We must always know that "There is death behind me." At any moment he can capture my neck and take it away. That's a fact. Is there any guarantee that you shall live hundred years? No. Even just after few seconds, if you go to the street, you may immediately meet death. There may be heart failure. There may be motor accident. There may be something, something. So to live is wonderful. To die is not wonderful. Because you are meant for death. As soon as you took your birth, immediately you begin to die. Immediately.

Snuffed out without notice

You need a guru to know how to live

So this is the position. Without guru, if anyone is manufacturing his way of life, then he is mudha, rascal. Therefore it is said, mudha.

Ajamila was thinking, "I am so affectionate father. I am taking care of my son, little son. In all respect I am feeding him, I am patting him, and so many things I am... I am very faithful and very honest father." But shastra says, "Here is a mudha, rascal." You see here. It says, bhojayan payayan mudhah. Why he is mudha? Na vedagatam antakam. He does not know that "Behind me, the death is awaiting. He has come to take me." Now, "How your affection for your so-called son and society and family and nation will save you? Here is death." That he cannot answer. He cannot answer that death is there.

So we shall be prepared. That is human life. We must always know that "There is death behind me." At any moment he can capture my neck and take it away. That's a fact. Is there any guarantee that you shall live hundred years? No. Even just after few seconds, if you go to the street, you may immediately meet death. There may be heart failure. There may be motor accident. There may be something, something. So to live is wonderful. To die is not wonderful. Because you are meant for death. As soon as you took your birth, immediately you begin to die. Immediately. If you enquire, "Oh, when the child is born?" you say, say, "One week." That means he has died one week. We are taking that he is living one week, but actually he has died one week. That is wonderful, that still he is living, he has not died. So death is not wonderful because it is sure. It will come—after one week or after one hundred years. That is not wonderful. So long you live, that is wonderful.

So we should utilize this time to make solution of the life that we are repeatedly dying and again accepting another body. So how they will understand unless they come to the proper guru? Therefore shastra, says tad-vijñanartham: "If you want to know the real problem of your life and if you want to be enlightened how to become Krishna conscious, how to become eternal, go back to home, back to Godhead, then you must approach the guru." And who is guru? That is explained, very simple thing. Guru never manufactures idea that "You do this and give me money and you become happy." That is not guru. That is another process of earning money. So here it is said, mudha, everyone who is simply living in the fool's paradise, manufacturing his own ideas like Ajamila... Somebody has taken, "This is my duty," somebody has... He is a fool. You must know what is your duty from guru. Guru-mukha-padma-vakya, chittete koriya aikya, ar na koriho mane asha: "My only wish is that my mind be purified by the words coming from the mouth of my spiritual master. I have no other desire but this." This is life. This is life. You accept the bona fide guru, and what he orders you, carry out. Then your life is successful.