the Supreme Lord, will certainly attain to the Supreme Personality earth, but death is ultimately there. Therefore those who are in
of Godhead.” (Bg. 8.10) The words praydna-kdle mean ‘‘at the Krsna consciousness are not interested in material life but spiri-
time of death.” Life is kind of a preparation for the final examina- tual life, which means relief from these fourfold miseries. Those
tion, which is death. If we pass that examination, we are trans- who are intelligent do not try to elevate themselves to any planet
ferred to the spiritual world. According to a very common Bengali within this material world. To attain a higher planet, one has to
proverb, ‘‘Whatever you do for perfection will be tested at the prepare a particular type of body to enable one to live on that
time of your death.” planet..We cannot attain these planets by artificial, materialistic

This process by which the yogi closes the doors of the senses is means, because a suitable body is necessary to live there. We can
technically called pratyahara, meaning *‘just the opposite.”* Pres- stay within water only a short while, but fish are living there their
ently, our senses are engaged in seeing worldly beauty. *‘Just the entire lives. But the fish does not have a body suitable for living on
opposite’ means retracting the senses from that beauty and the land. Similarly, to enter a higher planet, one has to prepare a
seeing the beauty inside. Hearing is concentrated on the omkara suitable body. .
sound. that is within. Similarly, all the other senses are withdrawn In the higher planets, six of our months are equal to one of
from external activity. The mind is then concentrated on the their days, and the inhabitants of these planets live ten thousand
visnu-murti within the heart (manah hrdi nirudhya). The word years. This is all described in the Vedic literatures. Although the

| nirudhya means *‘confining” the mind within the heart. When the life span on these planets is very long, there is ultimately death.
yogi has thus withdrawn his senses and concentrated his mind, he After ten thousand years, twenty thousand years, or millions of
transfers the life air to the top of the head and decides where he years—it doesn’t matter—death is ultimately there.
should go. There are innumerable planets, and beyond these plan- In the very beginning of Bhagavad-gita, however, we learn that
ets is the spiritual world. The yogis obtain information of these we are not subject to death.
planets from the Vedic literatures, just as, before coming to the
United States, I obtained information about this country from na jayate mriyate va kadacin ,
books. Since all the higher planets in the spiritual world are de- nayam bhitva bhavita va na bhiyah
scribed in the Vedic literatures, the yogi knows everything and can ajo nityah sasvato ‘yam purano
transfer himself to any planet he likes. He does not need a material na hanyate hanyamane Sarire
spaceship.

Scientists have been trying for many years to reach other plan- ‘‘For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once
ets with spaceships, but this is not the process. Maybe by this been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-
means one or two men can reach a planet, but that is not the existing, undying, and primeval. He is not slain when the body is
general process. It is not possible for everyone. Generally, if one slain.” (Bg. 2.20) Krsna thus instructs us that we are spirit soul
wants to transfer himself to a higher planet, he practices this and eternal; therefore why should we subject ourselves to birth
jfiana-yoga system. Not the bhakti-yoga system. The system of and death? One who utilizes his intelligence can understand this.
bhakti-yoga is not used for attaining any material planet. One who is situated in Krsna consciousness is not interested in

The devotees of Krsna are not interested in any planet within promotion to any planet where death exists; rather, being pro-
this material universe, because they know that on all planets the moted to the spiritual sky, he receives a body just like God’s.
four basic miseries exist—birth, old age, disease, and death. In the Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-dnanda-vigrahah. God’s body is
higher planets, one’s life span may be much greater than on this sac-cid-dnanda—eternal, full of knowledge, and full of pleasure.

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