Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.32
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Los Angeles, December 10, 1973

Pradyumna: “Upon hearing of Lord Krsna’s returning to His abode, and upon understanding the end of the Yadu dynasty’s earthly manifestation, Maharaja Yudhisthira decided to go back home, back to Godhead.”

Prabhupada: So hearing all the details how Krsna has gone back to His abode and how the Yadu dynasty was destroyed by fighting amongst themselves, so naturally… Yudhisthira Maharaja was very sober and very advanced. He thought what to do next. Everyone should think that… The Yadu dynasty, they belonged directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nobody could conquer them, but still, they were also finished by… Others could not conquer them, but they fought amongst themselves, and then vanquished.

So everyone should take care that after all, we have to give up this body, estate, and whatever we possess, we have to give up. So after giving up, what is next? We have to give up. That is a fact. If you don’t give it up now, at the time of death you must give it up, everything. Mrtyuh sarva-haras caham. You may try to keep in possession whatever you have got, but at the time of death you have to give it up. By force it will be taken away. Everyone should think like that. That is soberness. One who is thinking that “My family, my nation, my society, my bank balance, my skyscraper building, my motorcars—these will save me,” that is not possible. That is not possible. That is the conclusion of the foolish person. Pramatto nidhanam pasyann api na pasyati. Those who are mad, they do not see that everything they possess will be vanished. It will not stay. He’ll be vanished, his body will be vanished, everything. Dehapatya-kalatradisv atma-sainyesv asatsv api. Asatsu api. All these things are temporary, but I am eternal. They do not think very seriously that “I am eternal, and I am engaged with temporary things. Now, what is my eternal business?” They do not know. That they do not know. This is called foolishness, mudha.

But you are eternal. About you, you have heard from the sastra, and you are experiencing that “I was a child, I was a boy, I was a young man. So my body, childhood body, boyhood body, youthhood body is gone. This body is not that body.” Nobody can say, “I have got a different body.” But I know that I had a childhood body, I had a boyhood body, youthhood body. That I know. So I am eternal, and this body is not eternal. It is changing. It is very simple thing. Why people cannot understand it? Very simple. Avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam, antavanta ime dehah. This is the instruction in the Bhagavad-gita. This body is antavat. It will be finished. But that thing which is spreading all over the body, avinasi, that will not be annihilated. Avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam. That consciousness, the consciousness is spread all over the body, and Krsna says that that thing which is spread all over the body, consciousness, that is immortal.

So now our consciousness is immortal consciousness or mortal consciousness, that is to be seen. I am absorbed in thought of this mortal consciousness, “This is my country, this is my body, this is my family, this is my community, this is my nation…” They are all mortal. But immortal consciousness is that “I am Krsna’s.” That is immortal consciousness. “Krsna is mine, and I am Krsna’s.” This is immortal consciousness. When you come to this consciousness— that is called Krsna consciousness—then you are saved. Immortal consciousness. So long you have got temporary consciousness, then… Just like our mind changes. I accept something now; I reject something again. So this body is being manufactured according to the acceptance and rejection of my mind. The body is formed. Otherwise why we have different body? We are sitting here, so many boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen. Nobody’s body will exactly tally with others’ body. No. Because the face is the index of mind. You have got different types of mind; therefore you have got different types of body, not every one.

So this is to be understood. Therefore Yudhisthira Maharaja, svah-pathaya matim cakre. This is meditation actually. “What I am? Wherefrom I have come? I am eternal. Why my body is not eternal? I would have been very happy if my body would have been eternal, but that is not being possible.” Everyone knows. “But I desire that I may not die, my body may not be vanquished. That is my desire.” But nobody is meditating upon this subject matter. They have learned some meditation—I do not know what kind of medi… This is meditation, matim cakre. Svah-pathaya matim cakre nibhrtatma yudhisthirah. So these things are to be solved. So Yudhisthira Maharaja, now he will retire after this. So he will give up the kingdom. Not that… This is the Vedic system. However rich you may be, however prosperous you may be at your home or in your nation or in anyway as you think, but you have to think that “Actually these things are temporary. I am eternal. So what is my eternal function?” That is meditation. “What is my eternal function? What is my eternal duty? Where is my eternal home?” That is Krsna consciousness.

So Krsna consciousness movement is not ordinary movement, manufacture something for recreation. No. It is very serious science. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. We are searching after some permanent place, permanent settlement on the world. Nobody wants to die, but that is not possible. But if there is possibility of going somewhere where no more death, why don’t you search after that? That is intelligence. That information (is) there in the Bhagavad-gita, abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino ’rjuna: [Bg. 8.16] “If you go to the topmost planet which is known as Brahma-loka…” Now, the Brahma-loka, the duration of life, you cannot calculate even their one day’s time. That we were discussing this morning. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita… Their twelve hours, our twelve hours and their twelve hours, different. Their twelve hours you cannot calculate: forty-three hundred thousands of years multiplied by one thousand. Now see how many years. That is their twelve hours. So live hundred years, they also. So even if you go there, abrahma-bhuvanal lokah, or any planet, or any place, there must be death. Death you must have. But I am eternal. Why shall I accept death? That is intelligence. That information is given in Bhagavad-gita, mad-dhama gatva punar janma na vidyate: “If you come to My place, My planet, then you will have no more to come back again to this mortal world.” Mad-dhama gatva. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. Where going, nobody returns. That is, actually, we want.

In another place Krsna says, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya: [Bg. 4.9] “My dear Kaunteya, Arjuna,” tyaktva deham, “after giving up this body,” punar janma naiti, “no more coming into the womb of material mother.” Then where does he go? Mam eti. In his Brhad-bhagavatamrta Sanatana Gosvami has stated that if you become perfect in Krsna consciousness, then immediately after death you will be sent where Krsna is having His pastimes within this material world. In the material world, just like the sun rotates, similarly, Krsna’s pastimes is going on. That is another feature of His activities. Because He wants to reclaim the fallen souls, and there are millions and trillions, unlimited fallen souls within this material world, so He goes everywhere. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata, tadatmanam srjamy aham [Bg. 4.7]. As soon as there is discrepancies in the understanding of eternal life, He appears. He teaches. So Krsna is teaching somewhere. There are so many innumerable universes. Just like Krsna takes, appears, as janma, janmastami in this universe, immediately in another universe there is janmastami; immediately in another universe there is janmastami. So therefore it is called nitya-lila. Nitya-lila means the janmastami is going on. His govardhana-lila is going on. Everything. Everything, what He displayed when He was present, that is going on. Just like the sun. Now it is half past seven. Now, half past six, there is sun somewhere. The half past six, it is not that because the sun has passed half past six, in this country, therefore there is no more half past six. Half past six is somewhere. Is it not? Half past six is there. Similarly, it is not that because Krsna has now finished His janmastami, therefore no more janmastami. Janmastami is going on. This is krsna-lila.

So Krsna is present. There are innumerable universes. In one of them He is always present. These is rotation. Just like sun rotates, morning to evening, similarly, Krsna’s lila is going on. Just like something, a horse, is passing before your eyes. You see the horse is passing through your windows, and then you do not see the horse. Does that mean the horse is finished? No. The horse is running. But when it comes before your window, you see. Similarly, Krsna’s lila, pastime, is going on. And when He appears here… Exactly like the sun. The sun is always present, but the planet is rotating. So when it comes before your eyes, you see the sun. But if you do not see the sun, it does not mean sun is finished, as formerly they used to think like that “The sun is dead.”

So if you become perfect in Krsna consciousness… Perfect in Krsna consciousness means no more material desire. That’s all. Only Krsna. That is perfection. So long you will have a pinch of material desire, you will have to take birth. According to your desire, Krsna will give you facility. Why there are so many types of body, eight million? Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram, sada tad-bhava-bhavitah [Bg. 8.6]. We are making our next body by thinking of something. We have got so many thoughts, material thoughts. So at the time of death, when that thought is prominent, then I get the next moment a body like that. So if you simply think of Krsna only, then you get a body where by which you can go to Krsna. You can go to Krsna. Tyaktva deham punar janma [Bg. 4.9]. It is very scientific and very practical. So by going to Krsna, you can talk with Krsna personally. You can play with Krsna personally. You can dance with Krsna. That is Krsna-loka. Just like we have got a picture, rasa dancing. Here is picture, Krsna’s. Everyone can get this opportunity. Therefore Krsna comes to show practically how enjoyable life with Krsna in Vrndavana. Krsna is simply jolly, anandamayo ’bhyasat. In Vrndavana life you will see, everyone is jolly. The birds, trees and the water, the land, the cows, the calves, the inhabitants, the cowherd boys—everyone is happy simply by loving Krsna. Simply by loving Krsna. So Krsna therefore manifests His lila that “Why you are rotting in this material world? Come to Me and enjoy life eternally.” That is Krsna business. He is so kind. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata [Bg. 4.7]. People, when they become debauch to enjoy life in this material world… What is the enjoyment? The last enjoyment is sex life. Is that very good enjoyment? But they have accepted. Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45]. Maithuna means sex intercourse. That is their life and soul. They do not know. They have no information. There is better pleasure, eternal pleasure. That they do not know.

Therefore there is need of Krsna consciousness movement to understand that… What is that? Nisamya bhagavan-margam, The way of God. The rascals do not understand what is God, they do not know what is the feature of God, and still, they will not accept this Krsna consciousness movement. We are giving, “Here is God. Here is the form of God. He is so nice. He is so beautiful. His address is this. You can go there by this process.” “No. We don’t want.” “Then what you want?” “I want to become a pig. (laughter) That’s all.” “All right, you become pig. What can be done? And what shall you eat?” “I will eat stool. That’s all.” “All right. Not prasadam?” “No.”

So what can we do? We are distributing you prasadam, and he will go to eat some rascal thing in the restaurant. Just see. This is misfortune. Mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah [SB 1.1.10] Because unfortunate in this age, they will accept something wrong. Therefore our task is very responsible. We have to canvass. We have to plead, solicit, “Please come here. Please come here in this temple and learn something.”

Thank you very much. (end)