Submitted by: Damagosha Dasa
How we get material or spiritual bodies-
Hare Krsna-going down thru parts of a lecture, Srila Prabhupada is explaining how this body works, how we get another one, and how we can gradually grow a spiritual body-then no more death or birth.
Where are you going to find this confidential information- besides thru a pure devotee of the Lord?
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
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Gorakhpur Feb 17 1971
We see that the body is changing. No. He’s changing from one body to another. That is the version of the Bhagavad-gītā. But we say that body’s growing. Why body’s growing? If the body has got any growing power, then why the body of a dead child does not grow? The body has no growing power. It is actually changed. But because… Just like in the spool of your film, there are many pictures. But because you see under certain condition, you see one picture. It is very easy to understand. Actually, the pictures are changing, different pictures, and we are seeing one picture. We are seeing the picture is moving in one picture. Similarly, this body is continuously, every moment, there is different body, different body, different body, every moment, but we are seeing one body. This is our ignorance. But we are changing body. Every moment we are changing body.The spool is going on. The exact example is that, like that, the film. Every second, changing one picture, one picture, one picture, one picture. And it appears that it is only one picture. One who does not know how the machine, cinematographic machine is working—the foolish persons—they say, they think that the picture is one and it is moving. No. It is changing. Similarly, the body is also changing. The exact example is changing of dress. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni.
( Very nice example he gives of watching a movie -everybody knows its a reel of film with continuous individual snapshots on that reel. The exact same thing happens, even more wonderfully with our bodies-but Maya is so clever, she makes us “think” that we are that spool of snapshots instead of the one watching the film. )
….And Kṛṣṇa says, “One who understand Me rightly, he becomes immediately free.” Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg.4.9]. Just like we are changing our dress or our different bodies every moment, so Kṛṣṇa says,tyaktvā deham. The last change, last change… Ordinarily, those who are not liberated, those who are conditioned still, they die. Die means they change this body and accept another material body. Another material body. But one who is liberated by understanding Kṛṣṇa, one who is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, he also changes his body and he accepts immediately a spiritual body. And so long he lives, that is also spiritual body. That is spiritual body in the (this) sense because that body is engaged in spiritual activities only. There is no material activity; therefore that is spiritual. The same example: the iron rod, although it is rod, because it has become red hot it is no longer rod; it is fire. Similarly, this material body becomes spiritualized when one is completely Kṛṣṇa conscious, because he has no more activity of this material body. His actions are… The same example, try to follow. When it has become so hot, red hot, that it is no more acting as iron rod, it is acting as fire. Similarly, and when he changes this body also, he immediately… Tyaktvā dehaṁpunar janma naiti [Bg.4.9]. Then he does not come in material body. Immediately, a spiritual body develops. As this material body has developed from the spirit soul, on the platform of spirit soul, similarly, what is the difficulty to understand a spiritual body can also grow? There is no difficulty. So our, this material body, everyone knows that it grows or it changes from one body to another because the spirit soul is there.
Similarly, one who is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, as it is said byKṛṣṇa, tyaktvā deham: as soon as this body is given up, immediately, another, spiritual body is offered. That spiritual body… Sanātana Gosvāmī has said that those who are being liberated from this material world, they are offered a spiritual body where Kṛṣṇa–līlā is going on. Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes,Vṛndāvana–līlā, or as Kṛṣṇa manifested His different pastimes when He was present, that is going on eternally. As soon as He leaves this universe, in another universe His līlā becomes manifest.Kṛṣṇa is born… Kṛṣṇa is born here at Janmāṣṭamī, and as soon as Kṛṣṇa is taken to Gokula byVasudeva, Kṛṣṇa is seen in another universe, born again. Just like our sun. As soon as it rises at six o’clock or, say, five o’clock… So as soon as here five o’clock finished, in another place five o’clock begins. But it is going on. Ananta–cakra. The five o’clock is permanent. Anywhere, there must be some five o’clock. Anywhere, there must be six o’clock. Anywhere, there must be seven o’clock. Just like the twenty-four hours is going on. You cannot say that the sun’s rising at five o’clock, because it is finished within your view, it is finished. No. It is not like that. The five o’clock is permanent to the sun. If it is so possible to a material thing, why not Kṛṣṇa? Therefore it is called nitya–līlā. Nitya–līlā means eternally Janmāṣṭamī is going on. Eternally everything is going on, eternally. So one who is liberated from this world and he is given the spiritual body, he’s immediately transferred to the place where Kṛṣṇa’s līlā is going on. Just like in Vṛndāvana, whenKṛṣṇa was present, all the Vṛndāvana–vāsīs, they were not ordinary men; they were liberated. They transferred to associate with Kṛṣṇa, practice. And after this complete practice, they were transferred to the Goloka Vṛndāvana.
( By constant service to Krsna we are keeping the “rod” of material consciousness in the fire of Krsna-so that our former material body transforms into a spiritual body and the former material body no longer holds us.)
In one life they can be benefited with that position as cowherd boy, as he likes—as friend, as gopīs. That is possible. Therefore, the devotees are so much austere, so much, I mean to say, penanceful, that “This life we shall attain this position.”
Prakṛti. You are walking, you are walking, and immediately you become paralyzed. But while walking you think, “I am walking. I am walking.” You are not walking. You are walking under some mechanical arrangement with the help of the material nature, but you are thinking, “I am walking.” In every step, in every action, you are completely dependent. Don’t you think that “I am walking”? Now when there is some trouble or if the hands or leg become paralyzed, now if you are walking, then you repair it. Bhrāmayan sarva–bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. Why do don’t you read this Bhagavad-gītā?
[Bg.18.61]
What is the meaning of this? Yantrārūḍhāni. Just like you are sitting on a carriage, and the driver is taking you anywhere he likes. You are just like that. There is no control [by you] how you are being taken. Yantrārūḍhāni. Yantra means just like carriage, a machine. You are sitting on a machine, and under the direction of the Lord, Īśvara… He is sitting in your heart. So māyā is driver, and Kṛṣṇa is dictating, “Drive this person in such and such body,” and māyā is there, offering the body. Kṛṣṇa is seeing you, that you are doing, you require such and such body, and He’s ordering māyā that “You give him such and such body.” So māyā is offering you. You are simply under the control. You are simply thinking, “I shall do that, I shall do that,” and everything is there by Kṛṣṇa’s order. So you think of Kṛṣṇa; then Kṛṣṇa will give you another body, spiritual body.
( In the above paragraph SP explains material vs spiritual consciousness-if we think we are doing everything, that mentality will bring us another material body. If we think of Krsna, He will give you a spiritual body! )
(And now some questions from the devotees at lectures end….)
Devotee (3): Prabhupāda, you said that at the time of death, if one is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he’s given a spiritual body. Is the spiritual body… You said it has been created. Originally, we had a spiritual body, and then we fell under the…
Prabhupāda: I don’t say created. It develops.
Devotee (3): Oh. It’s the same one that was an eternal body.
Prabhupāda: Yes. As the material body has developed for your material consciousness, similarly, spiritual body will develop for Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
….
Revatīnandana: I’ve experienced that the more we know about these different processes, when we speak them, the people are impressed that we are understanding scientifically. So sometimes we ask a question, it is not so much out of doubt, but we just want to understand that…
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. That should be. Yes. That is good. Paripraśnena. Tad viddhiparipraśnena, praṇipātena, and sevayā. The questions should be put, guided by two principles: surrender and service. That is the way.
( As always, if we really want to understand this spiritual business, then service and surrender must be there at the beginning, then we can get all our answers from Srila Prabhupada )
