38 Beyond Birth and Death

modern civilization’s attitude is, ““Let me suffer. Let
me cover it by some intoxication. That’s all.” But as
soon as the intoxication is over, the miseries return.
It is not possible to make a solution to the miseries
of life by artificial intoxication. The solution is made
by Krsna consciousness,

One may point out that although the devotees of
Krsna are trying to enter Krsna’s planet, our interest
is in going to the moon. Isn’t going to the moon also
perfection? The tendency to travel to other planets
is always present in the living entity. One name for
the living entity is sarva-gata, which means “‘one who
wants to travel everywhere.” Travel is part of the
nature of the living entity. The desire to go to the
moon is not a new thing. The yogis also are interest-
ed in entering the higher planets, but in Bhagavad-
gita Krsna points out that this will not be of any
help.

abrahma-bhuvanal lokah
punar avartino’rjuna
mam upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate
“From the highest planet in the material world
down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein
repeated birth and death take place. But one who
_ attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes
birth again.”’ (Bg. 8.16)

The universe is divided into higher, middle and
lower planetary systems. The earth is considered to
be a member of the middle planetary system. Krsna
points out that even if one enters into the highest
