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In the temple room packed with devotees and guests, Prabhupada continued to speak on Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 9, verse 3. Human life, he explained, was a junction between two destinations. One was to go back to home, back to Godhead and the other was to be involved in the cycle of birth and death. Prabhupada described how the Vedic literature, particularly the Bhagavad-gita, pointed out the correct path to be followed by human beings. The many branches of the Krsna consciousness movement around the world, he said, were available to help people understand the non-sectarian message of Bhagavad-gita. He explained that such an understanding would make the whole human society peaceful and happy. By carefully studying Vedic literature, Prabhupada continued, one could understand everything clearly, without separate research. He gave an example:

"As I have explained, there are different forms of life. Even within the water there are 900,000 forms of life. This is Vedic knowledge. You can take directly knowledge. You can understand. You do not require to dive into the water and undergo aquatic research work. You take the knowledge from the Vedic literature. You immediately understand that there are 900,000 species of life."

Prabhupada explained that the living entities were everywhere, according to their karma. "Just like nowadays, people are very fond of diving within the water and swimming. This has become a fashion. So in next life they are going to become fish."

Some of the surfers in the audience fidgeted nervously.

"Yes, because yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram. If you, at the time of death, think of how to swim very nicely within the water, that means in your next life nature will give you a fish life. That is God's mercy. Why you artificially try to become a fish? You become actually fish. That is nature's gift."

"This is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Because whatever we practise in our life, so that concept of life, that imagination, continues. Just like you dream. What do you dream? Whatever you think always, you dream like that. It is mental activities. So those who are trying to become fish-like, nature offers him an actual body of a fish. That is transmigration of the soul. We are desiring different types of desires and we are getting a body. That is nature's law. Just like you are infected with some type of contagious disease. You suffer from that disease. Nature's way. It will be automatically manufactured."

In question-time, Tania asked, "How does one surrender to Krsna." In reply, Prabhupada quoted a song by Bhaktivinode Thakura.

"Surrender to Krsna whatever you possess. What do you possess? You possess your body, you possess your mind, you possess a home, children or husband. This is our possessions, so when we surrender, 'My dear Lord, whatever I have got ..t I have got this body, I have got little mind, speculation, and some home or husband, children -- everything's surrendered to You.' Bhaktivinode Thakura says: manasa deha geha, yo kichu mora. We don't possess much. We possess whatever God has given us, little. So anyway, 'Whatever we possess, everything is surrendered to You without reservation'. That is surrender."

An Indian guest asked whether one had to make a conscious endeavour for such surrender, or did it just happen.

"You are already surrendered," replied Prabhupada. "But you are surrendered to the police of God. Just like a citizen, he has to surrender either to the police or to the government. If he surrenders to the government, then he hasn't got to go to the police custody in jail. So instead of surrendering to Krsna, we have surrendered to His maya. And the maya is punishing us. So if you want to get relief from the punishment of this maya, then you surrender to Krsna. Your position is to surrender, either this side or that side."

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Since the evenings were cold, Prabhupada had a good appetite. After class he took hot milk, puris and salted deep-fried cashews. His healthy appetite continued for the rest of the trip. Once again he enjoyed Dvaipayana's apple crumble. Another night he ate a number of Bhanu's flaky samosas. Meanwhile, the devotees and guests enjoyed a nightly feast in "Parampara Hall".


- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu