There are living entities who do not accept this material body. They are in the spiritual world. Their number is greater than the number of the living entities within this material world. They are called nitya-siddha, eternally perfect. And here in this material world, the living entities are called nitya-baddha. Nitya-baddha means eternally conditioned. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says, tat sādhu manye asura-varya dehinām. Dehinām means in this material world. We are not this deha, this body. We are dehī: only accepting. Just like I am not this shirt; I am different from this shirt. This is called self-realization. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi, I am spirit soul. That is jñāna. So long I am identifying with this body, then my . . . I am in ignorance, I am a go-kharaḥ. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kunape tri-dhātuke, sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13).
But unfortunately, these people are going under the identification of this body: "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am white," "I am black," "I am learned," " I am fool," " I am rich," "I am poor." All these designations are our ignorance. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says dehinām. Anyone who has accepted this body, tat sādhu manye 'sura-vārya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyam. Because the living entity, although spirit soul, he has accepted this material body, asat. Asat means which will not exist. This body will not exist, but we forget that. This is the most wonderful thing in this material world. Everyone is dying every moment, still, one who is living, he thinks that he will live forever. That is the most wonderful thing.
- ahany ahani lokāni
- gacchanti yama-mandiram
- śeṣaḥ sthitam icchanti
- kim āścaryam ataḥ param
- (Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.116)
So our position is in ignorance, and therefore we are always full of anxiety. Just like this war between India and Pakistan . . . (indistinct) . . . the anxiety is not yet over; it is going on. There may be another war. So in this material world you cannot be free of anxiety. That is not possible. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Asad-grahāt means because we have accepted something which is temporary, not permanent—take, for example, this body—therefore, we must be always full of anxieties.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja advised that "The best thing which I have learned is that you should give up this material world." Tyaktva . . . gṛham andha-kūpaṁ ātma-pātaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta: "My dear father, I have learned this best thing," that tyaktva . . . gṛham andha-kūpam. "This world, material world, which is just like a dark well . . . if a man is thrown into this dark well as he is in this precarious condition of life, similarly, anyone who is in the material world, he is put into the dark well. Therefore, somehow or other, we have to get out of this" and vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5), "We shall accept the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari." The father became very much angry. Mūrkhāya upadeśa hi prakopāya na śāntaye: if you give good instruction to a mūrkha, to a foolish person, he will be angry. He will not rectify himself, but he will be angry on that count.