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Hare Krsna

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

ajo 'pi sann avyayatma
bhutanam isvaro 'pi san
prakrtim svam adhisthaya
sambhavamy atma-mayaya

"Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all- sentient beings, I still appear in every millennium in My original, transcendental form." [Bhagavad-gita 4.6]

Krsna is unborn, and we are also unborn, but the difference is that unlike the Lord we have been entangled in a material body. Therefore we cannot keep our position as unborn, but have to take birth and transmigrate from one body to another, with no guarantee of what kind of body we shall receive next, Even in this life, we are obliged to accept one body after another. A child gives up his childhood body and accepts the body of a boy, and the boy gives up his boyhood body to accept a youthful body, which he then gives up for an old body. Therefore it is natural to conclude that when one gives up one's old body, one will have to accept another body; again one will accept the body of a child.

This is a natural cycle of this material world. It is similar to changes of season. After spring comes summer, and after summer comes fall and then winter, and 'then spring again. Similarly, after day comes night, and after night comes day. And just as these cyclic changes take place one after another, we change from one body to another, and it is natural to conclude that after leaving the present body we shall recieve another body (bhutva bhutva praliyate).

This conclusion is very logical, it is supported by, the sastra, the Vedic literature, and it is also affirmed by the greatest authority, Krsna Himself. Therefore why should we not accept it? If one does not accept this if one thinks that there is no life after death one is foolish.

There is life after death; and there is also the chance to free oneself from the cycle of repeated birth and death and attain a life of immortality. But because we have been accustomed to accepting one body after another since time immemorial, it is difficult for us to think of a life that is eternal. And the life of material existence is so troublesome that one may think that if there is an eternal life, that life must be troublesome also. For example, a diseased man who is taking very bitter medicine and who is lying down in bed, eating there and passing stool and urine there, unable to move, may find his life so intolerable that he thinks, "Let me commit suicide." Similarly, materialistic life is so miserable that in desperation one sometimes takes to a philosophy of voidism or impersonalism to try to negate his very existence and make everything zero. Actually, however, becoming zero is not possible, nor is it necessary. We are in trouble in our material condition, but when we get out of our material condition we can find real life, eternal life.

Because we are part and parcel of Krsna, who is aja, beyond birth and death, we are also aja. How could we be otherwise? If my father is happy and I am the son of my father, why should I be unhappy? I can naturally conclude that I shall enjoy my father's property just as my father is enjoying it. Similarly, God, Krsna, is all-powerful; all-beautiful, all-knowledgeable, and complete in everything, and although I may not be complete, I am part and parcel of God, and therefore I have all the qualities of God to a partial extent.

God does not die, so I also shall not die. That is my position. That is explained in Bhagavad-gita (2.20): na jayate mriyate va kadacit. Describing the soul, Krsna says; that the soul is never born (na jayate), and if one is not born how can he die? There is no question of death (mriyate va). Death is for one who has taken birth, and if one has no birth he can also have no death.

Unfortunately, however, we do not know this. We are conducting scientific research, but we do not know that every, living entity is a spiritual soul, with no birth and no death. This is our ignorance. The soul is eternal, everlasting, and primeval (nityah sasvato 'yam purano). The soul does not die with the annihilation of the body (na hanyate hanyamane sarire): But although the soul does not die, it accepts another body, and this is called bhava-roga, the material disease.

Since Krsna is the supreme living entity (nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam), we are exactly like Krsna, the difference being that Krsna is vibhu, unlimited, whereas we are anu, limited. Qualitatively, we areas good as Krsna. Therefore whatever propensities Krsna has, we have also. For example, Krsna has the propensity to love someone of the opposite sex, and therefore we have this same propensity. The beginning of love is present in the eternal love between Radha and Krsna. We are also seeking eternal love, but because we are conditioned by the material laws, our love is interrupted. But if we can transcend this interruption, we can take part in loving affairs similar to those of Krsna and Radharani. So our aim should be to go back home, back to Krsna, because since Krsna is eternal, we shall there receive an eternal body.

Although Krsna is eternal, or unborn, it is sometimes said that He takes birth. But although Krsna takes birth, His birth is not like ours. That we should know. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (4.9):

janma karma ca me divyam
evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti so 'rjuna

"One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna."

It is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam that when Krsna first appeared, He did not take birth from the womb of Devaki; rather, He first appeared in the majestic four-armed form of Visnu, and then He became a small child on Devaki's lap. Therefore Krsna's birth is transcendental, whereas our birth takes place by force, by the laws of nature. Krsna is not under the laws of nature; the laws of nature work under Him (mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram). Prakrti, nature, works under the order of Krsna, and we work under the order of nature. Krsna is the master of nature, and we are servants of nature. So it may appear that He has taken birth just like us, but in fact He has not.. Only foolish persons say that He has taken birth like an ordinary human being. Krsna confirms this in Bhagavad-gita (9.11), avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam: "Because I have appeared just like a human being, those who are rascals think that I am also just like an ordinary human." Param bhavam ajanantah: "They do not know the mystery behind God's taking birth like a human being."

Krsna is everywhere. The Lord is situated in everyone's heart (isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati). And since He is within us and is all-powerful, why should it be difficult for Him to appear before us? When the great devotee Dhruva Maharaja was engaged in meditation on the four-handed form of Visnu, all of a sudden his meditation broke, and he immediately saw before him the same form upon which he had been meditating. Was it very difficult for Krsna to appear in this way? Of course not. Similarly it was not difficult for Him to appear before Devaki in the same four-handed form. Therefore Krsna says, janma karma ca me divyam: ''One must 'understand My transcendental birth and activities."

But why should Krsna perform the pastime of taking birth? To glorify those who are very pious and very much advanced in spiritual understanding. Krsna comes as the son of Devaki to glorify His devotee Devaki. Krsna becomes the son of Yasoda to glorify Yasoda. Similarly, Krsna appears in the dynasty of Maharaja Yadu, His great devotee, just to glorify Maharaja Yadu. Thus Krsna is still known as Yadava, the descendant of Maharaja Yadu. Krsna has no obligation to take His birth in a particular family' or country, but He takes birth to glorify a certain person or a certain family because of their devotion. Therefore His birth is called divyam, transcendental.

The Lord is not obliged to take birth, but we are, obliged to do so. That is the distinction between our birth and the birth of Krsna. If by our karma, or activities, we are fit to take birth in a good family in human society or demigod society, we shall do so, but if our activities are low like those of animals, we shall have to take birth in a family of animals. That is the force of karma. Karmana daiva-netrena jantor dehopapattaye (Bhag. 3.31.1). We develop a certain type of body according to our karma.

The human form of life is meant for understanding the Supreme, the Absolute Truth (athato brahma-jijnasa). But if, we do not endeavor for this, if we misuse this opportunity and simply remain like animals, we shall return to an animal form of life. Therefore the Krsna consciousness movement is trying to save people from going down to animal life.

The appearance of Lord Krsna is compared to the growth of sandalwood trees in the Malaya Hills (malayasyeva candanam). There are two Malayas the Malaya Hills and the part of the world now known as Malaysia. The candana tree, or sandalwood tree, can grow anywhere there is no rule that it has to grow in Malaysia or the Malaya Hills but because this sandalwood grows in large quantities in those parts of the world, it is known as malaya-candana. In the Western countries there is scented water known as eau de cologne: It can be manufactured anywhere, but because it was originally manufactured in the city of Cologne, it is known as eau de cologne. Similarly, sandalwood can grow anywhere, but because it was originally very prominent in Malaysia and the Malaya Hills, it is known as Malayan sandalwood.

Because India is a tropical country and sandalwood is very cooling, people in India use sandalwood pulp as a cosmetic. Even now, during the very warm days of the summer season, those who can afford to do so apply sandalwood pulp to their bodies and feel cool all day. In India it was the system that after bathing and sanctifying the body by applying marks of tilaka, one would offer obeisances to the Deity, take some candana-prasada from the room of the Deity, and apply it as a cosmetic to the body. This was called prasadhanam. But it is said that in the Kali-yuga, the present age, snanam eva prasadhanam (Bhag. 12.2.5): if one can even bathe nicely, that is prasadhana. In India even the poorest man will take an early morning bath every day, but when I came to America I saw that even taking one's daily bath maybe a difficult thing and is often not the practice. In India we are accustomed to see people bathe thrice in a day, but in New York I have seen that one may have to go to a friend's house to bathe because one may not have facilities to do so at home. These are symptoms of Kali-yuga. Snanam eva prasadhanam. In the Kali-yuga it will be very difficult even to take a bath.

Another symptom of Kali-yuga is daksyam kutumba-bharanam (Bhag. 12.2.7): one will be famous for his pious activities simply if he can maintain his family. The word daksyam, meaning "famous for pious activities," comes from daksa, which means "expert." In Kali-yuga one will be considered expert if he can maintain a family consisting of himself, his wife, and one or two children. In India, of course, the traditional family is the joint family, consisting of a man and his wife, their parents and children, their in-laws, and so on. But in Kali-yuga it will be difficult to maintain a simple family of oneself, one's wife, and a few children. When I was living in New York, among the people coming to our classes was an old lady who had a grown son. I asked her, "Why doesn't your son get married?" She replied, "Yes, he can marry when he can maintain a family." I did not know that maintaining a family was such a difficult job here. But this is described in the Bhagavatam: if one can maintain a family, he will be considered a very glorious man, and if a girl has a husband she will be considered very fortunate.

It is not our business to criticize, but the symptoms of Kali-yuga are very severe. The duration of Kali-yuga is 432,000 years, and although only 5,000 years of it have passed, already we find so many difficulties, and the more we grow into this Kali-yuga, the more the times will be difficult. The best course, therefore, is to complete our Krsna consciousness and return home, back to Godhead. That will save us. Otherwise, if we come back again for another life in Kali-yuga, we shall find difficult days ahead, and we shall have to suffer more and more.