Everyone is destined to live for a certain period. You cannot prolong it, neither reduce it.

Has Science Really Given Us Longer Life?

Dog's obstinacy

PUSTA KRSNA: In the Western countries, people are taught that if there is some difficulty they should not try to accept it. They should try to change the situation.

PRABHUPADA: But you cannot change. What is the answer for that? Nobody has been able to change the situation. Who has been able to change the situation? Apart from birth and death, where is the change of situation that there is no more disease? So advanced in science... So why the change of situation is not there? Why people are suffering? You are creating hospital. That's all right. But where is the process that no more disease? Where is the change of situation? That is called punah punash charvita charvananam [Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.30], chewing the chewed. They cannot change the situation and trying again and again, hope against hope. This is their foolishness. Nobody is able to change the situation. Daivi hy esha gunamayi mama maya dura... [Bhagavad-gita 7.14]. That is not possible, but they will not take it. "Yes, we are trying. Yes, we are trying." Dog's obstinacy. What you are trying? In the history there is no such instance that you have been able to change. It is not possible.

HARIKESA: Well, now medical science is so advanced that even if you have heart disease they can give you another heart.

PRABHUPADA: So does it mean that the situation is changed? No more heart disease or heart is never failure? It will continue? Where is the change. You may be proud with your puffed-up, false knowledge, but where is the change of situation? Futile attempt.

PUSTA KRSNA: But they will say that the duration of life years ago was much shorter than it is now, that now the duration of life is 65 or 70 years average.

PRABHUPADA: That may be in few cases. Generally the duration of life is reduced. Nobody lives nowadays like his forefather. So where is extension? It is reduced. And what is the extension? In old age the body becomes subjected to so many ailments. What is the use of living with ailments, with toothache and many other things? What is the use of such life? Better die young, in good health, chanting Hare Krishna. What is the use of prolonged life? The prolonged life... The trees are also prolonged life. Does it mean it is happy? They live for five hundred years, five thousand years. Hundred, two hundred years' living for tree is not at all difficult. But they live for thousands of years. So is it very pleasing to live like a tree for many thousands of years? Hm?

PUSTA KRSNA: No.

PRABHUPADA: Then why do they propose, "Prolong life"? What is the use of such prolonged life, stand up in a place without any power to move an inch and suffer all climatic disturbances? Is that very good life? Everyone is... Even if he lives for more years, the bodily, mental and external sufferings will be there. What is the use of living such prolonged life? Prolonged life, does it guarantee that these three kinds of miseries-bodily, mental and external, natural; there are so many disturbancesÑhe will be free from all these disturbances? Simply dog's obstinacy, that's all.

HARIKESA: There's a Greek fable about that. There's a Greek fable that this one lady got some benediction that she would live forever, except she forgot to ask for eternal youth.

PRABHUPADA: Hm?

HARIKESA: She forgot to ask to always be young. So she was very, very old and decrepit, and finally they just put her in a jar, and some young boys were playing with the jar and they asked, "What do you want?" And she said, "I want to die."

PRABHUPADA: Yes. When one suffers too much he commits suicide. Life becomes very troublesome. When the suffering is too much acute, they commit suicide. So that is not a solution — we have prolonged life. First of all there is no prolonged. Even accepting it is prolonged, what is the benefit?

HARIKESA: Actually, even if they didn't do anything, they would live the same amount.

PRABHUPADA: Yes. Everyone is destined to live for a certain period. You cannot prolong it, neither reduce it.

HARIKESA: What about all the sufferings of the body? Let's say one has a toothache or something like that.

PRABHUPADA: No. That I have already said, that as soon as you accept this material body, you must suffer. That is the way.

HARIKESA: So if you fix one thing, another thing will just go bad?

PRABHUPADA: Yes. You cannot fix anything. You can simply think that "I am now fixed up." That is not possible. Even if you fix up one type of suffering, another type of suffering will come. So suffering must be there. The body means suffering. One should understand this, that asann api kleshada asa dehah [SB 5.5.4]. Na sadhu manye yato atmano 'yam asannapi kleshada asa dehah. You are trying to adjust things, threefold miserable condition, but you should understand that as soon as you get this material body, it will be suffering only. Therefore whole Vedic civilization is a culture how to stop this material body. The Mayavadi philosophers, they are also trying. The Buddhists, they are also trying. But they are thinking that "There is no soul. Finish this body." This is Buddhist theory. But they know that this is suffering. Similarly, the Mayavadi, they also know this body is suffering, so they want to come out of the body and merge into the existence of God. The senses are already there, either Buddhist or Mayavadi. And Vaishnava philosophy is "Not only come out of this miserable condition of life, but enter into Krishna's family and live peacefully." But so far the body is bad, it is accepted by all philosophies. Any kind of Indian philosophy, they will accept that body is bad.