Time before next body

[Guest guest]

> At 00:22 07/10/2005, Mithila (das) PVS (London - UK) they said to all of

> us: I read the contents carefully, and submit my reply

> What I can't understand then, is this, some (or most) living entities

> go to the hellish punishment for some time, there is also mentioned

> by some devotee the ceremony after death, that the soul may stay for

> 13 or 14 days? Perhaps immediate in terms of eternity takes account

> of 14 days. One devotee sent me a quote (didn't say where from

> though), that when a soul is to enter a human or animal body, it

> takes 30 days after being in the hellish planets, any more comments?

>

On both Hellish and Heavenly planets, you acquire your next body. Your time

in lower or upper planets depends on how naughty you have been. Some people

might go to the hellish planets and due to strange karma, go straight to the

heavenly planets after, later falling to earth in the rainfall. As Srila

Prabhupada said immediately:

 

> >The living entity immediately gives up the present body and enters

> >another. SB 4.29.76-77

> >

> >The next body has to be immediately accepted according to karma.

> >SB 5.13.1 include hellish planet bodies.

 

Depending on where you are in India, they have different social customs

(possibly in remote districts it takes 25 days for the soul to get to the

next body, just so the distant relatives can arrive in time)

[Guest guest]

SrI SrI Guru Gaurangau Jayatah

 

Camp: Iskcon Kishinev

DaNDavats Dear Krpamoya Prabhu. Jaya Krishna BalarAma!

Please accept my respectful obeisances. All Glories to Sreela PrabhupAda..

 

I Thank you very much for your letter.

 

garuda Purana does indeed discuss all the aspects of departure of

conditioned souls in great details.

 

It describes how long it takes to go from one body to another.

 

it is a conversation with Narayana and Garuda, so it is authoritiative. an

abridged copy "garuda purana saroddhara" is available from Delhi cost of

only some 170 to 210 rupees. publisher might be Munsirama manoharlal. 51

rani jhansi rd.

 

it is 10 chapters with devanagari verses and english translation. it is

wonderfully useful for funerals and of course as guidelines for the

relatives of dying persons (what to do when, why, where).

 

for those who are beyond karma kandic rituals, it offers refreshing verses

about the glory of chanting Gita, SB and serving shaligram shila and Tulasi

devi all throughout the long drawn out departure process.

 

I have personally relished reading that book since 1998. and I've boughten

no less then 10 copies and passed them out in Vraja.

 

you can ask any of your dear UK based friends visiting vraja to bring you

one or as many copies as you deem necessary.

 

either from Delhi 100%. or alternatively perhaps even at a bookstore in loi

bazzar.

 

I strongly suggest every Iskcon preaching center get a copy.

 

eager to hear your reply as soon as you can.

 

TridaNDi BhikSu, Bhakti Visrambha MAdhava

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/9/2005 10:50:27 PM Pacific Standard Time,

Antardwip.JPS (AT) pamho (DOT) net writes:

At 00:22 07/10/2005, Mithila (das) PVS (London - UK) they said to all of

> us: I read the contents carefully, and submit my reply

> What I can't understand then, is this, some (or most) living entities

> go to the hellish punishment for some time, there is also mentioned

> by some devotee the ceremony after death, that the soul may stay for

> 13 or 14 days? Perhaps immediate in terms of eternity takes account

> of 14 days. One devotee sent me a quote (didn't say where from

> though), that when a soul is to enter a human or animal body, it

> takes 30 days after being in the hellish planets, any more comments?

It is really not so important how long it takes to change body we want people

to learn how not to take material bodies again and surrender to Krsna

 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: While speaking learned words, you

are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither

 

for the living nor for the dead.

PURPORT

The Lord at once took the position of the teacher and chastised the student,

calling him, indirectly, a fool. The Lord said, "You are talking like a

learned man, but you do not know that one who is learned—one who knows what is

body

and what is soul—does not lament for any stage of the body, neither in the

living nor in the dead condition." As explained in later chapters, it will be

clear that knowledge means to know matter and spirit and the controller of

both.

Arjuna argued that religious principles should be given more importance than

politics or sociology, but he did not know that knowledge of matter, soul and

the Supreme is even more important than religious formularies. And because he

was lacking in that knowledge, he should not have posed himself as a very

learned man. As he did not happen to be a very learned man, he was consequently

 

lamenting for something which was unworthy of lamentation. The body is born and

 

is destined to be vanquished today or tomorrow; therefore the body is not as

important as the soul. One who knows this is actually learned, and for him

there

is no cause for lamentation, regardless of the condition of the material

body.

 

why one goes to hell is clear:

They believe that to gratify the senses is the prime necessity of human

civilization. Thus until the end of life their anxiety is immeasurable. Bound

by a

network of hundreds of thousands of desires and absorbed in lust and anger,

they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification.

PURPORT

The demoniac accept that the enjoyment of the senses is the ultimate goal of

life, and this concept they maintain until death. They do not believe in life

after death, and they do not believe that one takes on different types of

bodies according to one's karma, or activities in this world. Their plans for

life

are never finished, and they go on preparing plan after plan, all of which

are never finished. We have personal experience of a person of such demoniac

mentality who, even at the point of death, was requesting the physician to

prolong his life for four years more because his plans were not yet complete.

Such

foolish people do not know that a physician cannot prolong life even for a

moment. When the notice is there, there is no consideration of the man's

desire.

The laws of nature do not allow a second beyond what one is destined to enjoy.

The demoniac person, who has no faith in God or the Supersoul within himself,

performs all kinds of sinful activities simply for sense gratification. He

does not know that there is a witness sitting within his heart. The Supersoul

is

observing the activities of the individual soul. As it is stated in the

Upaniñads, there are two birds sitting in one tree; one is acting and enjoying

or

suffering the fruits of the branches, and the other is witnessing. But one who

is demoniac has no knowledge of Vedic scripture, nor has he any faith;

therefore he feels free to do anything for sense enjoyment, regardless of the

consequences. [As-They-Surrender-Unto-Me ]

Bg 16.13, Bg 16.14, Bg 16.15, Bg 16.13-15

TEXTS 13-15

TEXT

wdMaÛ MaYaa l/BDaiMaMa& Pa[aPSYae MaNaaerQaMa( )

wdMaSTaqdMaiPa Mae >aivZYaiTa PauNaDaRNaMa( )) 13 ))

ASaaE MaYaa hTa" Xa}auhRiNaZYae caParaNaiPa )

wRìrae_hMah& >aaeGaq iSaÖae_h& bl/vaNSau%q )) 14 ))

Aa!yae_i>aJaNavaNaiSMa k-ae_NYaae_iSTa Sad*Xaae MaYaa )

Ya+Yae daSYaaiMa MaaeidZYa wTYajaNaivMaaeihTaa" )) 15 ))

idam adya mayä labdham

imaà präpsye manoratham

idam astédam api me

bhaviñyati punar dhanam

asau mayä hataù çatrur

haniñye cäparän api

éçvaro 'ham ahaà bhogé

siddho 'haà balavän sukhé

äòhyo 'bhijanavän asmi

ko 'nyo 'sti sadåço mayä

yakñye däsyämi modiñya

ity ajïäna-vimohitäù

Audio

SYNONYMS

idam—this; adya—today; mayä—by me; labdham—gained; imam—this; präpsye—I

shall gain; manaù-ratham—according to my desires; idam—this; asti—there is;

idam

—this; api—also; me—mine; bhaviñyati—it will increase in the future; punaù—

again; dhanam—wealth; asau—that; mayä—by me; hataù—has been killed; çatruù—

enemy; haniñye—I shall kill; ca—also; aparän—others; api—certainly; éçvaraù—

the lord; aham—I am; aham—I am; bhogé—the enjoyer; siddhaù—perfect; aham—I

am; bala-vän—powerful; sukhé—happy; äòhyaù—wealthy; abhijana-vän—surrounded by

aristocratic relatives; asmi—I am; kaù—who; anyaù—other; asti—there is;

sadåçaù—like; mayä—me; yakñye—I shall sacrifice; däsyämi—I shall give charity;

modiñye—I shall rejoice; iti—thus; ajïäna—by ignorance; vimohitäù—deluded.

TRANSLATION

The demoniac person thinks: "So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain

more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the

future, more and more. He is my enemy, and I have killed him, and my other

enemies will also be killed. I am the lord of everything. I am the enjoyer. I

am

perfect, powerful and happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic

relatives. There is none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform

sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall rejoice." In this way,

such

persons are deluded by ignorance.

 

[As-They-Surrender-Unto-Me ]

 

PURPORT

Bg 16.16

TEXT 16

TEXT

ANaek-ictaiv>a]aNTaa MaaehJaal/SaMaav*Taa" )

Pa[sac-a" k-aMa>aaeGaezu PaTaiNTa Narke-_éucaE )) 16 ))

aneka-citta-vibhräntä

moha-jäla-samävåtäù

prasaktäù käma-bhogeñu

patanti narake 'çucau

Audio

SYNONYMS

aneka—numerous; citta—by anxieties; vibhräntäù—perplexed; moha—of

illusions; jäla—by a network; samävåtäù—surrounded; prasaktäù—attached;

käma-bhogeñu—

to sense gratification; patanti—they glide down; narake—into hell; açucau—

unclean.

TRANSLATION

Thus perplexed by various anxieties and bound by a network of illusions, they

become too strongly attached to sense enjoyment and fall down into hell.

PURPORT

The demoniac man knows no limit to his desire to acquire money. That is

unlimited. He thinks only of how much assessment he has just now and schemes to

 

engage that stock of wealth further and further. For that reason, he does not

hesitate to act in any sinful way and so deals in the black market for illegal

gratification. He is enamored by the possessions he has already, such as land,

family, house and bank balance, and he is always planning to improve them. He

believes in his own strength, and he does not know that whatever he is gaining

is due to his past good deeds. He is given an opportunity to accumulate such

things, but he has no conception of past causes. He simply thinks that all his

mass of wealth is due to his own endeavor. A demoniac person believes in the

strength of his personal work, not in the law of karma. According to the law of

 

karma, a man takes his birth in a high family, or becomes rich, or very well

educated, or very beautiful because of good work in the past. The demoniac

think that all these things are accidental and due to the strength of one's

personal ability. They do not sense any arrangement behind all the varieties of

 

people, beauty and education. Anyone who comes into competition with such a

demoniac man is his enemy. There are many demoniac people, and each is enemy to

the

others. This enmity becomes more and more deep—between persons, then between

families, then between societies, and at last between nations. Therefore there

is constant strife, war and enmity all over the world.

Each demoniac person thinks that he can live at the sacrifice of all others.

Generally, a demoniac person thinks of himself as the Supreme God, and a

demoniac preacher tells his followers: "Why are you seeking God elsewhere? You

are

all yourselves God! Whatever you like, you can do. Don't believe in God. Throw

away God. God is dead." These are the demoniac's preachings.

Although the demoniac person sees others equally rich and influential, or

even more so, he thinks that no one is richer than he and that no one is more

influential than he. As far as promotion to the higher planetary system is

concerned, he does not believe in performing yajïas, or sacrifices. Demons

think

that they will manufacture their own process of yajïa and prepare some machine

by

which they will be able to reach any higher planet. The best example of such

a demoniac man was Rävaëa. He offered a program to the people by which he

would prepare a staircase so that anyone could reach the heavenly planets

without

performing sacrifices, such as are prescribed in the Vedas. Similarly, in the

present age such demoniac men are striving to reach the higher planetary

systems by mechanical arrangements. These are examples of bewilderment. The

result

is that, without their knowledge, they are gliding toward hell. Here the

Sanskrit word moha-jäla is very significant. Jäla means "net"; like fish caught

in

a net, they have no way to come out.

Bg 16.17

TEXT 17

TEXT

AaTMaSaM>aaivTaa" STaBDaa DaNaMaaNaMadaiNvTaa" )

YaJaNTae NaaMaYajESTae dM>aeNaaiviDaPaUvRk-Ma( )) 17 ))

ätma-sambhävitäù stabdhä

dhana-mäna-madänvitäù

yajante näma-yajïais te

dambhenävidhi-pürvakam

Audio

SYNONYMS

ätma-sambhävitäù—self—complacent; stabdhäù—impudent; dhana-mäna—of wealth

and false prestige; mada—in the delusion; anvitäù—absorbed; yajante—they

perform sacrifice; näma—in name only; yajïaiù—with sacrifices; te—they;

dambhena—

out of pride; avidhi-pürvakam—without following any rules and regulations.

TRANSLATION

Self-complacent and always impudent, deluded by wealth and false prestige,

they sometimes proudly perform sacrifices in name only, without following any

rules or regulations.

PURPORT

Thinking themselves all in all, not caring for any authority or scripture,

the demoniac sometimes perform so-called religious or sacrificial rites. And

since they do not believe in authority, they are very impudent. This is due to

illusion caused by accumulating some wealth and false prestige. Sometimes such

demons take up the role of preacher, mislead the people, and become known as

religious reformers or as incarnations of God. They make a show of performing

sacrifices, or they worship the demigods, or manufacture their own God. Common

men advertise them as God and worship them, and by the foolish they are

considered advanced in the principles of religion, or in the principles of

spiritual

knowledge. They take the dress of the renounced order of life and engage in

all nonsense in that dress. Actually there are so many restrictions for one who

 

has renounced this world. The demons, however, do not care for such

restrictions. They think that whatever path one can create is one's own path;

there is

no such thing as a standard path one has to follow. The word avidhi-pürvakam,

meaning a disregard for the rules and regulations, is especially stressed here.

 

These things are always due to ignorance and illusion.

Bg 16.18

TEXT 18

TEXT

Ahªar& bl&/ dPa| k-aMa& §-aeDa& c Sa&ié[Taa" )

MaaMaaTMaPardehezu Pa[iÜzNTaae_>YaSaUYak-a" )) 18 ))

ahaìkäraà balaà darpaà

kämaà krodhaà ca saàçritäù

mäm ätma-para-deheñu

pradviñanto 'bhyasüyakäù

Audio

SYNONYMS

ahaìkäram—false ego; balam—strength; darpam—pride; kämam—lust; krodham—

anger; ca—also; saàçritäù—having taken shelter of; mäm—Me; ätma—in their own;

para—and in other; deheñu—bodies; pradviñantaù—blaspheming; abhyasüyakäù—

envious.

TRANSLATION

Bewildered by false ego, strength, pride, lust and anger, the demons become

envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in their own

bodies and in the bodies of others, and blaspheme against the real religion.

[Guest guest]

Purport to Bhajahü Re Mana

By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda

Bhajahü re mana, çré-nanda-nandana-abhaya-caraëäravinda re. This is a song

composed by Govinda däsa, a great poet and Vaiñëava. He says, addressing his

own

mind Because mind is the center of all elevation. In the Bhagavad-gétä it is

said that if you have your mind controlled, then your mind is the best friend.

But if your mind is uncontrolled, then he is your greatest enemy. So we are

seeking after friend or enemy. So both of them are sitting with me. If we can

utilize the friendship of the mind, then we are elevated to the highest

perfectional stage. But if we create mind as my enemy, then my path to hell is

clear.

Therefore Govinda däsa Öhäkura, he is addressing his mind. The yogis try to

control the mind by different gymnastic process. That is also approved. But it

takes a long time, and sometimes there are failures. In most cases they are

failures. Even a big yogi like Viçvämitra, he also failed, what to speak of

these teeny and nonsensical yogis.

So Govinda däsa advises that "You just engage your mind in Kåñëa

consciousness. Then mind becomes automatically controlled.'' If the mind has no

chance of

being engaged in any other business except Kåñëa consciousness, then he cannot

become my enemy. It is automatically my friend. That is the instruction in

the Çrémad-Bhägavatam: sa vai manaù kåñëa-padäravindayoù. Lord, King Ambaréña,

he first of all engaged his mind on the lotus feet of Kåñëa. So similarly, here

 

also, Govinda däsa Öhäkura, he is asking his mind: "My dear mind, you just

engage yourself to the lotus feet of abhaya-caraëäravinda.''

Abhaya-caraëäravinda. That is the name of the lotus feet of Kåñëa. Abhaya means

fearless. If you

take shelter of the lotus feet of Kåñëa then you immediately become fearless.

So he advises "My dear mind, you just engage yourself on the service of the

lotus feet of Govinda.'' Bhajahü re mana çré-nanda-nandana. He does not say

"Govinda.'' He addresses Kåñëa as "the son of Nanda Mahäräja.'' "Because that

lotus feet is fearless, you will have no more any fear from the attack of

mäyä."

"Oh, I have got to enjoy so many things. How can I fix up my mind on the

lotus feet of Kåñëa?'' Then Govinda däsa advises, "No, no.'' Durlabha

mänava-janma. "You don't waste your life in that way. This human form of life

is very

rare. Out of many, many thousands and millions of births, you have got this

opportunity.'' Durlabha mänava-janama sat-saìge. "Therefore don't go anywhere.

You

just associate with pure devotees.'' Taraha ei bhava-sindhu re. "Then you shall

 

be able to cross of the ocean of nescience.'' "Oh, if I engage my mind always

in Kåñëa, then how I shall enjoy my family, my other paraphernalia?'' So

Govinda däsa says, ei dhana yauvana. "You want to enjoy your wealth and your

youthful ages,'' ei dhana yauvana, putra parijana, "and you want to enjoy the

society of friendship, love and family, but I say,'' ithe ki äche paratéti re,

"do

you think that there is transcendental pleasure in these nonsense thing? No,

there is none. It is simply illusion.'' Ei dhana yauvana, putra parijana, ithe

ki äche paratéti re. Durlabha mänava-janama sat-saìge, taraha ei bhava sindhu

re.

Then again he says that çéta ätapa bäta bariñaëa ei dina jäminé jägi 're,

viphale sevinu kåpaëa durajana capala sukha-laba lägi' re. Now Govinda däsa is

reminding his mind: "You have experience of your material happiness. So

material

happiness means, the ultimate goal of material happiness is sex life. But

don't you remember how long you can enjoy this sex life?" Capala. "Flickering.

Say, for a few minutes or moment. That's all. But for that purpose you are

working so hard?" Çéta ätapa. "Don't care for snowfall. Don't care for

scorching

heat. Don't care for torrents of rain. Don't care for keeping night, night

duty.

Whole day and night you are working. And what is the result? Simply for that

flickering momentous enjoyment. Are you not ashamed of this?" So çéta ätapa,

bäta bariñaëa, ei dina jäminé jägi re. Dina means day, and jäminé means night.

So "Day and night, you are working so hard. Why?" Capala sukha-laba lägi' re.

"Simply for that flickering happiness." Then he says, ei dhana yauvana, putra

parijana, ithe ki äche paratéti re. "There is no happiness actually, eternal

happiness, transcendental happiness, in enjoying this life, or this youthful

age, or family, society. There is no happiness, no transcendental happiness."

Therefore kamala-dala-jala, jévana öalamala. "And you do not know how long

you shall enjoy this life. Because it is tottering. You are on the tottering

platform. Just like there is water on the lily leaf. It is tilting. At any

moment

it will fall down. So our life is tilting. At any moment it may collapse. We

may meet, by chance, any danger, and finished. So don't waste life in that

way.'' Bhajahü hari-pada néti re. "Be always engaged in Kåñëa consciousness.

That

is the success of your life.'' And how to discharge this Kåñëa consciousness?

He advises, çravaëa kértana, smaraëa vandana, päda-sevana däsya re. You can

adopt out of the nine ways of devotional service any one. If you can adopt all

of them, that's very nice. If not, you can adopt eight of them. You can adopt

seven of them, six of them, five of them, four of them. But even if you adopt

only one of them, your life will be successful. What are those nine methods?

Çravaëaà kértanam. Hearing from authoritative sources. And chanting. Çravaëaà

kértanam. Smaraëam. Memorizing. Vandanam, prayers. Çravaëa kértanaà, smaraëaà

vandana, päda-sevanam. Offering service to His lotus feet as eternal servant.

Püjana sakhé-jana. Or just try to love Kåñëa as your friend. Ätma-nivedana. Or

give up everything for Kåñëa. That is the way of devotional service, and

Govinda däsa is aspiring after that Kåñëa consciousness business. Original on

CD 2-3

[Guest guest]

> In a message dated 10/9/2005 10:50:27 PM Pacific Standard Time,

> Antardwip.JPS (AT) pamho (DOT) net writes:

> At 00:22 07/10/2005, Mithila (das) PVS (London - UK) they said to all of

> > us: I read the contents carefully, and submit my reply

> > What I can't understand then, is this, some (or most) living entities

> > go to the hellish punishment for some time, there is also mentioned

> > by some devotee the ceremony after death, that the soul may stay for

> > 13 or 14 days? Perhaps immediate in terms of eternity takes account

> > of 14 days. One devotee sent me a quote (didn't say where from

 

Actually, it was not me - mine was the reply! The question was posed by a

guest to Ananta Purosottama at the Manor and he wanted clarification,

 

ys,

 

Antardwip das