Prabhupada, Philadelphia, July 14, 1975: […] People are making research work about the bodily cells, how they are working, and so many things, simply on the body. But as soon as you become cleansed of your heart, then immediately you understand, “I am not this body, so what is the use of studying the cells and atoms and this and that? I am not this body.” Immediately.
“Actually, I am not this body. I am simply wasting my time in studying.” The same thing, example, that I am in the car, I am studying the machine only. I forgot my destination, where I have to go. I am busy with studying the car. What is the use? You must know. You have got a good car. You must know where is the destination, where you have to go.
That is your business. The business… Of course, it is secondary. If you want to know what is the car, that is secondary; that is not your main business. The main business is how to utilize the car and go to my destination. That is intelligence.
So we are fallen in this material condition in different forms. So long we are in this bodily concept, “I am this car,” that is ignorance. I am not this car, but I have to utilize this car for going to my destination. That is wanted. So I am not this body. I am spirit soul.
My destination is how to go to the spiritual world, how to meet the supreme spirit, God, and live with Him in His association. So this life is meant for understanding what is the Supreme Lord, where does He live, what does He do, what is my relationship with Him. This is called brahma-jijnasa. That is actual education. And I am given this machine.
If we simply study the machine, then what is the use of it? The sastra says that machine is working, and it will work until it is rotten. So you don’t bother with the machine, but you simply appreciate that you have got now a good machine. The dog has got also a machine, and a human being has got a machine. Everyone has got a machine, living entity, but the sastra says, “This machine should not be utilized like the dog’s machine.”
Nayam deho deha- bhajam nr… Everyone has got machine. Even an ant, it has got machine, because according to his desire, he has been given a body. That is also machine. An elephant has got a machine. I am also. I have got also machine. Every one of us, we are spirit soul, and relatively we have got different machine. So that machine is required for going from here.
But we should not waste our time simply studying the machine, forgetting our destination. This is human intelligence. God has already given you a type of machine. Now utilize it to go to the destination.
Nr-deham adyam sulabham sukalpam. This nr-deham, this machine is very carefully made not by me, but by the nature. Nature is the agent of God. I wanted to do something. That means I require a particular type of machine. God orders nature that “This living entity wants something like this. You give him a machine.” So the prakrti, or the nature, gives us different types of machine.
Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. I am neither driving the machine; neither I have made the machine. I have been given as gift to work on or to fulfill my desire. This is the position. So sastra says that “You have got now a very good machine.” Nr- deham. The human form of body is very good machine. Nr-deham adyam sulabham sukalpam. It is very rare.
With great difficulty, you have got this machine because we have to come through so many machines, the aquatics, the plants, the insects, the trees, and the serpents, reptiles, then birds, then beast, millions and millions of years. Just like you have seen this.
The trees are standing there, maybe standing for five thousand years. So if you get that machine, you cannot move. You have to stand in one place. So we had to go through this. Foolish people, they do not know.
Therefore this machine is sulabham. Sulabham means very fortunately we have got this machine. And sukalpam, “very nicely made.” Those who are medical man, they see how nicely made it is, how the nerves are working, the nails are working, the intestines and the heart and everything—a grand machine. Therefore it is called sukalpam, “very well planned.”
And what for? Just like a nice boat, well planned. If you have got a nice boat, you get on it and cross over the river or the ocean. Similarly, we are in this material ocean. Life after life we are struggling. So now we have got a nice boat, this human body. Sulabham sudurlabham.
And it is specially advantageous because the breeze is very favorable. When you ply your boat, if the breeze is favorable, pushing on, that is another advantage, good boat and good breeze. And guru-karnadharam: “And the captain, steering man, is guru.” He is giving instruction, “Row like this. Turn this way, that way.” He is turning everything. So we have got this opportunity.
If the boat is very nice, the captain is very nice, the breeze is very favorable, and even accepting or getting this nice boat, favorable, if we do not cross over the sea of ignorance, of material existence, then we are committing suicide. Sa atma-ha. You get all the opportunities, and still you remain in this material world, repetition of birth, death, old age and disease? Is that very good intelligence? No. That is not good.
So we are misled. We are engaged in studying the machine, that’s all. Instead of using the machine to cross over the ocean, take the advantage, they are very busy in studying the machine. Is that very good intelligence? Machine is already given to you. You cannot study even. You do not know.
Even if you study, you cannot say… I claim, “It is my body,” and if somebody asks me, “How many hairs you have got in your body?” I cannot say. How I am eating something, how it is being turned into some secretion, it is going to the heart, it is becoming red and it is again distributed through the nerves and veins—I do not know anything. I can simply theorize.
But the machine is not under your control. The machine is made by God or by nature. It is very subtle machine. If you are very expert, the first thing is that what is the use of simply studying the machine? You got it. You utilize it for going to the destination. That is your intelligent.
No, they forgot to use the machine for going to the destination; they are simply studying the machine. And that is going on in the name of science. What is this nonsense science? Simply busy in studying the machine.
So that is our mistake. Our mistake is that we have got advanced or developed consciousness. We should utilize it for going back to home, back to Godhead.
Why should we misuse it unnecessarily? And you are not perfect. Suppose you are studying the machine throughout the whole life. What you will get that? Can you make the machine to your favor that this machine will not be lost, there will be no death? You all scientists, you are studying the machine.
Have you found out any means that there will be no death? Where is that knowledge. Death will be there. You study the machine or do not study the machine, in due course, time, the death will come and will take you. The machine will stay. So this is intelligence. Janma- mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanu… You cannot cure even one disease.
You are embarrassed with the cancer disease. You find out how the cells are working, how it can be changed, and there will be no cancer. No, that you cannot do. You go on studying simply, waste your time. So sastra says, “Don’t waste your valuable time in that way. Try to understand God. Use your intelligence for this purpose.” Tapah. Tapo divyam yena suddhyet sattvam.
You have to undergo austerities that you may not be subjected to this machine. That is your business, not to study the machine. How to become independent of the machine. So long you are in this material world, you are desiring differently. Nature is supplying you a different type of machine, and you are busy. Then again, the machine is broken, then you accept another machine. This is going on.
So your problem is to stop this repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. Come to your spiritual life. That is your business. That is the instruction of the sastra.
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