Nature. You are desiring so many things in your life. They are recorded. And you have to accept each and every body, one after another. That is nature's gift. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. That is the nature's work. As you desire, so you get a body. If you misuse the body, then for sometimes you are restrained not to get a gross body.
There are so many scientific problem about this life and transmigration of the soul. You can understand from the authorized Vedic literature how the soul transmigrates from one body to another. That is also explained. The soul remains with the subtle body, which we cannot see. But after destruction of this gross body, the soul is carried to another gross body according to his desire by the subtle body. The example is given—just like the flavor of flower garden is carried by the air, and if you do not . . . even though you do not see the flower, when you smell the good smell, you can understand where from the air is blowing. Similarly, according to your desire you get a body, and that desire, that capsule of mind, intelligence will carry you to another body. God will give you the chance. This is the process.
Guest: If that is the case, then . . .
(break)
Prabhupāda: . . . question. The ultimate goal of the soul is to reach God. That is the process. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇu. They do not know what is the ultimate goal of life. The ultimate goal of life is to reach God. That is really culture. So people do not know it. They think, "My ultimate goal of life is to make some good bank balance." But that is not the ultimate goal of life. The bank balance will be finished as soon as you give up this body—your skyscraper building and bank balance, everything. Now according to your karma, according to your desire—karma means according to your desire—you'll have to accept another body. So these bodily activities, this possession of this body, will be finished with your death. Then you have to begin another chapter. It may be human being, or it may be demigod, or it may be animal. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā:
- yānti deva-vratā devān
- pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
- bhūtejyā yānti bhūtāni
- mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām
- (BG 9.25)
So we have to accept another body. Therefore, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving intelligence to the person that, "Here is your ultimate goal of life, Kṛṣṇa. Come here. Be trained up in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and go back to home, back to Godhead, Kṛṣṇa." This is our movement. That is the ultimate goal.
(break) . . . go somewhere. Because you are eternal. Simply by finishing your body, you will not finish. You have to go. But where you shall go? That you can plan in this life. And if you make this plan that, "I want to go back to home, back to Godhead . . ." The Bhagavad-gītā is there. You study. You cultivate this knowledge. And Kṛṣṇa says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9): "My dear Arjuna, such person who have developed Kṛṣṇa consciousness perfectly, after giving up this body, he does not accept any more material body." Tyaktvā deham. "After giving up this body . . ." Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Janma means birth, means accepting another material body. Otherwise, the soul has no birth, no death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā. The soul never takes birth or never dies. It is the body only. It takes birth and dies according to my karma.
So if one becomes Kṛṣṇa consciousness . . . Kṛṣṇa conscious, the ultimate goal of life, then after giving up this body he does not accept any more any material body. Then what does he do? Mām eti: "He comes to Me." This is the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the ultimate goal of life.
Guest: Can't the unity with God attain by any other religion?
Prabhupāda: Everyone. Don't you see this practically? They were all Christians, Jews, Muhammadans. How they are coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
Guest: So is Kṛṣṇa consciousness the only method?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa conscious . . . you . . . maybe it in otherwise. But the aim is that there is God. We are part and parcel of God. Somehow or other, we are now separated. We must be united again. That is the life's business.
Guest: So any other religion also can give . . .
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Why not? Any religion. We do not say that, "You practice this religion or that religion." We say: "Just try to go back to home, back to Godhead." That is our philosophy.