{"Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0001": "", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0002": "l\n\n,j\n\nl\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0003": "Beyond Birth and Death\n\n�\n\n�\nI\n\nHis Divine Grace\nA.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupdda\nFounder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness\n\n�\n\n�\n\n••\n\nTHE BHAKTIVEDANTA BOOK TRUST\nNew York · Los Angeles · London · Bombay\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0004": "Readers interested in the subject matter\nof this book are invited by\n\nthe International Society for Krishna Consciousness\nto correspond with its Secretary.\n\nInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness\n3959 Landmark Street\nCulver City, California 90230\n\n© 1972 by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust ( B.B.T. )\nAll rights reserved\nFirst Printing, 1972: 25,000 copies\nSecond Printing, 197,3: 100,000 copies\nThird Printing, 1974: 200,000 copies\nLibrary of Congress Catalog Card Number: 72-84844\nInternational Standard Book Number: 0-912776-41-2\nPrinted in the United States of America\n\n...\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0005": "CONTENTS\n\nI. We Are Not These Bodies\nII. Elevation At Death\n\n7\n\n20\n\nIII. Liberation 'From Material Planets\nIV. The Sky Beyond The -Universe\nV. Associating With Krsua\n\n54\n\n32\n40\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0006": "", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0007": "His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami\nPrabhupada left India and came to America in 1965\nto spread the Hare Krl!IJa Movement to the Western\nworld. He is the first successful propagator of the\nscience of bhakti-yoga in the West and the founder\nand spiritual master of the International Society for\nKrishna Consciousness, which has over seventy centers around the world. He has translated and commented upon many great Vedic literaturesBhagavad-gltii, Upani�ads, Srlmad-Bhiigavatam\nand others. This present booklet introduces the\nreader to the basic message of Bhagavad-gltii-that\nthrough Krl!IJa consciousness one can transcend the\nrelative material world of time and space and attain\nthe perfectional platform of existence beyond birth\nand death.\n\nBOOKS by His Divine Grace\nA.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada\nBhagavad-gita As It Is\nSrimad-Bhagavatam, Cantos 1-4 (13 Vols.)\nSri Caitanya-caritamrta (3 Vols.)\nTeachings of Lord Caitanya\nThe Nectar of Devotion\nSri Tsopani:;ad\nEasy Journey to Other Planets\nKr:;ra Consciousness: The Topmost Yoga System\nKr:;ra. The Supreme Personality of Godhead (2 Vols.)\nTranscendental Teachings of Prahlad Maharaja\nTranscendental Teachings of Caitanya Mahaprabhu\nKr:;ra. the Reservoir of Pleasure\nThe Perfection of Yoga\nBeyond Birth and Death\nOn the Way to Kn>ra\nRaja·vidya: The King of Knowledge\nElevation to Kr?ra Consciousness\nLord Caitanya in Five Features\nBack to Godhead Magazine (Founder)\n\nA complete catalogue is available upon request.\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0008": "", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0009": "1\nWe Are Not These Bodies\n\ndeh1 nityam avadhyo 'yam\ndehe sarvasya bharata\ntasmat sarvatzi bhutani\nna tvarh socitum arhasi\n\"0 descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body\nis eternal and can never be slain. Therefore you need\nnot grieve for any creature.\" (Bhagavad-g1ta 2.30)\nThe very first step in self-realization is realizing\none's identity as separate from the body. \"I am not\nthis body but am spirit soul\" is an essential realization\nfor anyone who wants to transcend death and enter\ninto the spiritual world beyond. It is not simply a\nmatter of saying \"I am not this body,\" but of actually\nrealizing it. This is not as simple as it may seem at\nfirst. Although we are not these bodies but are pure\nconsciousness, somehow or other we have become\nencased with the bodily dress. If we actually want\nthe happiness and independence that transcend death\nwe have to establish ourselves and remain in our\nconstitutional position as pure consciousness.\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0010": "8\n\nBeyond Birth and Death\n\nLiving 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\nidentification should be cured by abstaining from all\naction. Because these material activities have been. a\nsource of distress for us, they claim that we should\nactually stop these activities. Their culmination of\nperfection is in a kind of Buddhistic nirva[la in which\nno activities are performed. Buddha maintained that\ndue to a combination of material elements, this body\nhas come into existence, and that somehow or other\nif these material elements are separated or dismantled,\nthe cause of suffering is removed. If the tax collectors give us too much difficulty because we happen\nto possess a large house, one simple solution is to\ndestroy the house. However, Bhagavad-gTta indicates\nthat this material body is not all in all. Beyond this\ncombination of material elements, there is spirit, and\nthe symptom of that spirit is consciousness.\nConsciousness cannot be denied. A body without\nconsciousness is a dead body. As soon as consciousness is removed from the body, the mouth will not\nspeak, the eye will not see, nor the ears hear. A child\ncan understand that. It is a fact that consciousness is\nabsolutely necessary for the animation of the body.\nWhat is this consciousness? Just as heat or smoke are\nsymptoms of fire, so consciousness is the symptom\nof the soul. The energy of the soul or self is produced\n\nin the shape of consciousness. Indeed, consciousness\nproves that the soul is present. This is not only the\nphilosophy of Bhagavad-gTta but the conclusion of\nall Vedic literature.\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0011": "We Are Not These Bodies\n\n9\n\nThe impersonalist school of S ankaracary a, as well\nas the Vaig1avas following in the disciplic succession\nfrom Lord S ri Kr�l).a, acknowledge the factual existence of the soul, but the Buddhist philosophers do\nnot. The Buddhists contend that at a certain stage\nthe combination of matter produces consciousness,\nbut this argument is refuted by the fact that although\nwe may have all the constituents of matter at our\ndisposal,\n\nwe cannot produce consciousness from\n\nthem. All the material elements may be present in a\ndead man, but we cannot revive that man to consciousness. This body is not like a machine. W hen a\npart of a machine breaks down, it can be replaced,\nand the machine will work again, but when the body\nbreaks down and consciousness leaves the body, there\nis no possibility of our replacing the broken part and\nrejuvenating the consciousness. The soul is different\nfrom the body, and as long as the soul is there, the\nbody is animate. But there is no possibility of making t}_le body animate in the absence of the soul.\nBecause. we cannot perceive the soul by dur gross\nsenses, we deny it. Actually there are so many things\nthat are there which we cannot see. We cannot see air,\nradio waves or sound, nor can we perceive minute bacteria with our blunt senses, but this does not mean\nthey are not there. By the aid of the microscope and\nother instruments, many things can be perceived\nwhich had previously been denied by the imperfect\nsenses. Just because the soul, which is atomic in size,\nhas not been perceived yet by senses or instruments,\nwe should not conclude that it is not there. It can,\nhowever, be perceived by its symptoms and effects.\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0012": "10\n\nBeyond Birth and Death\nIn Bhagavad-glfa\n\nSri Kr�J;ta points out that all of\n\nour miseries are due to false identification with the\nbody.\nmatra-sparsas tu kaunteya\nsitOfjfla-sukha-du/:lkha-da/:1\nagamapayino 'nityas\ntams titikfiasva bharata\n\n\"0 son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of\nheat and cold, happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and\ndisappearance of winter and summer seasons. They\narise from sense perception, 0 scion of Bharata,\nand one must learn to tolerate them without being\ndisturbed.\" (B g. 2.14)\nIn the summertime we may feel pleasure from\ncontact with water, but in the winter we may shun\nthat very water because it is too cold. In either case,\nthe water is the same, but we perceive it as pleasant\nor painful due to its contact with the body. All feelings of distress and happiness are due to the body.\nUnder certain conditions the body and mind feel\nhappiness and distress. Factually we are hankering\nafter happiness, for the soul's constitutional position\nis that of happiness. The soul is part and parcel of\nthe Supreme Being, who is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha/:1the embodiment of knowledge, bliss and eternity. Indeed, the very name Kr�J;ta, which is nonsectarian,\nmeans \"the greatest pleasure.\" Kr� means greatest\nand IJO means pleasure.\n\nKr�J;ta is the epitome of\n\npleasure, and being part and parcel of Him, we\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0013": "We Are Not These Bodies\n\n11\n\nhanker for pleasure. A drop of ocean water has all\nthe properties of the ocean itself, and we, although\nminute particles of the Supreme Whole, have the\nsame energetic properties of the Supreme.\nThe atomic soul, although so small, is moving the\nentire body to act in so many wonderful ways. In\nthe world we see so many cities, highways, bridges,\ngreat buildings, monuments and great civilizations,\nbut who has done all this? It is all done by the minute spirit spark within the body. If such· wonderful\nthings can be performed by the minute spirit spark,\nwe cannot begin to imagine what can be accomplished\nby the Supreme Spirit Whole. The natural hankering\nof the minute spirit spark is for the qualities of the\nWhole-knowledge, bliss and eternality-but these\nhankerings are being frustrated due to the material\nbody. The information on how to attain the soul's\ndesire is given in Bhagavad-glfii.\nAt present we are trying to attain eternity, bliss\nand knowledge by means of an imperfect instrument.\nActually our progress towards these goals is being\nblocked by the material body; therefore we have to\ncome to the realization of our existence beyond the\nbody. Theoretical knowledge that we are not these\nbodies will not do. We have to keep ourselves always\nseparate as masters of the body, not as servants. If\nwe know how to drive a car well, it will give us good\nservice; but if we do not know how, we will be in\ndanger.\nThe body is composed of senses, and the senses\nare always hungry after their objects. The eyes see a\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0014": "Beyond Birth and Death\n\n12\n\nbeautiful person and tell us, \"Oh, there is a beautiful\ngirl, a beautiful boy. Let's go see.\" The ears are telling\nus, \"Oh there is very nice music. Let us go hear it.\"\nThe tongue is say ing, \"Oh, there is a very nice\nrestaurant with palatable dishes. Let us go.\" In this\nway the senses are dragging us from one place to\nanother, and because of this we are perplexed.\n\nindriyarzam hi caratam\nyan mano'nuvidhzyate\ntad asya harati prajnam\nJiiyur navam ivambhasi\n\nlq\n\n\"As a boat on the water is swept away by a strong\nwind, even one of the senses on which the mind\nfocuses can carry away a man's intelligence.\" (Bg.\n\n2.67)\nIt is imperative that we learn how to control the\nsenses. The name gosvam1 is given to someone who\nhas learned how to master the senses. Go means\nsenses, and svamz means controller, so one who can\ncontrol the senses is to be considered a gosvami\nKrg1a indicates that one who identifies with the\nillusory material body cannot establish himself in\nhis proper identity as spirit soul. Bodily pleasure is\nflickering and intoxicating, and we cannot actually\nenjoy it because of its momentary nature. Actual\npleasure is of the soul, not the body. We have to mold\nour lives in such a way that we will not be diverted\nby bodily pleasure. If somehow we are diverted, it is\nnot possible for us to establish our consciousness in\nits true identity beyond the body .\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0015": "13\n\nWe Are Not These Bodies\nbhogaisvarya-prasakfanarh\ntayapahrta-cetasiim\nvyavsayatmika buddhifl\nsamiidhau na vidh[ya te\ntraigu tzya v i�aya veda\n-\n\nnis traigutiYO bhal'iirjuna\n\nnirdl'andl'o nitya-sattva-stho\nniryoga-k!Jema atmavan\n\"In the minds of those who are too attached to\n\n��nse enjoyment and material opulence, and who are\nbewildered by such things, the resolute determination\nfor devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not\ntake place. The Vedas deal with the subject of the\nthree modes of material nature. Rise above these\nmodes, 0 Arjuna. Be transcendental to all of them.\nBe free from all dualities and from all anxieties for\ngain and safety, and be established in the Self.\" (Bg.\n2.44-45)\nThe word veda means book of knowledge\n\nThere\n\nare many books of knowledge which vary according\nto the country, population, environment, etc. In India,\nthe books of knowledge are referred to as the Vedas.\nIn the West, they are called the Old Testament and\nNew\n\nTestament.\n\nThe\n\nMohammedans\n\naccept\n\nthe\n\nKoran. What is the purpose for all these books of\nknowledge? They are to train us to understand our\nposition as pure soul. Their purpose is to restrict\nbodily activities by certain rules and regulations, and\nthese rules and regulations are known as codes of\nmorality. The Bible, for instance, has ten command-\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0016": "14\n\nBeyond Birth and Death\n\nments intended to regulate our lives. The body must\nbe controlled in order for us to reach the highest\nperfection, and without regulated principles, it is not\npossible to perfect our lives. The regulated principles\nmay differ from country to country or from scripture\nto scripture, but that doesn't matter, for they are\nmade according to the time and circumstances and\nmentality of the people. But the principle of regulated control is the same. Similarly, the government\nsets down certain regulations to be obeyed by its\ncitizens. There is no possibility of making advancement in government or civilization without some\nregulations. In the verse above, S ri Kr�J.la tells Arjuna\nthat the regulative principles of the Vedas are meant\nto control the three modes of material nature-goodness, passion and ignorance (traigurzya-vi�aya veda).\nHowever, Kr�J.la is advising Arjuna to establish himself in his pure constitutional position as spirit soul\nbeyond the dualities of material nature.\nAs we have already pointed out, these dualitiessuch as heat and cold, pleasure and pain-arise due to\nthe contact of the senses with their objects. In other\nwords, they are born of identification with the body.\nKrsua indicates that those who are devoted to enjoyment and power are carried a way by the words of\nthe\n\nVedas which promise pain or heavenly enjoy­\n\nment by sacrifice and regulated activity. Enjoyment\n\nis our birthright, for it is the characteristic of the\nspirit soul, but the spirit soul tries to enjoy materially,\nand this is the mistake.\nEveryone is turning to material subjects for enjoy;.\nment and is compiling as much knowledge as possible.\nSomeone is becoming a chemist, physicist, politician\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0017": "We Are Not These Bodies\n\n15\n\nor artist or whatever. Everyone knows something of\neverything and everything of something, and this is\ngenerally known as knowledge. But as soon as we\nleave the body, all of this knowledge is vanquished.\nIn a previous life, one may be a great man of knowledge, but in this life he has to start again by going to\nschool and learning how to read and write from the\nbeginning. Whatever knowledge was acquired in the\nprevious life is forgotten. The situation is that we\nare actually seeking eternal knowledge, but this cannot be acquired by this material body. We are all\nseeking enjoyment through these bodies, but bodily\nenjoyment is not our actual enjoyment. It is artificial\nWe have to understand that if we want to continue\nin this artificial enjoyment, we will not be able to\nattain our position of eternal enjoyment.\nThe body must be considered a diseased condition.\n\nA diseased man cannot enjoy himself properly; a man\nwith jaundice, for instance, will taste sugar candy as\nbitter, but a healthy man can taste its sweetness. In\neither case, the sugar candy is the same, but according to our condition it tastes different. Unless we are\ncured of this diseased conception of bodily life, we\ncannot taste the sweetness of spiritual life. Indeed,\nit will taste bitter to us. At the same time, by increasing our enjoyment of material life, we are further\ncomplicating\n\nour\n\ndiseased\n\ncondition.\n\nA typhoid\n\npatient cannot eat solid food, and if someone gives\nit to him to enjoy, and he eats it, he is further complicating his malady and endangering his life. If we\nreally want freedom from the miseries of material\nexistence, we must minimize our bodily demands\nand pleasures.\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0018": "Beyond Birth and Death\n\n16\n\nActually material enjoyment is not enjoyment at\nall. Real enjoyment does not cease. In the Maha­\n\nbharata there is a verse-ramante yogino'nante-to\nthe effect that the yogis (yoginaJ:z), those who are\nendeavoring to elevate themselves to the spiritual\nplatform, are actually enjoying (ramante), but their\nenjoyment is anante-endless. This is because their\nenjoyment is in relation to the Supreme Enjoyer\n(Rama),\n\nSri Krsu.a. B hagavan Sri Krsu.a is the real\n\nEnjoyer, and Bhagavad-gzta confirms this.\n\nbhoktaram yajna-tapasam\nsarva-lo ka-mahdvaram\nsuhrdam sarva-bhutanam\njnatva mam scmtim rcchati\n\"The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate enjoyer of\nall sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all\nplanets and demigods and the benefactor and wellwisher of all living entities, attain peace from the\npangs of material miseries.\" (Bg. 5. 29)\n\nBhoga\n\nmeans\n\nenjoyment,\n\nand\n\nour\n\nenjoyment\n\ncomes from understanding our position as the enjoyed. The real enjoyer is the Supreme Lord, and we\nare enjoyed by Him. An example of this relationship\ncan be found in the material world between the husband and the wife; the husband is the enjoyer\n\n(puru�a), and the wife is the enjoyed (prakrtO. The\nword pri means woman. Puru$a, or spirit, is the subject, and prakrti, or-nature, is the object. The enjoyment, however, is participated in both by the husband and the wife. When actual enjoyment is there,\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0019": "We Are Not These Bodies\n\n17\n\nthere is no distinction that the husband is enjoying\nmore or the wife is enjoying less. Although the male\nis 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.\nGod\n\nexpanded\n\ninto many ,\n\nand we constitute\n\nthose expansions. God is one without a second, but\nHe willed to become many in order to enjoy. We\nhave experience that there is little or- no enjoyment\nin sitting alone in a room talking to oneself. However, if there are five people present, our enjoyment\nis enhanced, and if we can discuss Kr�IJ.a before many,\nmany people, the enjoyment is all the greater. Enjoyment means variety. God became many for His enjoyment, and thus our position is that of enjoyed. That\nis our constitutional position and the purpose for\nour creation. Both enjoyer and enjoyed have consciousness, but the consciousness of the enjoyed is\nsubordinate to the consciousness of the enjoyer. Although Kr�IJ.a is the enjoyer and we the enjoyed, the\nenjoyment can be participated in equally by everyone.\nOur enjoyment can be perfected when we participate\n\nin the enjoyment of God. There is no possibility in\nour enjoying separately on the bodily platform.\nMaterial enjoyment on the gross bodily platform is\ndiscouraged throughout Bhagavad-gitii:\nmiitrii-sparsiis tu kaunteya\n\nSZtO�TJG-SU kha-duf:t kha-diif:t\niigamiipiiyino 'nityiis\ntams titik�asva bhiirata\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0020": "18\n\nBeyond Birth and Death\n\n\"0 son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of\nheat and cold, happiness and distress, and their\ndisappearance in due course, are like the appearance\nand disappearance of winter and summer seasons.\nThey arise from sense perception, 0 scion of Bharata,\n\nand one must learn to tolerate them without being\ndisturbed.\" (Bg. 2.14)\n\nThe gross material body is a result of the inter­\n\naction of the modes of material nature, and it is'\ndoomed to destruction.\n\nantavanta ime deha\nnityasyokta{z sarzrirzafz\nanasino 'prameyasya\ntasmad yudhyasva bharata\n\"Only\n\nthe\n\nmaterial\n\nbody\n\nof\n\nthe\n\nindestructible,\n\nimmeasurable and eternal living entity is subject\nto destruction; therefore,\nBharata.\" (Bg. 2.18)\n\nfight, 0 descendant of\n\nSri Kr�qa therefore encourages us to transcend\nthe bodily conception of existence and attain to our\nactual spiritual life.\n\nguran etan atitya trfn\ndehf deha-samudbhavan\njanma-mrtyu-jarii-dufzkhair\nvimukto 'mrtam asnute\n\"When the em bodied being is able to transcend\nthese three modes (goodness, passion and ignorance),\nhe can become free from birth, death, old age and\ntheir distresses and can enjoy nectar even in this life.\"\n(Bg. 14.20)\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0021": "We Are Not These Bodies\n\n19\n\nTo establish ourselves on the pure brahma-bhuta\nspiritual platform, above the three modes, we must\ntake up the method of Kr�IJ.a consciousness. The gift\n\nof Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the chanting of the names\nof Kr�I).a-Hare Kr�J].a, Hare Kr�J].a, Kr�J].a K�J].a,\nHare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama,\nHare Hare, facilitates this process. This method is\ncalled bhakti-yoga or mantra-yoga, and it is employed\n\nby the highest transcendentalists. How the transcendentalists realize their identity beyond birth and\ndeath, beyond the material body, and transfer themselves from the material universe to the spiritual\nuniverses are the subjects of the following chapters.\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0022": "2\nEle,·ation at Death\n\nThere are different kinds of transcendentalists '\nwho\n\nare\n\ncalled\n\nyogis-ha{ha-yogis,\n\njniina-yogis,\n\ndhyiina-yogis and bhakti-yogis- and all of them are\neligible to be transferred to the spiritual world. The\nword yoga means \"to link up,\" and the yoga systems\nare meant to enable us to link with the transcendental\nworld. As mentioned in the previous chapter, originally we are all connected to the Supreme Lord, but\nnow we have been affected by material contamination. The process is that we have to return to the\nspiritual world, and that process of linking up is\ncalled yoga.\n\nAnother meaning of the word yoga is\n\n\"plus.\" At the present moment we are minus God,\nor minus the Supreme. When we add Kr�Qa-or Godto our lives, this human form of lif�: becomes perfect.\nAt the time of death we have to finish that process\nof perfection. During our lifetime we have to practice\nthe method of approaching that perfection so that at\nthe time of death, when we have to give up this\nmaterial body, that perfection can be realized.\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0023": "Elevation at Death\n\n21\n\nprayiirw-kiile rna nasa 'calena\nbhaktyii yukto yoga-balena caiva\nbhruvor madhye priit�am iivesya samyak\nsa tam param puru�am upaiti divyam\n\"One who, at the time of death, fixes his life air\nbetween the eyebrows and in full devotion engages\nhimself in remembering the Supreme Lord, will certainly attain to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.\" (Bg. 8.1 0)\nJust as a student studies a subject for four or\nfive years and then takes his examination and receives\na\n\ndegree, similarly, with the subject of life, if we\n\npractice during our lives for the examination at the\ntime of death, and if we pass the examination, we\nare transferred to the spiritual world. Our whole life\n\nis examined at the time of death.\nyarh yarh vapi smaran bhavarh\ntyajaty ante kalevaram\ntarh tam evaiti kaunteya\nsaaa tad-bhava-bhavita[l\n\"Whatever state of being one remembers when he\nquits his body, that state he will attain without\nfail.\" (Bg. 8. 6)\nThere is a Bengali proverb that says that whatever\none does for perfection will be tested at the time of\nhis death. In Bhagavad-gita, Kr�l)a describes what\n\none should do when giving up the body. For the\ndhyana-yog1 (meditator) Sri Kr�l)a speaks the following verses:\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0024": "Beyond Birth and Death\n\n22\n\nyad ak�ararh veda-vida vadanti\nvisanti yad yatayo vita-ragafz\nyad icchanto brahmacaryam caranti\ntat te padam sahgrahe[la pravak�ye\nsarva-dvara[li samyamya\nmana hrdi-nirudhya ca\nmurdhny adhayatmanafz pra[lam\nasthito yoga-dhara[lam\n\"Persons learned in the Vedas, who utter omkara and\nwho are great sages in the renounced order, enter into\nBrahman.\n\nDesiring such perfection, one practices\n\ncelibacy. I shall now explain to you this process by\nwhich one may attain salvation. The yogic situation\nis that of detachment from all sensual engagements.\nOosing all the doors of the senses and fixing the mind\non tlie heart and the life air at the top of the head,\none establishes himself in yoga.\" (Bg. 8.11-12)\nIn the yoga system this process is called pratya­\n\nhara, which means, \"just the opposite.\" Although\nduring life the eyes are engaged in seeing worldly\nbeauty, at death one has to retract the senses from\ntheir objects and see the beauty within. Similarly,\nthe ears are accustomed to hearing so many sounds\nin the world, but at the moment of death one has to\nhear the transcendental omkara from within.\n\nom ity ekiik$aram brahmavyaharan mam anusmaran\nyafz prayati tyajan deham\nsa yati paramarh gatim\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0025": "Elevation at Death\n\n23\n\n\"After being situated in this yoga practice and vibrating the sacred syllable om, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinks of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and quits his body, he will certainly\nreach the spiritual planets.\" (Bg. 8.13)\nIn this way, all the senses have to be stopped in\ntheir external activities and concentrated on the\nform of vi�rumilrti, the form of God. The mind is\nvery turbulent, but it has to be fixed on the Lord in\nthe heart. When the mind is fixed within the heart\nand the life air is transferred to the top of the head,\none can attain perfection of yoga.\nAt this point the yogi determines where he is to\ngo. In the material universe there are innumerable\nplanets, and beyond this universe there is the spiritual universe. The yogis have information of these\nplaces from Vedic literatures. Just as one going to\nAmerica can get some idea what the country is like\nby reading books, one can also have knowledge of the\nspiritual planets by reading Vedic literatures. The\nyogi knows all these descriptions, and he can transfer\nI·\n\nhimself to any planet he likes without the help of\nspaceships. Space travel by mechanical means is not\nthe accepted process for elevation to other planets.\nPerhaps with a great deal of time, effort and money\na few men may be able to reach other planets by\nmaterial means-spaceships, spacesuits, etc.-but this\nis a very cumbersome and impractical method. In\nany case, it is not possible to go beyond the material\nuniverse by mechanical means.\nThe generally accepted method for transferral to\nhigher planets is the practice of the meditationalyoga\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0026": "Beyond Birth and Death\n\n24\n\nsystem or jnana system. The bhakti-yoga system,\nhowe':er, is not to be practiced for transferral to any\nmaterial planet, for those who are servants of Kr�Qa,\nthe Supreme Lord, are not interested in any planets\n\nin this material world because they know that on\nwhatever planet one enters in the material sky, the\nfour\n\nprinciples\n\nof\n\nbirth,\n\nold\n\nage,\n\ndisease\n\nand\n\ndeath are present. On higher planets, the duration of\nlife may be longer than on this earth, but death is\nthere nonetheless. By \"material universe\" we refer\nto those planets where birth, old age, disease and\ndeath reside, and by \"spiritual universe\" we refer to\nthose planets where there is no birth, old age, disease\nand death. Those who are intelligent do not try to\nelevate themselves to any planet within the material\nuniverse.\nIf one tries to enter higher planets by mechanical\nmeans, instant death is assured, for the body cannot\nstand the radical changes in atmosphere. But if one\nattempts to go to higher planets by means of the\nyoga system, he will acquire a suitable body for\nentrance. We can see this demonstrated on this earth,\nfor we know it is not possible for us to live in the sea,\nin a watery atmosphere, nor is it possible for aquatics to live on the earth. As we understand that even\non this planet one has to have a particular type of\nbody to live in a particular place, so a particular type\nof body is required for other planets. On the higher\nplanets, bodies live much longer than on earth, for\nsix months on earth is equal to one day on the higher\nplanets. Thus the Vedas describe that those who live\non higher planets live upward to ten thousand earth\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0027": "\"'­\n\n�\n\nElevation at Death\n\n25\n\nyears. Yet despite such a long life span, death awaits\neveryone. Even if one lives twenty thousand or fifty\nthousand or even millions of years, in the material\nworld the years are all counted, and death is there.\nHow can we escape this subjugation to death? That\nis the lesson of Bhagavad-gTta. (Bg. 2.20)\n\nna jayate mriyate va kaaacin\nnayarh bhutva bhavita va na bhuyatz\najo nitya{z sasvato 'yam pural}O\nna hanyate hanyamane sarire\n\"For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor,\nonce\n\nhaving\n\nbeen,\n\ndoes\n\nhe\n\never\n\ncease\n\nto be.\n\nHe is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and\nprimeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.\"\nWe are spirit soul, and as such we are eternal. Why\nthen should we subject ourselves to birth and death?\nOne who asks this question is to be considered\nintelligent. Those who are Kr�l)a conscious are very\nintelligent because they are not interested in gaining\nentrance to any planet where there is death. They will\nreject a long duration of life in order to attain a body\nlike unto God's. lsvaratz paramatz kr�!latz sac-cid­\n\nananda-vigrahafz. Sat means eternal, cit means full of\nknowledge, and ananda means full of pleasure. K�:t;1a\nis the reservoir of all pleasure. If we transfer ourselves from this body into the spiritual world-either\nto Knwaloka, Kr�l)a's planet, or any other spiritual\nplanet-we will receive a similar sac-cid-iinanda body.\nThus the aim of those who are in Kr�l)a consciousness\nis different from those who are trying to promote\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0028": "Beyond Birth and Death\n\n26\n\nthemselves to higher planets within this material\nworld.\nThe self or soul of the individual is a minute\nspiritual spark. The perfection of yoga lies in the\ntransferral of this spiritual spark to the top. of the\nhead. Having attained this, the yogi can transfer himself to any planet in the material world according to\nhis desire. If the yofil is curious to know what the\nmoon is like, he can transfer himself there, or if he is\ninterested in higher planets, he can transfer himself\nthere, just as travellers go to New York, Canada, or\nother cities on the earth. Wherever one goes on\nearth, he finds the same visa and customs systems\noperating, and on all the material planets one can\nsimilarly see the principles of birth, old age, disease\nand death operating.\n\nOm ity ekak�aram brahma: at the point of death\nyogi can pronounce om, omkiira, the concise\nform of transcendental sound vibration. If the yogi\ncan vibrate this sound and at the same time (mam\nanusmaran) remember Kr�l).a or Vi�l).u, he attains the\nhighest goal. It is the process of yoga to concentrate\nthe\n\nthe mind on Vi�l).u. The impersonalists imagine some\nform of the Supreme Lord, but the personalists do\nnot imagine this; they actually see. Whether one\nimagines Him or actually sees Him, one has to concentrate his mind on the personal form of Krsu.a.\n\nananya-ceta� satatam\nyo main smarati nityasa!z\ntasyaham sulabha!z partha\nnitya-yuktasya yogina�\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0029": "Elevation at Death\n\n27\n\n\"For one who remembers Me without deviation, I\nam\n\neasy to obtain, 0 son of Prtha, because of his\n\nconstant engagement in devotional service.\" (Bg. 8.14)\nThose who are satisfied with temporary life, temporary pleasure and temporary facilities are not to be\nconsidered\n\nintelligent,\n\nBhagavad-gita.\n\nat\n\nleast not according to\n\nOne whose brain substance is very\n\nsmall is interested in temporary things, according to\n'\nthe Gita. We are eternal, so why should we be interested in temporary things? No one wants a nonpermanent situation. If we are living in an apartment\nand the landlord asks us to vacate, we are sorry, but\nwe are not sorry if we move into a better apartment.\nIt is our nature, because we are permanent, to want\npermanent residence. We don't wish to die because\nin actuality we are permanent. Nor do we want to\ngrow old or be diseased because these are all external\nor nonpermanent states. Although we are not meant\n\nil\n\nto suffer from fever, sometimes fever comes, and we\nhave to take precautions and remedies to get well\nagain. The fourfold miseries are like a fever, and\nthey are all due to the material body. If somehow\nwe can get out of the material body, we can escape\nthe miseries that are integral with it.\nFor the impersonalists to get out of this temporary\nbody, Kf�J)a here advises that they vibrate the syllable\nom. In this way they can be assured of transmigration\ninto the spiritual world. However, although they may\nenter the spiritual world, they cannot enter into any\nof the planets there.. They remain outside in the\nbrahmajyoti. The brahmajyoti may be likened unto\nthe sunshine, and the spiritual planets may be likened\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0030": ",.\n\n\"28\n\nBeyond Birth and Death\n\nunto the sun itself. In the spiritual sky the impersonalists remain in the. effulgence of the Supreme Lord,\n\nthe brahmajyoti.\n\nThe impersonalists are placed in\n\nthe brahmajyoti as spiritual sparks, and in this way\n\nthe brahmajyoti is filled with spiritual sparks. This\nis what is meant by merging into the spiritual existence. It should not be considered that one merges\n\ninto the brahmajyoti in the sense of becoming one\n\nwith it; the individuality of the spiritual spark is retained, but because the impersonalist does not want\nto take a personal form, he is found as a spiritual\nspark in that effulgence. Just as the sunshine is COip­\n\nposed of so many atomic particles, so the b rahma ­\n\njyoti is composed of so many spiritual sparks.\n\nHowever, as living entities, we want enjoyment.\n\nBeing in itself is not enough. We want bliss (ananda)\n\nas well as being (sat).\n\nIn his entirety, the living\n\nentity is composed of three qualities-eternality,\nknowledge and bliss. Those who enter impersonally\n\ninto the brahmajyoti can remain there for some time\n\nin full knowledge that they are now merged homogeneously with Brahman, but they cannot have that\n\neternal ananda, bliss, because that part is wanting.\n\nOne may remain alone in a room for some time and\nmay enjoy himself by reading a book or engaging in\nsome thought, but it is not possible to remain in that\nroom for years and years at a time, and certainly not\nfor all eternity. Therefore for one who merges impersonally into the existence of the Supreme, there\nis every chance of falling down again into the material world in order to acquire some association. This is\nthe verdict of SrTmad-Bhagavatam. Astronauts may\n\ntravel thousands and thousands of miles, but if they\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0031": "Elevation at Death\n\n29\n\ndo not find rest on some planet, they have to return\nagain to earth. In any case, rest is required. In the\n\nimpersonal form, rest is uncertain. Therefore Sr1m a d­\n\nBhagavatam says that even after so much endeavor,\nif the impersonalist enters into the spiritual world\nand acquires an impersonal form, he returns again into the material world because of neglecting to serve\nthe Supreme Lord in love and devotion. As long as\nwe are here on earth, we must learn to practice to\nlove and serve Krstla, the Supreme Lord. If we Jearn\nthis, we can enter into those spiritual planets. The\nimpersonalist's position in the spiritual world is nonpermanent, for out of loneliness he will attempt to\nacquire some association. Because he does not associate personally with the Supreme Lord, he has to return again to the world and associate with conditioned Jiving entities there.\nIt is of utmost importance, therefore, that we\nknow the nature of our constitutional position: we\nwant eternity, complete knowledge and pleasure also. When we are left alone for a long time, we cannot have pleasure-we accept the pleasure given by\nthe material world.\n\nIn Krg1a consciousness, real\n\npleasure is enjoyed. In the material world it is generally accepted that t he highest pleasure is sex. This\nis a perverted reflection of the sex pleasure in the\nspiritual world, the pleasure of association with Kr�Qa.\nBut we should not think that pleasure there is like\nthe sex pleasure in the material world.\n\nNo, it is\n\ndifferent. But unless sex life is there in the spiritual\nworld, it cannot be reflected here. Here it is simply\na perverted reflection, but the actual life is there in\nKr�Qa, who is full of all pleasure. Therefore, the best\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0032": "Beyond Birth and Death\n\n30\n\nprocess is to train ourselves now so that at the time\nof death we may transfer ourselves to the spiritual\nuniverse, to Kr�Qaloka, and· there associate with\nKr�oa. In Brahma-samhita\n\nSri Kr�o.a and His abode\n\nare described thus:\n\ncintama'(li-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrk�alakfinrte.su surabhzr abhipa/ayantam\nlak�mT-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanarh\ngovindam adi-purzqarh tam aham bhajami\n\"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first\nprogenitor, who is tending the cows, fulfilling all\ndesire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded\nby millions of wish-fulfilling trees, always served\nwith great reverence and affection by hundreds and\n\nthousands of lak�mTs, or gopTs.\" (Bs. 5.29)\n\nThis is a description of Kr�Qaloka. The houses are\nmade\n\nof\n\nwhat is called \"touchstone.\"\n\nWhatever\n\ntouchstone touches immediately turns into gold. The\ntrees are wish-fulfilling trees or \"desire trees,\" for\none can receive from them whatever he wishes. In\nthis world we get mangoes from mango trees and\napples from apple trees, but there from any tree one\ncan get whatever he desires. Similarly, the cows are\ncalled surabht, and they yield an endless supply of\nmilk. These are descriptions of the spiritual planets\nfound in Vedic scriptures.\nIn this rna terial world we have become acclimatized to birth, death and all sorts of suffering.\nMaterial scientists have discovered many facilities for\nsense enjoyment and destruction, but they have dis-\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0033": "�.\n\n....,\n\nElevation at Death\n\n31\n\ncovered no solution to the problems of old age,\ndisease and death. They cannot make any machine\nl\n\nthat will check death, old age or disease. We can\n\ne\n\nmanufacture something that will accelerate death,\nbut nothing that will stop death. Those who are\nintelligent, however, are not concerned with the fourfold miseries of material life but with elevation to\nthe spiritual planets. One who is continuously in\ntrance (nitya-yuktasya yoginal;z) does not divert his\nattention to anything else. He is always situated in\ntrance. His mind is always filled with the thought\n\nof Kr�ua, without deviation (ananya-cetafz satatam).\n\nSatatam refers to anywhere and anytime.\n\nIn India I lived in Vrndavana, and now I am in\nAmerica, but this does not mean that I am out of\nVrndavana because if I think of Kr�ua always, then\nI'm always in Vrndavana, regardless of the material\ndesignation. Kr�I)a consciousness means that one always lives with Krsoa on that spiritual planet, Goloka\nY!ndavana, and that one is simply waiting to give up\nthis material body. Smarati nityasafz means continuously remembering, and for one who is continuously\nremembering Krsoa, the Lord becomes\n\ntasyaham\nabhafz - easily purchased. Kf�I)a Himself says that\nHe is easily purchased by this bhakti-yoga process.\n\nsu l\n\nThen why should we take to any other process? We\ncan chant Hare Kr�I)a, Hare Kr�I)a, Kr�I)a Kr�I)a,\nHare Hare I Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama,\nHare Hare twenty-four hours daily. There are no\nrules and regulations. One can chant in the street, in·\nthe subway or at his home or office. There is no tax\nand no expense. So why not take to it?\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0034": "3\nLiberation From Material Planets\n\nThe jiianis and\n\nyogis are generally impersonalists,\n\nand although they attain the temporary form of liberation by merging into the impersonal effulgence,\nthe\n\nspiritual\n\nsky, their knowledge, according to\n\nSr1mad-Bhagavatam, is not considered pure. By penances, austerities and meditations, they can rise up\nto the Supreme Absolute platform, but, as has been\nexplained, they again fall down to the material world\nbecause they have not taken Kr�l)a's personal features\nseriously. Unless one worships the lotus feet of Kr�l)a,\nhe again has to descend to the material platform. The\nideal attitude should be: \"I am Y our eternal servitor.\nPlease let me somehow engage in Your service.\" Kr�l)a\nis\n\ncalled\n\najitafz-unconquerable-for\n\nconquer God, but according to\none\n\nwith\n\npreme.\n\nthis\n\nattitude\n\neasily\n\nno\n\none can\n\nSr1mad-Bhagavatam,\nconquers\n\nthe\n\nSu­\n\nSr1mad-Bhagavatam also recommends that\n\nwe give up this futile process to measure the Supreme.\nWe cannot even measure th� limitations of space,\nwhat to speak of the Supreme. It is not possible\nto measure the length and breadth of Kr�l).a by one's\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0035": "Liberation from Material Planets\n\n33\n\nminuscule knowledge, and one who arrives at this\nconclusion is considered intelligent by Vedic literature. One should come to understand, submissively,\nthat he is a very insignificant segment of the uni_verse.\nAbandoning the endeavor to understand the Supreme\nby limited knowledge or mental speculation, we\nshould become submissive and hear of the Supreme\nthrough authoritative sources such as Bhagavad-gTfa\n\nor through the lips of a realized soul.\nIn Bhagavad-gita,\n\nArjuna is hearing about God\n\nfrom the lips of Sri Kr�l)a Himself. In this way Arjuna\n\nset the criteria for understanding the Supreme by sub­\n\nmissive hearing. It is our position to hear Bhagavad-\n\n, '1\n\ngita from the lips of Arjuna or his bona fide representative, the spiritual master. After hearing, it is\nnecessary to practice this acquired knowledge in\ndaily life. \"My dear Lord, You are unconquerable,\"\nthe devotee prays, \"but by this process, by hearing,\n\nYou are conquered.\" God is unconquerable, but He\n\nis conquered by the devotee who abandons mental\nspeculations and listens to authoritative sources.\nAccording to Brahma-samhita, there are two ways\nof acquiring knowledge-the ascending process and\ndescending process. By the ascending process, one is\n\ng\n\nelevated by knowled e acquired by himself. In this\nway one thinks, \"I don't care for any authorities or\nbooks. I will attain knowledge myself by meditation,\nphilosophy, etc. In this way I will understand God.\"\nThe other process, the descending process, involves\n�\n\n'I receiving knowledge from higher authorities. Brahma­\n\nsamhita states that if one takes to the ascending\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0036": "Beyond Birth and Death\n\n34\n\nprocess and travels at the speed of mind and wind\nfor millions of years, he will still end up not knowing. For him, the subject matter will remain elusive\nand inconceivable. But that subject matter is given\n\nin Bhagavad-gTta: ananya-cetlifz: Kr�:t;J.a says to meditate on Him without deviation from the path of devotional service in submission. For one who worships\n\nHim\n\nin\n\nthis\n\nway\n\n-\n\ntasyaharh\n\nsulabhalz:\n\n\"I\n\nbecome easily available.\" This is the process: if one\nworks for\n\nKr�:t;J.a twenty-four hours a day, Kr�:t;J.a\n\ncannot forget him. By becoming submissive, he can\nattract the attention of God. As Guru Maharaja\nBhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati used to say, \"Don't try to\nsee God. Is God to come and stand before us like a\nservant just because we want to see Him? That is\nnot the submissive way. We have to oblige Him by\nour love and service.\"\nThe proper process for approaching Knwa was\ngiven to humanity by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu,\nand Rupa Gosvami, His first disciple, appreciated it.\nRiipa Gosvami was a minister in the Mohammedan\ngovernment, but he left the government to become a\ndisciple of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's. When he first\nwent to see the Lord, Riipa Gosvami approached\nHim with the following verse:\nnama maha-vadanyaya kr:�f!a-prema-pradaya te\nkr�1Jaya kr�1Ja-caitanya-namne guara-tvi�e namalz\n\"I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme ,\nLord Sri Krs:t;J.a Caitanya, who is more magnanimou\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0037": "Liberation from Material Planets\nd\n\n35\n\nthan any other avatara, even Kr�l)a Himself, because\nHe is bestowing freely what no one else has ever\ngiven-pure love of Kr�l)a.\" Rupa Gosvami called\n\nn,\n\nCaitanya Mahaprabhu\n\n\"the most munificent, the\n\nmost charitable personality,\" because He was offering the most precious thing of all very cheaply-love\nof God. We all want Kr�l)a and are all hankering\nafter Him. Kr�l)a is the most attractive, the most\na.\n\nbeautiful, the most opulent, the most powerful and\nthe most learned. That is the object of our hankering.\nWe're hankering after the beautiful, the powerful,\nthe learned, the wealthy. Kr�l)a is the reservoir of all\nof this, so we need only turn our attention toward\nHim, and we will get everything. Everything-whatever we want. Whatever is our heart's desire will be\nfulfilled by this process of Kr�:t:ta consciousness.\nFor one who dies in Kr�l)a consciousness, as stated\nbefore, \"entrance into Kr�l).aloka, the supreme abode\nwhere Kr�:t:ta resides, is guaranteed. At this point one\nmay ask what the advantage is in going to that\nplanet, and Kr�l)a Himself answers:\n\nmam upetya punar janma\ndul;zkhalayam asasvatam\nnapnuvanti mahatmanal;z\nsamsiddhim paramam gatal;z\n\"After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in\ndevotion, never return to this temporary world,\nwhich is full of miseries, because they have attained\nthe highest perfection.\" (Bg. 8.15)\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0038": "/\n\n36\n\nBeyond Birth and Death\nThis material world is certified by Sri Kr�ua, the\n\ncreator, as d u l:zk halaya m\n\n-\n\nfull of miseries. How then\n\ncan we make it comfortable? Is it possible to make\nthis world comfortable by the so-called advancement\nof science? No, this is not possible. As a result, we\ndo not even wish to know what these miseries are.\nThe miseries, as stated before, are birth, old age,_\ndisease and death, and because we cannot make a\nsolution to them we try to set them aside. Science has\nno power to solve these miseries that are always\ngiving us trouble. Instead they divert our attention\ninto making spaceships or atomic bombs. The solution to these problems is given here in Bhagavad-g1ta:\nif one attains to Kr�ua's platform he does not have\nto return again to this earth of birth and death. We\nshould try to understand that this place is full of\nmiseries. It takes a certain amount of developed consciousness to understand this. Cats and dogs and hogs\ncannot understand that they are suffering. Man is\ncalled a rational animal, but his rationality is being\nused to further his animalistic propensities instead of\nfinding out how to get liberation from this miserable condition. Here Kr�ua explicitly states that one\nwho comes to Him will never be reborn to suffer\nmiseries again. Those great souls who come to Him\nhave· attained the highest perfection of life which\nalleviates the living entity from the suffering of conditional existence.\nOne of the differences between Kr�Qa and an\nordinary being is that an ordinary entity can be only\nin one place at a time, but Kr�ua can be everywhere\nin the universe and yet in His own abode, simultane-\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0039": "Liberation from Material Planets\n\n37\n\nously. Kr�IJ.a's abode in the transcendental kingdom\nis called Goloka Vrndavana. The Vrndavana in India\nis that same Vrndavana descended on this earth.\nWhen Kr�Qa descends Himself by His own internal\npotency , His dhama, or abode, also descends. In\nother words, when Kr�IJ.a descends on this earth, He\nmanifests Himself in that particular land. Despite\nthis, Kr�Q.a's abode remains eternally in the transcendental sphere, in the Vaikut;J.thas. In this verse Kr�Qa\nproclaims that one who comes to His abode in the\nVaikuQ.thas never has to take birth again in the\nmaterial world. Such a person is called mahatma.\nThe word mahatma is generally heard in the West in\nconnection with Mahatma Gandhi, but we should\nunderstand that mahatma is not the title of a politician. Rather, mahatma refers to the first-class Kr�Q.a\nconscious man who is eligible to enter into the abode\nof Kr�Q.a. The mahatma's perfection is this: to utilize\nthe human form of life and the resources of nature\nto extricate himself from the cycle of birth and\ndeath.\nAn intelligent person knows that he does not\nwant miseries, but they are inflicted upon him by\nforce. As stated before, we are always in a miserable\ncondition due to this mind, body, natural disturbances\nor other living entities. There is always some kind\nof misery inflicted upon us. This material world is\nmeant for misery; unless the misery is there, we\ncannot come to Kr�Q.a consciousness. Miseries are\nactually an impetus and help to elevate us to Kr�Q.a\nconsciousness. An intelligent man questions why\nthese miseries are inflicted on him by force. However,\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0040": "Beyond_ Birth and Death\n\n38\n\nmodern civilization's attitude is, \"Let me suffer. Let\nme cover it by some intoxication. That's all.\" But as\nsoon as the intoxication is over, the miseries return.\nIt is not possible to make a solution to the miseries\nof life by artificial intoxication. The solution is made\nby Kr�IJa consciousness.\nOne may point out that although the devotees of\nK�ua are trying to enter Kr�ua's planet, our interest\nis in going to the moon. Isn't going to the moon also\nperfection? The tendency to travel to other planets\nis always present in the living entity. One name for\nthe living entity is sarva-gata, which means \"one who\nwants to travel everywhere.\" Travel is part of the\nnature of the living entity. The desire to go to the\nmoon is not a new thing. The y ogis also are interested in entering the higher planets, but in Bhagavadg7fa K�:r;ta points out that this will not be of any\n\nI\n\nhelp.\nabrahma-bhuvanallokaft\npunar avartino'rjuna\nmam upetya tu kaunteya\ni\npunar janna na vidyate\n\"From the highest planet in the material world\ndown to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein\nrepeated birth and death take place. But one who\nattains to My abode, 0 son of Kunti, never takes\nbirth again.\" (Bg. 8.16)\nThe universe is divided into higher, middle and\nlower planetary systems. The earth is considered to\nbe a member of the middle planetary system. Krsua\npoints out that even if one enters into the highest\n\nI\n\n\\I,\n,\n\nj\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0041": "Liberation from Material Planets\n\n39\n\nplanet of all, called Brahmaloka, there is still repetition of birth and death. Other planets in the universe\nare full of living entities. We should not think that\nwe are here and that all the other planets are vacant.\nFrom experience we can see that no place on earth\nis vacant of living entities. If we dig deep down into\nthe earth, we find worms; if we go deep into the\nwater, we find aquatics; if we go into the sky, we\nfind so many birds. How is it possible to conclude\nthat other planets have no living entities? But Krsua\npoints out that even if we enter into those planets\nwhere great demigods reside, we will still be subjected to death. Again, Krsua repeats that upon reaching\nHis ptanet, one need not take birth again.\nWe should be very serious about attaining our\neternal life full of bliss and knowledge. We have forgotten that this is actually our aim of life, our real\nself-interest. Why have we forgotten? We have simply\nbeen entrapped by the material glitter, by skyscrapers, big factories and political play, although we\nknow that however big we build skyscrapers, we will\nnot be able to live here indefinitely. We should not\nspoil our energy in building mighty industries and\ncities to further entrap ourselves in material nature;\nrather, our energy should be used to develop Krsua\nconsciousness in order to attain a spiritual body\nwhereby we may enter into Krsua's planet. Krsua\nconsciousness is not a religious formula or some\nspiritual recreation; it is the most important part of\nthe living entity.\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0042": "s\n\n(\n\nc\n\n4\n\ni:\n\nThe Sky Beyond The Unive1•se\n\nIf even the higher planets in this universe are sub­\n\nl\n\nject to birth and death, why do great yogTs strive for\n\nI\n\nelevation to them? Although they may have many\nmystic powers, these yogTs still have the tendency to\nwant to enj oy the facilities of material life. On the\n\nI\nt\n\nhigher planets, it is possible to live for incredibly\n\na\n\nlong lifetimes. The time calculation on these planets\n\nv\n\nis indicated by Sri Krs1J.a:\nsahasra-yuga-paryantam\n\nt\n\na\n\nahar yad brahmarw JJidu(l\nratrirh yuga-sahasrantiirh\nte'ho-ratra-vido jana(l\n\"By human calculation, a thousand ages taken together is the duration of Brahma's one day. And such\n\n,,\n\nalso is the duration of his night .\" (Bg. 8.17)\n\nl\n\nOne yuga covers 4,300,000 years. This n umber\nmultiplied by one thousand is calculated to be twelve\nhours of Brahm a on the planet Brahmaloka. Similarly,\nanother twelve hour period covers the night. Thirty\nsuch days equal a month, twelve months a year, and\nBrahma lives for one hundred such years. Life on\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0043": "\"'\n\nThe Sky Beyond the Universe\n\n41\n\nsuch a planet is indeed long, yet, even after trillions\nof years, the inhabitants of Brahmaloka have to face\ndeath. Unless we go into the spiritual planets, there\nis no escape from death.\n\navyakfad vyaktayafz sarvafz\nprabhavanty ahar-agame\nratry-agame praliyante\ntatraivavyakta-swhjiiake\n\"When Brahma's day is manifest, this multitude of\nliving entities comes into being, and at the arrival of\nBrahma's night, they are all annihilated.\" (Bg. 8.18)\nAt the end of the day of Brahma, all the lower\nplanetary systems are covered with water, and the\nbeings on them are annihilated. After this devastation\nand after the night of Brahma passes, in the morning\nwhen Brahma arises, there is again creation and all\nthese beings come forth. Thus subjection to creation\nand destruction is the nature of the material world.\n\nbhuta-gramafz sa eviiyam\nbhutva bhutva praliyate\nratry-agame'vasafz partha\nprabhavaty ahar-(igame\n\"Again and again the day comes, and this host of\nbeings is active; and again the night falls, 0 Partha,\nand they are helplessly dissolved.\" (Bg. 8.19)\nAlthough the living entities do not like devastation,\nthat devastation will come and overflood the planets\nuntil all living beings on the planets stay merged in\nwater throughout the night of Brahma. But as day\ncomes, the water gradually disappears.\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0044": "Beyond Birth and Death\n\n42\n\nr\n\nparas tasmattu bhavo'nyo\n'vyakto'vyaktat sanatanafz\nyah\n. sa sarvesu bhutesu\nnasyatsu na vinasyati\n.\n\nt\n\nc\n\n.\n\n1\n\nc\n\n\"Yet there is another nature, which is eternal and is 1 j1\n\n1 r\n\ntranscendental to this manifested and unmanifested\nmatter. It is supreme and is never annihilated. When\n\nr\n\nall in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it\n\nis.\" (Bg. 8.20)\n\nare millions of universes within the entire creation,\n\nl>\n\nand beyond these material universes there is another\n\n\"\n\nWe cannot calculate the extent of the material\nuniverse, but we have Vedic information that there\n\nsky which is spiritual. There all the planets are eternal,\n.\n.\nand the hves of all the bemgs on them are eternal.\nIn this verse the word bhavafz means nature, and\nhere another nature is indicated. In this world we\n\nt\n\ne\n\na\n\nI\n\ntl\n·\n\nis spirit, and as long as he is within matter, matter is\n\nc\n\nThe spiritual nature is called Kr�J;la's superior nature,\n\n1\n\nand the material is called the inferior. Beyond this\n\ns\n\nmaterial nature there is a superior nature which is\ntotally spiritual. It is not possible to understand this •\nby experimental knowledge. We can see millions and\n\nI\n\nbilities. If we cannot understand the material uni- 1\nverse by experimental knowledge, what is the possi-\n\nc\n\ni:\n\nspark, is out of the bady, the body is immovable.\n\nbility of understanding God and His kingdom? It is\n\nc\n\nI\n\nmoving, and as soon as the living entity, the spiritual\n\napproach them. We have to understand our incapa-\n\nr\n\nI s\n\nhave experience also of two natures. The living entity\n\nmillions of stars through a telescope, but we cannot\n\nt\n\nc\n\na\n\nc\n\ni:\n\nt\n\nf\n\nr\nt\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0045": "The Sky Beyond the Universe\n\n43\n\nnot possible experimentally. We have to understand\nby hearing Bhagavad-gfta. We cannot understand \\vho\nour father is by experimental knowledge; we have to\nhear the word of our mother and believe her. If we\ndo not believe her, there is no way of knowing. If we\njust stick to the Kr�l)a conscious method, all information\n\nabout\n\nKrg1a\n\nand\n\nHis\n\nkingdom\n\nwill\n\nbe\n\nrevealed.\n\nParas tu bhavalz means \"superior nature,\" and avyaktalz refers to what we see manifested . We can see\nthat the material universe is manifested through the\nearth, sun, stars and planets. Beyond this universe is\nanother nature, an eternal nature. A vyaktat sanclta­\n\nnalz. This material nature has a beginning and an end,\nbut that spiritual nature is sanatana!z-eternal. It has\nneither beginning nor end. How is this possible? A\ncloud may pass over the sky, and it may appear to\ncover a great distance, but actually it is only a small\nspeck covering an insignificant part of the whole sky.\nBecause we are so small, if only a few hundred miles\nis covered by cloud, it appears that the whole sky is\ncovered. Similarly, this whole material universe is\nlike a small insignificant cloud in the vast spiritual\nsky. It is encased by the mahat-tattva, matter. As a\ncloud has a beginning and an end, this material nature\nalso has a beginning and an end. When the clouds\ndisappear and the sky clears, we see everything as it\nis. Similarly, the body is like a cloud passing over\nthe spirit soul. It stays for some time, gives some byproducts, dwindles and then vanishes. Any kind of\nmaterial phenomena that we observe is subject to\nthese six transformations of material nature-it comes\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0046": "44\n\nBeyond Birth and Death\n\ninto being, grows, stays for a while, produces some\n\n�I t1\ncates that beyond this changing cloud-like nature\n1 tl\nthere is a spiritual nature which is eternal. In addition, l\n0\nby-products, dwindles and then vanishes. Kr�l)a indi-\n\nwhen this material nature is annihilated, that avyak-\n\ntat sanatanah\n. will remain.\n\nIn Vedic literatures there is a good deal of infor-\n\nsc\n\nmation about the material and spiritual skies. In the\n,\n'\nSecond Canto of Srzmad-Bhagavatam there are\n\np\n\n�\n\ndescriptions of the spiritual sky and of its inhabitants. There is even information given that there are\nspiritual airplanes in the spiritual sky and that the\nliberated entities there travel about on these planes\nlike lightning. Everything that we find here can also\nbe found there in reality. Here in the material sky\neverything is an imitation or shadow of that which\nexists in the spiritual sky. As in a cinema we simply\n\nJ\n\nn\n\ntl\n\nd\n\n'\n\nsee a show or facsimile of the real thing, in Srzmad­\n\nBhagavatam it is said that this material world is but\na combination of matter modelled on the reality, just\nas a mannequin of a girl in a store window is modelled\non a girl. Every sane man knows that the mannequin\n\nis an imitation. Sridhara Svami says that because the\nspiritual world is real, this material world, which is J\nan imitation, appears to be real.\n\nWe must understand\n\nthe meaning of reality-reality means existence which\ncannot be vanquished; reality means eternity.\n\nnasato vidyate bhavo\nnabhavo vidyate satal;z\nubhayor a pi dr� {o 'n tas\ntv anayos tattva-darsibhilz\n\nn\n\nr•\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0047": "The Sky Beyond the Universe\n\n45\n\n\"Those who are seers of the truth have concluded\nthat of the nonexistent there is no endurance, and of\nthe existent there is no cessation. This seers have\nconcluded by studying the nature of both.\" (Bg. 2.16)\nReal pleasure is Kr�va, whereas material pleasure,\nwhich is temporary, is not actual. Those who can\nsee things as they are do not take part in shadow\npleasure. The real aim of human life is to attain that\nspiritual sky, but, as Sr7mad-Bhagavatam points out,\n\nmost people do not know about it. Human life is\nmeant to understand reality and to be transferred into it. All Vedic literature instructs us not to remain in\nthis darkness. The nature of this material world is\ndarkness, but the spiritual world is full of light and\nyet is not illumined by fire or electricity. Kr�va hints\n\nof this in the Fifteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-g7ta:\n\nna tad bhasayate suryo\n\nna sasaizko na pavakafz\n\nyad gatva na nivartante\n\ntad dhama paramam mama\n\n\"That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or\nmoon, nor by electricity. One who reaches it never\nreturns to this material world.\" (Bg. 15.6)\nThe spiritual world is called unmanifested because\nit cannot be perceived by material senses.\n\navyakto'k�ara ity uktas\n\ntam ahufz paramam gatim\n\nyam prapya na nivartante\n\ntad dhama paramam mama\n\n\"That supreme abode is called unmanifested and\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0048": "46\n\nBeyond Birth and Death\n\ninfallible, and it is the supreme destination. When one\ngoes there, he never comes back. That is My supreme\nabode.\" (Bg. 8.21)\n\nA great journey is indicated in this verse. We have\nto be able to penetrate outer space, traverse the\nmaterial universe, penetrate its covering and enter\nthe spiritual sky. Paramarh gatim - that journey is\nsupreme. There is no question of going a few thousand miles away from this planet and then returning.\nThis sort of journey is not very heroic. We have to\npenetrate the whole material universe. This we cannot do by spaceships but by Kr�l)a consciousness.\nOne who is absorbed in Kr�I).a consciousness and who\nat the time of death thinks of Kr�I).a is at once transferred there. If we at all want to go to that spiritual\nsky and cultivate eternal blissful life full of knowledge, we will have to begin now to cultivate a sac­\n\ncid-Clnanda body. It is said that Kr�I).a has a sac-cidanandd body-1svara!z parama!z kr�ra!z sac-cid-anandavigrahafz - and we also have a similar body of eterntiy,\nknowledge and bliss, but it is very small and is covered by the dress of matter. If somehow or other we\nare able to give up this false dress, we can reach that\nspiritual kingdom. If once we can attain that spiritual\nworld, return is not necessary (yarh prapya na nivar­\n\ntante).\nEveryone then should try to go to that dhiima\n\nparamam- Kr�qa's supreme abode.\n\nKr�IJ.a Himself\n\ncomes to call us, and He gives us literatures as guidebooks and sends His bona fide representatives. We\nshould take advantage of this facility given to human\nlife. For one who reaches that supreme abode, pen-\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0049": "The Sky Beyond the Universe\n\n47\n\nances, austerities, yogic meditations and so on are\nno longer required, and for one who does not reach\nit, all penances and austerities are a useless waste of\ntime. The human form of life is an opportunity to\nget this boon, and it is the duty of the State, of the\nparents, teachers and guardians to elevate those who\nhave acquired this human form of life to attain this\nperfection of life. Simply eating, sleeping, mating\nand quarrelling like cats and dogs is not civilization.\nWe should properly utilize this human form of life\nand take advantage of this knowledge to prepare ourselves in K�Qa consciousness so that twenty-four\nhours of the day we will be absorbed in Kr�IJ.a and at\ndeath at once transfer to that spiritual sky.\npuru�a}J sa paratz partha\nbhaktya labhyas tv ananyaya\nyasyantafzsthani bhutani\nyena sarvam idarh tatam\n\"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is greater than all,\n\nis attainable by unalloyed devotion.\n\nAlthough He is present in His abode, He is allpervading, and everything is situated within Him.\"\n(Bg. 8.22)\nIf we are at all interested in reaching that supreme\nabode, the process, as indicated here, is bhakti.\nBhaktya means devotional service, submission to the\nSupreme Lord. The root word for bhakta is bhaj,\nwhich means service. The definition of bhakti given\n\nin the Narada-paiicaratra is \"freedom from designation.\" If one is determined to get out of all the designations that are attached to the pure spirit soul,\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0050": "48\n\nBeyond Birth and Death\n\nand which arise due to the body and are always\nchanged when the body is changed, one can attain\nto bhakti. Bhakti is realizing that one is pure spirit\nand not matter at all. Our real identity is not this\nbody, which is simply a covering of the spirit, but\nour real identity is dasa, servant of Kr�J:la. When one\nis situated in his real identity and is rendering service\nto Kr�lJ.a, he is a bhakta. Hr{ike[La hr�ikesa sevenam:\nwhen our senses are free from material designations,\nwe will utilize them in the service of the master of\nthe senses, Hr�ikesa, or Kr�lJ.a.\nAs Rupa Gosvami points out, we have to serve\nKr�lJ.a favorably. Generally we want to serve God for\nsome material purpose or gain. Of course one who\ngoes to God for material gain is better than one who\nnever goes, but we should be free from desire for\nmaterial benefit. Our aim should be to understand\nKr�lJ.a. Of course Kr�lJ.a is unlimited, and it is not\npossible to understand Him, but we have to accept\nwhat we can understand. Bhagavad-gita is specifically\npresented for our understanding. Through receiving\nknowledge in this way, we should know that Kr�I)a\nis pleased, and we should serve Him favorably according to His pleasure. Kpma consciousness is a great\nscience with immense literatures, and we should\nutilize them for the attainment of bhakti.\n\nPuru�ab sa para!]: In the spiritual sky, the Supreme\nLord is present as the Supreme Person. There are\ninnumerable self-luminous planets there, and in each\none an expansion of Kr�I)a resides. They are fo\\lrarmed, and have innumerable names. They are all\npersons-they are not impersonal. These puru�afts or\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0051": "The Sky Beyond the Universe\npersons\n\ncan\n\nbe\n\napproached\n\nby\n\nbhakti,\n\n49\nnot\n\nby\n\nchallenge, philosophical speculation or mental concoctions or by physical exercises, but by devotion\nwithout the deviations of fruitive activity.\nWhat is the puru�afz, the Supreme Person, like?\n\nyasyanta!zsthani bhutani yena sarvam idam tatam:\n'\nevery living entity and everything is within Him, and\nyet He is without,. all-pervading. How is that? He is\njust like the sun, which is situated in one place and\nyet is present all over by its rays. Although God is\nsituated in His dhama paramam, His energies are\ndistributed everywhere. Nor is He different from His\nenergies inasmuch as the sunshine and the sun are\nnondifferent. Since Kr�va and His energies are nondifferent, we can see Kr�l)a everywhere if we are\nadvanced in devotional service.\n\npremanjana-cchurita bhakti-vilocanena\nsantafz sadaiva hrdaye�u. vilokayanti\n\"I . worship the original Personality of Godhead,\nGovinda, whom the pure devotees whose eyes are\nsmeared with the ointment of love of Godhead\n'\nalways observe within their hearts.\" (Brahma­\n\nsarhhitli 5.38)\nThose who are filled with love of God see God\nconstantly before them. It is not that we saw God\nyesterday night and He is no longer present. No, for\none who is K�l)a conscious,\n\nKr�l)a is always present\n\nand can be perceived constantly. We simply have to\ndevelop the eyes to see Him.\nDue to our material bondage, the covering of the\nmaterial senses, we cannot understand what is spiri-\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0052": "Beyond Birth and Death\n\n50\n\ntual, but this ignorance can be removed by this process of chanting Hare Kr�u.a. How is this? A sleeping\nman may be awakened by sound vibration. Although\na man may b� for all intents and purposes unconscious-he cannot see, feel, smell, etc.-the sense of\nhearing is so prominent that a sleeping man may be\nawakened just by sound vibration. Similarly, the\nspirit soul, although now overpowered by the sleep\nof material contact, can be revived by this transcendental sound vibration of Hare Kr�u.a, Hare Kr�Q.a,\nKrsu.a Kr�Q.a, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama,\nRama Rama, Hare Hare. Hare Kr�Q.a is simply an\naddress to the Supreme Lord and His energies. Hare\nmeans energy, and Ko�Ja is the Supreme Lord, so\nwhen we chant Hare Kr�Q.a we are saying, \"Oh\nenergy of the Lord, 0 Lord, please accept me.\" We\nhave no other prayer for acceptance by the Lord.\nThere is no question of praying for daily bread, for\nthe bread is always there. Hare Kr�Q.a is but an\naddress to the Supreme Lord requesting Him to accept us. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself prayed:\nayi\n\nnandatanuja\n\nkihkaram\n\npatitariz\n\nmiim\n\nvi�ame\n\nbhaviimbudhau\nkrpayii tava piida-pahkaja-sthita-dhulisadrsam vicintaya\n\n\"0 son of Maharaja Nanda, I am Your eternal servitor, and although I am so, somehow or other I have\nfallen in the ocean of birth and death. Please, therefore, pick me up from this ocean of death and fix\nme as one of the atoms of Your lotus feet.\"\n\n(Siksastakam, 5)\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0053": "The Sky Beyond the Universe\n\n51\n\nThe only hope for a man fallen in the middle of\nthe ocean is that someone will come and pick him\nup. If someone just comes and hauls him but a few\nfeet out of the water, he is immediately relieved.\nSimilarly , if we are somehow lifted from the ocean\nof birth and death by the process of Kr�Qa consCiousness, we are immediately relieved.\nAlthough we cannot perceive the transcendental\nnature of the Supreme Lord, His name, fame and\nactivities, if we establish ourselves in Kr�Qa consciousness, gradually God will reveal Himself before\nus. We cannot see God by our own endeavor, but if\nwe qualify ourselves, God will reveal Himself, and\nthen we will see. No one can order God to come before him and dance, but we do have to work in such\na way that Krsua will be pleased to reveal Himself to\nus.\nKrs:t;J.a\n\ngives\n\nus\n\ninformatipn\n\nabout\n\nHimself in\n\nBhagavad-gifii, and there is no question of doubting\nit� we just have to feel it, understand it. There is no\npreliminary qualification necessary for the understanding of Bhagavad-gltii, because it is spoken from\nthe Absolute platform. The simple process of chanting the names of Krs:t;J.a will reveal what one is, what\nGod is, what the material and spiritual universes are,\nwhy we are conditioned, how we can get out of that\nconditioning and everything else step by step. Actually the process of belief and revelation is not foreign\nto us. Every day we place faith in something that we\nhave confidence will be revealed later. We may purchase a ticket to go to India, and on the basis of the\nticket we have faith that we will be transported\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0054": "52\n\nBeyond Birth and Death\n\nthere. Why should we pay money for a ticket? We do\nnot just give the money to anyone. The company is\nauthorized and the airline is authorized, so faith is\ncreated. Without faith we cannot take one step forward in the ordinary course of our life. Faith we\nmust have, but it must be faith in that which is authorized. It is not that we have blind faith but that\nwe accept something that is recognized. Bhagavad­\n\nglta is recognized and accepted as scripture by all\nclasses of men in India, and as far as outside India is\n\nconcerned, many scholars, theologians and philosophers accept Bhagavad-gita as a great authoritative\n\nwork. There is no question that Bhagavad-gita is\nauthority.\n\nEven Professor Albert Einstein, such a\n\nscientist, read Bhagavad-gita regularly.\n\nFrom Bhagavad-gita we have to accept that there\n\nis a spiritual universe which is the kingdom of God.\nIf somehow we are transported to a country where\nwe are informed that we will no longer have to undergo birth, old age, disease and death, will we not be\nhappy? If we heard of such a place, surely we would\ntry as hard as possible to go there. No one wants to\ngrow old; no one wants to die. Indeed, a place free of\nsuch sufferings would be our heart's desire. Why do\nwe want this? Because we have the right, the prerogative, to want it. We are eternal, blissful and full\nof\n\nknowledge, but having been covered by this\n\nmaterial entanglement, we have forgotten ourselves.\n\nBhagavad-gita gives us the advantage of being able\nto revive our original status.\n\nThe Sankarites and Buddhists claim that the world\nbeyond is void, but Bhagavad gita does not disappoint\n-\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0055": "�\nThe Sky Beyond the Universe\n\n53,\n'.__\n\nus like this. The philosophy of voidness has simply\ncreated atheists. We are spiritual beings, and we want\nenjoyment, but as soon as our future is void, we will\nbecome inclined to enjoy this material life. In this\nway, the impersonalists discuss the philosophy of\nvoidism while trying as much as possible to enjoy\nthis material life. One may enjoy speculation in this\nway, but there is no spiritual benefit.\n\nbrahma-bhuta[l prasannatma\nna socati na kaizk�ati\nsama[l sarve�u bhute�u\nmad-bhaktirh labhate param\n\"One who is thus transcendentally situated at once\nrealizes the Supreme Brahman. He never laments\nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed\nto every living entity. In that state he attains pure\ndevotional service unto Me.\" (Bg. 18.54)\n. He who has progressed in devotiOnal life and who\nis relishing service to Krs!J.a will automatically become detached from material enjoyment. The symptom of one absorbed in bhakti is that he is fully\nsatisfied with Krsoa.\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0056": "5\n\nAssociating With Kr�11a\n\nIf one gets something superior, he naturally gives\nup all inferior things. We want enjoyment, but impersonalism and voidism has created such an atmosphere that we have become addicted to material enjoyment. There must be enjoyment in connection\nwith the Supreme Person ( puru�a{l sa para{1), whom\nwe can see face to face. In the spiritual sky we are\nable to speak personally with God, to play, eat with\nHim, etc. All of this can be attained by bhaktyatranscendental loving service. However, this service\nmust be without adulteration, that is to say that we\nmust love God without expecting material remuneration. Loving God to become one with Him is also a\nform of adulteration.\nOne of the major differences between the spiritual\nsky and the material sky is that in the spiritual sky\nthe head or leader of the spiritual planets has no rival. In all cases, the predominating personality in the\nspiritual planets is a plenary expansion of Sri Kr�va.\nThe Supreme Lord and His multifarious manifestations preside over all the Vaikuutha planets. On earth,\nfor instance, there is rivalry for the position of\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0057": "�\nAssociating with Kr�qa\n\n55\n\npresident or prime minister, but in the spiritual sky\neveryone acknowledges the Supreme Personality of\nGodhead to be supreme.\n\nThose who do not ac­\n\nknowledge Him and attempt to rival Him are placed\ninto the material universe, which is just like a prison\nhouse. As in any city there is a prison, and the prison forms a very insignificant part of the whole city,\nso the material universe is a prison for the conditioned souls. It forms an insignificant part of the\nspiritual sky, but it is not outside the spiritual sky,\njust as a prison is not outside of the city.\nThe inhabitants of the VaikuJJtha planets in the\nspiritual\n\nsky\n\nare\n\nall\n\nliberated\n\nsouls.\n\nIn Snmad­\n\nBhagavatam we are informed that their bodily features are exactly like God's. On some of these planets God is manifested with two arms, and on others\nHe has four. The inhabitants of these planets, like\nthe Supreme Lord, also manifest two and four arms,\nand it is said that one cannot distinguish between\nthym and the Supreme Person. In the spiritual world\nthere are five kinds of liberation. Sayujya-mukti is a\nform of liberation in which one merges into the impersonal\n\nexistence\n\nof\n\nthe Supreme Lord, called\n\nAnother form of liberation is sarupyamukti, by which one receives features exactly like\nGod's. Another is salokya-mukti, by which one can\nlive in the same planet with God. By sar�(i-mukti one\n\nBrahman.\n\ncan have opulences similar to the Supreme Lord's.\nAnother type enables one to remain always with\nGod as one of His associates, just like Arjuna, who is\nalways with Kr�:r;ta as His friend. One can have any of\nthese five forms of liberation, but of the five the\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0058": "Beyond Birth and Death\n\n56\n\nsayujya-mukti, merging with the impersonal aspect,\n\nis not accepted by Vai�.oava devotees. A Vai�.oava\nwishes to worship God as He is and retain his separate individuality to serve Him, whereas the Mayavadi\n\nimpersonal philosopher wishes to lose his individuality and merge into the existence of the Supreme.\nThis merging is neither recommended by SrfK:r�ma in\n\nBhagavad-gTta nor by the disciplic succession of\nVai�.oava philosophers. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu\nwrote on this subject in His Sik�ii$(akam:\n\nna dhanam na janam na sundarirh\nkavitam va jagadisa kiimaye\nmama janmani janmanisvare\nbhavatadbhaktir ahaituki tvayi\n\"0 almighty Lord! I have no desire to accumulate\n\n, wealth, nor have I any desire to enjoy beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. What I\n\nwant only is that I may have Your causeless devotional\n\nservice\n\n(Sik�a�{akam, 4)\n\nin\n\nmy\n\nlife-birth\n\nafter\n\nbirth.\"\n\nHere Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu refers to \"birth\nafter birth.\" When there is birth after birth, there is\nno liberation. In liberation either one attains the\nspiritual planets or merges into the existence of the\nSupreme-in either case, there is no question of rebirth\n\ninto\n\nthe\n\nmaterial\n\nworld.\n\nBut\n\nCaitanya\n\nMahaprabhu doesn't care whether He is liberated or\nnot: His only concern is to be engaged in Krs.oa consciousness, to serve the Supreme Lord. T he devotee\ndoesn't care where he is, nor does he care whether\nhe is born in the animal society, human society,\ndemigod society or whatever-he oniy prays to God\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0059": "'\n\nAssociating with Kr!!IJa\n\n57\n57\n\nthat he shall not forget Him and that he will always\nbe able to engage in His transcendental service. These\nare symptoms of pure devotion. Of course a devotee,\nwherever he is, remains in the spiritual kingdom,\neven while in this material body. But he does not demand anything from God for his own personal elevation or comfort.\nAlthough S ri Kr�o.a indicates that He can be easily\nreached by one who is devoted to Him, there is an\nelement of risk involved for the yogis who practice\nother methods of yoga. For them, He has given directions in Bhagavad-gifa regarding the proper time to\nleave the gross body.\n\nyatra kale tv anavrttim\navrttim caiva yogina[l\nprqyata yanti tam kalarh\nvak�yami bharatar�abha\n\n\"0 best of the Bharatas, I shall now explain to you\nthe different times at which, passing away from this\nworld, one does or does not come back.\" (Bg. 8.23)\nHere Krsua indicates that if one is able to leave his\nbody at a particular time, he can become liberated,\nnever to return to the material world. On the other\nhand, he indicates that if one dies at another time, he\nhas to return. There is this element of chance, but\nthere is no question of chance for a devotee always\nin Kr�o.a consciousness, for he is guaranteed entrance\ninto the abode of Kr�o.a by dint of his devotion to the\nLord.\n\nagnir jyotir aha[l suklafz\n�al1-masa uttarayallam\ntatra prayata gacchanti\nbrahma brahma-vido jana[l\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0060": "Beyond Birth and Death\n\n58\n\n\"Those who know the Supreme Brahman pass away\nfrom the world during the influence of the fiery god,\nin the light, at an auspicious moment, during the\nfortnight of the moon and the six months when the\nsun travels in the north.\" (Bg. 8.24)\nThe sun spends six months on the northern side\nof the equator and six months on the southern side.\n\nIn Srzmad-Bhagavatam we have inf ormation that as\n\nthe planets are moving, so also the sun is moving. If\none dies when the sun 1s situated in the northern\nhemisphere, he attains liberation.\n\ndhumo ratris tatha knl}afz\n\n�al)-masa dak�il:zayanam\n\ntatra candramasarh jyotir\nyogT prapya nivartate\n\nsukla-kNlJ-e gati hy ete\n\njagatafz sasvattPmate\n\nekaya yaty anavrttim\n\nanyayavartate punafz\n\n\"The mystic who passes away from this world during\nthe smoke, the night, the moonless f ortnight, or in\nthe six months when the sun passes to the south, or\nwho reaches the moon planet, again comes back.\n\nAccording to the Vedas, there are two ways of passing from this world-one in light and one in darkness. When one passes in light, he does not come\nback; but when one passes in darkness, he returns.\"\n(Bg. 8 .25-26)\nThis is all by chance. We do not know when we\nare going to die, and we may die accidentally at any\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0061": "59\n\nAssociating with K{�l)a\n\ntime. But for one who is a bhakti-yogT, who is established in Kr�:Q.a consciousness, there is no question\nof chance. He is always sure.\n\nnaite srtT partha janan\nyogT muhyati kascana\ntasmat sarve�u kale�u\nyoga-yukto bhavarjuna\n\"The\n\ndevotees\n\nwho know\n\nthese two\n\npaths,\n\n0\n\nArjuna, are never bewildered. Therefore, be always\nfixed in devotion.\" (Bg. 8.27)\nIt has already been ascertained that at the time of\ndeath if one can think of Kr�Q.a, he is immediately\ntransferred to the abode of Kr�Q.a.\n\nanta-kale ca ma.m eva\nsmaran muktva kalevaram\nyatz prayati sa mad-bhavam\nyati nasty atra samsayafz\nabhyasa-yoga-yuktena\ncetasa nanya-gamina\nparamam pur�am divyam\nyati parthanucintayan\n\"And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body\nremembering Me alone, at once attains My nature.\nOf this there is no doubt. He who meditates on the\nSupreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly. engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the\npath, he, 0 Partha [Arjuna], is sure to reach Me.\"\n(Bg. 8.5, 8.8)\nSuch meditation on Krsl)a may seem very difficult, but it is not. If one practices Kr�Q.a conscious-\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0062": "60\n\nBeyond Birth and Death\n\nness by chanting the mahii-mantra Hare Krs1,.1a, Hare\n\nKrsua, Krs1,.1a Krs1,.1a, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare\nRama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, he will be quickly\nhelped . Krsua and His name are nondifferent, and\n\nKrs1,.1a and His transcendental abode are also nondifferent. By sound vibration we can have Kr�Qa\nassociate with us. If, for instance, we chant Hare\nKrs1,.1a on the street, we will see that Kr�Qa is going\nwith us, just as when we look up and see the moon\noverhead, we perceive that it is also going with us. If\nKr�!J.a's inferior energy may appear to go with us, is\nit not possible for Krs1,.1a Himself to be with us when\nwe are chanting His names? He will keep us company,\nbut we have to qualify to be in His company. If, however, we are always merged in the thought of Krs1,.1a,\nwe should rest assured that Krs1,.1a is always with us.\nLord Caitanya Mahaprabhu prays:\n\nnamnamakari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis\ntatrarpita niyamitafz smara[le na kalafz\netadr§l tava krpa bhagavan mamapi\ndurdaivamzdrsa-mihajani nanuragafz\n\"Oh my Lord! Your holy name alone can render all\nbenediction upon the living beings, and therefore You\nhave hundreds and millions of names, like Kr�J)a and\nGovinda. In these transcendental names You have\ninvested all Your transcendental energies, and there\nis no hard and fast rule for chanting these holy nam�s.\n\n0 my Lord! You have so kindly made approach to\nYou easy by Your holy names, but unfortunate as I\n\nam, I have no attraction for them.\" (Sik�a�{akam,2)\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0063": "Associating with K{s,qa\n\n61\n\nMerely by chanting we can have all the advantages\nof personal association with Kr�:pa. Lord Caitanya\nMahaprabhu, who is not only considered _to be a\nrealized soul but an incarnation of K�:pa Himself,\nhas pointed out that in this age of Kali, although\nmen have no real facilities for self-realization, Kr�va\nis so kind that He has given this sabda (sound incar, nation) to be utilized as the yuga-dharma or way of\nrealization of this age. No special qualification is\nnecessary for this method; we need not even know\nSanskrit. The vibrations of Hare Kr�va are so potent\nthat anyone can immediately begin chanting them\nwithout any knowledge of Sanskrit whatsoever.\n\nvede�u yajne�u tapafzsu caiva\ndane�u yat purzya-phalarh pradi�(am\natyeti tat sarvam idarh viditva\nyogi pararh sthanam upaiti cadyam\n\"A person who accepts the path of devotional service is not bereft of the results derived from studying the Vedas, performing austere sacrifices, giving\ncharity or pursuing philosophical and fruitive activities. At the end he reaches the supreme abode.\"\n(Bg. 8.28)\nHere Kr�va says that the purpose for all Vedic instructions is to achieve the ultimate goal of life-to\ngo back to Godhead. All scriptures from all countries\naim at this goal. This has also been the message of all\nreligious reformers or acaryas. In the West, for example, Lord Jesus Christ spread this same message.\nSimilarly, Lord Buddha and Mohammed. No one\nadvises us to make our permanent settlement here\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0064": "62\n6i\n\nBeyond Birth and Death\n\nin this material world. There may be small differences according to country, time and circumstance\nand according to scriptural injunction, but the main\nprinciple that we are not meant for this material\nworld but for the spiritual world is accepted by all\ngenuine transcendentalists. All indications for the\nsatisfaction of our soul's innermost desires point to\nthose worlds of Kr�J)a beyond birth and death.\n\nEND\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0065": "Complete Edition\n\n.,.\n\nE 'agavad-\n\ng na\n. ....;\\.,1\n.� \\�f(l ,\n••\n\n,\n\n\\\n-;\n\nHi<.r)l�inrc;,dr\nt·\n\"t·Bh\n\n'\n\nll'lo!•ddllld\nt '!•.;. s��rnr . .tlo:\nPtJ I�,.�.\n·.\n\n·•\n\nI. � .�-'�. . .. . . -�.��-.�!�.\n'\n\n� .... ..\n\n\\\n\n.\n\n-- \\.,.. .\n'l •\n\n�� �-,\n\\ �4\n\nI\n\nQ'\n\n;,t ';\n\n,\n\n,-,. ,�.,; .\n.•\n\n.•\n\n.\n\n: ·,\n\n,,\n\nwith the original\n.Sanskrit text, Roman\n\ntransliteration, English equivalents, translation and elaborate purports\n\nBHAGAVAD-GITA AS IT IS\nThe International Society for Krishna Consciousness is\npleased\n\nto announce the\n\npublication\n\nby the Macmillan\n\nCompany of the long awaited Complete Edition of Bhagavadifia As It Is. Translated and fully explained by His Divine\n\nGrace\n\nA.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, this most\n\nbasic and essential of all spiritual writings is now available in\none\n\ncomplete,\n\nauthoritative\n\nand\n\nbeautifully\n\nillustrated\n\n1,000-page volume. In India, the teachings embodied in this\nsacred text have remained vital for generations; today, the\nrapid spread of the K{�Qa consciousness movement in the\nWest bears witness to the continued viability and universal\nappeal of K{�qa's message. By reading this one book, one can\nattain the perfection of human life.\nhardcover $11.95, paperback $7.95\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0066": "ISKCON CENTERS\nAROUND THE WORLD\nISKCON is a worldwide community of devotees\ndedicated to the principles of bhakti.yoga.\nWrite, call, or visit for further information.\nClasses are held in the evenings during the week,\nand a special feast and festival is held every Sunday afternoon.\n\nAFRICA: Durban, S. Africa-c/o Popatlal Kara, 201 Grey St.: Nairobi, Kenya-P .O. Box\n·\n28946 (E; Africa)/ 31568.\nASIA: Bombay, India-Hare Krishna Land, Gandhi Gram Road, Juhu, Bombay 400 054/\n577315; Calcutta, l ndia-3 Albert Road, Calcutta 700017/ 44-3757: Hyderabad,\nI ndia-Hare Krishna Land, Nampally Station Road, AP; Jakarta, lndonesia-Gg. Kelinci IV: 8A; Kowloon, Hong Kong-38 Mody Rd. 4/ fl., Tsim Sha Tsuy/ 3-668061; Mayapur,\nlndia-ISKCON International Center, PO Sree Mayapur Dham, W. Bengai.(District Nadia); New\nDelhi, lndia-19 Todar. Mal Lane, New Delhi 110001; Taipei, Taiwan-29-7, Hung Chow, South\nRd., Section 2; Tokyo, Japan-lchichome, 1-44 Mita, Minato-ku; Vrindavana, lndia-Krishna Balarama Temple, Chattikara Road, Raman Reti, Mathura, UP/ 178.\nAUSTRALIA: Adelaide, Australia-13A Frome St., S.A./ 020-253160: Auckland, New Zealand-57 Gribblehirst Rd., Mt. Albert/ 686-666: Melbourne, Australia-14 Burnett St., St.\nKilda, Victoria 3182/663-1331; Melbourne, Australia-299 St. Lonsdale St., Victoria; Sydney,\nAustralia-12 Wallaroy Crescent, Double Bay, NSW/ 365671.\nEUROPE: Amsterdam, Hol l and-Herengracht 96/ 020-249410: Berlin, W. Germa n y-1\nBerlin 31, Kurfurstendamm 153/ 8-86-25-39; (Frankfurt A. Main), W. Germany-6241\nSchloss Rettershof, bei Konigstein-Taunus/ 06174-21357; Geneva, Switzerland-9, chemin\ndu Credo, 1213 Petit Lancy/921-318; Hamburg, W. Germany-2 Hamburg 54, Kapitelbuschweg 20/570-53-82; London, England-? Bury Place, Bloomsbury WC1/ 01-405-1463: London, England-Bhaktivedanta Manor. Letchmore Heath, Watford WD2 BEP, Hertfordshire/\nRadlett, code 9276, 7244; Manchester, England-382 Great Clowes St., Salford 7, Lanes;\nMunich, W. Germany-8042 Oberschleissheim, Dr. Hoffmeister Str. 71 3150421; Paris,\nFrance-4 rue Le Sueur, 75016 Paris/727.02.02; Rome, ltaly-Sede Centrale: Via Mistretta 2,\n(Piazza Lodi) 00182; Stockholm, Sweden-Solhagavagen 22, 16352 Spanga/ 760-0852.\nLATIN AMERICA: Buenos Aires, Argentina-Ecuador 473; Caracas, Venezuela-Galle\nLuis Roche No. 61, Colinas, De Los Chaguaramos/ 76-74-57; Mexico City, Mexico-Gobernador Tiburcio, Montiel 45, San Miguel, Mexico City 18/ (905) 515-4242; Rio Piedras, Puerto\nRico-55 Jorge Romany, Santa Rita, San Juan 90028/ (809) 764-1373; Santa Domingo,\nDominican Republic-Galle Cayetano Rodnguez No. 36.\nTHE UNITED STATES AND CANADA: Ann Arbor, Michigan-718 W. Madison 48103/ (3t 3)\n665-6304: Atlanta, Georgia-24 N.E. 13th St. 30309/ (404) 892-9042: Austin, Texas-1003\nE. 14th St. 78702/ (512) 476-1558; Boston, Massachusetts-72 Commonwealth Ave. 02116/\n(617) 782-8892; Boulder Creek, California-257 Sylvan Way 95006/ (408) 338-4465;\nBuffalo, New York-132. Bidwell Pkwy. 14222/ (716) 882-0281; Chicago, l l linois-1014\nEmerson St., Evanston 60201/ (312) 475-9126; Cleveland, Ohio-15720 Euclid Ave., E.\nCleveland 44112/ (216) 851-9367; Dallas, Texas-5430 Gurley Ave. 75223/ (214) 827-6330;\nDenver, Colorado-1400 Cherry St. 80220/ (303) 333-5461; Detroit, Michigan-83t1 E.\nJefferson Ave. 48214/ (313) 824-6000; Gainesville, Fl orida-1800 N.W. 4th St., Apt. 34D\n32601/ (904) 377-1496; Honolulu, Hawaii-1578 Ala Aoloa Loop 96819/ (808) 839-2210;\nHouston, Texas-107 Knox St. 77006/ (713) 869-7809; Laguna Beach, California-641\nRamona Ave. 92651/ (714) 494-9172: Los Angeles, California-3764 Watseka Ave. 90034/\n(213) 871-0717; Miami, F lorida-4001 Kumquat Ave., Coconut Grove 33133/ (305)\n448-7893; Montreal, Canada-2051-53 Bleury Ave., Quebec/ (514) 849-4319; New Orleans,\nLouisiana-2936 Esplanade Ave. 70119/ (504) 448-1313; New Vrindavana, West\nVirginia-RD 1, Box 620, McCreary's Ridge, Moundsville, W. Virginia 26041/ (304) 845-2790;\nNew York, New York-439 Henr y St., Brooklyn 11231/ (212) 596-9658; Ottowa,\nCanada-224 Besserer St., Ontario/ (613) 236-9091; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-424 E.\nWoodlawn St. 19144/ (215) 849-1767; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-4626 Forbes Ave. 15213/\n(412) 683-7700; Portland, Oregon-2228 N.E. Union St. 97212/ (503) 284-6395; Quebec\nCity, Canada-2377 Chemin St. Foy; St. Louis, Missouri-4544 Laclede Ave. 63108/ (314)\n361-1224; San Diego, California-3303 Second Ave. 92103/ (714) 291-7778; San Francisco, California-455 Valencia St. 94103/ (415) 861-6464; Seattle, Washington-400 18th\nAve. East 98102/ (206) 329-9348; Toronto, Canada-187 Gerrard St. East, Ontario M5A 2E5/\n(416) 922-5415; Vancouver, Canada-1774 West 16th Ave., Vancouver-9, B.C./ (604)\n732-8422: Washington, D.C.-2015 \"Q\" St. N.W. 20009/ (202) 667-3516; Winnipeg,\nCanada-160 Home St., Manitoba/ (204) 775-3575.\n\n", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0067": "", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0068": "", "Beyond_Birth_and_Death-Original_1974_edition_scan#p0069": ""}