So this verse I am just now quoting is the verse given by Suta Gosvami, the president of the meeting. In that meeting many learned scholars, brahmanas, they assembled to discuss about Krsna. The question was that "After departure of Krsna from this planet, dharma and jnana"dharma means religious principles, and jnana means knowledge"these two things, who has taken care of them?" Dharma-jnanadibhih saha. Actually, human society should be concerned with two things: dharma and jnana. Dharma means the characteristic. The meaning of dharma translated in English is not adequate. Dharma means which cannot be given up. The so-called dharma, or religion... Suppose I am Hindu and somebody is Christian. This is called faith. The dictionary meaning is: "Religion is faith." So faith can be changed. "I believe in Christian religion." So it can be changed next dayI accept Hindu religion or Muslim religion. But actually, dharma cannot be changed. The example is given: just like water. The characteristic of water is liquidity. So you cannot change this quality of water, liquidity. Similarly, stone is solid. You cannot change the quality of solid. This unchangeable quality is called dharma. That is really Sanskrit significance. Now, you can argue that water sometimes becomes solid, ice. That is conditional. Under certain conditions, the water becomes solid, but immediately it begins to become liquid. It melts. The tendency is to melt, not to keep solidity. So this consistency of keeping water in liquid form is called dharma.

So as everything has got some particular characteristic, similarly we living entities, we must have some particular characteristic. And what is that? That is dharma and jnana, to understand. Jnana means knowledge: "What I am? Am I this body, or I am something else?" But if we study, if we meditate on this body... You study every part of your body. Take for example this finger. If you think, "Am I this finger?" the answer will be "No, it is my finger." Similarly, you study any part of your body. You will find that the part of body belongs to you. You'll say, "It is my leg, my hand, my hair, my nose." So many things, "my." Then where is the "I"? That is called jnana. That is knowledge. Everything is "my," but where I am? Where I am?

Besides that, so far I am concerned, I do not want so many things. So many things. Just like I do not want to become old, but old age is forced upon me. I must become old. I do not want to die. Then death is forced upon me. I do not want to take birth. These are all very troublesome business. We have forgotten birth, death, old age, and disease. But when we are within the womb of our mother, it is very precarious condition. Any medical man knows. We have to live there in this way, in a packed up bag, practically without any air. Airtight condition. Just imagine. Now just at the present moment if you are put into the airtight condition, you will die within three minutes or three seconds. The medical opinion is that. But in the womb of our mother we have to live for clear ten months or more than that in that airtight, packed-up condition. Just imagine how much troublesome condition was there. That is practical. We may have forgotten.

So many things we have forgotten, but that does not mean the trouble was not there. Just like in our childhood so many things happened. We might have forgotten, but that does not mean the trouble was not there. The trouble was there. Similarly, at the time of death, the trouble, or the miserable condition, is so acute that we have to give up this body. Sometimes when man becomes very much upset, he commits suicide. He cuts his own throat. Why? He cannot live in this body. Similarly, I, you, every one of us, we have the trouble at the time of death, at the time of birth. Birth and death. We are living entities, we are living soul. Birth and death takes place of this body. The body takes birth and the body is vanquished. Death means sleeping for seven months. That's all. That is death. The soul is... When this body is unfit for living, the soul gives up this body. And by superior arrangement the soul is put again into the womb of a particular type of mother, and the soul develops that particular type of body. Up to seven months the soul remains unconscious. And when the body is developed, again consciousness comes and the child wants to come out of the womb and he moves. Every mother has experienced how the child moves at the age of seven months within the womb.

So it is a great science, how the soul, living soul, is in contact with this material body and how he is transmigrating from one body to another. The example is given just like vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya [Bg. 2.22]. We are... Just like when the garments, our shirt and coat, becomes too old, we give it up and we accept another shirt and coat... Similarly, I, you, every one of us, we are spirit soul. We are given a type of body and shirt and coat by the arrangement of material nature. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. That particular body is given to us for our particular type of standard of living. Just like you European, American, Australians, you have got a particular type, and you are given the opportunity, a particular standard of living. Just if some Indian comes to your European, American, Australian cities, just like your Melbourne city... I was just speaking to my students, "If any Indian comes, so they will be surprised with this standard of living." They will think that "Oh, it is heaven." Because the material prosperity is far different from Indian cities to these American, or European, Australian. There is much difference.

So you have got a particular type of body. You have been given the chance of particular standard of living. Similarly, in India or in Africa or in other country, the living entity has got a particular type of body and his particular type of standard of living is also there. A tiger has got a particular type of body, it has got his own standard of living. Elephant has got a particular type of body, and it has got its standard of living. Similarly, there are higher beings also, in the higher planetary system. They are called Svargaloka, Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka, Brahmaloka. In the Brahmaloka the duration of life is so long that you cannot imagine even calculating twelve hours' time there. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Most of you have read Bhagavad-gita, and it is stated there, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmano viduh [Bg. 8.17]. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam. One yuga... This is Kali-yuga. At the present moment it is called Kali-yuga. Before this... This Kali-yuga has passed only five thousand years, and the duration of life of this Kali-yuga is 432,000's of years. Only we have passed five thousand. Before this Kali-yuga there was another yuga, which is known as Dvapara-yuga. Before that, there was Treta-yuga. Before that, there was Satya-yuga. All these yugas, taking aggregate years, forty-three hundred thousands of years. And multiply it by one thousand. Then calculate what is the duration of time. That is only twelve hours duration in the Brahmaloka. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmano viduh [Bg. 8.17].

So there are very particular informations of all the planets within this universe. Not only within this universe; there are many other planets beyond this universe. That is called Vaikunthaloka, spiritual world. The spiritual sky is there. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktat sanatanah [Bg. 8.20]. That is perpetual, that anything in that sky is perpetual, and anything within this material sky, they are temporary. In the Brahmaloka there may be duration of life millions of millions of year, but that is also destructible. That is material nature. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino 'rjuna: [Bg. 8.16] "Even if you go to the Brahmaloka, you will have to come back again." Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. "But if you come to My loka..." There is Krsnaloka. That is in the spiritual world, spiritual sky.

So these informations are there in the Vedic literatures. And it is a fact that we are transmigrating from one body to another, one planet to another. That is a fact. Just like I have come to your country, similarly I may go to another planet. It is the question of how to go there, what is the means. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita.

This is God's creation. There is God. As you have created this Melbourne city by your energy, similarly the whole creation is manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You cannot defy it. This is called jnana, knowledge, to know what is Krsna, what is His energies, how they are working, how these wonderful acts are going on within this universe. This is Krsna consciousness. Krsna consciousness is not a bogus movement. It is a very scientific movement. It is meant for human knowledge. There are immense knowledges, but if we are simply interested with the necessities of the body, just like the animals, then we are missing the chance. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca samanyam etat pasubhir naranam. "This eating, sleeping, sexual intercourse, and defensethese things are there in the animal life." Even a hog, he is working day and night to find out where is stool. He likes stool. He eats stool and becomes very fatty. He enjoys.

So this kind of endeavor, simply eating, sleeping, sex life and defense, that is common to the animals and to the human being. But human being has got a special prerogative. That is Krsna consciousness, to know God, to know himself, to know this world knowledge. Not that just like... We are, of course, trying to advancement of knowledge simply for these items: how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sexual intercourse, and how to defend. So this is also required. So long we have got this body, we don't say that "Don't try to for this," but your particular knowledge, to know yourself, to know God, why you are dismissing that? That is not very good idea. These sastras... I have quoted so many things from the sastra, from the books of knowledge. It is meant for the human being, not for the cats and dogs. We have called this meeting. We have not invited cats and dogs, we have invited human beings, because the human being can understand. The cats and dogs, however I may speak from Vedic literature, from Bhagavad-gita or from Bhagavata, it is not possible for the cats and dogs to understand. Their body is different. But our body, human being, is especially meant for this purpose.

Therefore Rsabhadeva, the father of Maharaja Bharata, under whose name the India is called... Not India. This whole planet is called Bharatavarsa. In the Vedic literature Bharatavarsa means this planet. And it is consisting seven islands. That is also mentioned in Vedic literature. Seven islands means Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Australia, and Oceania. These seven islands are mentioned. Description is there. So this Bharatavarsa... This planet is called Bharatavarsa. Now it is divided. Now it is divided because on account of loss of the old Vedic culture we have now divided. I am thinking, "I am Indian," you are thinking, "Australian." Another is thinking, "American" or "Englishman." These divisions have come very lately, say about three thousand, four thousand years ago. Before that, this planet was one. There was only one king. We get this information from Vedic literature. And he was ruling all over, then. The culture was one. That is Vedic culture. Still, I hear some of my student was telling that in Australia there is some Hindu temple somewhere.

So apart from that, the thing is that we are just trying to revive the original consciousness of the human society. That is called Krsna consciousness. Don't try to misunderstand. Original consciousness. Just like these boys, mostly they are Europeans, Americans, Canadians. These boys, they are not Indians, neither their father or grandfather knew about Krsna. Maybe some of them have read Bhagavad-gita, but nothing particular, the science of Krsna. Now, how they have taken this Krsna consciousness movement so seriously? The only thing is that Krsna consciousness is not a foreign thing. Every one of you have got Krsna consciousness within you. It is lying dormant. It has simply to be aroused, simply to be aroused.

One poet, Vaisnava poet, he is authority. He says,

So I do not wish to take much of your time. I have simply given introduction to this movement, Krsna consciousness movement. It is very simply thing. You do not lose anything. Suppose you chant Hare Krsna at your home. Do you think you will be loser? No. Neither we want any money from you, that "Pay me so many dollars. I give you some particular mantra." No. It is not that. It is open. Everyone can chant. But if you chant, then you will be benefited. Ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. Your heart will be cleansed. Now we are in so many consciousness: "I am this, I am that, I am this, I am that, I am this, I am that." And therefore there is so much trouble all over the world, because we have misidentified with this body which is simply shirt and coat. Suppose we are sitting, so many ladies and gentlemen. If we simply fight on the basis of our dress, "Oh, you are not in such dress. I am in such dress. Therefore you are my enemy," this is not very good argument. Because I am in different dress, so I am not your enemy. And because you are in different dress, you are not enemy. But that is going on. That is going on. "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Chinese," "I am Russian," "I am this," "I am that." And the fighting is going on on this point only.

So if you take to Krsna consciousness, this rascaldom will go. Just like these you see all the students. They don't think that they are Indian or American or African or... No. They are thinking, "We are servant of Krsna." That is wanted. That is wanted. Unless we are coming to that point of understanding, ceto-darpana-marjanam... [Cc. Antya 20.12]. Aham brahmasmi: "I am pure soul, spirit soul. This body, material body is my cover." That is called jnana, knowledge. And as soon you come to the point of knowledge, then there will be vairagya. Vairagya means renunciation. Just like these boys, these girls. They are Americans. They lived under their parents in high standard of live. Now they can sit anywhere. They can sit on the street because they have forgotten this bodily concept of life. They are simply thinking in terms of Krsna consciousness, "I am servant of Krsna."

So this is very scientific movement, ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12], cleansing the heart: "What I am? What is God? What is my relationship with God? What is this material world? Why I have come here? Why I am suffering? Why I have to accept birth? Why I have to accept death? Why I have to accept disease? Why I have to accept old age?" These are the problems. These are the problems, and these problems can be solved in human form of life, not in the life of cats and dogs. They cannot. So our only request is that you make your life successful. Come to the real understanding of your existence. And this is possible simply by chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. Yes.