Why forced to accept this body?

[suchandra]

Modern science says that although many people have that feeling of being born into this body against their will, this is caused by a disorder of chemicals within the brain. However, the laws of nature not only determine the birth of a soul within a particular body/family according to what one wishes, but also according what one deserves as pointed out in lecture below by Srila Prabhupada. And this could quite easily create that feeling that someone feels of having taken birth into "the wrong" family.

 

 

Why forced to accept this body?

Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 13.22-24, Melbourne, June 25, 1974

 

So what is the business of this material world? Now, falsely we are trying to enjoy. The false enjoyer. Everyone is trying to be enjoyer. Krishna has given little freedom. "All right. You want to enjoy. Enjoy it." But you have to be in this material world. And in the material world, as soon as you come to the material world, immediately you become contaminated by the modes of material nature.

Material nature has three modes, or three qualities—good quality, passion quality and ignorance quality. Goodness, passion and ignorance. So material world means you associate with the material three qualities—goodness, passion or ignorance. And according to that, as you associate, you get a certain type of body.

Krishna orders prakriti, the material nature, that "He wants to enjoy in this way; you give him a suitable body like that.He wants to enjoy by becoming a tiger: 'Immediately I shall jump over an animal.' " Because phalguni mahatam tatra, the weak is the food for the strong. So sometimes we think that we shall be strong like tiger or lion. Krishna is sitting within you. He says, "All right, you become a tiger." He sees that "To become a tiger is my success life." A very strong body. They are exercising, very strong, to become very strong, stout. So Krishna will give you. Whatever you want. But in this material world.

In the spiritual world you cannot become a competitor of Krishna. That is not possible. In this material world you can become a false competitor of Krishna. Your position is false. Because you are not this body, but you wanted a body like that to enjoy. Just like a pig is given a body. He wanted to enjoy stool. As a human being, possessing a human body, nobody can eat stool. But if one gets a suitable body, just like pig, you can very nicely eat stool.

So why there are different types of bodies? Because you wanted a particular type of enjoyment under the influence of material nature. As already explained, there are three material nature qualities—sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna [mode of goodness, mode of passion, mode of ignorance]. Now, we mix them. Three into three, it becomes nine. And nine multiplied by nine, it becomes eighty-one. Therefore there are eight million four hundred thousand species of life, according to the material quality. That is explained here. Purushah prakriti-stho hi bhunkte prakriti-jan gunan [bhagavad-gita 13.22]. Prakriti-jan gunan. To possess different types of the modes of material nature. Full freedom.

Therefore when one is advanced in consciousness, he doesn't want to enjoy anything of this material world, any way. He doesn't desire either to become the king or Lord Brahma or the stool, or, I mean to say, the worms of the stool.

These are the different varieties. Jalaja nava-lakshani sthavara laksha-vimshati. According to our desire we get body. In the water, 900 thousand forms. Similarly, in the botanical garden, they have given signboard, "This is this, this is this." But there are two millions types of trees and plants. How many they know? Two million. If you search out through the whole botanical garden, hardly you will find two thousand, three thousand species. Or even find ten thousand. Still what it is? There are two millions. Jalaja nava-lakshani sthavara laksha-vimshati. This is knowledge.

So if we read the Vedic literature, and you get full knowledge, and the essence of Vedic literature is Srimad-Bhagavatam. And the Bhagavad-gita is the preliminary study of Srimad-Bhagavatam. A-B-C-D. This Bhagavad-gita is the A-B-C-D of knowledge. This is entrance examination, matriculation examination, school-leaving examination. And Srimad-Bhagavatam is graduate. When you become graduate in spiritual knowledge, then you can understand Srimad-Bhagavatam. And when you have passed your Bachelor degree, when you are post-graduate, that study is Sri-Chaitanya-charitamrita.

So we have got three different status of reading capacity. We have got already twenty books. So don't waste your time. Try to understand what is Krishna and what is spiritual life by reading these books. Everything is explained there.

Don't associate with this material nature. If you associate with this material nature, then what will be the result? Now, karanam guna-sango 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu [bg. 13.22]. Yoni means the source of birth. Just like we take our birth. The source is the mother. From the mother's womb we come out. That is called yoni, the source. So there are mothers—human being mother, cat mother, dog mother, this mother, so many mothers. Without mother there is no birth. And without father also, there is no birth. Therefore it is said that janame ami saba pita mata paya. In every birth you will get a father and mother. Because without father and mother there is no question of birth.

So here also see, sad-asad-yoni-janmasu. Why one is being born through the mother of a cat or through the mother of dog or a human being or a king or a demigod? The mother, through mother you have to come out. That is called yoni. But why these different mothers? Karanam guna-sango 'sya. As he has infected the 81 qualities, colorful qualities of this material nature, the nature will give you a suitable body through the particular mother.

So where is this science? They have the botanical garden, but do they know what is the science why there is tree and why there is ant, why there is bird, why there is man? They have no knowledge. This material school, college, university, simply producing ordinary animal life.

Actual knowledge is here in the Bhagavad-gita. Why one is forced to accept a certain type of body. Because after death I will have to accept a certain type of body. That is natural. Tatha dehantara-praptih [bg. 2.13]. As I am getting dehantara, one body after another—baby's body, then another body, child's body, then another body, boy's body. You may say, "It is growing." Growing or not growing, it is another body. Try to understand this. This child is playing. Now he will get another body when he will be called boy. He will get another body when he will be called youth. He will get another body when he will be called old man. So why not another body [at death]? This is called transmigration of the soul. Very simple thing.

So we are getting different types of bodies according to the association with the material nature. So if you don't associate with this material nature, then you don't get all these material bodies. So how you can get out of this material nature? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, you will find

mam cha yo 'vyabhicharena

bhakti-yogena sevate

sa gunan samatityaitan

brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [bg. 14.26]

One who is constantly engaged in Krishna's service, he is not associating with this material nature. He is associating directly with Krishna, the supreme spirit.

So if you keep yourself constantly engaged in Krishna consciousness, then you are not in this material world. There is no more fear of what kind of body you will get next. You will get next body go back to home back to Godhead. This is wanted. If you go back to home, back to God, in the same style of body as Krishna has got, spiritual body—ishvarah paramah krishnah sach-chid-ananda-vigrahah [brahma-samhita 5.1]—then no more birth. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, that tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [bg. 4.9]. The devotees who are constantly thinking of Krishna, trying to understand Krishna and engaged in Krishna's service, such personalities, after giving up this body ... [never return to this world].

We have to give up this body. Everyone, the cats, dogs, they will also give up body. We shall also give up body. But the difference is, a devotee after giving up this body, he does not get anymore material body.

So our request is, those who have come to Krishna consciousness, don't fall down again in the material qualities. That will not help you. Remain strictly adherent to the spiritual activities and your life will be successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotee: When we are in the spiritual sky and serving Krishna, we have a perfect relationship with Krishna, so what causes us to fall down in the material world, because we're already serving Krishna?

Prabhupada: Because you desire to fall down. Here it is explained that "Don't fall down." And as soon as you associate with the material nature, then you fall down.

Devotee: Srila Prabhupada, I can't understand why we should have an impure desire when we are already serving...

Prabhupada: Because you have got little freedom. Why one is not coming here and [instead] going to the liquor shop? It is his desire. Because he has associated with a different type of material quality... The same man who was drinking, now, as soon as they come in our association, he becomes a saint. Why? The American government spent millions of dollars to stop this habit of intoxication, LSD. And as soon as the same man comes to our society, he immediately gives up. Why? It is practical. Immediately. At the initiation time we ask that "You don't touch all these things." Yes. That's all. See practically. Especially in the Western countries they are habituated to all these things, meat-eating, illicit sex, intoxication, gambling. How they give it up? Association. We are opening so many branches all over the world to give opportunity of association. It is not a business firm. Just to give spiritual association, chance. Why you are going the street sankirtan? We are giving chance: "Come here, be saved." It is not business.

So this Krishna consciousness movement is the topmost philanthropy, welfare activities to the human society. Those who are intelligent, they are understanding. Karanam guna-sango 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu [bg. 13.22]. Others they are associating with different qualities of the material nature, and nature is prepared, "Come on, sir, you take this body." Your scientist, so-called scientist can not save you. When this body is finished, then you are under the control of material nature. Whatever body she will offer you, you have to accept. You cannot say "No, no. I cannot accept this body.No, no. You are nothing. You are under my grip." Just like you contaminate with some infectious disease. You must suffer from that disease.