However rich you may be, however prosperous you may be at your home or in your nation or in anyway as you think, but you have to think that "Actually these things are temporary. I am eternal. So what is my eternal function?"

Going Home

Krishna's Pastimes Going On Eternally

SB 1.15.32
"Upon hearing of Lord Krishna's returning to His abode, and upon understanding the end of the Yadu dynasty's earthly manifestation, Maharaja Yudhishthira decided to go back home, back to Godhead."

PRABHUPADA: So hearing all the details how Krishna has gone back to His abode and how the Yadu dynasty was destroyed by fighting amongst themselves, so naturally Yudhishthira Maharaja, [who] was very sober and very advanced, he thought what to do next. Everyone should think that. The Yadu dynasty, they belonged directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nobody could conquer them, but still, they were also finished. Others could not conquer them, but they fought amongst themselves, and then [were] vanquished.

So everyone should take care that after all, we have to give up this body, estate, and whatever we possess, we have to give up. So after giving up, what is next? We have to give up. That is a fact. If you don't give it up now, at the time of death you must give it up, everything. Mrityuh sarva-harash chaham [Bhagavad-gita 10.34]. You may try to keep in possession whatever you have got, but at the time of death you have to give it up. By force it will be taken away. Everyone should think like that. That is soberness. One who is thinking that "My family, my nation, my society, my bank balance, my skyscraper building, my motorcars — these will save me," that is not possible. That is not possible. That is the conclusion of the foolish person. Pramatto nidhanam pashyann api na pashyati. Those who are mad, they do not see that everything they possess will be vanished. It will not stay. He'll be vanquished, his body will be vanquished, everything.

Dehapatya-kalatradishv atma-sainyeshv asatsv api [SB 2.1.4]. Asatsu api. All these things are temporary, but I am eternal. They do not think very seriously that "I am eternal, and I am engaged with temporary things. Now, what is my eternal business?" They do not know. That they do not know. This is called foolishness, mudha. But you are eternal. About you, you have heard from the shastra, and you are experiencing that "I was a child, I was a boy, I was a young man. So my body, childhood body, boyhood body, youthhood body is gone. This body is not that body." Nobody can say, "I have got a different body." But I know that I had a childhood body, I had a boyhood body, youthhood body. That I know. So I am eternal, and this body is not eternal. It is changing. It is very simple thing. Why people cannot understand it? Very simple. Avinashi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam, antavanta ime dehah. This is the instruction in the Bhagavad-gita. This body is antavat. It will be finished. But that thing which is spreading all over the body, avinashi, that will not be annihilated. That consciousness is spread all over the body, and Krishna says that that thing which is spread all over the body, consciousness, that is immortal.

So now, [whether] our consciousness is immortal consciousness or mortal consciousness, that is to be seen. I am absorbed in thought of this mortal consciousness, "This is my country, this is my body, this is my family, this is my community, this is my nation..." They are all mortal. But immortal consciousness is that "I am Krishna's." That is immortal consciousness. "Krishna is mine, and I am Krishna's." This is immortal consciousness. When you come to this consciousness — that is called Krishna consciousness — then you are saved. Immortal consciousness. So long you have got temporary consciousness, then... Just like our mind changes. I accept something now; I reject something again. So this body is being manufactured according to the acceptance and rejection of my mind. The body is formed. Otherwise why we have different body? We are sitting here, so many boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen. Nobody's body will exactly tally with others' body. No. Because the face is the index of mind. You have got different types of mind; therefore you have got different types of body, not every one.

So this is to be understood. Therefore Yudhishthira Maharaja, svah-pathaya matim chakre. This is meditation actually. "What I am? Wherefrom I have come? I am eternal. Why my body is not eternal? I would have been very happy if my body would have been eternal, but that is not possible." Everyone knows. "But I desire that I may not die, my body may not be vanquished. That is my desire." But nobody is meditating upon this subject matter. They have learned some meditation — I do not know what kind of meditation... This is meditation: matim chakre. Svah-pathaya matim chakre nibhritatma yudhishthirah [King Yudishthira desired to leave everything and go home, back to Godhead]. So these things are to be solved. So Yudhishthira Maharaja, now he will retire after this. So he will give up the kingdom. This is the Vedic system. However rich you may be, however prosperous you may be at your home or in your nation or in anyway as you think, but you have to think that "Actually these things are temporary. I am eternal. So what is my eternal function?" That is meditation. "What is my eternal function? What is my eternal duty? Where is my eternal home?" That is Krishna consciousness.

So Krishna consciousness movement is not ordinary movement, manufacture something for recreation. No. It is very serious science. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. We are searching after some permanent place, permanent settlement on the world. Nobody wants to die, but that is not possible. But if there is possibility of going somewhere where no more death, why don't you search after that? That is intelligence. That information is there in the Bhagavad-gita. Abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino 'rjuna: [Bg. 8.16] "If you go to the topmost planet which is known as Brahma-loka..." Now, the Brahma-loka, the duration of life, you cannot calculate even their one day's time. That we were discussing this morning. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Their twelve hours, our twelve hours and their twelve hours, different. Their twelve hours you cannot calculate: forty-three hundred thousands of years multiplied by one thousand. Now see how many years. That is their twelve hours. So live hundred years, they also. So even if you go there, or any planet, or any place, there must be death. Death you must have. But I am eternal. Why shall I accept death? That is intelligence. That information is given in Bhagavad-gita, mad-dhama gatva punar janma na vidyate: "If you come to My place, My planet, then you will have no more to come back again to this mortal world." Mad-dhama gatva. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. Where going, nobody returns. That is, actually, we want.

In another place Krishna says, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya: [Bg. 4.9] "My dear Kaunteya, Arjuna, after giving up this body, no more coming into the womb of material mother." Then where does he go? Mam eti ["he comes to Me"]. In his Brihad-bhagavatamrita Sanatana Gosvami has stated that if you become perfect in Krishna consciousness, then immediately after death you will be sent where Krishna is having His pastimes within this material world. In the material world, just like the sun rotates, similarly, Krishna's pastimes are going on. That is another feature of His activities. Because He wants to reclaim the fallen souls, and there are millions and trillions, unlimited fallen souls within this material world, so He goes everywhere. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata, tadatmanam srijamy aham [Bg. 4.7]. As soon as there are discrepancies in the understanding of eternal life, He appears. He teaches. So Krishna is teaching somewhere. There are so many innumerable universes. Just like Krishna takes, appears, as janma, janmashtami [appearance, incarnation] in this universe, immediately in another universe there is janmashtami; immediately in another universe there is janmashtami. So therefore it is called nitya-lila [eternal pastimes]. Nitya-lila means the janmashtami is going on. His govardhana-lila is going on. Everything. Everything, what He displayed when He was present, that is going on. Just like the sun. Now it is half past seven. Now, half past six, there is sun somewhere. The half past six, it is not that because the sun has passed half past six, in this country, therefore there is no more half past six. Half past six is somewhere. Is it not? Half past six is there. Similarly, it is not that because Krishna has now finished His janmashtami, therefore no more janmashtami. Janmashtami is going on. This is Krishna-lila [the pastimes of Lord Krishna]. So Krishna is present. There are innumerable universes. In one of them He is always present. These is rotation. Just like sun rotates, morning to evening, similarly, Krishna's lila is going on. Just like something, a horse, is passing before your eyes. You see the horse is passing by your windows, and then you do not see the horse. Does that mean the horse is finished? No. The horse is running. But when it comes before your window, you see. Similarly, Krishna's lila, pastime, is going on. And when He appears here... Exactly like the sun. The sun is always present, but the planet is rotating. So when it comes before your eyes, you see the sun. But if you do not see the sun, it does not mean sun is finished, as formerly they used to think like that "The sun is dead."

So if you become perfect in Krishna consciousness... Perfect in Krishna consciousness means no more material desire. That's all. Only Krishna. That is perfection. So long you will have a pinch of material desire, you will have to take birth. According to your desire, Krishna will give you facility. Why there are so many types of body, eight million? Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram, sada tad-bhava-bhavitah [Bg. 8.6]. We are making our next body by thinking of something. We have got so many thoughts, material thoughts. So at the time of death, when that thought is prominent, then I get the next moment a body like that. So if you simply think of Krishna only, then you get a body where by which you can go to Krishna. You can go to Krishna. Tyaktva deham punar janma [Bg. 4.9]. It is very scientific and very practical.

So by going to Krishna, you can talk with Krishna personally. You can play with Krishna personally. You can dance with Krishna. That is Krishna-loka. Just like we have got a picture, rasa dancing. Here is picture, Krishna's. Everyone can get this opportunity. Therefore Krishna comes to show practically how enjoyable life is with Krishna in Vrindavana. Krishna is simply jolly, anandamayo 'bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.12). In Vrindavana life you will see, everyone is jolly. The birds, trees and the water, the land, the cows, the calves, the inhabitants, the cowherd boys — everyone is happy simply by loving Krishna. Simply by loving Krishna. So Krishna therefore manifests His lila that "Why you are rotting in this material world? Come to Me and enjoy life eternally." That is Krishna's business. He is so kind. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata [Bg. 4.7].

People, when they become debauch to enjoy life in this material world... What is the enjoyment? The last enjoyment is sex life. Is that very good enjoyment? But they have accepted. Yan maithunadi-grihamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45]. Maithuna means sex intercourse. That is their life and soul. They do not know. They have no information. There is better pleasure, eternal pleasure. That they do not know. Therefore there is need of Krishna consciousness movement to understand that... What is that? Nishamya bhagavan-margam, The way of God. The rascals do not understand what is God, they do not know what is the feature of God, and still, they will not accept this Krishna consciousness movement. We are giving, "Here is God. Here is the form of God. He is so nice. He is so beautiful. His address is this. You can go there by this process." "No. We don't want." "Then what you want?" "I want to become a pig. [laughter] That's all." "All right, you become pig. What can be done? And what shall you eat?" "I will eat stool. That's all." "All right. Not prasadam?" "No." So what can we do? We are distributing you prasadam, and he will go to eat some rascal thing in the restaurant. Just see. This is misfortune. Mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah [SB 1.1.10]. Because unfortunate in this age, they will accept something wrong. Therefore our task is very responsible. We have to canvass. We have to plead, solicit, "Please come here. Please come here in this temple and learn something."