WANTED-dead or alive, this body--SP

760527SB.HON                   Lectures                
   So we are concerned with the laws of God. God may be dead or
alive--it doesn't matter. Suppose by law we are prisoners, we are in
the prison house, and all of a sudden the president or the king dies.
Does it mean you shall be free? No. You have to rot. Just like Bengali
proverb says (Bengali), that if the king dies, his government is not
stopped. We should remember that, that that government is prakrti, the
material nature. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah. You are
reading Bhagavad-gita. So this is all foolish things, that "God is
dead," "I don't care for God." But God, actually, God is not dead. You
are dead. You are dead actually because this body, the bodily concept
of life, this body is dead. Just like you are driving one car. But if
you think that "I'm the car..." The car is dead. The car is moving
because you are alive. Similarly, this dead body, this body is dead,
already dead from the very beginning, but it is moving on account of
the soul. This is knowledge. It is dead from the very beginning.
Therefore in the sastra it is said that... What is that? I am just now
forgetting. Oh, apranasya hi dehasya mandanam loka-ranjanam. Apranasya
hi dehasya. Deha, deha means this body. So either it is dead or alive,
it has no life. Apranasya hi dehasya. Deha, he is not alive. It is
always dead. Simply we understand, because we are foolish rascals, we

understand that this body is dead when the soul is away. The body is
always dead. So bhagavad-bhakti-vihinasya jatih japas tapah kriyah. If
one is not Krsna conscious, bhagavata-bhakti-vihinasya, then his big
nationality, jatih, his achievement, japas tapah, his activities,
everything bhagavad-bhakti-vihinasya jatih japas tapah kriyah, all
these things are like decoration of the dead body. Apranasya hi
dehasya mandanam loka-ranjanam. Mandanam loka-ranjanam. We are
decorating this body with flower, ornaments, nice cloth. How long? So
long the life is there. Then it is beautiful. Otherwise no one will....

 

   So, so far this body's concerned, either it is dead or alive, it is
not the subject matter of any talk. Nanusocanti panditah. Those who
are learned scholars don't talk about the body. They'll talk about the
soul. That is pandita. What is the... This is dead body. Suppose this
is cloth. Uh? Now if you talk about this cloth, you can talk. You can
write volumes of books: "This silk was purchased in that store and it
was manufactured in such and such day, and the man manufactured, he's
like this..." You can go on talking nonsense like that and can write
books. So all these rascal philosophers, they are writing about this
cloth. That's all. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke. But this is
not the subject matter for the learned scholars. Nanusocanti panditah.
What is this body? A combination of matter. It is already dead.
Because the living soul is there, it is moving, and as soon as the
living bo..., soul is out of the body, it is useless, dead matter. So
what is there important talking about this dead body? It is made of
this earth, earthly ingredient, bhumir apo 'nalo, and it will become
again. Either... There are three, how do you say, transformation of
this body. One transformation is ash. Another transformation is stool.
Another transformation is earth. There are three different types of
transformations. Just like Christian people, they bury the body. So,

in due course of time you'll find, say, after ten years, twenty, your
body's finished. It is now earth. The body has become earth. And
Hindus, they burn it, so the body becomes ash. And the Parsees, they
throw the body to be eaten by the vultures. It becomes stool. That is
the last, how would you say, transformation of this body. And we are
so much busy about this ash, stool, and earth. Just see how foolish we
are.

   Therefore Krsna said to Arjuna, gatasun agatasums ca. Just like
motorcar, with driver or no driver, what is it? It is dead matter.That's all. Why one should be busy about this motorcar? One should be
busy about the driver, whether he's (indistinct) nicely, whether he's
eating nicely, he'll drive. If you don't take care of the driver,
simply you wash the car, what is the use? The car will not be moving
without driver. Similarly, the whole civilization should be on the
basis of understanding the soul. That is civilization. Unfortunately,
by the spell of maya... Just like this Ajamila. He's committing sinful
activities. He's now rogue, thief, cheater. He doesn't care for that.
But he's taking care of the body of the child. He's thinking, "This
child will save me when I'll be in danger." There is another verse in
the Second Canto:

 

                        dehapatya-kalatradisu
                       atma-sainyesv asatsv api
                       tesam pramatto nidhanam
                        pasyann api na pasyati

 

Deha means this body. Apatya means children. Dehapatya. Kalatra means

wife. Dehapatya kalatradisu atm-asainyesu. Here is struggle for
existence, and you're thinking that "This my strong body and my nice
children and my wife, they are my soldiers. Therefore I am saved."
Everyone is thinking like that. "Now I am in a good family. I've got
my family members very nice. I've got this strong body. Oh, what do I
care, God is dead?" That's all.   So this is our misconception. We are thinking that this
paraphernalia--my country, my community, my countrymen or my family,
my wife, my children and so many things, mine, mine, mine--so I'm
thinking that they will give me all protection. No. Therefore, in the
Bhagavata it is said, dehapatya-kalatradisu asatsv api. He knows that
"They will be finished. They cannot give protection to themselves.
What protection they'll give to me?" This is knowledge. This is
knowledge. Dehapatya-kalatradisu atma-sainyesv asatsv api pramatta
tesam nidhanam. He knows that they will be finished, pasyann api na
pasyati. He has practical experience, yet still he does not see. This
is called maya. Maya means thing is one and he's thinking otherwise.His soldier, the so-called soldier, the protector, will be finished,
but still he's depending on him. Suppose a bird is flying with his
family in the sky. But if there is some danger, then no other bird can

help him. You have to help yourself. Just like aeroplane. If dozens of
aeroplane is flying, but if one aeroplane is in danger, no other plane
can give him any help. It will fall down and crash. Finished.
   So we have to take care of ourself. Daily, we are thinking, "My
country, my community"--they're all busy in this way--"they'll save
me." No. When death will come, nobody will save you. 

 

   Thank you very much. (end)

 

Chant Hare Krsna at the time of departing this body, and we will be saved....