710626 - Lecture - Paris

Lectures by Date, 1971

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

710626LE.PARIS - June 26, 1971 - 21:23 Minutes

Prabhupāda:

. . . sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale

svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ

dadāti sva-padāntikam

Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your . . . (indistinct) . . . in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This movement is especially meant for human society who are serious about fulfillment of the mission of this life.

There is a distinction between human life and animal life. Animal life means one who does not know who is the proprietor of the body. Those who are under the concept of this material body as self, they are as good as animal. But the . . . in the human form of life one can distinguish that one is not this material body but he is a separate identity, spiritual in value.

We can understand this fact if we give little attention to it, that we are changing our different body since the beginning of our life. We learn from Vedic literature that after sexual intercourse of the male and female, if it is fruitful, then the living entity is injected in the emulsion of the two secretion, and in the first night it takes the shapes of a pea. And because the living entity is there, it grows gradually, and then nine holes evolve, which are later on developed into two eyes, two ears, two nostrils and one rectum, one genital, like that.

So when the body is complete, then the consciousness coming. So long the body is not complete, the consciousness is almost dead. It is called suṣupti, or sound sleeping. Then gradually, when the consciousness comes, the child within the womb feels uncomfortable and wants to come out. Therefore at the stage of seventh month of pregnancy sometimes the child moves. That is the process of growing. And after coming out of the womb the body grows. But if the child comes out dead, the body does not grow.

Therefore it is to be understood that due to the presence of the spirit soul the body grows, means changes from one form to another. It is concluded by learned scholars that this change of body is taking place every moment, but the soul is there from the beginning of the life. And when this body is no longer persistable, the soul changes to another body. That is called transmigration of the soul. That is a fact.

But the modern civilization does not deal with this subject matter. They are under wrong impression that this body is self. I have talked with many scholars, and they are also under the same impression that with the end of the body, everything is finished. But actual fact is different. We can remember our childhood body. We can remember our boyhood body. Although those bodies are not present, I, the spirit soul, the occupier of the body or the proprietor of the body, I am present.

So this transmigration of soul is the most important factor to be understood by the human society. Unfortunately, there is no university, there is no department of knowledge to understand this important factor. That is very risky.

So this soul is transmigrating from one body to another, and there are 8,400,000 species of life, and our . . . after leaving this body we may accept any one of them. We do not know. That will depend on our action at the present moment. Practically we are preparing our future body, and according to our work and mentality, we get a different body.

Therefore we shall be very much cautious. Any intelligent man can understand that the future life is prepared at present. Just like the boy goes to the school, goes to the college, he prepares his future life, similarly, this human form of life is a preparation ground for our future life.

So according to Bhagavad-gītā, we can transfer to other planets also. This is explained in our book Easy Journey to Other Planets. The present endeavor is to transfer one to the moon planet. But as we get information from the Vedic literature, we cannot transfer ourself by mechanical arrangement to the moon planet. That is not possible. This is futile attempt.

Every planet has got different atmosphere. So in order to enter into a particular planet we have to prepare ourself. This is also understandable very easily. Just like if we go to a foreign country we have to prepare for visa and passport. If in this planet also we are so much restricted, how foolishly we are attempting to go to other planet without being prepared for entering that planet.

Anyway, a sane man, an intelligent man, does not like to enter in any one of the material planets, because wherever we go in the material planet the four conditions, or miserable condition of material existence, are there. The four miserable condition of materialistic way of life is birth, death, old age and disease. So from the Bhagavad-gītā we understand that even if we enter into the Brahmaloka, the highest planetary system of this universe, the four principles of miserable condition—birth, death, old age and disease—are there.

We learn from Bhagavad-gītā that one daytime duration is millions of years of our calculation. That's a fact. So . . . but even though the highest planetary system, Brahmaloka, which the scientists say it will take forty thousands of years to go there with the sputnik speed, but who is going there, traveling in the space forty thousands of years?

But from the Vedic literature we can understand that any one of the planets we can enter, provided we prepare for that purpose. The exact words in the Bhagavad-gītā is that:

yānti deva-vratā devān

pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ

bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā

mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām

(BG 9.25)

If anyone prepares himself to enter into the higher planetary system, which is said to be inhabited by demigods, we can go there. Similarly, in the Pitṛloka, Pitṛ planet, we can go, or if we like, we can remain on this planet. And at last, if we desire, we can enter into the planet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So it is all preparation only. But considering the point that any planetary system within this material universe, they are temporary . . . maybe the duration is very, very long time, but they are to be annihilated. As our body . . . there are different types of body. A human body exists for a hundred years, but an insect's body exists for twelve hours. So these different body exist relatively a long duration or short duration, but they are to be annihilated. But if anyone enters into the planet which is called Vaikuṇṭhaloka, the spiritual planet, then there is eternal life, blissful life, and full of knowledge.

So a human being, if he tries, he can attain that perfection. That is stated. It is very simple. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Anyone who knows in truth about the Supreme Personality of Godhead . . . people say: "God is great." That is a hackneyed word. But if we want to know how God is great, that can be also known from authorized scriptures. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā God Himself describes about Himself. So we can know.

So He says that, "Simply by understanding what I am . . ." Kṛṣṇa says or God says, janma karma me divyam: "My appearance, or taking birth just like a human being, is transcendental." It is not exactly like the human body, but God is so kind that He comes before us as an ordinary human being. Unfortunately, one who does not know about Him, he thinks that Kṛṣṇa, or God, is like one of us. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. "Those who are mūḍhas, rascals, they think Me as if one of the human being." Actually He is not.

So we have got the chance to know about Him. Provided we read the right literatures under right direction, we can. That possibility is there. And if we simply can know what is the nature of God, or Kṛṣṇa, simply by understanding this fact one becomes liberated. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9).

A person who has understood the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead . . . it cannot be understood completely—that is not possible with our human intelligence—but with the help of Bhagavad-gītā, the statement given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the spiritual master, we can know Him to the best of our capacity. And if we can know Him, then the result is that immediately after leaving this body we enter into the kingdom of God. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti: "After giving up this body he does not come again to this material world, but he enters into the spiritual world and comes to Me." That is the statement.

And our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to propagate this higher scientific idea to the people in general. And the process is very simple. Simply by chanting the holy name of God—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—one cleanses his dirty things in the heart, and he can understand that he is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord and it is his duty to serve Him. And it is also very pleasant. The process is so nice that we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, dance rhythmically and eat nice prasādam, and we enjoy this life and prepare for the next life to enter into the kingdom of God.

So these are not stories, these are all facts, although to the layman it appears like stories. But if one is serious, then Kṛṣṇa, or God, from within, He also helps, and the spiritual master also helps. The spiritual master is said: "the external manifestation of God." God is situated in everyone's heart as Paramātmā, as Supersoul. But those who are very serious about understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, immediately He helps him by, I mean to say, showing a bona fide spiritual master so that a candidate will be helped from inside and outside how to approach God.

This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for that purpose. The spiritual master, or the representative, living representative of Kṛṣṇa, he helps from outside, and Kṛṣṇa as Paramātmā helps from inside. In both ways the living entity can take advantage and make his life successful. We have got many books in this connection, about twelve books of four hundred pages. So this is based on the authority of Vedas, and that is summarized in the Bhagavad-gītā and many other books.

So we have published Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa, Easy Journey to Other Planets, Nectar of Devotion. So we request everyone to understand this movement by reading authoritative literatures in this connection. We are publishing our magazine, Back to Godhead, every month in so many languages. So our program is to serve the human society, to save them from the pitfall of entering again into the cycle of birth and death. That is our great mission.

So I was very much engladdened to learn that I had to speak this night, but . . . because I was pre-engaged for going to San Francisco, because tomorrow there will be a great Ratha-yātrā festival. About fifty thousand people will participate in the festival, and they have advertised my presence, so I am going this afternoon to San Francisco.

So you will excuse me because I am not personally present. But I hope to come back again by the second week of July. If sufficient arrangement is made I shall be very glad to meet the enlightened people of this city and try to make them convinced about the importance of this great movement and that will be beneficial for our mission as well as your welfare.

Thank you. (cut) (end)