is the final test
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Imported quote 13870 According to a Bengali proverb, whatever spiritual progress one makes in life will be tested at the time of death. In Bhagavad-gita it is also confirmed: yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram/ tam tam evaiti kaunteya sada tad-bhava-bhavitaḥ (Bg. 8.6). Those who are practicing Krsna consciousness know that their examination will be held at the time of death. If one can remember Krsna at death, he is immediately transferred to Goloka Vrndavana, or Krsnaloka, and thus his life becomes successful. Prthu Maharaja, by the grace of Krsna, could understand that the end of his life was near, and thus he became very jubilant and proceeded to completely give up his body on the brahma-bhūta stage by practicing the yogic process. It is thoroughly described in the following verses how one can voluntarily give up this body and return home, back to Godhead. The yogic process practiced by Prthu Maharaja at the time of death accelerates the giving up of this body while one is in sound health physically and mentally. Every devotee desires to give up the body while it is sound physically and mentally. This desire was also expressed by King Kulasekhara in his Mukunda-mala-stotra :
(More...) King Kulasekhara wanted to give up his body while in a healthy state, and he thus prayed to Krsna to let him die immediately while he was in good health and while his mind was sound. When a man dies, he is generally overpowered by mucus and bile, and thus he chokes. Since it is very difficult to vibrate any sound while choking, it is simply by Krsna's grace that one can chant Hare Krsna at the time of death. However, by situating oneself in the muktasana position, a yogi can immediately give up his body and go to whatever planet he desires. A perfect yogi can give up his body whenever he desires through the practice of yoga.
(More...) Imported quote 16465 Prabhupada: That is not in your hands, long time or short time. That you are dependent on nature. As soon as nature will call you, "Get out," you have to go out. It will not depend on your whim. Long time, short time-that is not... But you have to leave this place, that's a fact. Either today or tomorrow or hundred years after, you have to leave. So before leaving this body, we must be fully Krsna conscious. That is successful life. Therefore because we do not know how long I shall live in this body, therefore we should begin this business immediately. That is intelligence. Because I do not know how long. It is not under me; it is under the control of the nature. So just like some train is coming. You do not know when it is coming, then you have to finish your business to get the train so that you may not miss the train. Similarly our this human form of life is given to us by God to face the spiritual understanding of life, so that before the death comes I am completely prepared for my spiritual transfer. That is success of life. Chant Hare Krsna. That is the real business. You cannot find out the history, but the answer is that as soon as you desire to live independently, then you have begun your journey in this material world. When you have begun... Just like if a man is diseased and he goes to the physician, there is no such question, "When you began that disease?" You might have begun one week ago, infected some disease. That is not very important question. You have got disease: you treat it and be cured. When we have begun... You might have begun three hundred years ago or three days before; it doesn't matter. But you are infected with the disease. Just get treatment and be cured.
(More...) Imported quote 18896 So mind is the basic principle of another form of body. Therefore our Krsna consciousness movement is training the mind how to remain Krsna conscious at the time of death. Because Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, yam yam vapi smaran bhavam [Bg 8.6]. Therefore in Bengali poetry there is a saying, bhajana kara pūjana kara marate janale haya, means "You are doing everything in spiritual life, but everything will be examined at the time of death. How you have practiced your bhajana, sadhana, this will be examined at the time of death." If at the time of death you remember Krsna, that will be the examination. We are chanting,
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