A short lecture by Srila Prabhupada:

There was a nice story the other day I told you that a sage is giving different kinds of blessings to different types of persons.

So to a king’s son, a prince, he blessed, Raja-putra Chiran Jiva: “You are a king’s son, a prince. You live forever.” And Muni-putra, the son of a saintly person, he blessed him, Ma jiva. Ma Jiva..”You don’t live.” Raja Putra Chiran Jiva Muni-putra Ma Jiva”. And Saadhu, devotees, he blessed him, Jivo Va Maro Va: “Either you live or you die, as you like.” And there was a butcher; he blessed him, Ma Jiva Ma Mara: “You don’t die, don’t live.”

So these words are very significant. That I have already explained, still I am explaining. A prince, he’s enjoying sense, that’s all. He has got enough facility for sense enjoyment. So his next life is hellish.Because if you indulge in sex life, then Krishna will give you facility to have sex life three times in an hour, just like the pigeons, the monkeys, the sparrows, they are very sexually strong. You have seen it. So the facility is given. So princely order, they are after sense enjoyment. So he’s blessed that “Better you live forever, because after your death, you do not know what is going to happen to you. You are going to get a hellish life. Better you live for some time. Go on with your enjoyment.”

And Muni-putra Ma Jiva. Brahmachari working under the guidance under strict disciplinary guidance, of a spiritual master, he is blessed, Ma Jiva, “You better die. Because you are so trained to enter into the kingdom of God, so why should you take so much trouble? Better you die and go back to Godhead.” Ma Jiva”.

And a devotee he blessed, Jivo va Maro va: “My dear devotee, either you live or die, the same thing.”

And the butcher, he blessed him, Ma Jiva Ma Mara: “You don’t live, don’t die.” What he’s to do? His living condition is so abominable. From the morning, he has to slaughter so many animals, see the bloodstain, the ghastly scene. That is his livelihood. So what a horrible life this is. So “Don’t live. And don’t die also.” Because after death, he is going to be in so much hellish condition, nobody can describe. So both lives, living condition and death, after death, his condition is very horrible.

Anyway, apart from others, the devotee, for him, appearance and disappearance the same thing.