Question and answersMany guests attended Srila Prabhupada's evening lecture on Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 2, verse 9. An especially lively question-and-answer session followed. A young woman asked:"How do you regard suicide, and would there be any exceptional circumstances that might justify it?""Suicide is not justified," replied Prabhupada. "It is a violation of nature's law. Nature gives you a certain type of body to live in for certain days, and suicide means you go against the laws of nature; you untimely stop the duration of life. Therefore one becomes a criminal. Suicide is criminal even in ordinary state laws. One cannot commit suicide."Another woman asked for a scientific explanation of how someone could receive enlightenment simply by chanting Hare Krsna.Prabhupada explained: "Suppose you are sleeping. If I vibrate some sound, you can hear and can wake up. No other method will act. Suppose you are sleeping, then I have to call 'Mr. or Mrs. Such-and-Such, please get up, get up, get up'. You get up. Similarly, at the present moment it is our sleeping stage. Therefore, this transcendental vibration will awaken us to spiritual consciousness. Just try to understand. When one is asleep, the sound vibration can help us. Similarly, at the present moment, in our material condition of life, we are sleeping. This transcendental sound vibration will help you. That is the process."A man enquired: "Each of us has come here tonight sort of looking for a bit of a miracle or a bit of a statement that can stamp us, to hold us, to illuminate us." The audience laughed at the man's curious turn-of-phrase. "Now, you travel in a spirit. Can you tell us the wonderful feeling of enlightenment to enter this spirit? We don't know how to exactly enter this spirit and travel as you travel."Prabhupada nodded his head. "That I am distributing. You chant at home, Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, and see the result." (Laughter) "It is not difficult. If there is no expenditure, there is no loss. You chant Hare Krsna mantra, and you see the result at home. You haven't got to travel. You sit down at your home and chant Hare Krsna."Another man asked whether there were any parallels between Krsna consciousness and Scientology. Prabhupada smiled broadly: "What is that Scientology? I do not know."(Laughter, applause)"I do not know. Can you explain what is this Scientology?"The man could not and Prabhupada went on to another question.A third man asked about psychic phenomena. Prabhupada gave a clear explanation."Psychic phenomena is subtle materialism. There are two material conditions: one gross condition, one subtle condition. Gross condition is created by the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. And the subtle elements are mind, intelligence and false ego. So all these eight elements, they are material. One section is gross, and another section is subtle. So the psychology means the subtle material elements. It is material, it is not spiritual. It is subtle."The questions continued. "At rebirth, do we all return as a male if the previous existence was a male or do we change.""No, no. Just like you change your body, you change your shirts, it is not necessary that you will get the same type of shirt. No. Just like if you want to change your present shirt, and you go to a store and you purchase another shirt and coat, that will depend on your choice and the price you can pay. You will not necessarily get the same type of shirt and coat. Therefore, when we change our body, there is no guarantee that we can get the same type of body. A male can get a female body. There are many instances like that. And a female can get the male body. A man can get animal body, like that. So in the Bhagavad-gita, it is said dehantaram praptir, change of body. But what kind of body you are going to change, that will depend on your own work."Guest: Is this your last body? If so, how do you know?The audience laughed at the bold question.Prabhupada: What is that?Madhudvisa: He's asking you if this is your last body.Prabhupada: I think so.(Laughter)Not only I, all of my disciples. They are going to ... Because we are not speaking nonsense. This is there in the Bhagavad-gita: Anyone who understands Krsna factually, the result is tyaktva deham, giving up this body, he never accepts again this material body. He goes back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore, because we are trying to understand Krsna and if by Krsna's grace we can understand him, then we are not again going to accept any material body. That's a fact.Guest: Can the human consciousness transcend time?Prabhupada: No. Time is unlimited. How you can transcend?Guest: How do you regard abortion?Prabhupada: Most abominable.Prabhupada held forth until the audience, becoming rowdy and distracted, began arguing amongst themselves and shouting their questions all at once. Then Prabhupada called for kirtana and the evening program drew to a close.- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu
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