Mantra Fourteen 73
PURPORT

| Human civilization, by its so-called advancement of know-

ledge, has created many material things, including space capsules

and atomic energy. But it has failed to create a situation in

which man need not die, take his birth again, become old, or

suffer from diseases. Whenever these questions are raised

by an intelligent man before a so-called scientist, the scientist

very cleverly replies that material science is progressing, and

that it will ultimately be possible to render man deathless and

ageless. Such answers by material scientists prove their gross

ignorance of material Nature. In material Nature everything is

| under the stringent laws of matter, and must pass through six

stages of existence: birth, growth, duration of life, trans-

| formation, deterioration, and death at last. Nothing that is in

contact with material Nature can be beyond the above-mentioned

six laws of existence, and therefore no one, whether demigod,

man, animal, or tree, can survive forever here in the material
world.

The duration of life may vary in different species. Lord
Brahma, the chief living being within this material world,
may continue his life for millions and millions of years, while
the minute germs may live just for some hours; that does not
matter. No one in this material world can survive eternally.
Things here are born or created under certain conditions,
they stay for some time, and, if they have life then they
grow, create generations, then dwindle gradually, and at last
are annihilated. By that law even the Brahmas (there are millions
of Brahmas in different universes—each one bigger than the
last) are all liable to death, either today or tomorrow. Therefore,
the whole material world is called Martya-loka, the place of

| death.

The material scientists and politicians are trying lo make this :
place deathless because they have no information of the
deathless spiritual nature, due to their ignorance of the Vedic
