Why Remember Krsna just before death?

Pankaja_Dasa · July 7, 2005

Question-

Why is it that just before death we are to recieve Spiritual Planets, what is the significance of the time just before death?

gHari · July 7, 2005

Srila Prabhupada nicely reveals Lord Krsna's teaching about this in the Introduction to his Bhagavad-gita As It Is:<BLOCKQUOTE>Next, one may raise the question of how one goes about approaching that abode of the Supreme Lord. Information of this is given in the Eighth Chapter. It is said there:

anta-kAle ca mAm eva

smaran muktvA kalevaram

yaH prayAti sa mad-bhAvaM

yAti nAsty atra saMzayaH

</CENTER>

"Anyone who quits his body, at the end of life, remembering Me, attains immediately to My nature; and there is no doubt of this." [bg. 8.5]

One who thinks of KRSNa at the time of his death goes to KRSNa. One must remember the form of KRSNa; if he quits his body thinking of this form, he surely approaches the spiritual kingdom. Mad-bhAvam refers to the supreme nature of the Supreme Being. The Supreme Being is sac-cid-Ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]--that is, His form is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. Our present body is not sac-cid-Ananda. It is asat, not sat. It is not eternal; it is perishable. It is not cit, full of knowledge, but it is full of ignorance. We have no knowledge of the spiritual kingdom, nor do we even have perfect knowledge of this material world, where there are so many things unknown to us. The body is also nirAnanda; instead of being full of bliss it is full of misery. All of the miseries we experience in the material world arise from the body, but one who leaves this body thinking of Lord KRSNa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, at once attains a sac-cid-Ananda body.

The process of quitting this body and getting another body in the material world is also organized. A man dies after it has been decided what form of body he will have in the next life. Higher authorities, not the living entity himself, make this decision. According to our activities in this life, we either rise or sink. This life is a preparation for the next life. If we can prepare, therefore, in this life to get promotion to the kingdom of God, then surely, after quitting this material body, we will attain a spiritual body just like the Lord's.

As explained before, there are different kinds of transcendentalists--the brahma-vAdI, paramAtma-vAdI and the devotee--and, as mentioned, in the brahmajyoti (spiritual sky) there are innumerable spiritual planets. The number of these planets is far, far greater than all of the planets of this material world. This material world has been approximated as only one quarter of the creation (ekAMzena sthito jagat). In this material segment there are millions and billions of universes with trillions of planets and suns, stars and moons. But this whole material creation is only a fragment of the total creation. Most of the creation is in the spiritual sky. One who desires to merge into the existence of the Supreme Brahman is at once transferred to the brahmajyoti of the Supreme Lord and thus attains the spiritual sky. The devotee, who wants to enjoy the association of the Lord, enters into the VaikuNTha planets, which are innumerable, and the Supreme Lord by His plenary expansions as NArAyaNa with four hands and with different names like Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Govinda associates with him there. Therefore at the end of life the transcendentalists think either of the brahmajyoti, the ParamAtmA or Supreme Personality of Godhead SrI KRSNa. In all cases they enter into the spiritual sky, but only the devotee, or he who is in personal touch with the Supreme Lord, enters into the VaikuNTha planets or the Goloka VRndAvana planet. The Lord further adds that of this "there is no doubt." This must be believed firmly. We should not reject that which does not tally with our imagination; our attitude should be that of Arjuna: "I believe everything that You have said." Therefore when the Lord says that at the time of death whoever thinks of Him as Brahman or ParamAtmA or as the Personality of Godhead certainly enters into the spiritual sky, there is no doubt about it. There is no question of disbelieving it.

The Bhagavad-gItA [8.6] also explains the general principle that makes it possible to enter the spiritual kingdom simply by thinking of the Supreme at the time of death:

yaM yaM vApi smaran bhAvaM

tyajaty ante kalevaram

taM tam evaiti kaunteya

sadA tad-bhAva-bhAvitaH

</CENTER>

"Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his present body, in his next life he will attain to that state without fail." Now, first we must understand that material nature is a display of one of the energies of the Supreme Lord. In the ViSNu PurANa (6.7.61) the total energies of the Supreme Lord are delineated:

viSNu-zaktiH parA proktA

kSetra-jJAkhyA tathA parA

avidyA-karma-saMjJAnyA

tRtIyA zaktir iSyate

[Cc. Madhya 6.154]

</CENTER>

The Supreme Lord has diverse and innumerable energies which are beyond our conception; however, great learned sages or liberated souls have studied these energies and have analyzed them into three parts. All of the energies are of viSNu-zakti, that is to say they are different potencies of Lord ViSNu. The first energy is parA, transcendental. Living entities also belong to the superior energy, as has already been explained. The other energies, or material energies, are in the mode of ignorance. At the time of death either we can remain in the inferior energy of this material world, or we can transfer to the energy of the spiritual world. So the Bhagavad-gItA [8.6] says:

yaM yaM vApi smaran bhAvaM

tyajaty ante kalevaram

taM tam evaiti kaunteya

sadA tad-bhAva-bhAvitaH

</CENTER>

"Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his present body, in his next life he will attain to that state without fail."

In life we are accustomed to thinking either of the material or of the spiritual energy. Now, how can we transfer our thoughts from the material energy to the spiritual energy? There are so many literatures which fill our thoughts with the material energy--newspapers, magazines, novels, etc. Our thinking, which is now absorbed in these literatures, must be transferred to the Vedic literatures. The great sages, therefore, have written so many Vedic literatures, such as the PurANas. The PurANas are not imaginative; they are historical records. In the Caitanya-caritAmRta (Madhya 20.122) there is the following verse:

mAyA-mugdha jIvera nAhi svataH kRSNa-jJAna

jIvere kRpAya kailA kRSNa veda-purANa

</CENTER>

The forgetful living entities or conditioned souls have forgotten their relationship with the Supreme Lord, and they are engrossed in thinking of material activities. Just to transfer their thinking power to the spiritual sky, KRSNa-dvaipAyana VyAsa has given a great number of Vedic literatures. First he divided the Vedas into four, then he explained them in the PurANas, and for less capable people he wrote the MahAbhArata. In the MahAbhArata there is given the Bhagavad-gItA. Then all Vedic literature is summarized in the VedAnta-sUtra, and for future guidance he gave a natural commentation on the VedAnta-sUtra, called SrImad-BhAgavatam. We must always engage our minds in reading these Vedic literatures. Just as materialists engage their minds in reading newspapers, magazines and so many materialistic literatures, we must transfer our reading to these literatures which are given to us by VyAsadeva; in that way it will be possible for us to remember the Supreme Lord at the time of death. That is the only way suggested by the Lord, and He guarantees the result: "There is no doubt."

tasmAt sarveSu kAleSu

mAm anusmara yudhya ca

mayy arpita-mano-buddhir

mAm evaiSyasy asaMzayaH

</CENTER>

"Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of KRSNa and at the same time continue your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt." [bG 8.7]

</BLOCKQUOTE>

July 7, 2005

When I die, my last thought may be, as the semi encroaches my god-given lane, "OH ****". Or the thoughts of how these people can deal with life minus my merciful glances.

No, we are not going to be thinking of Krsna at death, because we dont die with a chanting tape going in a pretty and fluffy bed surrounded by loived ones.

Key is, become intimately in love with Krsna. The youthful have the advantage ere, become his devotee, Then, at the timed of death, we dont have to look at that picture, or climb those bloody steps to the temple (whod wanna do that anyway, body fluids should be controlled in the temple, even gun-shot wounds.

The perfection of life is if Krsna is thinking of us at the time of our deaths. Two way street, kamsa was thinking of krsna, so was hiranyaksa so was ravanna, but krsna thought of them as insignificant enemies to be absorbed, not reciprocated with (other than the quick chivalry on the field of killing them). Krsna thinks of those who love him especially when calamities are upon them, like that sudden death.

Think of this 40% of all death takes place while folks are asleep. What if your mind is in an uncontrolled dream about something seen fifty years ago. Is Krsna holding his devotee responsible. No, hes thinking how to protect and reciprocate Love with his devotee in dire trouble.

hare krsna, ys, mahaksadasa