Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.26.34

Nitāi: [leads chanting of verse, etc.] [devotees repeat]

bhūtānāṁ chidra-dātṛtvaṁ bahir antaram eva ca prāṅendriyātma-dhiṣṅyatvaṁ nabhaso vṛtti-lakṣaṅam [SB 3.26.34]

[break] [02:09]

"The activities and characteristics of the ethereal element can be observed as the accommodation for the room for the external and internal existences of all living entities, namely the field of activities of the vital air, the senses and the mind."

Prabhupāda:

bhūtānāṁ chidra-dātṛtvaṁ bahir antaram eva ca prāṅendriyātma-dhiṣṅyatvaṁ nabhaso vṛtti-lakṣaṅam [SB 3.26.34]

Space, accommodating space, this is the function of the ether. So this is technical description. There is nothing very much philosophy. Technical composition.

[aside:] So you can read the purport.

Nitāi: "The mind, the senses and the vital force, or living entity, have forms, although they are not visible to the naked eye. Form rests in the subtle existence in the sky, and internally it is perceived as the veins within the body and the circulation of the vital air. Externally there are invisible forms of sense objects. The production of the invisible sense objects is the external activity of the ethereal element, and the circulation of the vital air and blood is its internal activity. That subtle forms exist in the ether has been proven by modern science by the transmission of television, by which forms or photographs of one place are transmitted to another place by the action of the ethereal element. That is very nicely explained here.

"This verse is the potential basis of great scientific research work, for it explains how subtle forms are generated from the ethereal element, what their characteristics and actions are, and how the tangible elements, namely air, fire, water and earth, are manifested from the subtle form. Mental activities, or psychological actions of thinking, feeling and willing, are also activities on the platform of ethereal existence. The statement in the Bhagavad-gītā that the mental situation at the time of death is the basis of the next birth is also corroborated in this verse. Mental existence transforms into a tangible form as soon as there is an opportunity due to contamination or development of the gross elements from subtle form."

Prabhupāda: So one important thing, that "The statement in the Bhagavad-gītā that the mental situation at the time of death is the basis of the next birth is also corroborated in this verse." Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg 8.6].

[Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.]

Generally, with our these material eyes, material senses, gross vision, we do not see how a person dying and he is being transformed to another body. The gross material scientists, scholars, because they cannot see with the eyes, they do not believe in that there is soul, and soul transmigrates from one body to another. Big, big scientists, big, big scholars, they do not believe. They think that life is nothing but a mixture of these material elements, and at a time the vitality is finished, therefore everything is finished. But that is not the fact. The fact is the gross body is finished, but the subtle body—mind, intelligence and ego—that remains with the soul. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg 2.20]. The... Just like in dream we do not work with this gross body, but we work in dream with mind, intelligence and ego. We create another atmosphere, and in dream we see or we place ourself in a different atmosphere, although the gross body is resting on the bed. So this we experience every night, that because the gross body stops working, it does not mean the soul stops working. The soul works with his mind, intelligence and ego. So when this body becomes incapable of working further, then the mind, intelligence and ego carries me to another body—means another process of formation of the body into the womb of the mother. And when the body is formed and in working capacity, even as a child or baby, then the body comes out and the living entity's another chapter of life begins. This is the process of transmigration of the soul.

So mind is the basic principle of another form of body. Therefore our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is training the mind how to remain Kṛṣṅa conscious at the time of death. Because Kṛṣṅa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvam [Bg 8.6].

[Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.]

Therefore in Bengali poetry there is a saying, bhajan kara sādhan kara mate janle haya,[?] means "You are doing everything in spiritual life, but everything will be examined at the time of death. How you have practiced your bhajana, sādhana, this will be examined at the time of death." If at the time of death you remember Kṛṣṅa, that will be the examination. We are chanting,

Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare,

training the mind. So at the time of death if you think of Kṛṣṅa, then your examination is passed. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvam [Bg 8.6]. That kṛṣṅa-bhāvam immediately will carry you to the Kṛṣṅaloka. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

yānti deva-vratā devān pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ bhūtejyā yānti bhūtāni mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām [Bg 9.25]

[Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live with Me.]

Mad-yājinaḥ, Kṛṣṅa says. "Those who are worshiping Me," yājana... Yājana means worshiping. So Kṛṣṅa therefore advises, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg 18.65].

[Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.]

So Kṛṣṅa worship, mad-yājī, worshiping Kṛṣṅa... Kṛṣṅa says, "Worship Me." What is that? Māṁ namaskuru. If you simply come in this temple and offer little obeisances, daṅḍavat... Daṅḍa, daṅḍa means "rod"; vat means "like." Just like one stick falls straight on the ground, similarly, if we fall straight before the Deity, that is called daṅḍavat, "like the stick." Daṅḍavat-praṅāma. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṅa namratā. Namratā is required. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. Namanta: be submissive. So this daṅḍavat is the symbolic presentation of submission. And Kṛṣṅa wants that. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66], submission. The bhakti process is simply submission. So mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām [Bg 9.25]. If you do not study or if you have no education to study Vedic literatures, you simply... The temple is installed for this purpose, that if somebody comes, simply offers his obeisances before the Deity, before the spiritual master, simply by doing that he will become perfect. Just like these children. A small child is offering obeisances. It may be said that they are imitating, but not all child imitates. There are many children. So there are fortunate children who comes here, offers obeisances, dances with kīrtana, and... So these are not in vain. They are taken into account, and he also becomes developed in spiritual consciousness. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt.

Mahato bhayāt. Bhaya, or fearfulness, is of our next life. That is bhaya. Everyone is afraid of dying. Why? There is fearfulness that after this body, after death, nobody knows where he is going. That is bhaya. Everyone should be afraid of that. Suppose you are pushed somewhere. You do not know whether..., where you are going. So that is very dangerous. One must know "Where I am going." But they do not believe in the next life. Due to lack of knowledge, poor fund of knowledge, they... There is no question of disbelieving. It is quite logical, as Kṛṣṅa says, tathā dehāntaram-prāptiḥ. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā [Bg 2.13].

[As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.]

As you are changing body... Everyone is changing. Everyone knows, "I was a child. Then I became a baby, I became a boy, I became a young man. Now I am old man." So these, one after an..., change, one body after another, that is going on simply... Similarly, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ, after this body is finished, I must get another body.

So I am transformed to one body to another by mind, intelligence and ego. That has to be trained, mind. If you train up your mind where to go... We decide even in this life. We first of all decide in the mind, "Where I shall go?" We purchase ticket. We make arrangement. Similarly, the mind should be trained up how to go back to home, back to Godhead. This is called bhajana-sādhana, to train up the mind. If the mind becomes disturbed at the time of death, then... Even Bharata Mahārāja, such an exalted person, he became very much affectionate with a deer calf, and he had to take birth as a deer. Such an exalted person, so much advanced in spiritual life, but at the time... Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvam [Bg 8.6].

[Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.]

He was absorbed in the thought of the small deer whom he loved very much, so he had to take the body of a deer.

So there is such chance. So how much careful we should be, training our mind so that at the end of life we can think of Kṛṣṅa. That is the Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, training the mind to think of Kṛṣṅa, the same thing, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg 18.65].

[Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.]

This should be trained up. And the... That is also practical. We can understand. Just like some air is passing before us, and there is some good smell, rose smell. We can understand that the air is carrying the flavor of this rose because it is passing through the rose garden. So you cannot see the mind or the air—it does not mean that subtle things are not there. Don't believe your eyes in that way. You have to know things as it is stated here. The space, the air, they are acting. Prāṅa-vāyu. The yoga system is controlling the vāyu, the air within the body. That is called prāṅāyāma, prāṅa, prāṅa, vāyu, control the prāṅa-vāyu.

So perfect yogī, they control the prāṅa-vāyu in such a way that by their sweet will they can transfer themselves through the prāṅa-vāyu in different planets. They can do that when they are fixed up, that "Now I am completely able to transfer myself," so they can transfer to any planet. Or if he wants, he can transfer himself to the spiritual world. That is the perfection. We have given this picture in our Perfection of Yoga book: a yogī is transferring himself to another planet. So if you want to go to the planets of the demigods... They are trying to go to the moon planet, but by yoga system you can transfer yourself to any planet by yoga practice perfection. Therefore we have written that book Easy Journey to Other Planet. You can go to any other planet by bhakti-yoga or the aṣṭāṅga-yoga. Aṣṭāṅga-yoga, by practicing and becoming perfect, you can transfer to any planet yourself within this material world. But by bhakti-yoga you can transfer yourself immediately to this spiritual Vaikuṅṭhaloka or Goloka Vṛndāvana. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām.

So the yoga system is meant for that purpose, that you practice yoga, and when you are mature, you can select an auspicious time and transfer yourself to certain planet, as you like. Yānti deva-vratā devān [Bg 9.25].

If you want to go to the demigod's planet, so you can transfer there. And if you want to transfer yourself to Kṛṣṅaloka—mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām—that is the best way. Because here, even if you transfer yourself to the Brahmaloka, the topmost planet, where duration of life is millions and millions of years... You can transfer in that planet, but that is not very good bargain. Kṛṣṅa says, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna [Bg 8.16]:

[From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kuntī, never takes birth again.]

"Even if you transfer yourself to the Brahmaloka, where the duration of life is very, very long, still, you have to come back again." Kṣīṅe puṅye punaḥ martya-lokaṁ viśanti [Bg 9.21].

[When they have thus enjoyed heavenly sense pleasure, they return to this mortal planet again. Thus, through the Vedic principles, they achieve only flickering happiness.]

So long your pious balance is there, you can stay there. But after that, you have to come back again in this material world.

So śāstra says, "So if you have to prepare yourself, then why don't you prepare for going back to home, back to Godhead?" Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama [Bg 15.6].

[That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material world.]

Kṛṣṅa says, "If you go to the spiritual planet, Vaikuṅṭhaloka or Goloka Vṛndāvana, then you haven't got to return. That is eternal." Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti [Bg 4.9].

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

Mām eti. If you go to Kṛṣṅa, then your complete success is...

mām upetya punar janma duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ [Bg 8.15]

[After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.]

Saṁsiddhim, that is the highest perfection, paramam. Therefore we should try, we should endeavor, for that purpose, how to go back to home, back to Godhead.

So simply you have to train your mind. Man-manā bhava..., this, the prescription. Mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśaya. Kṛṣṅa says that "You, this practice," mām evaiṣyasi, "you will come to Me." Asaṁśaya. Kṛṣṅa says, "There is no doubt about it." So why don't you do that? Train your mind, always Kṛṣṅa conscious. And the method is simple. You do not require much education or university degree—nothing of the sort. Simply man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ: you just become devotee of Kṛṣṅa and always think of Him. Where is the difficulty? You can walk on the street and remember Kṛṣṅa. Is there any tax? No, the government will not ask you for any income tax, sales tax, that "You are chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa." They may do so. The time is coming. [laughter] [laughs] They may say, "The Hare Kṛṣṅa people must be taxed three times because they are chanting and doing nothing." The Communist government will do that. So never mind. The tax will be sent by Kṛṣṅa. [laughter] You haven't got to bother. Still, yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham [Bg 9.22],

[But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form-to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.]

Kṛṣṅa says. You believe in Kṛṣṅa; then every problem is solved. We have no problem if we simply follow Kṛṣṅa's instruction. Kṛṣṅa says, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham [Bg 10.10].

[To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.]

Even they tax for chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa, then Kṛṣṅa will bring the money. We are getting that practically.

So you know the history, how this land was purchased. There was no money, but Kṛṣṅa sent money and everything was done nicely. So there is no anxiety, provided we are purely Kṛṣṅa conscious, without any other desire.

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam ānukūlyena kṛṣṅānu- śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11]

[One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṅa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.]

No other desire. Simply... Desire will not come. Kṛṣṅa is so strong and nice. As soon as you allow Him to sit down within your heart—He is there already; simply you have to see—then the strength is already there. There is no need of acquiring external strength for acquiring Kṛṣṅa. The simple thing is that you follow the instruction of Kṛṣṅa, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg 18.65].

[Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.]

So this is very natural. This temple worship is meant for that purpose. Actually, when we see the Deity, immediately our mind becomes Kṛṣṅa conscious. At least, we think of Kṛṣṅa: "Here is Kṛṣṅa." So that is man-manāḥ. Chanting also, chanting, that is kṛṣṅa-manāḥ, man-manāḥ. In this way you become bhakta. Regularly chanting, you become bhakta. Without becoming bhakta, nobody can chant. So man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī. And worship Deity. He has come very kindly to accept your service. You just dress Him, just bathe Him, just decorate Him with ornaments, with garland, with nice thing. So He is ready. Just like a child is ready to accept the service of the mother. The mother dresses the child nicely, and the child accepts. So Kṛṣṅa is so kind that... You cannot capture Kṛṣṅa in His virāḍ-mūrti. You can capture Kṛṣṅa in your capacity. So Kṛṣṅa has agreed. So take this chance. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī. Worship Him. Why you are denying? It is not difficult, not expensive at all. And in this way, if you follow the process, then your bhāvam, your nature, will be changed. You will become a complete devotee.

So at the time of death, if you can maintain this bhāva, Kṛṣṅa conscious bhāva... The bhāva is the perfection. Bhāva is attained after much practice of devotional service.

ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu saṅgo 'tha bhajana-kriyā tato 'nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ athāsaktis tato bhāvaḥ [Cc Madhya 23.14-15]

[In the beginning there must be faith. Then one becomes interested in associating with pure devotees. Thereafter one is initiated by the spiritual master and executes the regulative principles under his orders. Thus one is freed from all unwanted habits and becomes firmly fixed in devotional service. Thereafter, one develops taste and attachment. This is the way of sādhana-bhakti, the execution of devotional service according to the regulative principles. Gradually emotions intensify, and finally there is an awakening of love. This is the gradual development of love of Godhead for the devotee interested in Kṛṣṅa consciousness.]

Āsakti, when there is āsakti, attraction, attraction... Now, recently I have received one letter. One boy, he was engaged in worshiping the Deity in our Hyderabad center, and he was transferred to Madras. So he became madlike. He has come back. He could not stay there without serving. He has written me letter. So that is bhāva. He cannot stay without worshiping the Deity. That stage comes. You have to simply adopt it. Tato bhāvaḥ. Tato 'nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Anartha. Anartha means we are accustomed to this material condition of life, so many anarthas. Just like there are so many people they are going to the cinema in the evening. But those who have attained bhāva, his anartha nivṛtti is already done. He is not attracted any more by the cinema. He is attracted, bhāva, in the worship of the Deity. That is called bhāva. That bhāva means prema. Only thinking of Kṛṣṅa, serving Kṛṣṅa, simply busy in Kṛṣṅa's service—that is the perfection of life. And if we can maintain that bhāva, that situation, mentality, then yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg 8.6].

[Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.]

And at the time of death, if that bhāva is maintained, that is saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ. That is the highest perfection of life. This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness practice, Kṛṣṅa consciousness. We are trying to... We are not trying to give others; we are trying ourself also, how to get that bhāva. That is the perfection of life.

So human life is meant for that purpose, not to practice how to imitate barking like the dog. No. That is not human life. Human life is meant for acquiring this bhāva. Budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ. In another place in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, budhāḥ...

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ [Bg 10.8]

[I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.]

Bhāva-samanvitāḥ. Budhāḥ. Those who are actually learned, actually advanced, such persons—budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ, bhajante mām. That is perfection of life. So take this opportunity, human life. Don't miss. You may be very proud of your intelligence, but this intelligence is not very good intelligence if you are devoid of Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Then you are a mūḍha. If, by your intelligence, you learn how to surrender to Kṛṣṅa and worship Him with bhāva, that is real intelligence. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [Bg 7.19].

[After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.]

And if you try to become intelligent, some tricks, material tricks, to get some money or cheat others, that is not very good intelligence. These cats and dogs that... They have also such intelligence. How to steal food from the room, the cat knows very well. So that is not intelligence. That intelligence can be found even birds, beasts, everywhere. Real intelligence is how to regain your Kṛṣṅa consciousness and be promoted to the stage of bhāva, and at the time of death maintain that bhāva, and then your life is successful. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg 4.9].

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. [end]