Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 8
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Los Angeles, May 12, 1970

Prabhupada: (chants verse, etc)

sa paryagac chukram akayam avranam asnaviram suddham apapa-viddham kavir manisi paribhuh svayambhur yathatathyato ’rthan vyadadhac chasvatibhyah samabhyah

So this verse, you’ll read what is important. “Such person must know in fact the greatest of all, who is unembodied, omniscient…” That is the distinction between God and ourself. We are embodied. This body is different from me; therefore when I leave this body, this body becomes “Dust thou art, dust thou…” That thou means this body. I am not dust. I am spirit soul. So Krsna is not embodied. He has no difference between His body and His soul. His soul and body, the same. He does not change His body, because He hasn’t got material body. And because He does not change body, He remembers everything. We change body; therefore we do not remember what had happened in our last birth. We have forgotten who was… Just like even in sleep, when we forget our body, we forget our all, I mean to say, environments. While sleeping or dreaming, you are in a dreamland. You don’t remember even that you have got this body. Every day, every night, this is being experienced. Because this body, I’m not body. The body becomes tired. It sleeps or it is inactive. But as I am, I work, I dream, I go somewhere, I fly, or I go, I create another kingdom, another body, another environment. This we experience every day, every night. It is not difficult to understand. Similarly, in every life, we create a different environment. In this life I may think I am Indian. You may think you are American. Or next life, a different position. Next life, I may not be American, or I may not be Indian. And if I, even I, I become American, I may not be a man. I may be a cow or bull. Then I am sent to the slaughterhouse. You see? This is going on. This is the problem. Always changing bodies. Bhutva bhutva praliyate. It is serious position. We should very…, take this life very seriously, that “I’m changing my body life after life. I have no fixed position. I do not know where I am put within these 8,400,000 species of life. So I must make a solution.” And that solution is… Krsna says, yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. Mam upetya kaunteya duhkhalayam asasvatam, napnuvanti mahatmanah: [Bg. 8.15] “If anyone, some way or other, by developing Krsna consciousness, he comes to Me, he hasn’t got any more to go back and accept a material body.” He gets the same body as Krsna, sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1].

So we should very seriously execute this Krsna consciousness. Without any deviation, very seriously. We should not be neglectful, that this is fashion or something imposed. No. This is the most important function. Human life is meant simply for developing Krsna consciousness. He has no other business. But unfortunately we have created so many engagements so that we forget Krsna consciousness. This is called maya. This is called maya. We are forgetting our real business. We are engaged in different, so many businesses. Misleaders. Andha yathandhair upaniyamanah. The rascal, blind leaders are leading to hell. Te ’pisa tantryam uru-damni-baddhah. All of them are tied up by the stringent rules and regulations of the material nature. And they have become leader. They do not like any authority. This is called maya. This is called maya. They are being misled; still they are following that. This is called maya.

So try, some way or other, you have come in contact with Krsna. So catch Him very tightly. Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te. If you catch very tightly Krsna’s lotus feet, then maya will not be able to do any harm.

Thank you very much. Chant Hare Krsna. (end)