Evening program
At night, before another full audience, Srila Prabhupada continued to discuss the plight of the great Maharaja Pariksit. The Emperor had been cursed to die. Now he had to make preparations for that final important event -- death.
The human form, Prabhupada explained, was a unique opportunity to understand death and the change of body. In all other species that facility was absent; only after passing through at least 8,000,000 species did one come to the valuable human birth. Still, most people didn't take advantage, and thus suffered accordingly. He gave the example of a tree. Just as schoolboys who misbehaved were obliged to stand up for prolonged periods, similarly if one liked to be naked, he would be obliged to stand as a tree for thousands of years. This, was nature's "stand-up punishment".
One's position, Prabhupada explained, was precarious. "Maharaja Pariksit, such a powerful king, he has been cursed: 'You must die within seven days.' So he is preparing. He has got time, seven days. But what we have got? We haven't got even seven minutes warning. At any moment we can die." Prabhupada described with impeccable reasoning and logic the soul's travail through conception, to birth, childhood, boyhood, youth to old age, then to death and a new body, that is 'put on just as a man puts on pants and coat'. Srila Prabhupada presented a stunningly clear piece of logic: one could not claim that the soul was formless, because the body has arms and legs. He explained further: one put on clothes formed with arms and legs. Why then did the body have arms and legs? Because the soul had arms and legs!
Finally, Prabhupada requested everyone to kindly take advantage of his offering. "We are presenting the Krsna consciousness movement very genuinely and authorisedly. The centre is now open. Now it is up to you to take advantage of it and be benefited."
In question time, a devotee asked whether the soul in an animal's body would have a different shape to the soul in a human body. Prabhupada explained further.
"The shape has been taken according to his desire. Every animal has got these four things. Just like a bird, it has got two wings, two legs. The animal has got four legs. And the man has got two hands and two legs. So the same parts of the body are appearing in a different type. But the four limbs of the body are there."
The questions continued in the same vein. Yasomatinandana asked whether the eternal form of the spirit soul was human.
"Yes," Prabhupada replied. "Human form. God is also human form. 'Man is made after the shape of God.' I think there is in the Bible, is it not? So God is also like human form. Here you see Krsna, two hands, two legs."
But Hari-sauri had a doubt. "How do we understand, then, that there are peacocks and flowers and trees in the spiritual world? Are these not eternal forms?"
"Yes," explained Srila Prabhupada. "They are more covered. Just like if you cover your body with blankets, the hands and legs are invisible. But you are not the blanket. So the trees and plants, they are more covered. They are not in full manifestation. The human form is the full manifestation of the soul."
Hari-sauri wondered whether they were covered in the spiritual world.
"Not in the spiritual world. There that is voluntary. Some devotees want to serve Krsna as flowers; they become flowers there. If he wants that 'As a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna', he becomes a flower, voluntarily. And he can change his form, from flower to human body. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krsna as a cow, he serves Krsna as a cow, as a calf, as a flower, as a plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, mother, friend, beloved, anything. Ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham. That is Krsna's all-powerfulness."
- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu
At night, before another full audience, Srila Prabhupada continued to discuss the plight of the great Maharaja Pariksit. The Emperor had been cursed to die. Now he had to make preparations for that final important event -- death.
The human form, Prabhupada explained, was a unique opportunity to understand death and the change of body. In all other species that facility was absent; only after passing through at least 8,000,000 species did one come to the valuable human birth. Still, most people didn't take advantage, and thus suffered accordingly. He gave the example of a tree. Just as schoolboys who misbehaved were obliged to stand up for prolonged periods, similarly if one liked to be naked, he would be obliged to stand as a tree for thousands of years. This, was nature's "stand-up punishment".
One's position, Prabhupada explained, was precarious. "Maharaja Pariksit, such a powerful king, he has been cursed: 'You must die within seven days.' So he is preparing. He has got time, seven days. But what we have got? We haven't got even seven minutes warning. At any moment we can die." Prabhupada described with impeccable reasoning and logic the soul's travail through conception, to birth, childhood, boyhood, youth to old age, then to death and a new body, that is 'put on just as a man puts on pants and coat'. Srila Prabhupada presented a stunningly clear piece of logic: one could not claim that the soul was formless, because the body has arms and legs. He explained further: one put on clothes formed with arms and legs. Why then did the body have arms and legs? Because the soul had arms and legs!
Finally, Prabhupada requested everyone to kindly take advantage of his offering. "We are presenting the Krsna consciousness movement very genuinely and authorisedly. The centre is now open. Now it is up to you to take advantage of it and be benefited."
In question time, a devotee asked whether the soul in an animal's body would have a different shape to the soul in a human body. Prabhupada explained further.
"The shape has been taken according to his desire. Every animal has got these four things. Just like a bird, it has got two wings, two legs. The animal has got four legs. And the man has got two hands and two legs. So the same parts of the body are appearing in a different type. But the four limbs of the body are there."
The questions continued in the same vein. Yasomatinandana asked whether the eternal form of the spirit soul was human.
"Yes," Prabhupada replied. "Human form. God is also human form. 'Man is made after the shape of God.' I think there is in the Bible, is it not? So God is also like human form. Here you see Krsna, two hands, two legs."
But Hari-sauri had a doubt. "How do we understand, then, that there are peacocks and flowers and trees in the spiritual world? Are these not eternal forms?"
"Yes," explained Srila Prabhupada. "They are more covered. Just like if you cover your body with blankets, the hands and legs are invisible. But you are not the blanket. So the trees and plants, they are more covered. They are not in full manifestation. The human form is the full manifestation of the soul."
Hari-sauri wondered whether they were covered in the spiritual world.
"Not in the spiritual world. There that is voluntary. Some devotees want to serve Krsna as flowers; they become flowers there. If he wants that 'As a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krsna', he becomes a flower, voluntarily. And he can change his form, from flower to human body. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krsna as a cow, he serves Krsna as a cow, as a calf, as a flower, as a plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, mother, friend, beloved, anything. Ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham. That is Krsna's all-powerfulness."
- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu
No comments:
Post a Comment