52 Beyond Birth and Death

there. Why should we pay money for a ticket? We do
not just give the money to anyone. The company is
authorized and the airline is authorized, so faith is
created. Without faith we cannot take one step for-
ward in the ordinary course of our life. Faith we
must have, but it must be faith in that which is au-
thorized. It is not that we have blind faith but that
we accept something that is recognized. Bhagavaa-
gita is recognized and accepted as scripture by all
classes of men in India, and as far as outside India is
concerned, many scholars, theologians and philoso-
phers accept Bhagavad-gita as a great authoritative
work. There is no question that Bhagavad-gita is
authority. Even Professor Albert Einstein, such a
scientist, read Bhagavaa-gita regularly.

From Bhagavad-gita we have to accept that there
is a spiritual universe which is the kingdom of God.
If somehow we are transported to a country where
we are informed that we will no longer have to under-
go birth, old age, disease and death, will we not be
happy? If we heard of such a place, surely we would
try as hard as possible to go there. No one wants to
grow old; no one wants to die. Indeed, a place free of
such sufferings would be our heart’s desire. Why do
we want this? Because we have the right, the pre-
rogative, to want it. We are eternal, blissful and full
of knowledge, but having been covered by this
material entanglement, we have forgotten ourselves.
Bhagavad-gita gives us the advantage of being able
to revive our original status. °

The Sankarites and Buddhists claim that the world
beyond is void, but Bhagavad-gita does not disappoint
