he is feeling very comfortable: "Meow, meow, meow." Because the same cat, catching, process is the same, but the feeling is different. So a devotee seemingly dying, he is not dying. He is going back to Kṛṣṇa. He is very pleased, "Now my labor is finished. I am going to Kṛṣṇa." That is his feeling. And others, they are crying, "Oh, this is my estate. This is my family. This is my, this is my, this is my... I am leaving. I do not want to leave it. What will happen to that?" He is crying. That is death. And this is not death.

Lecture on SB 1.16.24 -- Hawaii, January 20, 1974:

Or actually you do not die. That is another thing. This death means in the... That is described in the Bhāgavatam. Those who die before Kṛṣṇa, they attain their original position, svarūpa. So that is real success. Otherwise, there is no death. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). It is not death; when our body is destroyed, that does not mean we are dead. You are spirit soul, I am spirit soul, every one of us, but we have no death. That is another illusion. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). This so-called death, it is not death. Dhīra, one who knows, one who is sober, he knows that "This man or this boy or this father is dying... He's not dying. Dehāntara-prāptiḥ: he is just changing another body. He's changing an..." So actually we have no death. The change of body. So we are accepting this change of body as death. That is another illusion. Dhīras tatra na muhyati. One who is sober, he is not bewildered. He knows that... Suppose we are sitting here. We are sitting here, and after a few minutes we shall go away. That does not mean we are dead. We are in this apartment; we go to another apartment. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Similarly, nobody dies. It is change of body, from this body to another body. So we have no death. This is illusion. So what is your question?

Lecture on SB 2.3.17 -- Los Angeles, June 12, 1972:

Because a devotee is going to live. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to give a living entity a permanent span of life. Uttama-śloka-vārtayā. Uttama-śloka is Kṛṣṇa. Uttama-śloka. Bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī bhagavaty uttama-śloke. In another place it is stated, tadā... naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). Nityam ... Just like we are holding class daily. Nityam, regularly. Nityam means regularly, daily, always. So nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. The beginning... Just like when a man is infected with a disease, he is subjected to death. Crude example. So when a man falls diseased, the physician tries to get him relieved from that infection. So our material body is an infection.

Actually, we spiritual soul, we have no death. It is due to this infection. This infection is called dirty things. Actually it is dirt. "Dust thou art, dust thou beist." That's a fact. Because as soon as I, the soul, will leave this body, it will be immediately decomposed, and after a few days it will be earth, dust. So actually it is dirt. So we have to cleanse this dirt from my real identity, spiritual life. This is the process. And this cleansing process is very nicely done simply by hearing the message of Uttama-śloka, or Kṛṣṇa. You haven't got to scratch it with some machine. No. It will be automatically cleansed if you simply give aural reception to the message of the Uttama-śloka, which is, in other word, it is called kṛṣṇa-kathā. Kṛṣṇa-kathā means words of Kṛṣṇa. Kathā means words, and kṛṣṇa, you understand. So kṛṣṇa-kathā, Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa personally giving you words of instruction. So if we simply read Bhagavad-gītā, then the sun cannot take away the, my duration of life.

Lecture on SB 2.3.17 -- Los Angeles, June 12, 1972:

Every Vedic literature is kṛṣṇa-kathā, but these two books especially, kṛṣṇa-kathā. Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa is directly speaking, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, directly speaking about Kṛṣṇa. Both of them are kṛṣṇa-kathā. So therefore here it is said that uttama-śloka-vārtayā. Vārtā means message, words. So if we pass our time simply by reading and talking about Kṛṣṇa, then the sun will not be able to take away our life. This is the secret. If you want to become immortal, then you always be engaged in kṛṣṇa-kathā. Always, twenty-four hours, always think of Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So everyone is dying, but those who are engaged in kṛṣṇa-kathā, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, those who are busy in Kṛṣṇa's business, they are not dying. They are living. How? Because ordinary man, his duration of life, span of life, is being taken away by the sun rising and sunset every day. If a man is fifty years old, that means... He has to live for eighty years. So fifty years duration has already been taken away by the sun. Fifty years old means that fifty years of time has already been taken away by the sun. It will never come back. "But what about the devotees? He is also the same. His, also, life is being taken away." No. His life is not being taken away, because he is going to live. Superficially we see that the body of a devotee is also taken away. But this is not the real body. Real body is the spiritual body. So spiritual body... Just like Kṛṣṇa says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). "After giving up this body, he does not take birth. He comes to Me."

Lecture on SB 2.3.17 -- Los Angeles, June 12, 1972:

Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ (SB 5.18.12). Because they are mental speculators. They have no value. They have their value in their own way, but according to our line of thought, they have no value. So prajalpa ... In this way, prajalpa, there is tendency of talking. You talk of Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Just like we assembled together, few friends, (baby cries) we want to vibrate something. Just like the child is also vibrating. That is nature. A bird will vibrate, a beast will vibrate. So we have to vibrate the transcendental sound. Then we shall be saved from the plundering business of the sun. This is the secret. Always talk of Kṛṣṇa and you must know that you are saving yourself. You are not dying yourself. Because talking of Kṛṣṇa means you will understand about Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa says, "Anyone who understands Me rightly, then after giving up this body, he comes to Me." And as soon as you go to Him, back to home, back to Godhead, your life is eternal, blissful, and full of knowledge.

That is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). So why should we lose this opportunity? The most rascal, rascal person, they give up this. They do not take advantage of this, advantage of kṛṣṇa-kathā. Therefore śāstra says, smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur vismartavyo na jātucit. We shall have to remember Viṣṇu always, everywhere, always.

Lecture on SB 2.4.2 -- Los Angeles, June 26, 1972:

Even if you enjoy, it is for a few years only.

But your existence is not for few years. You are eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). You'll not die after your destruction of this body. Death means sleeping for 7 months. That's all. Then again you get another body. As soon as I give up this body, I enter in the womb of another mother to get another body. The mother creates the body, and as soon as the body's fit, it comes out. So the period when I give up this body, enter into the womb of mother and manufacture another body and come out, it takes about seven months. So during that seven months, we do not know what is happening. That is death. Death means that. Otherwise, there is no death. The spirit soul is eternal. So we do not know what is our eternal need. We do not know. There is no such education, neither these rascals know that they're eternal. They think that "By chance, we have got this body, some way or other, and as soon as the body's finished, everything's finished. So long this body is there, the senses are there, let us enjoy sense enjoyment."

This is the civilization. Because there will be no more sense. They give importance to the senses, that this is an opportunity of sense gratification. But they do not inquire wherefrom this sense came, and it is so important, and we are taking, giving so many importance to the sense enjoyment program. That they do not know. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). Neither do they know what is living entity, what are the senses, what is the goal of life. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They are simply making plans for driving car and flyways and so on. Plan is going on, one after another, one after another. But the problems are increasing. Therefore, Parīkṣit Mahārāja's example is very nice. As soon as he understood from his spiritual master that "Kṛṣṇa is the goal of life" and he became Kṛṣṇa conscious, he immediately, oh, the mamatāṁ jahau, virūḍhāṁ mamatāṁ jahau. This is required. Read the purport.

Lecture on SB 2.4.3-4 -- Los Angeles, June 27, 1972:

Just like a child is crying. You give him something eatable, he puts it in the mouth, and he's satisfied, no more crying. Similarly, actually if we want to be satisfied, then, as it is said here, saṁsthāṁ vijñāya sannyasya karma trai-vargikam, give up this, saṁsthām, saṁsthāṁ vijñāya ...

Saṁsthām means death. Death is sure. Death is the best surety as... "As sure as death." Nobody can say that "I can avoid death." That's a fact. So one who actually understands that "I'll have to die,"... People do not understand. Everyone thinks that he will not die. He'll not die. That is called māyā. He's seeing that everyone is dying; still, he's thinking that "I shall not die" or "I shall live for millions of years. There is no question of death." But it is a fact. You may be advanced in science, but he, this death is sure. That's a fact. Therefore it is advised here that saṁsthāṁ vijñāya, one who is actually intelligent, he should know that he will die. But the karmīs, the rascals, he knows also that he will die—at least, theoretically accept—but he wants to enjoy, since the death does not come, to the fullest extent. That is the present condition of the society. He knows that will he die. "So, so long my senses are there, let me gratify." Now, yesterday, when I went to the bank, there was a cinema signboard, what is that?

Lecture on SB 2.9.4 -- Japan, April 22, 1972:

Prabhupāda: ...intelligence that our form we change or we die, so Kṛṣṇa never dies. Kṛṣṇa never dies. The evidence of death is... Just like in our past life we had some body and we died. We have got another body. Kṛṣṇa does not die means He does not change His body. Sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6). If He would have died, then He could not recollect in His mind the incident which happened millions of years ago. He says, vivasvān, proktavān aham avyayam, vivasvān manave prāha. When Arjuna inquired that "You say that You instructed this Bhagavad-gītā, this science, to Vivasvān long, long, millions of years ago. How can I believe it?" Therefore He said, "I remember it. You don't remember. Therefore I do not die. You die." This is it. One who can remember, he does not die. Just like I... So long I can remember of my childhood activities, boyhood activities, I have not died. Is it not? Although the body is gone. This is the evidence that Kṛṣṇa does not die. Try to understand this point. Death means forgetting everything. That is death. But if you can remember, that is not death. It is clear?

Devotees: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So I change my body, but I remember that I was a child, I was a boy, I was playing like this. I was doing like this. My mother was chastising me like this. Therefore I am not dead. But the body is gone. So this is the distinction between death and life. If you can remember, then you have not died. And if you forget, that is death. But the ātmā is permanent, eternal. So Kṛṣṇa does not die. Otherwise, how He could remember? This is the reason.

Lecture on SB 2.9.13 -- Melbourne, April 12, 1972:

Devotee (1): I have a question, Your Divine Grace. You say in Vaikuṇṭha everything is the same as here in the material world. So there are families. The children... Do the children grow...?

Prabhupāda: There is no children. There is no children because there is no birth. There is no death. So there is no question of children. You don't find any description of children.

Devotee (2): In the material world variety is created by the attraction of three modes of nature.

Prabhupāda: Mm?

Devotee (2): The three modes of material nature cause the variety in the material world. In the spiritual world, what are the factors which cause variety?

Prabhupāda: That saṁvit, sandinī, varieties of Kṛṣṇa's spiritual energy.

Trivikrama: In Kṛṣṇaloka there are children, Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd boys.

Prabhupāda: That is also eternal. That is another planet. Eternally Kṛṣṇa is playing with the cowherds boy. Not that these children are being born. They are like... Just like in this world also we see Kumāras, that eternally child, Kumāras, the four Kumāras. They are born along with the Brahmā, but they're just like a small, four years old boy, Kumāra, catuḥsana-kumāra. So we get some information only, but you will see them practically when you go. (laughter) You take information only. But it is not variety-less, not the nonsense theory, zero. That is the first thing. It is not zero. So any other question? Nirviśeṣa-saviśeṣa. There Kṛṣṇa is dancing always with the gopīs. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37). There everything is expansion of Kṛṣṇa's own form. Here is also This is also expansion of Kṛṣṇa's energy, material energy. And that is Just try to understand like this. Here everything is by the expansion of Kṛṣṇa's material energy. And there, everything is there by His spiritual energy. That's all. Something made of sugar and something made of dirt. The sugar is always sweet, and dirt is always detestful. That's all. Two dolls, one is made of clay, another is made of sugar. Which one you will like? Children? Two dolls. One is made of sugar and another is made of this clay. Which one would you like?

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

So very simple process. The first thing is, the problem of life is how to conquer over death. We are now accepting death as compulsory. No. Death is not compulsory. Just like to be put into the prison house is not compulsory. It is due to my work. Because I have become criminal, therefore I have been put into the jail. It is not compulsory that everyone has to go to the jail. That is not. So similarly, we living entities, our proper place is the Vaikuṇṭhaloka.

paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo

'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ

(BG 8.20)

yad gatvā na nivartante

tad dhāma paramaṁ mama

(BG 15.6)

Everything is there. You can have eternal blissful life of knowledge, sac-cid-ānanda. It is not compulsory that you shall rot in this material world. But if you like, you can go there. The easiest process. Easiest process is janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. You try to understand Kṛṣṇa, why He comes, what are His activities, wherefrom He comes, why He comes in the form of a human being. You try to understand, study. And Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā. So where is your difficulty? God is personally explaining what He is. If you accept Bhagavad-gītā as it is, then, after giving up this body, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), no more birth and death. You get your spiritual body, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), and happily live in the family of Kṛṣṇa. Because He is also providing you here, and there also, He'll provide you with very nice preparation. As we have learned from this, what is that, Nava Bhārata Times, how our people are eating preparations from milk very nicely. So back to home, back to Godhead, and eat, drink and be merry in Kṛṣṇa's company. That is our process.

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

Fact it is. If you suppose... Just like the president was five years very powerful. Now he's dragged down. Then what is the value? What is the value? So it may be for five years or fifty years or utmost hundred years. Or a million years. Just like Brahmā. But they are all temporary. In the eternal time, five years or ten years or hundred years or five million years, they are all limited. They are not eternal. But we are eternal. We living entities, we are eternal. So why we should be illusioned by the noneternal?

That is called illusion. That is called jñāna, that "I learn from Bhagavad-gītā that 'I am eternal. There is no birth and there is no death.' Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. Kadācit, at any time. Not that it has begun now. No. Never we are born. Na hanyate hanyamāne... (BG 2.20). So this is the fact. So why I shall be interested in something noneternal?" This is called knowledge. If I am eternal and my position is to enjoy life... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). By nature, I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), and Kṛṣṇa says, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). 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. That is uttama. So one who is interested... Uttama life means the spiritual life. Tama life means this material life. Tamasi mā jyotir gama. If you can tra

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

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. And when Brahmā will die, whole material cosmic manifestation will be finished. So he has also birth and death and old age and disease. And the small ant or insect, it has also the same disease, old age, birth and death. So one has to become free from this bondage, because we are eternal. Na jāyate na mriyate. Bhagavad-gītā says. The living entity never takes birth, never dies. Then why even Brahmā dies? Brahmā is also dying. That is material life. That is bondage, bandhana. Guṇeṣu saktaṁ bandhāya.

So one should not think that "I have got millions of millions of years' duration of life. Therefore I am liberated." No. Brahmā, he has got millions and millions of years as one day, twelve hours, our twelve hours. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). So he is also subjected to birth and death. That is conditional life. So we have forgotten this. We Indians, bhāratīya, we have got these advantages, the perfect knowledge given by the Vedic literature, by great ṛṣis, and Bhagavān Svayaṁ Kapiladeva, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa. And we are neglecting. We have become so unfortunate. There is a poet has said that ātman dhana vilaye diye bhikṣa mage porer kache:(?) "We have lost our own culture. Now we are beggar. We are going to foreign countries to beg something." Of course, I have gone to foreign countries not to beg, but to give. Others go there to beg: "Give me grain. Give me money. Give me soldier." But we have not gone. We have gone to give them. Therefore these Europeans and Americans are attracted. Because I am giving them, not taking from them. That is the difference. They have seen many, big, big persons go to the foreign countries only to beg, but nobody goes there to give.

Lecture on SB 3.25.33-34 -- Bombay, December 3, 1974:

It is not... Inside also, that is brightness, but the sunshine is outside the sun globe, and inside there is sun-god. That information we get from Bhagavad-gītā. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). The sun planet is also a planet like this, but it is fiery planet. And it is earthly planet. The sun planet is fire. But fire and earth is the same material element. Bhūmir āpaḥ analaḥ. Analaḥ. Analaḥ means fire. So either it is made of earth or it is made of fire or it is made of water or it is made of air or prominent, it is all material.

So the sun planet is also material planet like this earthly planet, but it is made of fire. Just like there are so many things we have got experience. There is water, sea. There also, living being, aquatics. They are not dying. But if you are thrown into the water, you will die. But that does not mean that in the water there is no living being. There is. There are hundreds and thousands. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi. We are the men population. We are only 400,000. And in the water there are 900,000's, aquatics. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁś... Everything is there is the śāstras. So... But you cannot live within the... You have got a separate body. Similarly, these so-called scientists, they are thinking that nobody can live in the sun planet. "There is no life." That is wrong. They have got a separate type of body—they can live in the fire. That is the information. There is also towns. There is also palaces. Everything is there. But they are made of fire. We cannot understand that. In the fire you cannot live. In the water you cannot live. But there are living entities. Just like you see in the beach there are crabs. They are living within the sands, but you cannot live. That does not mean in the sand there is no life. There is life. Life sarva-gaḥ. It is said life can exist everywhere, either in the fire or in the water or in the earth or in the air. We are practically experiencing. So everywhere there is life. So... But different position. As you cannot enter in this body either in the moon planet or in the sun planet, similarly, unless you are fully qualified devotee, you cannot enter into the Vaikuṇṭha planets. You have to live outside. You have to live outside in the brahma-jyotir. That is called aikānta.

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

They are just like machine, yantrārūḍhāni, and that machine is made by māyā, this material energy. That is not spiritual energy. I am spiritual energy; you are spiritual energy. But this vehicle, or the car, or the moving machine, that is not spiritual. That is material. Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). It is given by māyā. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ... (BG 3.27). We are in a machine made by māyā. And so long we are on this machine, the machine will be old and you will have to change it for another machine. That is going on. That is called janma-mṛtyu. That is called birth and death. Otherwise you and me, we have no birth and death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. The soul, or the Brahman, he does not take birth or dies. Simply we change this machine, body. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). You are driving one car. If the car is broken or it is smashed, that does not mean you are smashed. You may have some accident, but you are not finished; the car may be finished. Similarly, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Similarly, this body being finished, we are not finished. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), we get another car, another body, just like we are getting different bodies in this life.

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

So the question is that if I am nityaḥ śāśvataḥ, na hanyate han... and my position is I never die, never take birth, so why I have been put into this condition, accepting this machine? That is real problem. That is real problem. Then what is the cause? That cause is that because I want to enjoy this material world. What is that material world? Here it is said, rāyaḥ paśavo gṛhāḥ. Rāyaḥ means wealth. Formerly a man was considered to be wealthy—now also it is... Dhānyena dhanavān, gavayā dhanavān. If you have got many number of cows, then you are considered to be rich man, not papers. Nowadays, if you have got bunch of paper written "one thousand dollar," but they are paper only. You are dhanavān. Formerly, practical. Not dhanavān by the papers, by the currency notes, but by how many cows you possess, because that is life. You get milk. And dhānyena, if you have got food grains, then you are rich, not by possessing some paper. No. Therefore it it said here, rāyaḥ paśavo gṛhāḥ. So these are the material possession.

So, so long we are after this material possession, then we cannot get out of this circle of birth and death. But if we give up this material possession and you take Kṛṣṇa and the Supreme Personality of Godhead and worship Him in bhakti-yoga, as it is said here, bhajanty ananyayā bhaktyā... Ananyayā bhaktyā. Ananyayā bhaktyā means pure, not mixed. You should not mix bhakti with jñāna and karma. That is pure bhakti. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (Brs. 1.1.11). To... Just like there are many bhaktas. They are not pure bhaktas. Chanting, they are also chanting, but they are aspiring after mukti. So they are not pure bhaktas; they are adulterated bhaktas. A bhakta does not want mukti.

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

Therefore Kṛṣṇa, out of compassion, He comes when we completely become dull and rascal, we forget the sufferings of this material life, and we think that we are very nicely situated. "I have got so much bank balance and I will live very happily. I have got so nice wife and so many children. How my problem is solved." No, sir, your problem is not solved. (chuckling) Real problem is not solved. This temporary, you may have some facilities. This is called māyā. Māyayāpahṛta-jñāna. The real business of human life is to, as we have several times discussed, is to discuss about the problems of life and inquire about the Brahman. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is real business of life. But we are not interested. Mūḍha. We are thinking that "We are very happy. Now things will go on like this. I will never die." Śeṣāḥ sthāvaram icchanti kim āścaryam ataḥ param. Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was asked by Dharmarāja, "What is the most wonderful thing in this world?" He replied, "This is the most wonderful thing." What is that? Now,

ahany ahani bhūtāni

gacchantīha yamālayam

śeṣāḥ sthāvaram icchanti

kim āścaryam ataḥ param

"Every minute, every second, they are going to Yamarāja, means dying. But those who are living, they are thinking, 'This death will not happen to me. He is simply dying. My friend is dying. My father is dying. That's all right. But I am eternal. I will not die.' " He thinks like that. Otherwise you should have been prepared, "Oh, I will have to die. Then what is the after death?"

Lecture on SB 3.26.1 -- Bombay, December 13, 1974:

Although he's respected as Kṛṣṇa, still, kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya; He does not claim that "I've become Kṛṣṇa." No. He's very dear to Kṛṣṇa. Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya. Priya. Priya means dear. Why he's so dear? Because he preaches the master's message. Therefore he's pure. If he preaches his own message, manufactured, then he's not good; he's deceit. That now there are so many rascal, they say like that, that "Kṛṣṇa was Bhagavān. That is past now. He's dead and gone. Now I am Kṛṣṇa." There are many rascals they say like that. But these rascals are accepted by other rascals. God is never dead. God... How He can get...? Even the ordinary living being, he's not dead. Na jāyate na mriyate. Even we, living entities, never die or never born. How the Supreme Lord can be dead or born? That is not the fact.

So therefore if we discuss Bhagavān, there are so many things to be understood about Bhagavān.

aiśvaryasya samagrasya

vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ

jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva

ṣaṇṇāṁ bhaga itiṅgaṇa

(Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47)

One who possesses the full opulence of richness. One who possesses all the powers, all the influence, all beauty, all knowledge, all renunciation, that is Bhagavān. So you haven't got to think very ser... You take the formula given in the Vedas. That is perfect knowledge. You understand everything. Therefore the intelligent man, they follow the Vedic injunction. Then the knowledge is perfect. It is already there.

Lecture on SB 3.26.40 -- Bombay, January 15, 1975:

Just like when we sleep deeply, there is no consciousness. There is consciousness—this is called suṣupti, unconscious. So again, as soon as the body is complete, then we get back our consciousness. Then we become in sleepy condition. Then again, when we come out of the mother's abdomen, that is awakening state. There are three states of conditions: jāgara, suṣupti, and svapna-dreaming condition, awakening condition, and unconscious or deep... Actually, we do not die. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. There is no question of death. It is simply sleeping or deep sleeping, like that.

So if we keep Kṛṣṇa consciousness very active always, that means try to understand Kṛṣṇa from different angles of vision. Here also, as we are studying analytically the functions of agni, but what is this agni? This is also Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's energy. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4), Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā. Anala. Anala means agni. Bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. They are not different from Kṛṣṇa. Just like sunshine: sunshine is not different from Kṛṣṇa. Whenever there is sun, wherever there is sun, there is sunshine. Similarly, wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the Kṛṣṇa's energies are also there. Therefore Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu means all-pervading. So Kṛṣṇa's energies are spread everywhere, just like the illumination, dyotanam. It is called dyotanam, illumination. If the fire is there, there must be illumination. And you have seen in the morning—as soon as the sun, before the sun rising actually, before we can see the sun, immediately there is illumination, dyotanam. So the energy, sunshine, is the energy of the sun. it is always there. Sunshine is not differentiated from the sun. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's energy is not differentiated from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore fire is Kṛṣṇa's energy, air is Kṛṣṇa's energy, water is Kṛṣṇa's energy, land is Kṛṣṇa's energy, the sky is Kṛṣṇa's energy. This is Kṛṣṇa's all-pervasiveness or God's all-pervasiveness. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis tathedam akhilaṁ jagat: "Akhilam, the entire universe, is expansion of Kṛṣṇa's energy."

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Tittenhurst, London, September 12, 1969:

Everything is being done by the laws of nature. You cannot change it. There is a plan, God's plan. It will go on. You don't have to bother yourself, that without you, everything will be topsy-turvied. No. You cannot do anything. You are falsely thinking that your leadership is very much needed. No. I was thinking. When I was householder, several times there was indication given by my Guru Mahārāja that I should give up family life and become a sannyāsī and preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. In several way there was hints from my spiritual master, but still, I was not willing. I was thinking, "If I go away, then my family, my sons, my daughters, they will suffer." But actually, I have left my family connection in 1950. Actually '54, but introductory in '50. For the last twenty years. But they are living; I am living. They are not dying in my absence, and I am not suffering without being in my family. On the other hand, by Kṛṣṇa's grace, I have got better family members. I have got nice children in a foreign country. They are taking so much care of me, I could not expect such care from my own children.

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

Dhīra, one who is cool-headed. Not a passionate(?), crazy fellow, but cool-headed. Dhīras tatra na muhyati. He can understand that as one passes through different bodies, baby's to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then old age, similarly, this body, when it will be no more existing, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), the body may be destroyed, but the soul will continue to exist. This is the Vedic principle of knowledge. This is called spiritual knowledge. Spiritual knowledge does not mean anything else. To understand the spiritual, constitutional position of the living entity, that is called spiritual. And at the present moment, by constitution, my position is that I never die or I never take birth. But because I have accepted this material body, therefore I have to change. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Just like we change our garments. I am putting on this garment. When it is old or not usable, I give it up. I accept another coat or shirt. Similarly, we have got coat and shirt over our position as soul. The shirt is the subtle body: mind, intelligence, and ego. And the gross coat is made of five elements: earth, water, fire, air, sky. In these two coverings, I, the soul, I am existing.

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

Where is that education, that there is dehāntara-prāptiḥ, there is transmigration of the soul, and there are so many different types of body? Suppose in this body I am very comfortably situated, I am a very big man, or very great minister, politician, everything is all right—but in the next life, if I am going to get the body of a dog, who can check it? Nature's law will go on. At that time, as minister or big man, if you dictate that "Give me a body like this," oh, that will not be heard. You will get a type of body according to your karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantor deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1). According to your karma, you will get a type of body. This is nature's law. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmani sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). We are completely under the grip of nature's law. We cannot change it. If we challenge that "There is no death," no, death will come. That is nature's law. And if you want to stop death, then that is another process. That is described here. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyet: (SB 5.5.1) You have to accept this process of austerity by which you will purify your existence. Then you will get deathless life, eternal. Yat gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama. Tyakvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya. This is the science. This Bhāgavata literature, this Vedic literature, is giving you information how you can revive your original, eternal life. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). That is the business of human life, not to become mad like hogs and dogs and simply work very hard—"Where is stool?"—and eat it and get some strength, and then enjoy senses. This is not life. This is not civilization.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- Paris, August 12, 1973:

Prabhupāda: His children will not die for want of her. (break) ...maintaining millions and millions of children, why not her?

Jyotirmayī: We saw that in India the people are not chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, now very poor, now dying of anger, oh, hunger, but there is those who are very rich, they are not religious at all. They do not chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, but are very rich and they enjoy very much.

Prabhupāda: Yes, but those who are chanting, they are not dying (laughter). I am Indian. I am not dying.

Guest: I am Indian. I am coming from Calcutta, from the (indistinct). I am seeing every day. This is the first time...

Prabhupāda: But you do not know who are chanting.

Guest: Yes I know, I went...

Prabhupāda: No, that's not, that I cannot accept.

Guest: Yes, yes.

Prabhupāda: Those who are chanting, we have got branch in Calcutta, in Māyāpur, in Bombay, in Vṛndāvana. None of our devotees are dying.

Guest: But I regret to say that in Māyāpur, in Navadvīpa also I saw there poor people dying.

Prabhupāda: Uh huh. You...

Guest: ...myself constructing...

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 12, 1975:

Suppose physician says that "You take five drops of this medicine, mix with water and take it." You have to follow. If you say, "No, let me be cured immediately. Let me take hundred drops" or "one drop." No. That will not help you. Similarly, you should read Bhagavad-gītā as it is prescribed by the physician, Kṛṣṇa. Then you will benefit. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says personally that imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). This yoga system is avyaya, eternal. Kṛṣṇa is eternal, and Kṛṣṇa's words are eternal, and you are also eternal. This is our position. Kṛṣṇa is eternal and we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we are eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), Kṛṣṇa says. Na jāyate na mriyate va kadācit, you are never born, never die. Kṛṣṇa also nityo nityānām. We are all nityas, eternal, but He's the supreme nitya, nityo nityānām. We are plural nitya; He is singular nitya. So what is the difference between this plural and singular? The singular maintains all these plural, eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. He is the maintainer and we are maintained.

So everything is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā, and that is the essence of all Vedic literature. Our propaganda is that you read Bhagavad-gītā, try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any foolish commentary. As soon as you comment, that is foolishness. Don't do it. Read as it is. Then you'll get the enlightenment and you'll understand Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa is teaching to make you understand what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa. Why should we deviate? Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "Learn Bhagavad-gītā, the same instruction, mahat-sevā." Sevā. Kṛṣṇa says, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34), unless you are prepared to render service to your spiritual master... First of all you must find out the proper spiritual master. Then you must engage yourself to his service. Then you can question. Otherwise don't waste your time and your spiritual master's time. Tad viddhi, you must know. The first thing is praṇipātena, praṇipātena, prakṛṣṭa rūpeṇa nipāt, fully surrendered. Just like these boys, they have learned. They will see their spiritual master hundred time, and hundred time they'll fall flat and offer respect. This is called praṇipā. Hundred times. Not that I finished my praṇipā in the morning as an etiquette now. No. These boys are so good. They have learned that they'll meet me hundred times and they'll fall flat hundred times. This is called praṇipā. This is the injunction. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34), that is the Vedic injunction.

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Boston, May 4, 1968:

Yes. The real aim is spiritual realization. But for realizing perfect spiritual life one has to undergo some training. Just like if one is serious of being cured of a certain type of disease he has to undergo certain type of training or regulation as prescribed by the physician. Then he gets cured. Similarly, we are all materially diseased at the present time. So spiritual life means completely freed from material disease. The material diseases are birth, death, old age, and bodily diseases. They are material disease. Because I am spirit soul, I am eternal. I have no death. I have no birth. But because I am contaminated with this material body, therefore with the birth and death of this body I am thinking that I am taking birth and dying. That is my material condition of life. Actually I am not subjected to birth and death. These things are very nicely described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācin na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So the immortality of the soul, transmigration of the soul, everything is described there. So there are books of authority. If we learn, if we'll be trained, then our spiritual liberation is open. Therefore it is recommended here that one should associate with great souls. Without associating with great souls we don't get all this information.

Lecture on SB 5.5.32 -- Vrndavana, November 19, 1976:

So sometimes saintly persons, they sit down in one place. If Kṛṣṇa sends him food he will eat; otherwise he will starve. In our ācārya-sampradāya, Mādhavendra Purī, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, they were doing that. In Vṛndāvana Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, he was blind. He was sitting in one place, and Kṛṣṇa used to come and supply him milk.

So there is no anxiety for maintenance of the body. There is no anxiety. Śāstra therefore says that "Don't spoil your energy for the matter of maintenance of the body. That is already settled up." Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That is the Vedic injunction. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). The Supreme Lord is nitya as we are nitya. Nitya means there is no birth and death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā, nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This is our constitutional position. And what is the difference between the two nityas? One is plural number and the other is singular number. The singular number nitya, or Kṛṣṇa, He supplies food to everyone. Oh, whatever we require, that is already settled up. Therefore we should not spend our energy for maintenance of the body. That is not required. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad brahmatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). Our human energy should be utilized only for that purpose which was not fulfilled in other lives, in the 8,400,000 different species of life, and you are changing, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), by nature's law, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi (BG 3.27). According to guṇa and karma, we are changing our body in 8,400,000's of species and forms. That is By nature's law it is going on, and the nature's law, according to the body, one has to eat, sleep, and sense gratification and protection. At night we see so many dogs. The whole day they could not get food. At night they are crying. And there are other bodies; they are eating nicely. Even the small birds, they have got food. But this dog, they cannot get food. This is God's arrangement. They are condemned life. Otherwise others are getting food; why this body is not getting food? The hogs, they are eating stool.

Lecture on SB 5.6.1 -- Vrndavana, November 23, 1976:

So we can become immediately liberated. Liberated means who has no karma-bandhana, no resultant action. Ava-bharjitāni. That is liberation. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Devotee, he may seem, it may appear, that he is also dying, but his death and ordinary death is different. Here—tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9); and others—they are dying tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). There is a difference. Karmī... It appears that karmīs... People may say, "A karmī is dying, and bhakta is dying. What is benefit?" No. He's not dying, but he is dying or giving up this body for living forever. And the nondevotees, he is dying to accept another body. That is the difference. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. So if you remain a minister, a president or some very big man, but if you are not a devotee, then you have to accept another body. Karmaṇā daiva netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). You have to... Daiva-netreṇa, by superior management, superior administration, you'll be judged what kind of karma you have done. Although you are minister, but you have done, acted like a hog, like a dog, then you have to accept the body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantor dehopapatti. But that we do not know. They do not believe. At the modern days they do not believe that there is next life and it is conducted by the laws of nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ sarvaśaḥ... (BG 3.27). Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Why there are difference of birth? One is king, another is dog; one is tree, another is worm. They are all living entities, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayoyaḥ (BG 14.4). They are all part and parcel. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ: (BG 15.7) "They are all My part and parcel." Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati. They're struggling in this material nature because conducted by this mind and indriyas.

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

In this way, material life means you can live for one minute or one hour or hundred years or millions of years. You get a particular type of body, and according to that body, you live. And therefore you have to die. Kṛṣṇa says that ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokān punar āvartino 'rjuna. Even if you go to the topmost planet, you can live for long, long years, but you will have to die and again come to this earthly planet and again begin your life. This is going on. So how it is going on? Pravṛtti-mārga. "I want to enjoy sense gratification." This is the basic principle. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means that back to home, back to Godhead, not to make proceed or progress towards birth, death, old age, and disease, but make progress towards no birth, no death, no old age, no disease. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is called nivṛtti-mārga. Nivṛtti-mārga. Nivṛtti means stop this type of progress.

So there are indication in the śāstra that how to make progress towards the goal of nivṛtti-mārga. That is stated, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). If you associate with devotees, mahat, mahātmā, great soul... Who is great soul? Great soul means who has understood God. He is great soul. He is called mahātmā. That is stated, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ-prakṛtim āśritāḥ bhajanty ananya-manaso (BG 9.13). Mahātmā means he is not under the condition of this material nature. He is under the protection of the spiritual nature, he is mahātmā. You have to live under somebody. That is our position. You cannot say that "I am not living under somebody. I am independent." No. That is not possible. Nobody can say. Can anybody say that "I am independent"? No. Because our constitutional position is that, to serve.

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

So there is no solution for them made. The so-called scientists and philosophers, they do not..., "Oh, death is natural. What is this? I'll have to, I'll die." But when there is warning, "Now death," there is... I have, everyone has seen that as soon as there is earthquake, they began to scream, "Oh, now I'm going to die." 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..." The Cānakya Paṇḍita also said that those who advancing in spiritual life, they should place before him that "Here is death," just before him. And those who are karmīs, like ass, they'll always think that "I'll never die." The spiritualist always thinks that "I am dying, dying, dying, going to die next moment." And the karmīs, he should think that "I'll live forever." Otherwise he cannot work. He cannot. Unless he is put into this ignorance that he'll never die, he cannot work.

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

Exactly... He gives the example, doṣasya dṛṣṭvā guru-lāghavaṁ yathā bhiṣak cikitseta rujāṁ nidānavit (SB 6.1.8). Exactly like when you go to consult a physician, he prescribes a nice medicine or costly medicine, according to the gravity of the disease. If you have simply some headache, he may prescribe you something like aspirin. But if you have got something else, very severe, he immediately prescribes that "It has to be surgically operated, and the expenditure will be one thousand dollars." (laughter)

So similarly, this is also diseased condition, to... (aside:) Don't... Down. Atonement, the sinful life, this is also diseased condition. Just like we have accepted this chain of birth and death. This is diseased condition of the soul. The soul has no birth and death, no disease. Because it is spirit soul. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, na jāyate: "Soul has no birth." Na mriyate: "It has no death." Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre: (BG 2.20) "Soul is eternal," śāśvataḥ, "existing everlasting. Don't think that it is lost along with the dissolution of this body. No." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Na hanyate means it is not killed, or it is destroyed, even after the destruction of this body. This is the missing point of modern civilization. They do not know... There is no educational system in the university, what happens after death. There is no such educational system. The most defective education, because without this knowledge, what happens after death, without this knowledge, one who is dying without this knowledge, he's an animal. The animal does not know that what he's going to have, another body, how it is... He has no such knowledge. But human life is not meant for becoming an animal, simply interested in eating, sleeping, sex life and defense.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- San Francisco, March 1, 1967:

Not to encourage artificial necessities of life. Simple life: plain living, high thinking—simplicity. And titikṣa, tolerance. Because this world is miserable. If we become disturbed with the miseries of this world, oh, you cannot live for a moment, because this life is, material life is full of miseries. So you have to become tolerant. When Kṛṣṇa was instructed about the eternity of the soul to Arjuna, Arjuna understood it. He said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, I quite understand that soul is eternal. Even my teacher and grandfather is killed, he is bodily killed, but he is eternal. I can understand. But do You think that if my brother or if my grandfather or if my teacher with whom I am so thickly connected, if they die, shall I be happy?" So Kṛṣṇa answered, "Yes. You'll not be happy. Although you know that your son is eternal, he is not dying, he is changing his body... By theoretical knowledge or by understanding, you know it. But who is there in this world who will not cry when the son is dead? He will cry. But that crying is not crying like a layman. He knows that 'My...,' this is habitual. This is habitual."

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, June 15, 1975, Sunday Feast Lecture:

I have no right to get you out from that apartment. Similarly, every living entity by the laws of nature, all laws of nature, is imprisoned or allowed under certain apartment, either in the body of a tree or a human being or demigod or cat or dog. These are all ordained. So you cannot get out the living entity, soul, by force from that body. Then you will be punishable. The living entity is never killed, but you have no right to get him out from that body. That is sinful. If you argue that "What is the harm if I kill one animal, because it is said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre: (BG 2.20) 'The living entity, soul, is never killed even after the annihilation of this body'?" that is all right. But you cannot force him. Just like if you get one person, by force, get out from his apartment—he is not dying, of course, but still, it is criminal because you are forcing to go out of the apartment. So that is the law of nature. You cannot force anyone to get out of the body. Then you are punishable.

So the punishments are different. So therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī is informing, na ced ihaivāpacitiṁ yathāṁhasaḥ. You have done something, sinful activity, and if you do not atone for it before your next death, kṛtasya kuryān mana-ukta-pāṇibhiḥ, the sinful activities which you have done with your body, with your mind, with your senses, that you have to atone for it. "Otherwise," dhruvaṁ sa vai pretya narakān upaiti, dhruvam, "surely he will get the different types of hellish condition of life," ye kīrtitā me, "as I have already described," bhavatas tigma-yātanāḥ, "before you how they are suffering." This is karma-kāṇḍa vicāra, means for one sinful activities, another pious activity, counteraction. But this will be discussed in the next verse, that prāyaścittam. Prāyaścitta means atonement. That is the next verse here:

Lecture on SB 6.1.23 -- Chicago, July 7, 1975:

This is going on. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).

In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, bhūtvā. Bhūtvā means taking shape in some particular type of body. The living soul is there within this body, but the outward dress... Just like we are sitting, so many persons—we have got different dresses—similarly, all these 8,400,000's different forms of life, they are coming into existence and again changing. This is called material world. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). But we are hearing from authorities like Lord Kṛṣṇa. He says, na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit: "My dear Arjuna, a living entity does not take birth. There is no birth, death, old age, disease of the spirit soul." Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācin nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). That is understanding, that we, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, we, all of us, we are particle of Brahman. Therefore we are eternal. There is no birth, death, old age, and disease. So actually, we do not like to die. Why? Because I am eternal, you are eternal, so I want to live forever. But we are put under certain condition of this material world, that we have to die.

Lecture on SB 6.1.25 -- Chicago, July 9, 1975:

So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not to stop your enjoyment but to bring you in the platform where you can enjoy eternally. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So if you want false enjoyment, then you remain in this material world in the darkness. But the Veda says, tamasi mā jyotir gama: "Don't keep yourself foolishly in darkness. Come to the light." So in order to come to the light, you have to follow certain restrictions. Just like you are diseased, and if you want to come to be healthy again, then you have to follow some restrictions, some injunctions. Doctor says, "You don't eat this. You don't do this. You don't do this." That is the way of going to the healthy condition of life. Tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). So a person, intelligent person, if he knows that "By observing certain rules and regulations prescribed by the physician, if I can become again healthy, so why not do this?" this is intelligence. And if you fall victims of this material enjoyment, without any idea of spiritual life, then you remain cats and dogs. That's all. But we must always know that the enjoyment, as Ajāmila... He is enjoying the movements of the child. The similar enjoyment is there in the spiritual world. Kṛṣṇa is the child. Kṛṣṇa never dies, and the father never dies, the mother never dies. Eternally there is enjoyment.

Lecture on SB 6.1.26 -- Honolulu, May 26, 1976:

So here, bhojayan pāyayan mūḍho na veda āgatam antakam. He was eighty-eight years old. So he was busy in maintaining the family, children, everything. But he never thought that "Death will come all of a sudden without waiting for my settle everything." That is the eighth wonder. This question was asked by Dharmarāja to Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja: "What are the wonders, the most wonderful wonders? What is that?" So he said, "This is the most wonderful thing." "What is that?" Ahany ahani gacchanti lokāni yama-mandiram. Every moment we see that someone is going to the court of Yamaraja—that means death. That is our experience, everything. Ahany ahani lokāni gacchanti yama-mandiraṁ śeṣāḥ sthitam icchanti. Śeṣāḥ, who is not yet dead, he's still alive, he thinks, "I will never die. My dear friend is dying. That's all right. But I'll... Your father is dead. No, still I will be..." Śeṣāḥ sthitam icchanti kim aścaryam ataḥ param. This is the most wonderful thing that we have experience, that "My father is dead, my father's father is dead, so I shall also be die, my sons will die." Well, who will stay? Well, what is the struggle for existence, survival of the fittest? He never thinks of it. This is the eighth wonder.

Lecture on SB 6.1.27-34 -- Surat, December 17, 1970:

As Lord Kṛṣṇa's appearance and disappearance are all spiritual, transcendental, they are not ordinary things, similarly, Lord Kṛṣṇa's devotee, His representative, who is sent to this material world for preaching the glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa, their appearance and disappearance is also like Kṛṣṇa's. Therefore, according to Vaiṣṇava principles, the appearance and disappearance of Vaiṣṇava is considered all-auspicious. Therefore we hold festivals. Just like yesterday we had the disappearance day of His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Goswami Prabhupāda. So we offered our respects and observed a festival, Āvirbhava, Tirobhava. Tirobhava.

Actually the living entity has no birth or death, and what to speak of Kṛṣṇa or His devotee. Kṛṣṇa is the chief living entity of all living entities. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He is also a living entity. Sometimes the atheist class of men say, "God is dead." The rascals, they do not know that even a small living entity does not die. How Kṛṣṇa can be dead or God can be dead? Mūḍhā. Therefore these classes of men are described in the Bhagavad-gītā as mūḍhā, rascals. They do not know anything; still, they pose themselves as very learned and utter something which is neither good for them nor for the public.

So in this way, dūre krīḍanakāsaktaṁ putraṁ nārāyaṇāhvayam, plāvitena svareṇa, very appealing voice, he began to ask his youngest son, "Please come here. I am dying." He was very much afraid of the three Yamadūtas who were..., who came there to drag him.

Lecture on SB 6.1.28-29 -- Philadelphia, July 13, 1975:

If one is not offender, then he has no chance even to see the Yamadūta. But because willfully or nonwillfully he was engaged in sinful activities, associating with the prostitute, and for maintaining the prostitute he was planning so many sinful activities, cheat and take others' money and enjoy, for that reason, he had to see. And if he remains pure, he hasn't got to see. This is the difference.

So regular resultant action of sinful life, one has to. Just like Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja. Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was advised by Kṛṣṇa that "You go to Droṇācārya and tell him the lies." "What is that?" "Now, tell him that 'Your son Aśvatthāmā is dead.' " Because Droṇācārya had some benediction that unless he is shocked by the death of his son, he will never die. So Kṛṣṇa had to take this diplomatic, because it is politics. So Kṛṣṇa... Because Droṇācārya will not believe anyone. He knew that Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is a most pious man; he never tells lies. So if Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira goes and says that "Your son is dead," then he will believe. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa could have gone personally, but He knew that people do not believe Him. (laughter) He is very tricky. (laughter) So therefore no tricky man can excel Him. A man may be very tricky, very intelligent, but he will not be able to excel Kṛṣṇa. He is more tricky. Just like in His childhood, Kṛṣṇa was naughty, so mother wanted to bind Him. So Kṛṣṇa also became tricky. Mother first of all brought some rope and bound, and when it was to be knotted, it was short. And then again she joined another rope. In this way, whatever rope store she had, she brought one after another, and at last, when knotting, it is too... What is called?

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

That is your intelligent. No, they forgot to use the machine for going to the destination; they are simply studying the machine. And that is going on in the name of science. What is this nonsense science? Simply busy in studying the machine.

So that is our mistake. Our mistake is that we have got advanced or developed consciousness. We should utilize it for going back to home, back to Godhead. Why should we misuse it unnecessarily? And you are not perfect. Suppose you are studying the machine throughout the whole life. What you will get that? Can you make the machine to your favor that this machine will not be lost, there will be no death? You all scientists, you are studying the machine. Have you found out any means that there will be no death? Where is that knowledge. 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." Tapaḥ. Tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). You have to undergo austerities that you may not be subjected to this machine. That is your business, not to study the machine. How to become independent of the machine. So long you are in this material world, you are desiring differently. Nature is supplying you a different type of machine, and you are busy. Then again, the machine is broken, then you accept another machine. This is going on.

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

There is fight between the demons and the demigods and so on, so on. The same politics, same (indistinct), the same..., so many things. Here in the small scale, just like two birds, they fight also. You've seen them. So their fighting you neglect. But your fighting—there is atom bomb. And similarly there is fighting in upper planets also.

So these things are going on, struggle for existence, survival of the fittest. This is nice theory. So here, anywhere you go... Just like your America is the richest country. Do you think there is happiness, there is no fighting, there is no disease, there is no death? No. Everything's there as it is in other countries, poverty-stricken countries. So you cannot avoid. The birth... 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 6.1.49 -- Detroit, June 15, 1976:

Naṣṭa-janma-smṛtis. We are changing the circumstances, naṣṭa-janma-smṛtis. As soon as one form of body is finished... Death means forgetfulness. Death means forgetfulness. Everyone is continuing life, but when one forgets the activities of this life and accepts another body, that is called death. Otherwise, a spirit soul has no death. So therefore we should be careful that I have already got this body which is meant for suffering. More or less, it doesn't matter. There is suffering. A cat or dog is suffering more than a human being, but it does not mean that the human being is without suffering. That is not possible. Everyone is suffering. So in the human form of life we can inquire, "Why I am suffering." That is human being. So śāstra says that you are already suffering, in any form of body. Either you are President Nixon or a man in the street, you are already suffering. That's a fact. Now you are suffering on account of this body. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). And still you are doing something which will cause to accept another material body. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma. And you are suffering because you indulged in your past life sense gratification, and you have got this body according to karma, and again, if you are engaged in sense gratification, do not try to elevate yourself from this platform of sense gratification, then you'll again suffer. You'll get, by nature's way, you'll get another body according to the desire. According to the mentality you create at the time of death, nature will supply you another body. And as soon as you get another body, your suffering begins. Your suffering immediately begins, even from the womb of the mother. As soon as the body is developed, the suffering is there. To remain in that compact bag and for so many months, hands and legs all tied up, cannot move. And nowadays there is risk of being killed also.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

This gentleman, my friend, who was begging from the doctor, "Doctor, another four years duration of life." Why? He has got so much attachment. So once we are attached to this material way of life it is very difficult. It is very difficult. So brahmacārī is trained that this cosmic manifestation in which we are put by chance, this is temporary. Everything will be finished today or tomorrow or after a hundred years. But just try to understand that you are eternal. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Na jāyate na mriyate kadācit. You have no death, you have no birth. Your, the birth and death is due to this body. That's all. Just like I told you, death means sleeping for seven months, again rise up. Suptotthito nyāya. Just like in the morning, while sleeping, you forget everything, but as soon as you get up from the bed you remember everything, "Oh, I have to do this, I have to go there, I have to do this." So many things you remember. Similarly, as soon as we get our again consciousness in next body, then our another batch of duty begins according to the body.

That is also explained, deha-yogena dehinām. Another standard of sense gratification. Because the human body's sense gratification is different from dog's body's sense gratification. Or European sense gratification is different from African sense gratification because it is due to the body. So wherever you take your birth, in this planet or another planet, or this family or that family, this nation or that, that sense gratification arrangement is already there according to your body. You cannot improve it. If a dog likes to gratify his senses like a man, it is not possible because he has got a particular type of body.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- New York, April 9, 1969:

None of us, either Kṛṣṇa or we or all living entities, they appear and disappear. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa says in the battlefield, "My dear Arjuna, either you or Me or all the kings and soldiers who have assembled in this battlefield, don't think that they did not exist in the past and they'll not exist in the future." That means they existed in the past and they're existing at present and they would exist also in the future. That means eternal. Eternal, we are all eternal.

But this misunderstanding is... Just like we are... Because the passing phase is this body, and the body is changing, and the final change, when you transmigrate from one body to another, it is called death. Actually, there is no death. Na jāyate na mriyate kadācit. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that the living entity never is born, neither never dies. Na hanyamāne hanyate, hanyamāne śarīre. Then "I see that he is dying." Oh, that is dying not, that is his finishing his this present body. The example is given, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Just like one person changes his dress, similarly, when this dress, the present body, is unworkable... Just like one man cannot see. What do you mean by "cannot see"? When the power of vision is no longer working or the spectacle is broken, therefore he cannot see. Similarly, when the all the senses will be broken or cannot work... Just like eye cannot, the eyes cannot work, therefore it is blind, similarly, the hand cannot work, the leg cannot work, the tongue cannot work because at the last stage when this mechanical arrangement of this body will stop to function, that is called death. That you try to understand, that as because I cannot see, it does not mean I am dead. Similarly, because the senses of the body cannot function, that also does not mean that I am dead. It is to be understood with little intelligence and with cool head.

Lecture on SB 7.6.4 -- Toronto, June 20, 1976:

Everything is discussed. Everyone is thinking that "I have got a very strong body. I run five miles a day. So I have made a so strong body, I'll never die." "That is not possible sir. You have to die." So dehāpatya. "My sons are very well educated. They are holding big, big post, minister. They will." Deha-apatya. "No, sir. They'll not be able to." Dehāpatya kalatra. "My wife is so sincere, so faithful. She will give me protection." "No, sir." Dehāpatya kalatrādiṣu (SB 2.1.4). We are thinking ātma-sainya: "They are my soldiers. I am struggling for existence and these soldiers will give me protection." So the Bhāgavata says, teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanaṁ paśyann api na paśyati. He's so mad that he knows that "These things will be finished. Nobody will be able to give me protection," still he... Pramattaḥ. Pramattaḥ means mad. So these attempts will not give me protection. And as soon as this body's finished, another body's waiting. That you do not know what kind of body you are going to get. That you have to know by your work. Urdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ (BG 14.18). Now if this time, this life I may become a prime minister and big, big man. But when I come in politics I have to deal with so many people in so many nefarious ways and lives that out of my karma, I'll get the next body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1). You'll get the next body according to your karma. Now if I've acted just like menial animal, then next life animal. If I become a dog... This life I am minister, prime minister, and next life I become a dog, then what is my profit? But that is nature's law. There is no consideration that "You are a prime minister then you, oh, you respectable post." No. Daiva-netreṇa. The superior management will see in which way you have acted—either as a dog or as a god. That will be taken into consideration. Not your position.

But these rascals, they do not understand that everyone is strictly under the laws of nature.

Lecture on SB 7.6.5 -- Toronto, June 21, 1976:

So now, we find from the Bhagavad-gītā, there are three words. Sanātanaḥ, eternal, is used there. First thing is this jīva, these living entities, they have been described as sanātanaḥ. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7). We are living entities, sanātanaḥ. It is not that we have become jīva-bhūtaḥ by the influence of māyā. We have put ourself in the influence of māyā; therefore we are jīva-bhūtaḥ. Actually we are sanātana. Sanātana means eternal. Nityo śāśvata. Jivātmā is described: nityo śāśvato yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). That is sanātana. So we are so less intelligent that if I am eternal, sanātana, I have no birth and death, why I have been put into this tribulation of birth and death? This is called brahma-jijñāsā. But we are not educated. But we should be educated. At least we should take advantage of this instruction. We are sanātana. And another world is there, mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). This material world is manifested, and background of this is the total material energy, mahāt-tattva. That is not manifested. So vyakto 'vyaktāt. Beyond this there is another nature, a spiritual nature, sanātana. That is called sanātana. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). And the jīva-bhūtaḥ-sanātana. And in the Eleventh Chapter, Arjuna describes Kṛṣṇa as sanātana. So three sanātana. Three sanātana. So if we are all sanātana, there is sanātana-dhāma and Kṛṣṇa is sanātana, we are also sanātana. So when they are combined together, that is called sanātana-dharma. They do not know what is sanātana. They think that if I dress in a certain way and if I am born in a certain community, then I become sanātana-dharma. No. Everyone can become sanātana-dharma. But they do not know what is the meaning of sanātana. Every living entity is sanātana. And Kṛṣṇa, God is sanātana. And there is a place where we can meet together—that is sanātana dhāma. Sanātana dhāma, sanātana-bhakti, (indistinct), sanātana-dhāma. When it is executed, that is called sanātana-dharma.

Lecture on SB 7.6.10 -- New Vrindaban, June 26, 1976:

Kṛṣṇa doesn't want that you become... Kṛṣṇa wants, but if you do not become Kṛṣṇa conscious, He has nothing to lose. But if we do not become Kṛṣṇa conscious, it is, our chance is lost. This is the problem. So when Kṛṣṇa comes and He advises sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), it is for our interest. If we do that, then we become happy. Because we want happiness, so little tapasya. Just like if you want to cure your feverish condition you have to accept some rules and regulations ordered by the physician. If we want to cure, bhavauṣadhiḥ. So simple thing: tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyed sattvam (SB 5.5.1). Little tapasya. It is not very difficult. But if we undergo a little tapasya—no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication—little, not very... Now those who have given up these bad habits, they are not dying for want of these. But this little tapasya, tapasā brahmacaryeṇa... (SB 6.1.13).

So, otherwise our propensity for sense gratification will increase, and for satisfying our sense gratification we require money, and for money they are risking their life. Yesterday our Pradyumna was speaking about the description of the factory. For some money they are going to the factory, hellish life. But money required, never mind hellish life. Going underneath the mine, at any moment the mine may collapse, and we risk life. Especially, here it is given that taskaraḥ sevako vaṇik. Taskaraḥ means thieves, they risk their life, enter into the house of another rich man, and he can shoot him immediately. There is dog, so many, but he risks his life for money. Taskaraḥ. Taskaraḥ means thieves, burglars, they risk their life. And sevaka. Sevaka, as soon as we become servant of some materialistic person, he'll extract, as much as possible, service in the factory. That is also very risky. We are not happy, sevaka. And vaṇik. Vaṇik means merchants. Sa vai vaṇik. They also risk their life. In European colonization, how much they risked life. When the Americans came here, how much they risked their life. So because you require money, we have to risk our life in so many ways. So the best thing is that we have to minimize our wants. We should be satisfied with the yāvad artha-prayojana, as little as possible. Not that we shall starve. That is not recommended. But don't increase.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 10, 1968:

A brāhmaṇa is not afraid. He is not anxious because he is dependent on God. He knows that "I have surrendered unto God completely, and He is all-powerful. Therefore I have no anxiety." Just like a small child, he has no anxiety. Why? Because he is completely dependent on the parents. He knows confidently that in any danger, "Oh, my mother is there." As soon as he feels there is some danger, "Mother!" That's all. Finished. Similarly, one who is completely confident that "The supreme father is there. He will protect me, give me protection," so he has no anxiety. Nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati (SB 6.17.28). When one is fully confident about God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is not afraid, not even afraid of death, because he knows that he has no death. He is eternal.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 10, 1968:

Therefore the Vedic injunction is that "You simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). You don't have to take any botheration. In whatever position you are, you just try to consent in your mind to hear the sound of Hare Kṛṣṇa, best type of meditation, because it is not possible to acquire all these qualities, tapa. So śamo-damas-tapa-śaucam. Śaucam means cleanliness, hygienic principles, to take bath thrice, at least once, daily. Therefore to keep no hair is better. You wash, there is no question of moisture in the hair. And those who have got big hairs, they cannot take daily bath. But if you keep your bald-headed, there is no trouble. Śaucam. So bathing is required, taking bath daily, śaucam. And kṣānti. Kṣānti means toleration. Because this world is full of miseries, and you have to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this condition... Kṛṣṇa advised in the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna, that... Because the topic was on the body, so Arjuna said, "Accepting that the soul is immortal and it never dies, still, if some relative dies, we feel pain. Is it not a fact?" Kṛṣṇa said, "Yes, it is a fact." Even if I know that my son is dead, my son is not dead. The soul of my son is departed from this body to another body. So there is no cause of anxiety. He has got another body, but still, I feel, "Oh, my son...," for the body, because I am accustomed to love my son by the body. So this concession should be allowed. If somebody is crying, that does not mean he is a fool, but it is material affection. So Kṛṣṇa advises that this kṣānti, titikṣa, toleration. How toleration? Śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ. Just like we tolerate there is severe cold. There is no use fighting and howling, "Oh, there is so much cold, so much cold, so much." You have to tolerate. You cannot fight.

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

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. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). The spirit soul... I am soul; you are soul. I am not dying. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre. But these foolish persons, they do not know. They accept death, birth and death, old age and disease. There is no remedy. The so-called scientists, philosophers, they cannot give any remedy. The only remedy is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That they do not know. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). No. That is remedy. You have to become Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Lecture on SB 7.9.29 -- Mayapur, March 7, 1976:

I mean to say that He does not say very easily. But if a servant... Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. Therefore our philosophy is to please the servant of God, tad-bhṛtya, bhṛtyasya bhṛtya. Then it is very nice. The success is...

So here it is said that sva-bhṛtya-ṛṣi-vākyam ṛtaṁ vidhātum. So Brahmā gave him benediction. He asked, "Sir, I'll not die at night." "Yes, that's all right." "I'll not die in daytime." "That's all right." "I'll not die in the sky," "That's all right." "On the land." "That's all right." "On the water." "That's all right." "No animal can kill me." "That's all right." "No man can." "That's all right." So he thought, "Now I am secure. There is no death." But Kṛṣṇa is so intelligent that He killed him not at night, not in day, not in the sky, not on the land, not on the water, not by animal, not by man—all things, ṛtam, yes, everything kept. Still, he was killed. He was killed in the evening, which you cannot say it is day or night. He was killed on the lap of the Lord. You cannot say it is sky, land or water. He did not kill him with the open weapon, but He killed with His nails. In this way you'll find that He kept everything intact, what benediction was given by Lord Brahmā, ṛtaṁ vidhātum. "Yes." At last, of course, He little chastised Brahmā that "You should not give such benediction in future. This is botheration for Me." (laughter) But still, He kept His servant's promise intact. The demon was also killed, and the promise given by, a benediction given by Brahma, everything... That is the action of the Supreme Personality. In one stroke He is doing so many things. He's saving Prahlāda Mahārāja, He's killing Hiraṇyakaśipu, He's keeping intact the promise of Brahmā—everything. That is God's intelligence. Our intelligence, however diplomat we may be, if we want to do anything, another thing is not managed nicely. But Kṛṣṇa... That is called all potency. When He does something, in a moment He can adjust everything. Even opposite actions, He can adjust. That is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He's called all-powerful. We cannot do that.

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

Evaṁ sva-karma-patitaṁ bhava-vaitaraṇyām anyonya-janma maraṇa. Here is again, anyonya-janma: "Not only this birth, but another birth, another birth, another birth." You cannot say that "This is the final" or "This is the beginning." No. That is not. Anyonya-janma-maraṇa. In another body also there is birth and death. As in this body we have got birth and death, similarly, in another body also, either I take my birth as Lord Brahmā or a small, insignificant ant... It doesn't matter. Any material body you take, there is birth and there is death. You may live... Just like we are human being. We may live for many years, hundred years, in comparison to the ant's life, and similarly, we may live hundred years, and Brahmā is living for millions of years. So it does not mean there is no death. Death must be there. One who has taken birth, he must die. The janma-maraṇa. And as soon as you take birth, 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.

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.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja and every Vaiṣṇava who is actually following the paramparā system of Vaiṣṇava duty, they are anxious. Prahlāda Mahārāja says that śoce tato vimukha-cetasa. And why they are vimūḍhān? Because vimukha cetasa: "They don't like You. They don't care for You: 'I don't care for God. I don't accept Kṛṣṇa,' these vimūḍhas." So all the Vaiṣṇavas, especially those who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement... Prahlāda Mahārāja will speak later on that "Sir, I am not inclined at all to go alone to Vaikuṇṭha. I must take them all with me. Otherwise I don't want." Prahlāda Mahārāja is devotee. He can ask Kṛṣṇa the power, "Give me such power that along with me I shall take all of them." And that is Vaiṣṇava. He can do so. Vaiṣṇava ṭhākura, tomāra kukkura, boliyā janaha more. Therefore we have to become a dog to Vaiṣṇava. Chādīyā vaiṣṇava sevā, nistar payeche kebā. Without serving Vaiṣṇava, nobody can be delivered, because he is so merciful, he can demand to Kṛṣṇa, "Please, on my sake please excuse him. I'll take him with me." So Kṛṣṇa grants him, "All right, you take them." That Vaiṣṇava is such...