life, meaning of / purpose of

Everyone in human society is engaged for the ultimate benefit of life, but persons who are in the bodily conception cannot achieve the ultimate goal, nor can they understand what it is. The ultimate goal of life is described in Bhagavad-gita. Param drstva nivartate (Bg. 2.59). When one finds out the supreme goal of life, he naturally becomes detached from the bodily concept. Here in this verse the indication is that one has to steadfastly increase attachment for the Transcendence (brahmani). As it is confirmed in the Vedanta-sutra, athato brahma-jijnasa (Vs. ): without inquiry about the Supreme or the Transcendence, one cannot give up attachment for this material world. By the evolutionary process in 8,400,000 species of life, one cannot understand the ultimate goal of life because in all those species of life, the bodily conception is very prominent. Athato brahma jijnasa means that in order to get out of the bodily conception, one has to increase attachment or inquiry about Brahman. Then he can be situated in the transcendental devotional service-sravanam kirtanam visnoh. To increase attachment for Brahman means to engage in devotional service. Those who are attached to the impersonal form of Brahman cannot remain attached for very long. Impersonalists, after rejecting this world as mithya or false (jagan-mithya), come down again to this jagan-mithya, although they take sannyasa to increase their attachment for Brahman. Similarly, many yogis who are attached to the localized aspect of Brahman as Paramatma-great sages like Visvamitra-also fall down as victims of women. Therefore increased attachment for the Supreme Personality of Godhead is advised in all sastras. That is the only way of detachment from material existence and is explained in Bhagavad-gita as param drstva nivartate (Bg. 2.59). One can cease material activities when he actually has the taste for devotional service. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also recommended love of Godhead as the ultimate goal of life (prema pumartho mahan). Without increasing love of Godhead, one cannot achieve the perfectional stage or the transcendental position. (More...)

Real civilization is not concerned simply with man's animal needs but with enabling man to understand his relationship with God, the supreme father. One may learn about his relationship with God by any process-through Christianity, through the Vedic literatures or through the Koran-but in any case it must be learned. The purpose of this Krsna consciousness movement is not to make Christians into Hindus or Hindus into Christians but to inform everyone that the duty of a human being is to understand his relationship with God. One must learn this, otherwise he is simply wasting his time by engaging in animalistic propensities. We must all try to love Krsna or God. If one has a process, he should practice it, or he can come and learn this process. One should not begrudge the selection of one process over another. Visad apy amrtam grahyam amedhyad api kancanam/ nicad apy uttamam vidyam stri-ratnam duskulad api (Niti-darpana ). Canakya Pandita says that one must catch what is right from any source. If there is a glass of poison with some nectar in it, he says, one should take out the nectar and leave the poison. In the same way, if one finds gold in a filthy place, he should take it. Similarly, although according to the Vedic system of education one must be given instruction by intellectual persons like brahmanas, if someone lower on the social scale has learned the truth, one should accept him as a teacher and learn from him. One should not think that just because one is lowly born he should not be accepted as a teacher. (More...)

Prabhupada: It is not the question of religion. This is the, I mean to say, our position, real position. Religion develops. Religion is a kind of faith. That develops according to time, circumstances, people. But reality is this, that we are spirit soul. We are now conditioned by the laws of material nature, and we are carried away by the laws of material nature and transmigrating from one body to another-sometimes happy, sometimes distressed, or sometimes heavenly planet, sometimes lower planet. This is going on. And human life is meant for stopping this process of transmigration and revive our original consciousness, and go back to home, back to Godhead, and live eternally, blissful life of knowledge. This is the whole scheme of Vedic literature. And Bhagavad-gita is the synopsis how to attain this life. (More...)

Krsna has advised that this material happiness and distress, they are on account of this body. They come and go. They do not stay. So long we are in this material world, this happiness and distress will come and go. Just like seasonal changes: it does not stay. It comes and again goes away. So we should not be disturbed. [aside:] If you want to stand, you can stand. It comes and goes. We should not be disturbed. Our real business is to realize ourself, self-realization. That must go on. It must not stop. That is human life. Suffering and... So-called suffering, distress, that will go on so long we have got this body. But we must come to the knowledge that "I am..., I have got this body due to my past activities." That is knowledge. Karmana daiva-netrena [SB 3.31.1]. So a sensible man should consider: "Is it not possible to stop this material body? Because I am spirit soul, it is simply covering." Here, that is human life: how to stop this contamination of this material body. So, so long we shall work irresponsibly, (More...)

So culture means that one should know what is the aim of life. Without understanding the aim of life, a man without a aim is ship like..., is ship without a rudder. That is an English proverb. So at the present moment, we are missing the goal of life because there is no head department. The whole human society is lacking now real brahmanas who can give advice to the other department. Just like Arjuna was fighting. He was a military man. His business was to fight. He was engaged in his business, but he was taking at the same time advice of..., the advice of the brahmana-deva, Krsna. (More...)

There are other verses in the Bhagavad-gita. [break] ...of cousin-brothers, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. They met there for fighting. That's a historical fact, Mahabharata, Greater India. Mahabharata means Greater..., History of Greater India. So everything is there. But we do not take advantage of this great book of knowledge. So we request that everyone should cultivate..., should try to know what he is, what is Krsna, what is their relationship with Krsna and what is their real life, what is the goal of life. Unless we do cultivate all this knowledge, then it is simply we are wasting our time, this valuable life of human form. (More...)

So that attitude should be maintained, because here it is said, tvam akincana-gocaram [SB 1.8.26]. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu also, He said that niskincanasya. Here it is called akincana. And the same thing in different way, niskincana. Akincana. "A" means negation, and "na" means negation. Niskincana. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that niskincanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya. Bhagavad-bhajana, to advance in spiritual life, to be engaged in Krsna's devotional service, that is the aim of life. That is the purpose of human form of life. So for him, he should always remain niskincana. Niskincanasya bhagavad-bhajanonmukhasya [Cc Madhya 11.8]. So therefore Gaura-kisora dasa Babaji, he remained niskincana. And his disciple, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, he also remained niskincana although he possessed so many temples, because nothing was for his personal..., but for Krsna. (More...)

The aim is to satisfy Visnu. We should always remember this fact, that we are eternally servant, part and parcel of Krsna, or Visnu. As I have given many times the example, there are so many parts of the body, but what are they meant for? To satisfy the belly. You are walking, you are catching, you are thinking, you are doing so many things-what is the aim? The aim is satisfy the stomach. You cook, you earn hard money, and then you purchase goods and cook nicely and put it into the stomach. Is it not? (More...)

This is wanted. Simply try to understand what Krsna desires and try to satisfy Him. This is perfection of life. (More...)

This life is meant for simply how to understand the Absolute Truth. Jivasya tattva-jijnasa. Jivasya... But that is missing now. Nobody is inquiring, neither there is any institution throughout the whole world where there is tattva-jijnasa, what is the Absolute Truth. Simply technical knowledge-how to become this, how to become that, to fill up this belly. But we cannot see even that the birds, beasts, they do not become technologists. How they are getting food? There are 8,400,000 forms of body. The human form of body are 400,000. Out of many bodies that live in jungle, they have also no technology, no education, no systematic government-nothing-but they are also eating. The birds and beasts are eating. Everyone is eating. The ants within your home, within the hole of your room, they're also eating. So who is not eating? Everyone is eating. Why you have made a civilization to work hard like an ass for your eating? What is this civilization? If everyone is, without working, they're getting their food, then what is your advancement of civilization that you have to work like an ass to get your food? That is not advancement of civilization. Therefore, because we are becoming animal, less than animal, therefore they are decreasing the personal God. This is the idea. (More...)

But you should not waste your time like the cats and dogs and crows by inquiring, "Where is food? Where is food? Where is food?" Food is there for you, fixed up. Don't bother. The Bhagavata says there..., tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah So this life is meant for brahma-jijnasa. This life, this human life, is meant for brahma-jijnasa. Other jijnasa, inquiries, that is in the cats and dogs and hogs and crows and everywhere. So don't be bothering. "If I don't bother, then how shall I eat?" No, that people generally says, that "Everyone becomes Krsna conscious, how we shall eat? How things will go on?" Now, we are Krsna conscious, practical example. Are we not eating? Are we not sleeping? What business is stopped? We have no business; we simply beg. There is no certainty that "Tomorrow I shall go there, I'll get this money." There is no certainty. We do not know. We are eating in the morning. We do not know whether there will be food in the evening. If Krsna gives, then we can eat. You know it very well. We have no business. We are not professional men. We are not going to the market for what is bhav. Kya bhav hai. So are you not eating? We are eating. Not only eating, we have got hundred and two branches, and every branches there are at least one hundred men. They're all eating. Why? Because we know, "Krsna will give us. Krsna giving food to the ants, to the elephant. Why not to His servant? We have no..." If you have got this confidence, then... The sastra says, tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovidah. You should simply try for perfection of life, brahma-jijnasa. Athato brahma-jijnasa. Janmady asya yatah. This is the only... Jivasya tattva-jijnasa. This is the only business. "What I am?" The answer is aham brahmasmi, so 'ham, "I am same, Brahman." "So then, what is my relation with the Parambrahman?" Jijnasuh sreya uttamam. (More...)

Now, when there is question of jijnasa, brahma-jijnasa, then we inquire from a person who knows. Therefore it is said that tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21]: "If you are actually interested in inquiring about Brahman, then you must go to guru who knows Brahman." Tasmad gurum prapadyeta. You cannot understand Brahman realization alone. Therefore, according to Vaisnava philosophy, adau gurvasrayam. The first business is to take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master. If you want... Not only brahma-jijnasa-any. You must go to the perfect person who knows things. If you are wandering on some street you do not know, you ask somebody, "Where shall I go? In this way or that way?" So this is natural. So about Brahman, jijnasuh... Brahma-jijnasa means... That is not ordinary jijnasa. It is called uttamam. Uttamam means transcendental to this material world, which is full of darkness, ignorance. That is called ut. Ud-gata tama yasmad iti uttama. There is no more darkness; simply light. If you, at night, you inquire about something, then it is very difficult. But if you go in the daytime... And at night if you got up on your roof and want to see where is Bombay or where is Santa Cruz, it is very difficult. But daytime, you can see. Similarly, uttamam. You must go out of this darkness, come to the light, and then you will see. (More...)

Formerly, especially in India, the catur-varnyam, the brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, so at least the most intelligent class of men, the brahmanas, they were interested to understand brahma-jijnasa. Athato brahma-jijnasa. But at the present moment they are all sudras. They are not interested about brahma-jijnasa. They are interested how to get more money, where is the cinema, where..., what picture is going... They are interested in that, not about brahma-jijnasa. But the human life is meant for that purpose only. Therefore we learn from Bhagavad-gita. Arjuna is personally teaching us. He is accepting Krsna as guru, sisyas te 'ham [Bg 2.7], "Krsna, now I become Your disciple, not that I remain as Your friend. Friend-to-friend talk is not very serious. Now I want to talk with serious. You become my spiritual master, You teach me, and I will take Your lesson." This should be the... It is not meant for only Arjuna. It is meant for everyone, that if you..., you must find out a guru. The first guru is Krsna, and anyone who is Krsna's representative, he is guru. Guru is Krsna, the original guru, and if Krsna representative is found, is available, then he is also guru. (More...)

Therefore Krsna says... Krsna says, not we say, that out of many, many thousands and millions of person, manusyanam sahasresu, so kascid, somebody becomes interested what is the purpose of life. That is actually awakening of human life. Otherwise, like cats and dogs: eating, sleeping, having sex intercourse, and after some time finished. That is the life of cats and dogs. That is not human life. Human life, as it is stated in the Vedas, athato brahma-jijnasa. This life is meant for inquiring about the Supreme Being, Brahman, Para-brahman. That is human life. The whole Vedic civilization is based on this basic principle that to understand the Absolute Truth. (More...)

Therefore our main business is how to stop the cycle of birth and death-no more accepting the body. That is answered here, as Kapiladeva said, na anyatra mad bhagavatah pradhana-purusesvarat: "You cannot get it without taking shelter at My lotus feet. You cannot get out of this fear." (More...)

But our real business is that "Why we are put into the cycle of birth and death, and according to the body we are suffering different types of miserable condition of life?" Actually, we are trying to enjoy life, sukham, but it is a struggle for existence. Manah sasthani indriyani prakrti-sthani karsati. We are having great struggle for existence. Therefore we should study philosophically and scientifically, analyze what is this body and what is beyond the body-soul-and what is the soul's function, where is the soul's place; ultimately what is the end goal of the activities of the soul. This is human life. And all this knowledge can be had from the Vedic literature, and the Srimad-Bhagavatam is the essence of Vedic literature. Nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam idam [SB 1.1.3]. (More...)

Buddhayo 'vyavasayinam. Vyavasayatmika, niscayatmika. "Now, my life will be successful when I accept very seriously the instruction given by Krsna and it is delivered to me through the transparent via media of guru. Then it will be successful." Ar na koriho mane asa. (More...)

The aim of life should be to make a sincere effort to go "Back to Godhead'' but contrary to this, the tendency is to go back to hell or in the cycle of evolutionary animal life as it is described in the 16th chapter of Bhagavad-gita. (More...)

Answer: The real aim of life is to go back to Home, back to Godhead. We all living entities in different forms of body numbering 8,400,000 forms beginning from the aquatics up to the best advanced form of human life, there is a regular evolution by the laws of nature. The real fact is that we living entities although part and parcel of God, on account of our own disobedience have come down to this material world under different circumstances. We have different types of material dresses to fulfill the tendency for sense gratification, and this by the laws of nature, by association with the 3 modes of material nature. We are transmigrating through different forms of life. So this human form of life is given to us as an opportunity to understand our position because in the human form of life we have more developed consciousness than the lower forms of life like the aquatics, insects, plants, birds, beasts and the civilized and uncivilized human beings. So the point is that a human being must know the aim of life is to go back to Home, back to Godhead. (More...)