Beyond Birth & Death
This
morning as I was driving up our lane, I saw a hawk flying past me with a
live squirrel in his talons. And I thought, ‘how fragile is this
life’. One moment the squirrel was out collecting nuts to store in his
home for the winter, and the next moment, he is being carried away to
his sure death. I was reminded of the famous quote “Life takes Life”,
and of how all of ours lives, hang in the balance.
There is another famous Quote from the Srimad Bhagavatam:
“Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was asked by Yamarāja,
"What is the most wonderful thing in this world? Can you explain?" So Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira answered,
"Yes.
The most wonderful thing is that at every moment one can see that his
friends, his fathers, and his relatives have died, but he is thinking,
'I shall live forever.'"” (The Science of Self Realization)
This is the great illusion (maya)
So today I am moved to post
another chapter from the book “Beyond Birth & Death” by His Divine
Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Chapter One entitled “We Are
Not These Bodies”.
Also for a Free PDF download of entire book click the link at bottom of post.
Beyond Birth & Death By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter One
We Are Not These Bodies
dehī nityam avadhyo 'yaṁ
dehe sarvasya bhārata
tasmāt sarvāṇi bhūtāni
na tvaṁ śocitum arhasi
"O
descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body is eternal and can
never be slain. Therefore you need not grieve for any creature." (Bhagavad-gītā 2.30)
The
very first step in self-realization is realizing one's identity as
separate from the body. "I am not this body but am spirit soul" is an
essential realization for anyone who wants to transcend death and enter
into the spiritual world beyond. It is not simply a matter of saying "I
am not this body," but of actually realizing it. This is not as simple
as it may seem at first. Although we are not these bodies but are pure
consciousness, somehow or other we have become encased within the bodily
dress. If we actually want the happiness and independence that
transcend death, we have to establish ourselves and remain in our
constitutional position as pure consciousness.
Living in the
bodily conception, our idea of happiness is like that of a man in
delirium. Some philosophers claim that this delirious condition of
bodily identification should be cured by abstaining from all action.
Because these material activities have been a source of distress for us,
they claim that we should actually stop these activities. Their
culmination of perfection is in a kind of Buddhistic nirvāṇa, in which
no activities are performed. Buddha maintained that due to a combination
of material elements, this body has come into existence, and that
somehow or other if these material elements are separated or dismantled,
the cause of suffering is removed. If the tax collectors give us too
much difficulty because we happen to possess a large house, one simple
solution is to destroy the house. However, Bhagavad-gītā indicates that
this material body is not all in all. Beyond this combination of
material elements, there is spirit, and the symptom of that spirit is
consciousness.
Consciousness cannot be denied. A body without
consciousness is a dead body. As soon as consciousness is removed from
the body, the mouth will not speak, the eye will not see, nor the ears
hear. A child can understand that. It is a fact that consciousness is
absolutely necessary for the animation of the body. What is this
consciousness? Just as heat or smoke are symptoms of fire, so
consciousness is the symptom of the soul. The energy of the soul, or
self, is produced in the shape of consciousness. Indeed, consciousness
proves that the soul is present. This is not only the philosophy of
Bhagavad-gītā but the conclusion of all Vedic literature.
The
impersonalist followers of Śaṅkarācārya, as well as the Vaiṣṇavas
following in the disciplic succession from Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, acknowledge
the factual existence of the soul, but the Buddhist philosophers do not.
The Buddhists contend that at a certain stage the combination of matter
produces consciousness, but this argument is refuted by the fact that
although we may have all the constituents of matter at our disposal, we
cannot produce consciousness from them. All the material elements may be
present in a dead man, but we cannot revive that man to consciousness.
This body is not like a machine. When a part of a machine breaks down,
it can be replaced, and the machine will work again, but when the body
breaks down and consciousness leaves the body, there is no possibility
of our replacing the broken part and rejuvenating the consciousness. The
soul is different from the body, and as long as the soul is there, the
body is animate. But there is no possibility of making the body animate
in the absence of the soul.
Because we cannot perceive the soul by
our gross senses, we deny it. Actually there are so many things that
are there which we cannot see. We cannot see air, radio waves, or sound,
nor can we perceive minute bacteria with our blunt senses, but this
does not mean they are not there. By the aid of the microscope and other
instruments, many things can be perceived which had previously been
denied by the imperfect senses. Just because the soul, which is atomic
in size, has not been perceived yet by senses or instruments, we should
not conclude that it is not there. It can, however, be perceived by its
symptoms and effects.
In Bhagavad-gītā Śrī Kṛṣṇa points out that all of our miseries are due to false identification with the body.
mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino 'nityās
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
"O
son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of heat and cold, happiness
and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the
appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise
from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to
tolerate them without being disturbed." (Bg. 2.14)
In the
summertime we may feel pleasure from contact with water, but in the
winter we may shun that very water because it is too cold. In either
case, the water is the same, but we perceive it as pleasant or painful
due to its contact with the body.
All feelings of distress and
happiness are due to the body. Under certain conditions the body and
mind feel happiness and distress. Factually we are hankering after
happiness, for the soul's constitutional position is that of happiness.
The soul is part and parcel of the Supreme Being, who is
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs. 5.1]—the embodiment of knowledge, bliss,
and eternity. Indeed, the very name Kṛṣṇa, which is nonsectarian, means
"the greatest pleasure." Kṛṣ means "greatest," and ṇa means "pleasure."
Kṛṣṇa is the epitome of pleasure, and being part and parcel of Him, we
hanker for pleasure. A drop of ocean water has all the properties of the
ocean itself, and we, although minute particles of the Supreme Whole,
have the same energetic properties as the Supreme.
The atomic
soul, although so small, is moving the entire body to act in so many
wonderful ways. In the world we see so many cities, highways, bridges,
great buildings, monuments, and great civilizations, but who has done
all this? It is all done by the minute spirit spark within the body. If
such wonderful things can be performed by the minute spirit spark, we
cannot begin to imagine what can be accomplished by the Supreme Spirit
Whole. The natural hankering of the minute spirit spark is for the
qualities of the whole—knowledge, bliss, and eternality—but these
hankerings are being frustrated due to the material body. The
information on how to attain the soul's desire is given in
Bhagavad-gītā.
At present we are trying to attain eternity, bliss,
and knowledge by means of an imperfect instrument. Actually, our
progress toward these goals is being blocked by the material body;
therefore we have to come to the realization of our existence beyond the
body. Theoretical knowledge that we are not these bodies will not do.
We have to keep ourselves always separate as masters of the body, not as
servants. If we know how to drive a car well, it will give us good
service; but if we do not know how, we will be in danger.
The body
is composed of senses, and the senses are always hungry after their
objects. The eyes see a beautiful person and tell us, "Oh, there is a
beautiful girl, a beautiful boy. Let's go see." The ears are telling us,
"Oh, there is very nice music. Let us go hear it." The tongue is
saying, "Oh, there is a very nice restaurant with palatable dishes. Let
us go." In this way the senses are dragging us from one place to
another, and because of this we are perplexed.
indriyāṇāṁ hi caratāṁ
yan mano 'nuvidhīyate
tad asya harati prajñāṁ
vāyur nāvam ivāmbhasi
"As a boat on the water is swept away by a strong wind, even one
of the senses on which the mind focuses can carry away a man's
intelligence." (Bg. 2.67)
It is imperative that we learn how
to control the senses. The name gosvāmī is given to someone who has
learned how to master the senses. Go means "senses," and svāmī means
"controller"; so one who can control the senses is to be considered a
gosvāmī. Kṛṣṇa indicates that one who identifies with the illusory
material body cannot establish himself in his proper identity as spirit
soul. Bodily pleasure is flickering and intoxicating, and we cannot
actually enjoy it, because of its momentary nature. Actual pleasure is
of the soul, not the body. We have to mold our lives in such a way that
we will not be diverted by bodily pleasure. If somehow we are diverted,
it is not possible for us to establish our consciousness in its true
identity beyond the body.
bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ
tayāpahṛta-cetasām
vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ
samādhau na vidhīyate
traiguṇya-viṣayā vedā
nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna
nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho
niryoga-kṣema ātmavān
"In
the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material
opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute
determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take
place. The Vedas deal with the subject of the three modes of material
nature. Rise above these modes, O Arjuna. Be transcendental to all of
them. Be free from all dualities and from all anxieties for gain and
safety, and be established in the Self." (Bg. 2.44–45)
The
word veda means "book of knowledge." There are many books of knowledge,
which vary according to the country, population, environment, etc. In
India the books of knowledge are referred to as the Vedas. In the West
they are called the Old Testament and New Testament. The Muhammadans
accept the Koran. What is the purpose for all these books of knowledge?
They are to train us to understand our position as pure soul. Their
purpose is to restrict bodily activities by certain rules and
regulations, and these rules and regulations are known as codes of
morality. The Bible, for instance, has ten commandments intended to
regulate our lives. The body must be controlled in order for us to reach
the highest perfection, and without regulative principles, it is not
possible to perfect our lives. The regulative principles may differ from
country to country or from scripture to scripture, but that doesn't
matter, for they are made according to the time and circumstances and
the mentality of the people. But the principle of regulated control is
the same. Similarly, the government sets down certain regulations to be
obeyed by its citizens. There is no possibility of making advancement in
government or civilization without some regulations. In the previous
verse, Śrī Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that the regulative principles of the
Vedas are meant to control the three modes of material nature—goodness,
passion, and ignorance (traiguṇya-viṣayā vedāḥ). However, Kṛṣṇa is
advising Arjuna to establish himself in his pure constitutional position
as spirit soul, beyond the dualities of material nature.
As we
have already pointed out, these dualities—such as heat and cold,
pleasure and pain—arise due to the contact of the senses with their
objects. In other words, they are born of identification with the body.
Kṛṣṇa indicates that those who are devoted to enjoyment and power are
carried away by the words of the Vedas, which promise heavenly enjoyment
by sacrifice and regulated activity. Enjoyment is our birthright, for
it is the characteristic of the spirit soul, but the spirit soul tries
to enjoy materially, and this is the mistake.
Everyone is turning
to material subjects for enjoyment and is compiling as much knowledge as
possible. Someone is becoming a chemist, physicist, politician, artist,
or whatever. Everyone knows something of everything or everything of
something, and this is generally known as knowledge. But as soon as we
leave the body, all of this knowledge is vanquished. In a previous life
one may have been a great man of knowledge, but in this life he has to
start again by going to school and learning how to read and write from
the beginning. Whatever knowledge was acquired in the previous life is
forgotten. The situation is that we are actually seeking eternal
knowledge, but this cannot be acquired by this material body. We are all
seeking enjoyment through these bodies, but bodily enjoyment is not our
actual enjoyment. It is artificial. We have to understand that if we
want to continue in this artificial enjoyment, we will not be able to
attain our position of eternal enjoyment.
The body must be considered a diseased condition. A diseased man
cannot enjoy himself properly; a man with jaundice, for instance, will
taste sugar candy as bitter, but a healthy man can taste its sweetness.
In either case, the sugar candy is the same, but according to our
condition it tastes different. Unless we are cured of this diseased
conception of bodily life, we cannot taste the sweetness of spiritual
life. Indeed, it will taste bitter to us. At the same time, by
increasing our enjoyment of material life, we are further complicating
our diseased condition. A typhoid patient cannot eat solid food, and if
someone gives it to him to enjoy, and he eats it, he is further
complicating his malady and is endangering his life. If we really want
freedom from the miseries of material existence, we must minimize our
bodily demands and pleasures.
Actually, material enjoyment is not
enjoyment at all. Real enjoyment does not cease. In the Mahābhārata
there is a verse—ramante yogino 'nante—to the effect that the yogīs
(yogino), those who are endeavoring to elevate themselves to the
spiritual platform, are actually enjoying (ramante), but their enjoyment
is anante, endless. This is because their enjoyment is in relation to
the supreme enjoyer (Rāma), Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the real
enjoyer, and Bhagavad-gītā (5.29) confirms this:
bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati
"The
sages, knowing Me as the ultimate enjoyer of all sacrifices and
austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the
benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the
pangs of material miseries." Bhoga means "enjoyment," and our
enjoyment comes from understanding our position as the enjoyed. The real
enjoyer is the Supreme Lord, and we are enjoyed by Him.
An
example of this relationship can be found in the material world between
the husband and the wife: the husband is the enjoyer (puruṣa), and the
wife is the enjoyed (prakṛti). The word pri means "woman." Puruṣa, or
spirit, is the subject, and prakṛti, or nature, is the object. The
enjoyment, however, is participated in both by the husband and the wife.
When actual enjoyment is there, there is no distinction that the
husband is enjoying more or the wife is enjoying less. Although the male
is the predominator and the female is the predominated, there is no
division when it comes to enjoyment. On a larger scale, no living entity
is the enjoyer.
God expanded into many, and we constitute those
expansions. God is one without a second, but He willed to become many in
order to enjoy. We have experience that there is little or no enjoyment
in sitting alone in a room talking to oneself. However, if there are
five people present, our enjoyment is enhanced, and if we can discuss
Kṛṣṇa before many, many people, the enjoyment is all the greater.
Enjoyment means variety. God became many for His enjoyment, and thus our
position is that of the enjoyed. That is our constitutional position
and the purpose for our creation. Both enjoyer and enjoyed have
consciousness, but the consciousness of the enjoyed is subordinate to
the consciousness of the enjoyer. Although Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer and we
the enjoyed, the enjoyment can be participated in equally by everyone.
Our enjoyment can be perfected when we participate in the enjoyment of
God. There is no possibility of our enjoying separately on the bodily
platform. Material enjoyment on the gross bodily platform is discouraged
throughout Bhagavad-gītā.
mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino 'nityās
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
"O
son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of heat and cold, happiness
and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the
appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise
from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to
tolerate them without being disturbed." (Bg. 2.14)
The gross material body is a result of the interaction of the modes of material nature, and it is doomed to destruction.
antavanta ime dehā
nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ
anāśino 'prameyasya
tasmād yudhyasva bhārata
"Only the material body of the indestructible, immeasurable,
and eternal living entity is subject to destruction; therefore, fight, O
descendant of Bharata." (Bg. 2.18) Śrī Kṛṣṇa therefore encourages
us to transcend the bodily conception of existence and attain to our
actual spiritual life.
guṇān etān atītya trīn
dehī deha-samudbhavān
janma-mṛtyu jarā-duḥkhair
vimukto 'mṛtam aśnute
"When
the embodied being is able to transcend these three modes [goodness,
passion, and ignorance], he can become free from birth, death, old age,
and their distresses and can enjoy nectar even in this life." (Bg. 14.20)
To
establish ourselves on the pure brahma-bhūta spiritual platform, above
the three modes, we must take up the method of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The
gift of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the chanting of the names of Kṛṣṇa—Hare
Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma
Rāma, Hare Hare—facilitates this process. This method is called
bhakti-yoga or mantra-yoga, and it is employed by the highest
transcendentalists. How the transcendentalists realize their identity
beyond birth and death, beyond the material body, and transfer
themselves from the material universe to the spiritual universes are the
subjects of the following chapters.
Test pasted from;
Prabhupada Books
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![Sri Sri Radha Vrindavana Chandra Darshan [Sri Krishna and Srimati Radha Rani] as on 14/May/2014](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ij3dl6lO3Jkwg8fe7Tfzws_JTACPLEe7vQGY1hzQAIBYbloSV47iZBDlocsdT_P6yf-DkwJ2gmRR4z9NMmJl_zPan6gQ2Lirt2LX2KX7eKewfHBBNaKFyHlbEbY9UyHqcpmcPNdjq5s/s72-c/RVC2.jpg){kind=small}
