Everywhere there is discontentment, there is scarcity. Just like from India we thought that "When I go to America and other Western countries, I will see that every man is very rich man and every man has got a very nice apartment and enjoying life." But actually, when I come here I see the . . . there are many poor men, there are many miserable men here also. Only the proportionate is different, but the actual fact is the same, either in India or in America or in Canada or in everywhere. The same thing. Proportion different. Therefore, if we want . . . Prahlāda Mahārāja says that:
- kaumāra acaret prajno
- dharmān bhāgavatan iha
- durlābhaṁ manusam janma
- tad apy adhruvam arthadam
- (SB 7.6.1)
This Prahlāda Mahārāja learned this bhāgavata-dharma from Nārada Muni from the womb of his mother. When he was living within the womb of his mother like this . . . perhaps you have seen the child in the womb. At least, you have seen in the photograph. So he was lying there within the womb of his mother. And Nārada Muni instructed his mother about this bhāgavata-dharma, and the child . . .
This bhāgavata-dharma is, therefore, without any impediment. Just like one child, four years old, he is associating with us, so he is also getting the same benefit as his father. It is so nice thing. It is not that because he is child he is not getting any benefit. Simply by associating with the devotees, he is getting so much profit, incalculable. Incalculable.
So bhāgavata-dharma, Prahlāda Mahārāja says, kaumāram acaret . . . if not a very small child, but as soon as one is four or five years old . . . kaumāra means from five years to fifteen years. That period of life is called kaumāra. So one should learn this bhāgavata-dharma from the beginning. Just like we send boys, children, to schools for training, similarly, this children should be sent for learning bhāgavata-dharma. Unfortunately, nobody is interested.
He was . . . Prahlāda Mahārāja also was in difficulty. His father . . . even his father was against him, because he was teaching this bhāgavata-dharma, and the teachers were complaining to his father, "Sir, your son, we do not know how he has learned this bhāgavata-dharma. He is simply teaching. As soon as he gets some opportunity he makes this education of God consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to other children. So what to do with your child?" The father asked, "Where you have learned this? Tell me." So . . . those topics will come later on.
Now here Prahlāda Mahārāja, as soon as he saw some opportunity that the teacher is out of the class, he would call all the boys, "My dear friends, this bhāgavata-dharma, this understanding God consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, should be learned from the very beginning of life." "Why? Let us play. Why bhāgavata-dharma now? All right, if there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, when we shall get older or when the time of death will be nearing, we can study at that time bhāgavata-dharma."
But Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "No. Kaumāra." Why kaumāraṁ? Now, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. You are calculating that when you'll get old, at that time you shall try to understand what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But what is the guarantee that you are not already old enough? Who can say? The next moment I can die. Old age means nearing death. But there is no such guarantee that one shall die at eighty years old or hundred years old. Death can take place at any moment.
Therefore a sane man will understand that we are always old enough, because there is no guarantee. Durlabhaṁ. And this mānuṣaṁ janma, this human form of life, is called durlabha. Durlabha means very rarely obtained, after many, many evolutionary process, either you take the anthropologist theory how human body has developed or you take from Vedic literature.
But the difference is that anthropologist, they say, "There is no soul. The organic matter is developing in different ways." But Vedic literature says it is not the organic matter, but it is the soul. The soul is a person, is individual, and he is transforming different types of bodies from one body to another, transmigrating. This we have explained several times.
Just we were experiencing: This child who is playing, he is now, he has got a small body. Similarly, when he will get a body like his father, he has to change so many bodies. So many bodies. So the bodies will change but he, the soul, will remain the same. And now, at this childhood, or in the womb of his mother, or when the body is just like his father, or when the body is just like his grandfather—the same, same soul will continue. So therefore soul is permanent and the body is changing. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ (BG 2.18). This body is temporary. Temporary. Either this childhood body or boyhood body or youthhood body or mature body or old body, they are all temporary. Every moment, every second, we are changing. But the soul within the body, that is permanent. So this body, Prahlāda Mahārāja says, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma: "Now, after many many births . . ." That will . . .
Perhaps you do not know. There are 9,000,000 types of aquatic animals. So we have to pass through all these 9,000,000's. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati (Padma Purāṇa). And lakṣa-viṁśati, 200,000's. I am sorry, not 9,000,000's; 900,000. And then 2,000,000's species of plant life, vegetable life, we have to pass through. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, kṛmayo rudra-sāṅkhyakāḥ. And eleven hundred thousands of species of worms and reptiles. Sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati kṛmayo rudra, pakṣiṇāṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam. And there are ten hundred thousands of species of the birds. So similarly, there are 3,000,000 types of four-legged animals. And the human species of life are only 400,000 species, or types, as you take it.
In this way the total is 8,400,000's of types of bodies, and we have to pass through, by transmigration, from one body to another, another, another, another. Now we have got this civilized form of body. Prahlāda Mahārāja says that it is very rare opportunity. We should not misuse this body just like other animals. Then it will be our foolishness.
Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam (SB 7.6.1). When we have got this human form of body, then we shall live more than the cats and dogs? No. Adhruvam. Adhruvam means this body also will not exist. Adhruvam. It is not eternal. The soul is eternal, but the body is not eternal. But although it is not eternal, the distinction between this body and the animal body is that although it will not exist . . .
As a dog's body will not exist or a cat's body will not exist or the bird's body will not exist, similarly, this body also will not exist. That's a fact. But arthadam: but if you like, you can attain the highest perfection of life in this body. That is the opportunity. Therefore, from the very beginning, a child should be given opportunity how to make his life perfect. That is Vedic civilization.