You have to change this dress. You have to change this body. And next body is depending on your activities. If you act sinfully, then you have to take the body, by force of nature, as cats and dogs. That is certain. Don't risk your life. Take the opportunity of human life and be Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa personally comes to canvass, to "Please give up all this engagement. Please come to Me, surrender unto Me, and I will give you all protection." This is the lesson we understand from Bhagavad-gītā. And if we actually surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, if we actually understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then your bhāgavata-dhima begins.
That is Vyāsa . . . these are all contributions of Śrīla Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva, the last contribution of Vyāsadeva, after compilation of Vedānta-sūtra . . . He personally wrote the comments of Vedānta-sūtra in the form of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhāṣyaṁ brahma-sūtrānāṁ. Vyāsadeva has written personally that, "This is the real commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra." Because he knew that many foolish person will comment on the Vedānta-sūtra differently, atheistically that, "There is no God," "I am God," "You are God." Therefore he protected the readers of Brahmā-sūtra.
(break) . . . form of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And because it is commentary of the Vedānta-sūtra, therefore he begins with first aphorism of the Vedānta-sūtra: janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Now he explains the verse, the sūtra, or the code, Vedic code, janmādy asya yataḥ. The first question is, "Who is . . . what is the Absolute Truth, we should inquire now." This is the beginning of human life. If one does not inquire what is God, what I am, what is my relationship with God, that is animal life. That is animal life, that is not human life. Human life is not meant for simply eating, sleeping and mating and . . . or defending.
So this is the beginning, as I told you. Parābhava. Without understanding our relationship with the Supreme Lord, whatever we are creating by our industrialization, economic development or so on, so, it is all defeat, because we are losing the chance. Lord Jesus Christ also said in one place that, "If we are lost of our soul and if we gain the whole world, then what is the gain?" Actually that is the fact. We are losing ourself. Suppose after making huge amass of money, amassing in the bank balance, and if I die and if I take birth in the next life as a cat and dog, then what is the benefit of amassing such a huge amount of bank balance? We should understand this.
Therefore unless we inquire about the Brahman or the Absolute Truth, then whatever activities we are performing without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without the knowledge of the Brahman, then they are all defeat. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam (SB 5.5.5). Therefore human life actually begins when this inquiry is there. If this inquiry is not there, then it is animal life. That is stated in the Upaniṣad: etad viditvāsmāt ya praiti sa brāhmaṇaḥ.
If anyone passes away from this material world, from this body, after understanding what is Brahman, what is Kṛṣṇa, what is this world, what I am, then he is a brāhmaṇa. (Sanskrit: etad aviditvā yaḥ prayāti sa kṛpaṇa) And if one passes away like cats and dogs without understanding, then he's a kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇa means miser, who could not properly use his property or assets. He's called a miser.
So we have got this human form of life. Don't become a miser simply by seeing that, "How I can enjoy?" How I can enjoy, that is also very much nicely explained, that if you think that, "If I can live for three hundred years, or say one thousand years, then my life is successful." The Bhāgavata says: "Why three hundred years? There are many trees who are living for ten thousand years." So do you think by living for ten thousand years your life is successful? Śaṅkarācārya lived for thirty-two years. Lord Caitanya lived for forty-eight years.