Spiritual Value of the Living Entity

0:00[translated simultaneously into French by Jyotirmayī]

Nature and eternity of the soul

0:01Prabhupāda: Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for your kind invitation and reception. Spiritual value..., he has have spoken very nicely about the spiritual value of living entity. Actually, we are all spiritual entities.

1:01In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, BG 2.13देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा ।तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति ॥१३॥dehino 'smin yathā dehekaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarātathā dehāntara-prāptirdhīras tatra na muhyatiAs the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.This is, in Sanskrit, it is said that within the body there is the proprietor of the body.

1:38The proprietor of the body is there within the body, but the body is changing from babyhood to childhood, to childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, similarly aged man. The body is changing.

2:13As we are experiencing different changes of the body, similarly, when this body will no longer exist, I or you, every one of us, will accept another body.

2:42I can remember, you can remember your childhood body, your boyhood body—but those bodies are no longer existing. But I remember; you remember. Similarly, when I give up this body, I accept another body.

3:19It may not be I remembering it, but that’s a fact. But the spirit soul, the proprietor of the body, is described, nityaḥśāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre BG 2.20The spirit soul is eternal.

3:56It does not annihilate after the destruction of the body.

Evolution and the material body

4:18So we have got two bodies, just like coat and shirt. The coating body is made of five elements—earth, water, air, fire, sky; and the subtle body is made of mind, intelligence and ego.

4:54So when the gross body is finished, we remain within the subtle body = mind, intelligence and ego. So as the air carries the flavor, similarly the mind, intelligence, carries the soul to another gross body.

5:37There are 8,400,000's forms of bodies.

5:47Some of them are aquatics, some of them are trees, some of them are plants, some of them are insects, some of them are birds, some of them are beasts—and at last the human body is obtained.

Human responsibility and spiritual education

6:26Therefore human form of body is the nature’s best gift to the living entity entangled in repetition of birth and death. So in the human form of body we can understand our real, constitutional position.

6:51So if the leaders of the human society do not give education to the human society, how the spirit soul can get out of the clutches of birth, death, old age and disease?

7:39You have rightly said that Indian sages and great personalities, they specifically cultivated this knowledge, how the living entity encaged in this material body can be liberated.

8:12Therefore, to give education to the human society how he can get out of this entanglement of birth, death, old and disease is the best welfare activity.

Consequences of material and spiritual choices

8:38We can remember the history in your country = there was great Napoleon. In other countries also there were many big heroes. They constructed their country very nicely, but at last they had to leave the country.

9:12So whatever we create materially with this material body in this life, along with my giving up this body I have to give up everything. And after this, I have to accept another body.

9:48We do not know what kind of body I am going to accept. But suppose I am going to accept, say, a lower grade of body, less than human being. Then what is my condition?

10:18My love of country may give me another body in this country, or in my country, but if I am not well situated... Suppose if I get the body of an animal like cow, I shall be sent to the slaughterhouse.

10:42Therefore, in the Vedic literature it is said, SB 5.5.5पराभवस्तावदबोधजातोयावन्न जिज्ञासत आत्मतत्त्वम् ।यावत्क्रियास्तावदिदं मनो वैकर्मात्मकं येन शरीरबन्धः ॥५॥parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātoyāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvamyāvat kriyās tāvad idaṁ mano vaikarmātmakaṁ yena śarīra-bandhaḥAs long as one does not inquire about the spiritual values of life, one is defeated and subjected to miseries arising from ignorance. Be it sinful or pious, karma has its resultant actions. If a person is engaged in any kind of karma, his mind is called karmātmaka, colored with fruitive activity. As long as the mind is impure, consciousness is unclear, and as long as one is absorbed in fruitive activity, he has to accept a material body.

10:58Means a person, unless he is interested in his spiritual identity, whatever he is doing, he is simply being defeated.

Mission of the Krishna consciousness movement

11:27So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to save the human being from repeatedly being defeated by the laws of nature. So I know your country has a great history behind you. You are very cultured and enlightened people.

12:03We admired the French people, from India. I have come to your country to spread this spiritual knowledge. If you cooperate with us, we will get great facility to preach this cult.

12:24Do not misunderstand us that we are a sect of religious people. We are spreading this knowledge from the spiritual platform. We accept God is the father of all living entities, never mind in whatever form he is staying.

13:33We are teaching people to forget his outward dress, bodily concept of life.

Realization of Brahman and universal equality

13:41Let everyone realize that he is Brahman, or spiritual identity. It is said when one realizes his Brahman identity, BG 18.54ब्रह्मभूतः प्रसन्नात्मा न शोचति न काङ्क्षति ।समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु मद्भक्तिं लभते पराम् ॥५४॥brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmāna śocati na kāṅkṣatisamaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣumad-bhaktiṁ labhate parāmOne who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.

14:13Means when one is Brahman-realized—he understands his spiritual identity—then he becomes immediately joyful.

14:25And the symptom of joyful means, joyfulness means, no lamentation, no hankering, equal vision to all living entities. And then he is elevated to the platform of serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

15:03So equality, fraternity can be realized only on the spiritual platform, not on the material platform. The United Nations have tried for the last twenty-five years to unite people.

15:36Unfortunately, the disunited flags are increasing. So this Krsna consciousness movement is very important movement, scientific movement. We invite all scientists, philosophers, thinkers to understand this movement.

16:11It is very essential at the present moment for the human society.

16:30I invite herein, in this hall, some of you may come, personally talk with me about this important scientific movement and, if possible, kindly cooperate with us. I thank you very much for your giving time to hear me.

17:02Devotee: Hare Kṛṣṇa. [end]