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The body is the destiny. With the body everything is destined - your material happiness and distress, everything

Expressions researched:
"The body is the destiny. With the body everything is destined" |"your material happiness and distress, everything"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

If I get the body of a hog, then I act like a hog. And if I get the body of a God—God you cannot—demigod, higher standard of life—then you can act like that. The body is the destiny. With the body everything is destined—your material happiness and distress, everything.

We are at liberty, we have to make our choice. If we want to enjoy this material world, Kṛṣṇa will provide it, provide all facilities. You can enjoy. But Kṛṣṇa says that you'll never be happy. Never be happy. You'll simply be more entangled. More entangled means now I have got this human form of body, but according to my desire at the time of death I may get another body, which may not be human form of body. There are 8,400,000 species and forms of body. I can get one of them. These are very subtle things. One has to understand it. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). At the time of death our next body will be decided according to my mental condition.

So entanglement means today I am thinking, "I have got this body"—Indian body or American body or English body or this body, fat body, thin body—tomorrow I may not possess. As soon as I get another body, that means the chapter changes. If I get a body of a dog, then I may act like a dog. If I get the body of a hog, then I act like a hog. And if I get the body of a God—God you cannot—demigod, higher standard of life—then you can act like that. The body is the destiny. With the body everything is destinedyour material happiness and distress, everything.

That is called adṛṣṭa. Adṛṣṭa means which you can not see, but it has been fixed up by superior intelligence, that this much you will get. Therefore we see so many divisions of status. One man is working very hard day and night, but it is very difficult for him to collect even so much money that he can eat nicely. Because the body is made for that. Similarly, another man, born with silver spoon in the mouth, he hasn't got to try very much, but he gets his money quickly, very quickly. Therefore the Bhāgavata says that, "Don't waste your time for so-called happiness and distress. Don't waste your time." Because you are already destined to receive a standard of happiness and distress. You cannot change it. But you can change your consciousness. That is possible. But you cannot change your material position.

The modern people, they do not know. They do not know it that material condition cannot be changed. Take, for example, the pig. His body is meant for eating stool. So you cannot induce him to eat halavā. That cannot be. He'll not accept it, because the body is meant like that. But in the human form, if we change our consciousness, then we can become . . . we can revive our original status. Original status means eternal life of blissfulness and knowledge. That is original life. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1).

So that Supersoul is always helping us as friend. Therefore here it is said, avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu. Avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu vibhaktam iva ca sthitam. The Supersoul appears like an individual soul. He is staying as friend. So He has been divided. Vibhaktam iva, "as if divided." It is not divided. The example you can understand: Just like there is sun on the sky, and if you keep millions of pots with water, you will find the sun is reflected there. That does not mean that the sun has divided into millions. This is the best example. Just like there are millions of people standing at twelve o'clock, and you ask every one of them, even five thousand miles away that, "Were is the sun?" everyone will say: "It is on my head." Does it mean that the sun has divided into millions of personal . . . on each head sun is standing? No, sun is one. But it appears like that.

Therefore it is is said that avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu vibhaktam iva ca sthitam. He is not vibhakta. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvara, the Supreme Lord as Supersoul, is staying in everyone's heart. That does not mean He has become divided. No, He is one. That is already explained, that sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata. Kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). Kṛṣṇa said that in each and every individual body there is the soul, kṣetra-jña. This body is kṣetra, field of activities. And within the body the soul is there. He is working according to the position. He is working. So he is kṣetra-jña. Just like I know it is my body. I don't say: "It is I body." No, I say: "My body." You say: "My body." Everyone says. I know, "This is my body." If I see my finger, I think, "It is my finger." I don't think, "I finger," because I am not this body. Anyone, simply little sober thinking. So therefore, one who knows that, "It is my body," he is kṣetra-jña. He knows. And the body is called kṣetra. Idaṁ śarīraṁ kṣetram ity abhidhīyate. This śarīra is called kṣetra, field of activities. According to my body, I am acting. That is my field of activity.

Page Title:The body is the destiny. With the body everything is destined - your material happiness and distress, everything
Compiler:SharmisthaK
Created:2022-11-24, 05:14:11
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1