Lecture on Gurvastakam at Upsala University

Srila Prabhupada, Stockholm, September 9, 1973: […] So what is the difference between this material world and the spiritual world? The difference is that in the material world you have to change your body, although you are eternal. Nityah sasvato na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]

You are not destroyed after the annihilation of this body, material body, but you transmigrate to another body. And that body may be one of the 8,400,000’s of forms. There are 8,400,000’s of forms. Jalaja nava-laksani. There are 900,000 forms in the water, two millions forms of trees and plants, eleven hundred thousand forms of the insect, and then one million forms of the birds.

And then three million forms of the beasts. And then we come to this human form of life. Now it is our choice, whether we are going to be transferred again through the cycle of this transmigration of the soul from the one body to another in the lower species of life, or you want to be transferred to the spiritual sky.

And you can transfer yourself to the highest spiritual platform, which is known as Goloka Vrindavana. That is your choice. You have been given the chance of this human form of body to make your choice. You are completely under the control of material nature, but the material nature gives you a chance to get this human form of body. Whatever you like, you can do. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita:

yanti deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti pitr-vratah bhutani yanti bhutejya mad-yajino ’pi yanti mam [Bg. 9.25]

The purport is that those who are going, trying to be elevated to the higher planetary system, which is called Devaloka, or the planets of the demigods… There the standard of living, duration of life, is very, very large.

Or if you want to be transferred to the Pitrlokas, or in the lokas of the ghosts, bhutejya, or if you want to be transferred to the loka where Krishna lives—mad-yajino ’pi mam—now it depends on your practice. But the rotating, wandering within this material world from one body to another or from one planet to another, that is not advised. That is called samsara.

Samsara means material existence. That is called samsara. Bhutva bhutva praliyate. You take your birth once in some form of body. You live for some time. Then you have to give up this body. Then you have to accept another body. Then again live for some time. Then give up that body. Again accept another body. In this way, it is going on. That is called samsara, rotating within this material world. Full Lecture

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