Receive the newsletter. Click here.
The river waves are flowing.
This is our ignorance. Just like this example is given in the sastra that the river waves are flowing, water is flowing, and by the combination of the waves many straws come together at one time, and, after some time, again they are distributed, thrown here and there. We have got everyone experience. Similarly, in this material world everyone of us we have gathered together like the straws. Actually we are under the waves of the material nature. So, when we gather together, we make a community that "We are Americans," that "We are Indians," that "We are this," "We are that," "We are family..." That is exactly like that. By chance we meet together; again, by the waves of the nature, we are separated. No more son, no more country, no more... Everything's finished. This is going on. But so long we've gathered together, we take it very seriously. We forget that at any moment we'll be kicked out of this gathering. That is ignorance. They do not try to understand what is our real position. Real position is that we are being carried by the waves. We have no independence. That is... Bhaktivinoda Thakura sings, mayar bo..., Khaccho habudubu bhai: "You are being carried away by the waves of material nature. You are sometimes becoming drowned, sometimes you're floating. In this way your life is going on." You have no fixity. The fixity is when you are Krsna conscious. Jiva krsna-dasa e visvasa... When he takes to Krsna consciousness and develops this cult, then he becomes perfect one day. Then tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9], he comes back. Krsna gives guarantee, "After giving up this body, he comes to Me." That is perfection. Otherwise now I am in this family. Suppose now I am American or Indian. Is there guarantee that next life I should be able to become American or Indian? No. There's not. Krsna does not say that. Krsna says, dehantaram, tatha deha... You have to change your body. You have to change your body. Tatha deha... As you are changing constantly our body, this fact. Similarly, if when this body is no more useful, then you're transferred to another body. That's very simple to understand. Suppose you are living in a room, if it is not good then we change another body. But that does not mean "I'm finished." But these foolish people, the so-called scientists, so-called advanced philosopher, they do not understand this simple. And still they are very much proud of their education. This simple thing they do not understand and they are very proud of edu...
Ref: Srila Prabhupada's Lecture, December 9, 1973, Los Angeles.