Prabhupada 0432 - As Long As You Are Reading, The Sun Is Unable To Take Your Life
Lecture on SB 2.3.17 -- Los Angeles, June 12, 1972
Pāvakaḥ. Dahati pāvakaḥ (BG 2.23). So the modern scientists, they say that there is no life in the sun planet, sun globe. But that is not a fact. What is sun globe? It is a fiery planet, that's all. But the spirit soul can live in the fire, and he gets a fiery body. Just like here, on this planet, on earth, we have got this earthly body. It may be very beautiful, but it is earth. Simply by nature's manipulation. Just like we are coming... Karandhara showed me. The plastic, some trees. So they have made the plastic tree exactly resembling the tree. But it is not tree. Similarly, this body is as good as the plastic body. It has no value. So tyaktvā deham. So when Kṛṣṇa says that after giving up this body... But this body is plastic body. Just like you have got cotton shirt or plastic shirt or so many. You can give it up. That does not mean you die. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). As one gives up old garment for a new one, similarly, death means to give up this plastic body and take another plastic body.
That is death. And again, under that plastic body, you have to work. If you get a nice body, then you can work nicely. If you get a dog's body, then you act like dog. According to body. So tyaktvā deham. Kṛṣṇa says that "Anyone who understands Me in truth ..." So how you will understand? Simply if you hear about Him, then you will understand. Then you will understand. So hearing is not very difficult job. But you must hear from the realized soul. That is... Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvidaḥ (SB 3.25.25). If you hear from a professional man, that will not be effective. Hearing must be from sādhu, from devotee, from the lips of the devotee. Just like Śukadeva Gosvāmī was speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit. So ... Or even if you hear yourself, you read books, you will save your life. If you simply read Kṛṣṇa book or Bhagavad-gītā or Teachings of Lord Caitanya, then you know the... As long as you are reading, the sun is unable to take your life. It is not possible for the sun to take your life.
So if you constantly read, then where is the opportunity of sun's taking your life? That means you are becoming immortal. People are very much anxious to become immortal. Nobody wants to die. Everyone knows that "I shall die." But if there is immediately some danger, fire, immediately you go away from this room. Why? I do not wish to die. I do not wish to die. Although I know I must have to die. Still, why do I go away? I know that... "Oh, let there be fire. I have to die today or tomorrow. Let me die." No. I do not wish to die. Therefore I go away. This is psychology. So everyone wants to live forever. That's a fact. So if you want to live forever, then you have to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so important and nice. Everyone wants to live. So actually, if you want to live, then you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This verse confirms it. Āyur harati vai puṁsām udyann astaṁ ca yann asau (SB 2.3.17). The sun is rising early in the morning. As it is rising, gradually it is taking your life.
That's all. That is the business. But if you want to defeat the sun... Sun is very powerful. It is very difficult to fight. But you can fight with the sun. How? Simply by reading kṛṣṇa-kathā, the words of Kṛṣṇa. Uttama-śloka-vārtayā. Vārtayā. Uttama-śloka, Kṛṣṇa. So this is the simple process. You don't waste your time by talking nonsense. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī has advised, atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ. Prajalpaḥ.
- atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca
- prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ
- jana-saṅgaś ca laulyaṁ ca
- ṣaḍbhir bhaktir vinaśyati
- (NOI 2)
Our devotional life can be finished, means may be baffled... Those who are in devotional life, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they is fortunate. This fortune can be ruined by six things. Be careful. What is that? Atyāhāra. Atyāhāra means eating more than necessity or collecting more than necessity. Āhāra. Āhāra means collecting. We require to collect some money, but we should not collect more than necessity. That we shouldn't. Because if I get more money, then immediately māyā will pa... "Why don't you spend for me?" Yes. So don't collect more than ... What you require, you collect. Or similarly, āhāra means eating. Don't eat more than necessity. Actually, we have to come to the point of nil, eating, sleeping, mating and defending. And that is not possible because we have got this body. But minimum.