God Is Not Dead-You Are Dead
Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.27
Honolulu, May 27, 1976
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Take a testHonolulu, May 27, 1976
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Pradyumna: Translation: "When the
time of death arrived for the foolish Ajamila, he began thinking exclusively of
his son, Narayana." [SB 6.1.27]
Prabhupada: So in the previous verse also it has been described, bhojayan payayan mudho, and here is also, sa evam vartamano ajna. Ajna means one who has no sufficient knowledge. He is called ajna. And mudha means ass, rascal. So in both the verses the Ajamila is described as fool, rascal, and without sufficient knowledge. Why? Because he's attached to the child and he does not know that death is coming now. Death is there. This is our position. We say that "God is dead." God is not dead. God is coming very soon. Wait a few years, he'll be dead. This is the position. You rascal, God is not dead. God is coming to kick you, to kill you. Yes. Krsna says, mrtyuh sarva-haras caham [Bg. 10.34]. What is death? Just like in your previous life you had been something. Death means you have forgotten everything. Suppose I was a very big king or prime minister or president. But that is all finished. Now I've got another life, another chapter of life. Tatha dehantara-prapti. You have to change your body. It may be lower degree or higher degree, but you have to change your body. There are 8,400,000 species of life, forms of life. You have to accept one of them. That is our real problem. If we forget the real problem and blindly or foolishly say that "God is dead..." God may be dead, but God's law is not dead. Suppose a king dies, a president dies; does it mean the government dies? Huh? The government will go on. You can say, "God is dead." God is not dead, neither you are dead. But if you foolishly say that God is dead, that does not mean His law is also dead. The law will go on. One king may be dead. The next, his son or somebody will become king, and the government law will go on. So what is the use of talking foolishly like "God is dead"? God is never dead. This is going on. This morning we're talking.
So we are concerned with the laws of God. God may be dead or alive -- it doesn't matter. Suppose by law we are prisoners, we are in the prison house, and all of a sudden the president or the king dies. Does it mean you shall be free? No. You have to rot. Just like Bengali proverb says (Bengali), that if the king dies, his government is not stopped. We should remember that, that that government is prakrti, the material nature. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. You are reading Bhagavad-gita. So this is all foolish things, that "God is dead," "I don't care for God." But God, actually, God is not dead. You are dead. You are dead actually because this body, the bodily concept of life, this body is dead. Just like you are driving one car. But if you think that "I'm the car..." The car is dead. The car is moving because you are alive. Similarly, this dead body, this body is dead, already dead from the very beginning, but it is moving on account of the soul. This is knowledge. It is dead from the very beginning. Therefore in the sastra it is said that... What is that? I am just now forgetting. Oh, apranasya hi dehasya mandanam loka-ranjanam. Apranasya hi dehasya. Deha, deha means this body. So either it is dead or alive, it has no life. Apranasya hi dehasya. Deha, he is not alive. It is always dead. Simply we understand, because we are foolish rascals, we understand that this body is dead when the soul is away. The body is always dead. So bhagavad-bhakti-vihinasya jatih japas tapah kriyah. If one is not Krsna conscious, bhagavata-bhakti-vihinasya, then his big nationality, jatih, his achievement, japas tapah, his activities, everything bhagavad-bhakti-vihinasya jatih japas tapah kriyah, all these things are like decoration of the dead body. Apranasya hi dehasya mandanam loka-ranjanam. Mandanam loka-ranjanam. We are decorating this body with flower, ornaments, nice cloth. How long? So long the life is there. Then it is beautiful. Otherwise no one will do. If you garland... Suppose I become dead and you garland. It may be pleasing to somebody, but what is the value? There is no value.
So this material civilization, they're decorating this body. So the bodily concept of life is condemned in the very beginning of the Bhagavad-gita. This knowledge was given to Arjuna by Krsna when he surrendered. When he was talking friendly, He did not say. When Krsna..., Arjuna submitted that "Krsna, I'm now perplexed. So how my intelligence can be revived? You know." Arjuna knew that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so his perplexed position can be solved by Krsna. That he knew. Therefore he said, sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam prapannam: [Bg. 2.7] "Krsna, no more friendly talks. We are wasting time. Now I become Your disciple, sisya." Sisya means disciple. "You kindly advise me. I'm surrendering unto You." Tad viddhi pranipatena [Bg. 4.34]. Spiritual master means you must surrender to him. If you talk foolish, then you will not be benefited. You must submissively hear and accept whatever he says. So when Krsna began to teach him as teacher, the first thing He uttered... Anyone can say what He first said?
Devotee: Asocyan anvasocas tvam.
Prabhupada: Ah.
asocyan anvasocas tvam
prajna-vadams ca bhasase
gatasun agatasums ca
nanusocanti panditah
[Bg. 2.11]
"My dear Arjuna, you are talking like very learned scholar, but you are so rascal that you are talking of this body."
So, so far this body's concerned, either it is dead or alive, it is not the subject matter of any talk. Nanusocanti panditah. Those who are learned scholars don't talk about the body. They'll talk about the soul. That is pandita. What is the... This is dead body. Suppose this is cloth. Uh? Now if you talk about this cloth, you can talk. You can write volumes of books: "This silk was purchased in that store and it was manufactured in such and such day, and the man manufactured, he's like this..." You can go on talking nonsense like that and can write books. So all these rascal philosophers, they are writing about this cloth. That's all. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. But this is not the subject matter for the learned scholars. Nanusocanti panditah. What is this body? A combination of matter. It is already dead. Because the living soul is there, it is moving, and as soon as the living bo..., soul is out of the body, it is useless, dead matter. So what is there important talking about this dead body? It is made of this earth, earthly ingredient, bhumir apo 'nalo, and it will become again. Either... There are three, how do you say, transformation of this body. One transformation is ash. Another transformation is stool. Another transformation is earth. There are three different types of transformations. Just like Christian people, they bury the body. So, in due course of time you'll find, say, after ten years, twenty, your body's finished. It is now earth. The body has become earth. And Hindus, they burn it, so the body becomes ash. And the Parsees, they throw the body to be eaten by the vultures. It becomes stool. That is the last, how would you say, transformation of this body. And we are so much busy about this ash, stool, and earth. Just see how foolish we are.
Therefore Krsna said to Arjuna, gatasun agatasums ca. Just like motorcar, with driver or no driver, what is it? It is dead matter. That's all. Why one should be busy about this motorcar? One should be busy about the driver, whether he's (indistinct) nicely, whether he's eating nicely, he'll drive. If you don't take care of the driver, simply you wash the car, what is the use? The car will not be moving without driver. Similarly, the whole civilization should be on the basis of understanding the soul. That is civilization. Unfortunately, by the spell of maya... Just like this Ajamila. He's committing sinful activities. He's now rogue, thief, cheater. He doesn't care for that. But he's taking care of the body of the child. He's thinking, "This child will save me when I'll be in danger." There is another verse in the Second Canto:
dehapatya-kalatradisu
atma-sainyesv asatsv api
tesam pramatto nidhanam
pasyann api na pasyati
[SB 2.1.4]
Deha means this body. Apatya means children. Dehapatya. Kalatra means wife. Dehapatya kalatradisu atm-asainyesu. Here is struggle for existence, and you're thinking that "This my strong body and my nice children and my wife, they are my soldiers. Therefore I am saved." Everyone is thinking like that. "Now I am in a good family. I've got my family members very nice. I've got this strong body. Oh, what do I care, God is dead?" That's all.
So this is our misconception. We are thinking that this paraphernalia -- my country, my community, my countrymen or my family, my wife, my children and so many things, mine, mine, mine -- so I'm thinking that they will give me all protection. No. Therefore, in the Bhagavata it is said, dehapatya-kalatradisu asatsv api. He knows that "They will be finished. They cannot give protection to themselves. What protection they'll give to me?" This is knowledge. This is knowledge. Dehapatya-kalatradisu atma-sainyesv asatsv api pramatta tesam nidhanam [SB 2.1.4]. He knows that they will be finished, pasyann api na pasyati. He has practical experience, yet still he does not see. This is called maya. Maya means thing is one and he's thinking otherwise. His soldier, the so-called soldier, the protector, will be finished, but still he's depending on him. Suppose a bird is flying with his family in the sky. But if there is some danger, then no other bird can help him. You have to help yourself. Just like aeroplane. If dozens of aeroplane is flying, but if one aeroplane is in danger, no other plane can give him any help. It will fall down and crash. Finished.
So we have to take care of ourself. Daily, we are thinking, "My country, my community" -- they're all busy in this way -- "they'll save me." No. When death will come, nobody will save you. He'll remember that. You are challenging, "God is dead." When God will come and make you killed, nobody can save you. So we are so foolish for thinking that "God is dead, and I shall continue my life, and my wife, my children, my countrymen, my nation will save me." That is not possible.
Thank you very much. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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