Material World / Nature

Devotees of Krsna go to Him at the time of death. And what is the advantage of going to Krsna? Mam upetya tu kaunteya punar janma na vidyate: "One who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again." (Bg. 8.16) One who attains Krsna never has to return again to the material world, which is temporary and full of misery. Abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino 'rjuna: "From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place." (Bg. 8.16). One may think that he may make adjustments and rid himself of the material miseries, but even if he succeeds in doing this, nature will not allow him to live in the material world permanently. One may think, "I am an American. I have enough land, money and resources. I shall simply live as an American." But one may live as an American only for seventy years or one hundred at the utmost. No one is allowed to live permanently as an American, European, Indian or whatever. Even Brahma, the topmost living entity in the material world, cannot remain as Brahma. Although one day of Brahma contains millions of earth years, Brahma cannot remain indefinitely. Nor can an ant, cat, elephant or man. There is no demigod who is allowed to live forever. Of course, Hiranyakasipu underwent severe penances in an attempt to live forever and become immortal in his material body, but it was not possible. Scientists in the present age may claim that by scientific endeavor man may become immortal, but this is lunacy. There was never such an incident in the past, nor is such an incident observable in the present, so how can we expect it in the future? It is not possible.    (More...)

We have experience in this Universe that even the largest planet is lying in only one corner of outer space. For example the Sun is supposed to be some million times bigger than the Earth, and still it lies in one corner of outer space. Similarly each of the Vaikuntha planets, although unlimited in length and breadth, lies in some corner of the Spiritual Sky, known as Brahmajyoti. In the Brahma Samhita this Brahmajyoti is described as Niskla ananta Asesa, or undivided and unlimited, without any trace of the material modes of Nature. All the Vaikunthas are like the petals of a lotus flower, and the principal part of that lotus is the center of all the Vaikunthas, and that is called Krishna Loka, or Goloka Vrindaban.    (More...)

Many people are thinking, "I can enjoy this material world very nicely. Everyone is having such a good time. There is no reason I can't enjoy myself as much as them." This idea is illusion because there is no real enjoyment in the material world. We may rise to a very high position like President Kennedy. We may be very good looking, very famous, very intelligent and well educated, very wealthy and very powerful, and we may have a very beautiful wife and children and hold the highest position in the country but at any moment we are subject to be shot down. This is the nature of the material world: We have to face danger at every step. There is no question of having pleasure without impediments. Even when the pleasures are earned, they are earned after a great deal of struggle and sacrifice, and whatever pleasure may be acquired is temporary, for in the material world there is no pleasure that can give us constant and unending enjoyment. Only Krsna can give us that.    (More...)