93-026 'A Prison House Without Walls (SB 10.25.3-5)' by HH Radhanath Swami

Translation :

[Indra said:] Just see how these cowherd men living in the forest have become so greatly intoxicated by their prosperity! They have surrendered to an ordinary human being, Kåñëa, and thus they have offended the gods.

Purport :

Of course, Indra was really saying that the cowherd men had offended him, Indra, by taking shelter of Kåñëa, whom Indra considered to be martya, a mortal. This was certainly a gross miscalculation on Indra’s part.

yathädåòhaiù karma-mayaiù

kratubhir näma-nau-nibhaiù

vidyäm änvékñikéà hitvä

titérñanti bhavärëavam

(SB 10.25.4)

Translation :

Their taking shelter of Kåñëa is just like the foolish attempt of men who abandon transcendental knowledge of the self and instead try to cross over the great ocean of material existence in the false boats of fruitive, ritual sacrifices.

väcälaà bäliçaà stabdham

ajïaà paëòita-mäninam

kåñëaà martyam upäçritya

gopä me cakrur apriyam

(SB 10.25.5)

Translation :

These cowherd men have acted inimically toward me by taking shelter of this ordinary human being, Kåñëa, who thinks Himself very wise but who is simply a foolish, arrogant, over talkative child.

Purport :

According to Çréla Çrédhara Svämé, through the insults of Indra Goddess Sarasvaté is actually praising Kåñëa. The äcärya explains: “Väcälam means ‘one who can speak according to Vedic authority.’ Bäliçam means ‘free from pretension, just like a child.’ Stabdham means that He bows down to no one because there is no one for Him to offer homage to, ajïam means that there is nothing more for Him to know because He is omniscient, paëòita-mäninam means that He is highly honored by the knower’s of the Absolute Truth, and kåñëam means He is the Supreme Absolute Truth, whose transcendental form is full of eternity and ecstasy. Martyam means that although He is the Absolute Truth, He nevertheless appears in this world as a human being out of affection for His devotees.”

Indra wanted to rebuke Kåñëa as väcälam because the Lord had presented many audacious arguments in the line of Karma-mémäàsä and Säìkhya philosophy even though He did not accept these arguments; thus Indra called the Lord bäliça, “foolish.” Indra called Him stabdha because He had spoken boldly even in the presence of His own father. Thus although Indra attempted to criticize Çré Kåñëa, the Lord’s transcendental character is in fact impeccable, and this chapter will demonstrate how Indra came to recognize the position of the Lord.

These cowherd men have acted inimically toward me by taking shelter of this ordinary human being, Kåñëa, who thinks Himself very wise but who is simply a foolish, arrogant, over talkative child.

Functioning of Mahamaya and Yogamaya :

Here we find the overwhelming power of Maya or illusory energy,

daivé hy eñä guëa-mayé

mama mäyä duratyayä

mäm eva ye prapadyante

mäyäm etäà taranti te

This material energy is all powerful; this material energy has all the power of God. Therefore within this material creation Maya is all pervading, omniscient just as Krishna is. Through Krishna’s divine energy he pervades everything that exists, he is within and without all that exist. For those who had surrendered at the lotus feet of the Lord he is the all pervading presence in the form of Yoga Maya and for those who have any separate desires from the Lord he is all pervading in the form of Mahamaya. Actually, the Yogamaya and Mahamaya is ultimately the same energy from the same sources but appears according to our perception,

ye yathä mäà prapadyante

täàs tathaiva bhajämy aham

mama vartmänuvartante

manuñyäù pärtha sarvaçaù

Krishna says as someone approaches me, as someone surrenders to me I reveals myself accordingly, if we surrender to Krishna with humility I reveals myself accordingly. If we surrender to Krishna with humility and with love then this divine energy which all pervades everything appears as Yogamaya. Another words, this energy of the Lord reveals Krishna to us everywhere in everything, this energy nourishes and increases our faith and devotion to Krishna at every moment. This energy simply acts increase our love and our service to the Lord but when we had separate desires, when we want to misuse our independence for our own personal selfish enjoyment, then that same divine energy appears as Mahamaya. Where through her all pervading potency she keeps Krishna covered from our vision, she keeps us under the misconception that we are this body, that we are this mind and we are the enjoyer. She constantly makes incredibly wonderful arrangements to induce us to serve our own sense in forgetfulness of Krishna.

Krishna says,

 daivé hy eñä guëa-mayé

mama mäyä duratyayä

That this material energy is very, very difficult to overcome; in fact it is impossible to overcome. No one can overcome the power of God’s energy but by surrendering to Krishna that Mahamaya transformed into Yogamaya, in this sense that we can understand that we can never overcome Maya. We can either be under the supreme control of Mahamaya or Yogamaya but we are always under the control of that energy. It is just in which way we want to be under the control of that energy but one can conquered that energy. By our own endeavors we can never come under the influence of Yogamaya and out of the clutches of Mahamaya, why? Because Krishna says,

mayädhyakñeëa prakåtiù

süyate sa-caräcaram

hetunänena kaunteya

jagad viparivartate

Because this energy is working under his direction not our direction, there is no manipulation, there is no yogic exercise, there is no cultivation of knowledge, there is no austerity or powers that you can developed to bring you from Mahamaya into the realm of Yogamaya, because it is never under our control, it is always under Krishna control.

Krishna is the supreme controller :

Therefore Krishna says,

mahätmänas tu mäà pärtha

daivéà prakåtim äçritäù

bhajanty ananya-manaso

jïätvä bhütädim avyayam

That the great souls because they surrendered to me, because they humbly engage in my loving service, by my supreme will I place them under this daivéà prakåtim, this divine energy of mine. In another words, at every stage we are completely dependence on the grace, on the mercy of Krishna. No spiritual advancement or development takes place by our efforts, by our endeavor, by our Tapasya or by our cultivation of knowledge; it is all happening by the grace of Krishna. The path of bhakti teaches us that there is only one way to gain the grace of Krishna and that is by pleasing Krishna and there is only one way to please Krishna to please those who Krishna loves, his devotees. Therefore factually, all our following of regulative principles, all our chanting of Mantras is simply meant to please Krishna and please his devotees. The more strictly we follow these principles for the pleasure of Krishna the more we advance,

räga-dveña-vimuktais tu

viñayän indriyaiç caran

ätma-vaçyair vidheyätmä

prasädam adhigacchati

Why do we follow these regulative principles, are they done as a rituals, as are they done simply as an austerity for power, for purification; they are done simply to attract Krishna mercy. By our endeavor, by our strict adherence to the regulative principles we are showing Krishna that we are serious about spiritual life; we are serious about pleasing and coming to him. When he sees that we are serious he bestows his mercy upon us and it is only that all powerful Kripa, mercy of the Lord that can free us from all the attachments and aversion of these illusory energy. There is no other way, there never was and there never will be another way.  Therefore our life is simply dedicated to please Krishna and please his devotees but in this material world Maya is so clever and so thorough and complete in her screening process. You see the service of Maya Devi or Durga is actually a wonderful service to the Lord to test those devotees and through those test if they are sincere they become more Krishna consciousness and if they are insincere Maya keeps from away from Krishna, keeps them bothering Krishna directly.

Paravati Devi doing Tapasya for Gauranga Mahaprabhu’s Darshan :

Just like there is a place in Navadwip call Sémantadvépa, there is a beautiful story behind that. Lord Shiva and Paravati are really the Lord’s of material creation directly, they take care of the functions of keeping people in illusory states of consciousness but, if they come with a desire to surrender to Krishna they help them out in various inconceivable ways. So one day it is explained, that Lord Shankar was dancing in transcendental ecstasy chanting the holy name of Lord Gaurhari, he was just chanting so many wonderful names of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Gauranga, Gaurhari, Gaursunder, Nimai, Vishvambhar and Sacinandan, Jagannathasuta. Paravati said, “What you are doing? He said, in the Kali Yuga that is about to come the Lord will appear in the most beautiful and his merciful of all incarnations, Lord Shri Gauracänrda and I am simply in great love ecstasy chanting his holy name because he will give Krishna Prema freely to everyone without discrimination by distributing the holy name. So Paravati said, how can I have the Darshan of this Lord, how can I worship this Lord? Lord Shiva said, he is going to appear in Navadwip, you go to Navadwip and you do Tapasya. So Paravati was performing Tapasya while she was immersed in her Tapasya for many, many long, long years to her great pleasure Shri Gaursunder appeared to her in his beautiful, beautiful form of Shri Navadwipchandra, with beautiful golden complexion, lotus like eyes, long, long curling black hair, his arms raised he was chanting the holy name Hare krishna hare krishna, krishna, krishna Hare, Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama, Rama Hare, Hare. When Paravati Devi saw this most illustrious effulgent and beautiful form just emanating infinite mercy at every moment she fell at her lotus feet with tears of love in her eyes considering herself to be the most fortunate. She prayed that my dear Lord, you are going to appear herein Navadwip please allow me to take part in this wonderful pastimes because I have such a thankless task, my full time service is just keeping bewildered souls of these material existences in deeper and deeper illusions, just screening them and keeping them away from your abode, by keeping them under the clutches of the three modes of material nature Sattva-guëa, rajo–guëa, tamo-giuëa, keeping them suppressed by the three miseries of material existences ädhyätmika, ädi-daivika, ädibhautika. She said I want also to be a part of your Loving Lila please give me a chance, it’s a tiring job just keeping under the clutches of the material energy. Lord Gaursunder explained in your original form you are Shri Radharani, you are my eternal consort and in this age of Kali Yuga I will appear in this divine form but I will have sentiment of Sri Radharani’s love. He said, “I will give you the chance when I am in Navadwip Dham to assist me in spreading the glories of the holy name you can appear as prauòhamaya. The Maya like a thin layer anyone who is not sincere will see Navadwip as an ordinary place but anyone who comes with humility and a desire to serve will Navadwip as my supreme abode and you will assist in this loving Lila of mine, this is my word. Paravati was so much happy that she would have this nice service that she would be relived from keeping everyone in the prison house of material existences. One of the names of Paravati is Durga, Durga literally means in Sanskrit a prison house. This material existence is a prison house but such a unique and wonderfully constructed prison house.

A Prison in which people like to live

Just recently I was in the United States of America and I was visited one friend of us who unfortunately who was put in the West Virginia penitentiary. My God, how much architectural planning and designing they had to undergo to keep security measures to prevent people from escaping but still last year several prisoners escape, there are layers and layers big fig tall walls and barbwire and lights everywhere and electrical devices, guards and guns and alarms and yet still they escaped. There is never been yet a prison built by man that people haven’t figure it out how to escape with all their spending of hundred and millions of dollars still they escape. So what kind of prison Krishna has created Durga Devi has created on his behalf, it is a prison where there are no walls, there are no alarms, there are no guards, there are no lights, there are no barbwire fences. It is a prison that so wonderfully constructed that although everyone is suffering the threefold misery of material existences in this prison, nobody wants to get out. It is explained that the world is maithuna agar that means that everyone is chained, by material desires and attachments by Kama. People do not want to give these things up, people wants to keep the chains on every part of their body, every limb. Devotees of the Lord they are not in this prison, you cannot escape the prison. The only way out is, if Krishna opens the door for you and takes by the hand says come my friend, you are out. On behalf of Krishna the devotees they are coming into the prison saying my dear friend come out the door is open, here is my hand, let’s go. Why are you bothering me, why are interfering with my life? I am too busy, I am too busy in this prison to get out, can you imagine this foolishness, if you go into the prison where people are suffering and in slaved and you say come lets go and he say no, no I am too busy, I was given the service of breaking rock and I still have so many rocks to break and until I finish breaking all my rocks I can’t, I don’t have time to think of going out. This is the condition, why don’t you come chant Hare Krishna, dance with the devotees, take Prasad, live a pure life; no I have family to maintain, I have the rocks of family to break and I have my occupation and I have physical fitness to care of. Do you know what does means, all of this occupation if this material world are Maya’s sentences to break so many rocks equivalent to that, that what people do in prison, and we are too busy with these punishments to take to the process of come out which is so simple and sublime. This is how thorough Maya is! So when Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu left the Darshan of Paravati she took the dust from his lotus feet and she placed it in the part between her hairs which is traditionally called sémanta. Since that time the island of Navadwip is called Sémantadvépa, this is the power of Maya.

Maya only wants to divert our attention from Krishna 

We find Srila Haridas Thakur he was sitting in his little hut, Bhajan Kutir and he was chanting the holy names, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, krishna, krishna Hare, Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama, Rama Hare, Hare. Maya herself came to tempt him and seduce him with all of her powers and ultimately because he was so faithful to the chanting of Krishna name, she ultimately surrendered to him and requested initiation, Diksha, became his disciple. But if we are not very, very careful to follow in the footsteps of Haridas Thakur and always remain fixed in steadily and attentively chanting the holy name according to prescribed number this is the example he taught and always remain in the humble servant of the Vaishnav. Then Maya will make so Maya grand tricking arrangements to take us away from the true path of devotion. There are two processes that Maya cannot defeat, servant to the Vaishnav and the Harinaam Mantra; therefore somehow other she has to divert our attention away from this. How did she do this? What she tries to do bring disharmony, discord amongst devotees and she has so many fantastic ways of going about it. She even uses Krishna’s devotees, if there is little inattentive to be here agents, to create disharmony and discord, to create lack of faith and distrust, to create criticism, blaspheme amongst Vaishnav’s. She knows, if she can divide the unity of the Vaishnav’s she has conquered, no one had a chance if she accomplish that one feet. The amazing thing is, if examine our own life we find that sometimes we are being used as the instrument of Maya to create disharmony and discord amongst other Vaishnav’s. We become the greatest enemy of Krishna in the name of being devotees. There is only one way to overcome that, detachment; as long as we are detached from our own profit adoration, distinction, what can Maya do to us. As long as we want to be the controller or the enjoyer on any level she can secretly enter into our hearts or enter into the hearts of others to create this condition of disunity and to spoil the service attitude within our heart, no longer do we want to be the humble servant of the Vaishnav’s but we want to be the Lord of the Vaishnav’s, we want the enjoy the position of the Vaishnav’s, very dangerous. Therefore we must be very, very cautious because Maya is so thorough, just like water, if there is one little crack that we will just find its way immediately to that crack. The problem is our consciousness has so many cracks, therefore we have to keep it insulated our consciousness through proper association with devotees. You see false pride is so deeply seated in our hearts, we are trying to conquer over this pride through humble service because that the only way to Krishna. So what does Maya Devi do, she knows right where your pride whatever little bit remains, whatever residue of false pride remains she knows right where it is. Through some agent or some device, some means shall go right to that and try to enraged it, infatuate it. Then our spiritual consciousness is spoiled, do not be surprised if these things happens. In fact inconceivable surprise if it didn’t happen, it will happen, we cannot expect because we are devotees Maya is going to leave us alone. Maya is going to test us again and again and again and again and again and if we remain unified in humble attitude of servitude and detached from pride and prestige and detached from getting our own way and attaining our own desire then the test of Maya will only bring us closer together and bring our consciousness to higher platform. But, if we have any of the attachments then this test will spoil our consciousness and use us the instrument to spoil the consciousness of others. There is danger at every step, padaà, padaà yad vipadäà na teñäm, now this danger at every step doesn’t mean that at any step you may get hit by an automobile, you may fall into the ditch and break your leg or bomb may go off in your home or you may lose your business. This is not necessarily the only thing it means, danger at every step this is gross but it also falls in an very subtle and operates on the subtle platform, that at every step from the subtle most to the gross most Maya is trying to deviate you from the path of humble service, deviate you from the proper type of association with Vaishnav’s. She will make so many reasons why we can have an argument with another and we are attached to any sense gratification and we are trying to clean to that attachment we will become rivals but if we are sincere and careful and detached, we won’t give into this, we will be aloof from it, we will be transcendental to it. I have my service, I have the holy name, we both have that, that’s all that is required, and everything else is an illusion. Beside service to the Vaishnav and chanting of Harinaam Mantra everything else in this creation is an illusion, everything else is enemy to our spiritual life.

Krishna purifies the pride of Indra

Just see in this chapter in Srimad Bhagvatam, how even Lord Indra who is a devotee, he is the foremost of Demi-Gods, he is the king of the heavens and he is doing it all as a service to Lord Krishna, it is a fact the Demi-Gods are all devotees, none of them are atheist, they are all the servant of the Lord. Many of them karma-miçra-bhaktas jïäna-miçra-bhaktas which means their devotion is mixed with the desire for sense enjoyment or desire for liberation but they are Bhaktas nevertheless. Such a great powerful devotees what type service and responsibility he has been given, just like Sanata Kumar right now he is the temple president of Shri Radha Gopinath Mandir, so he has to oversee all the activities of these temple and all the devotees. So difficult service and we are thinking it’s a great austerity, what to speak of Indra his service to the Lord is to oversee all the rain and to oversee all heavenly planet and all the people in functions within them. Such a devotees he is, but because he is inattentive, because he has little pride in his heart Krishna wanted to break that pride, he wanted to purify that pride so what did he do? He totally agitated Indra’s mind by taking away all the sense gratification and humiliating him and having people who were previously honoring him are dishonoring him. Indra reacted violently. He became so infatuated by anger because he was losing his sense enjoyment and he was losing the prestige that he expected that he became so intoxicated by this condition he couldn’t even recognize his own master and he turned against him, he wanted to kill him. In this verse we are reading today he calling his own beloved master Krishna, a foolish arrogant over talkative ordinary child, this is the power of Maya. Sometimes we see even within Krishna consciousness and within spiritual life sometimes due to people committing offenses or be due to people inattentive in proud they turned against their guru, they turned against Krishna. If it can happen to Indra what to speak of us, how small we are in comparison, what is our intelligence compare to Indra? Indra, just see the power of the false ego, he was expecting honor, distinction and worship and because Krishna who ultimately, everything is been given to Indra is suppose to go to Krishna. So Krishna itself, told cowherd man the Brajabäsé’s do not worship Indra, worship Giriraj Govardhan hill, it’s much better, it’s more practical you can see Govardhan but you cannot Indra. So he was teaching this type philosophy and they had to agree, whatever Krishna says you have to agree, the Brajabäsé’s. So ultimately Indra was so much disturbed that his prestige was being taken away from him that he was so infuriated he couldn’t even recognize his master and he stared blaspheming his master and he is calling the Säàvartaka clouds to go kill his own master and kill all that is near and dear to him, this is the power of false ego, this is the power of false pride when it is unsatisfied, how cruel and un grateful. So we must be very cautious, how to be cautious? By hearing everyday this message with the submissive heart, by very attentively following the regulative principles of Krishna consciousness and most of all by not letting any situation of this world, any of the details superficial conditions and occurrences come between Vaishnav, this is the process, if we simply do this then Maya becomes our best friends. All of her wonderful, wonderful arrangement will only bring us closer together with one another, with our guru where Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu who is none other than diviner form of Radha and Krishna, Hare krishna hare krishna, krishna, krishna Hare, Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama, Rama Hare, Hare. Is there any questions?

Question: Maharaj you were saying this about this Maya, first of all it is a causeless mercy of Krishna to take out from Maya from us, from Mahamaya to Yogamaya. Second thing is we have so much attachment of our false pride about all these other lust greed and all these things. Third thing is although we try to out also, we strive by having association this and these but then also there are so many years which are there in our life we have just be completely cautious in our full, that little tint we are away Maya will just attack us and we are off from the spiritual life. Now such a long process it is a little bit of inattentiveness we are off from spiritual life, either we might be internally we will be off. Such a long span, such a difficult, plus it is a causeless mercy, plus we have to attentive in all respect seeing that we associate with humble tone when we associate with devotees, plus chanting you have to be cautious. There are stages that it might be possible that in such a process of such long span of life might be possible we will go off sometimes or other, going off means going your spiritual life altogether, Maya just trample upon us. That means one thing is very clear the probability of going back to Godhead is I think negligible to go away because Maya attacks us so high. So in this process is it possible that we be able to go out from this because the way you are explaining it, it is difficult to go away from it altogether. So how to see that having so many difficulties we can go out smoothly?

Answer: It is certainly true that, if we are inattentive that the illusory energy will divert our attention away from the path of Krishna consciousness. Then at any moment that can take place and on a subtle platform we find in all of our own lives that it is happening moment after moment from time to time. As Krishna said,

dhyäyato viñayän puàsaù

saìgas teñüpajäyate

saìgät saïjäyate kämaù

kämät krodho ‘bhijäyate

krodhäd bhavati sammohaù

sammohät småti-vibhramaù

That contemplating the objects of the sense one becomes attached to it, from such attachment lust, when lust is not fulfilled anger, from that anger delusion, from delusion bewilderment of memory, from bewilderment of memory intelligences is lost, when the intelligence is lost we act as a servant of Maya, we betray from the principles of Krishna consciousness and then we fall into pool of material existences. Therefore at the state when that contemplation begins we have to very, very seriously try to control our minds by keeping our mind engage in Krishna consciousness activities especially hearing and chanting the names and glories of Lord and keeping our mind fixed on the order of spiritual master. That is the process we must follow very carefully, now sometimes we slip or sometimes we are inattentive, sometimes due to our previous conditioning even if we are sincere Maya overcomes us. If we simply learn how to properly remain within the association of devotees, then however times we may slip and even fall by the association of those merciful Vaishnav’s we will again be picked up and we will again continue on the path, like children learning to walk. We may fall many times but as long as we are in the atmosphere of properly associating with devotees we will continue to get up and proceed forward. But without that association, without that Satsang when we fall down we stay down. When the seed of bewilderment enters into consciousness, if we simply remain in that association even if that seed starts growing it cannot grow very long, that association will cut it down and ultimately uproot it. It is because of what you are saying that Maya is so strong and we are so weak that we absolutely have to learn how to associate with devotees because without that social atmosphere around us we have absolutely no hope on continuing on the path of bhakti, If we think that we do we are in the greatest illusion. So Maya may deviate us from hundred thousand times but as long as we properly associating with, if we just don’t let her take us away from that Satsang, if we just avoid letting her to do that us then we will go back to Godhead in due course of time.

Question: Maharaj even talking about this association, May is to trample us on that level that we feel ok this the association whom I have to completely rely, they are my life and soul and anything going wrong I can just come over here. But sometimes Maya comes to that level that the person to whom you are associating it that person itself goes away from the service of guru go away from there, go away from the movement. Sometimes we feel it that what is gone wrong, I am just giving my life and they are my life and soul, if at all anything going wrong and they are my only shelter they themselves go away from the movement. So that attack of Maya disturbs us, so we feel association is everything and association itself is becoming shaky itself, at that time what to do?

Answer: If a person is no longer following the principles of Krishna consciousness then that person is no longer the association of devotees, we continuing associating with devotees. Prabhupada used to say, do not be surprised with who lives, be surprised with who stays because Maya is very strong she gives us so many reasons to leave the association of devotees. Anyone who leaves we should simply pray for them but we should not associate with them in a way thinking we are associating with devotees; we may try to help that person. When someone leaves our heart must have two feelings, one is we feel very, very sorry for that person, that person has a golden opportunity to perfect life and he is wasting that opportunity. So we feel pity and sympathy and we pray for the welfare of that person but simultaneously we thank Krishna for the lesson we learn by watching why that person left to help me become more cautious, more consciousness. Simultaneously we weep for the person but at the same time there is always a very grand and wonderful lesson that we have to learn with everybody that leaves and we are learning through them, by watching them we don’t have to go through it our self if we are intelligent. We see oh! This person was inattentive in this way I am also like that I better give that up, this person was criticizing others, this person was blaspheming, this person was not chanting his rounds look what happen, how attentive I have to be; it can happen to him, it can happen to me. So we should thank Krishna for the wonderful lesson, every moment of life Krishna is trying to teach us something, through every situation Krishna is trying to teach us something.

Question: It is said in the Bhagvatam that with every rising and setting of the sun the life span of a person reduces and the influences of time is irrevocable fact in a material world except when devotee is performing devotion service and hearing about the activities of Krishna, could you kindly explain this?

Answer:  For one who is endeavoring to make a better place of enjoyment for this material body with every moment the duration of our life is reducing, therefore we are factually one moment closer to death. We are suffering to so many years in this world, with every rising and setting of the sun we are simply one day closer to death and that time can never be brought back. If you look at an old person and talked to them they would be give anything to be young again but there is nothing they can do, they cannot reverse time. Those in the bodily concept of life serving the bodily concept of life are dying at every moment; they are simply approaching death, their final destination. But for one who utilizes his or her precious time in hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord that person with every rising and setting of the sun is one day closer to eternal life. Because in anything we do in Krishna consciousness, in devotion service we are simply approaching that realm of consciousness beyond the limitations of time, beyond the limitation of the body we are entering into this fear of the spirit of the soul of God. Every moment you are attentively chanting Hare Krishna you are one moment closer to eternity to eternal life. For a devotee death is not the end, for a devotee death is the beginning. Death is the beginning of a realm of entrance into the realm of eternity knowledge and bliss but for the materialists, death is simply the end of everything that we identify with, the end of our entire existence. So therefore a devotee doesn’t mind getting old because he knows, if he is utilizing this body, this mind and this intelligence in Krishna consciousness as the body gets older the soul is getting closer and closer to that eternal youthful spiritual form. Therefore it is said die before you die, when this false desire for enjoyment dies if we can do that before we die we attain eternal life. Devotees do not fear death, a devotees only fears forgetting Krishna; forgetting Krishna means spiritual death,

yaà yaà väpi smaran bhävaà

tyajaty ante kalevaram

taà tam evaiti kaunteya

sadä tad-bhäva-bhävitaù

anta-käle ca mäm eva

smaran muktvä kalevaram

It is said in Bhagavad Gita that if you remember Krishna at the time of death you attain Krishna without fail, right. So we are not afraid of death, we are only afraid of forgetting Krishna because, if we remember Krishna at the time of death we attain Krishna, why should we be afraid of death. If we will forget Krishna at the time of death then we don’t know where we will go and if we forget Krishna during our life we are spiritual dead consciously during our life and we will impossible to remember Krishna at death unless we train our self very, very sincerely to remember Krishna during our lives. So there this is the only fear of a devotee forgetfulness of Krishna, life and death on the material plain has no meaning to a person who is always remembering Krishna.

Thank you very much!

Hare Krishna!