Bhagavad-gita 10.8 Prabhupada: aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate iti matva bhajante mam budha bhava-samanvitah [Bg. 10.8] The meaning is, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the origin of everything. Everything is emanating from Him. When one understands this fact, he becomes budha, or intelligent. And when one is actually intelligent, budha, bhava-samanvitah, this ecstasy. To come to the spiritual platform, this ecstasy required. So one has to come to the platform of bhava or ecstasy gradually. The process is adau sraddha, first of all, faith. Just like our disciples, they have already accepted. But outsiders, they come out of little faith, “Let us see what these people are doing.” This faith is the beginning, adau sraddha. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah. If one has little faith, the next stage is that he should come and live with us for some days. And if he lives with us for a few days, then he becomes infected with ecstasy. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah, and as soon as one is little infected by the ecstasy, then he likes to become one of us. Just like if you contaminate some infectious disease, naturally the disease will develop. Similarly, as soon as you contaminate this Krsna consciousness disease, it will develop. Then he solicits for being initiated, yes. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango ’tha bhajana-kriya. Bhajana-kriya means “Why not engage myself as one of the devotees.” This is called bhajana-kriya. And as soon as there is bhajana-kriya, or devotional service, immediately anartha-nivrttih syat. Anartha means unwanted things, they become vanquished. This material world is, means we have created so many unwanted things, this is material world. Just like we are living in this part of your country, a village. So you are living very happily, undoubtedly. There is ample opportunity for living peacefully here. You grow little grains, you get some milk, some vegetable, and all your economic questions solved. But as soon as you go to the city, the whole pollution attacks you. You have to give up this simple eating process. Instead of drinking milk, in the city, you’ll have to cut throat of the cow and eat the meat. So in this way we shall be implicated with so many sinful activities that our life will be entangled. On account of our foolish civilization we do not understand what is the entanglement of life. The entanglement of life is described in the Bhagavad-gita, tatha dehantara-praptih, to change this body. As we are changing body, the child is changing body to become a boy. The boy is changing body to become a young man. The young man is changing body to become an old man. Similarly, when the old man changes the body, he gets another body. If a young man challenges the laws of nature, that he is not going to be old man, that is false prestige. He must have to become an old man. Similarly, if some rascal says that “I don’t believe in the next life,” that is his foolishness. He has to change his body. Nature’s law is going on. You are not controller of the nature, you are controlled by nature. So if we entangle ourself with sinful activities then next life means we get low grade life. It is said in the Bhagavad-gita: urdhvam gacchanti sattva-stha madhye tisthanti rajasah jaghanya-guna-vrtti-stha adho gacchanti tamasah [Bg. 14.18] (This) means those who are very pious, they are promoted to the higher planetary system. Those who are ordinary, they remain with the middle planetary system. And those who are very abominable, sinful, they go down the planetary systems or become lower than human being—animals, trees, birds, beasts, like that. So they have no sense, their so-called scientific understanding has no, I mean to say, advancement of knowledge. They do not inquire even wherefrom these living entities are coming, the trees, birds, beasts, lower than human being; wherefrom they are coming they do not inquire. So the law is that according to your work you’ll get your next life. It may be higher standard of life, it may be lower standard of life. So suppose higher standard of life, if we get, that’s all right, but if we get lower standard of life… Just like today I am here and next life if I get the body of a tree and stand up for five thousand years, is it very nice proposition? In this way we have to understand how the process of life is going on and what is wanted, what is not wanted. In this way, when you are situated, fixed up in your spiritual understanding, that is called anartha-nivrttih syat, all unwanted things are vanquished. So our request is that you live here, very simple life. Krsna will supply all your necessities. He’s supplying to the birds and beasts, why not to you, devotee? Be confident that you’ll get everything, whatever the necessities of life. Live without any sinful activities. Don’t create unwanted troubles. That is called anartha-nivrttih syat. So as soon as we are, stop, full stop, unwanted things, then tato nistha, then our, that beginning faith becomes firm. That is called nistha. Tato nistha tato rucih. Then, taste, that one tasted this sort of life, he cannot give up. This is called taste. Tato nistha tato rucih, athasaktih. Then attachment, then bhava, that bhava. And if we can stay in that bhava stage, then next stage is love of Godhead. And as soon as you come to the standard of love of Godhead, your life is successful. So every instruction is there, books are there, your intelligence is there, and we are trying to give you all possible opportunities. Please stick to this Krsna consciousness, and make your life successful. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
July 31, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm)