Who am I? And why am I suffering the threefold miseries? This is intelligence. We are constantly undergoing some sort of distress, whether caused by the body and mind, inflicted by other living entities, or brought about by natural disturbances. We don’t want all these miseries, but they are forced upon us. So when one accepts a spiritual master, the first question should be,
“Why am I suffering?”
Lord Caitanya immediately enunciates the constitutional position of the living entity. Sanatana Goswami inquired from Him that, “Who am I? Why I am always in miserable condition, three kinds of miserable condition?” So in answer to this question, “Who am I?” or “Who are all these living entities?” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately answered that jivera svarüpa haya nitya-Krishna dasa. The real identity of the living entity is that he is eternally servant of God. We should not understand this word servant in the meaning of materialistic servant. To become servant of God is a great position. That is not ordinary position. Just like people try to get some government servitorship. Government service. That is also a servant, one wants to become servant. Why do people try to get some service in an established firm, a well-reputed business firm. Why? Because that service is comfortable, there is great profit in such kind of service. So if people are satisfied by getting a government service or service in some good establishment, then just think over if you become servant of God then what is your position? Because God is the government of all governments. So to become servant of God is very special. We are all servant`s of God constitutionally. Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, to advance in knowledge is to understand “Who am I?” If I do not know who am I, then what is the meaning of my advancement of knowledge? Generally, despite so many universities all over the world, people are going on in the concept of this body, “I am this body.” “I am Indian,” “I am American,” “I am Hindu,” “I am Muslim.” So everyone is identifying himself with this material body. Then where is the advancement of knowledge?
This human life is made for inquiring about the Absolute Truth. Just like Sanatana Goswami, he inquired from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, “Who am I?” Because I am part and parcel of Brahman, the Absolute Truth, so I must know myself. So that is the beginning . Just like Bhagavad-Gitas begins... Krishna is teaching Arjuna “You are not this body. You are Brahman.” And without knowing myself, I cannot understand what is Krishna. If I, without knowing myself, I try to understand Krisha, then I shall misunderstand. I will think that “He’s a man like me. Maybe a better man or stronger man or richer man. That’s all.” Because they have no conception of the spiritual identity of self, therefore they misunderstand Krisha as ordinary man.
“I do not know what I am, where I have
come from, where I have to go after leaving this body, why I am put into the tribulation
of the threefold miseries. I do not want to die. Why is death enforced upon me? I do not
want to take birth. Why is that also enforced upon me? I do not want old age. Why it is
enforced upon me? I do not want disease. Why it is enforced upon me? And what is the
purpose of my coming in this material world, and where I shall go after my death? Or is
this the end?” There are so many things to inquire. That is called tattva-jijnasa.
So when actually one becomes intelligent, then the enquiry is: “Why? Why I am put
into this miserable condition of life? I do not want this, and it is forced upon me. I do
not want to die; death is there. I do not want disease; the disease is there. I do not
want this; it is forced upon me. I don’t want war, but they, the draft board drags me
to the war. This “why” question must be there. That is intelligence. And
Sanatana Goswami, when he approached Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he also inquired this
“Why?” “Who am I? Why I am put into this miserable condition of life?”
That is intelligence. He was minister. He could understand that “I am minister.
People adore me as very learned man.” He said that to Caitanya Mahaprabhu. “
Because I am minister, and I’m supposed to be educated, I know little Sanskrit, I
know little Arabian language, they call me learned scholar, but I tell You frankly, I do
not know what I am. So what is the value of my education? I do not know.” “What
I am.”
So this question is called brahma-jijnasa, that “I am spirit soul, aham brahmasmi". I am the same spiritual quality as the Supreme Lord. So why I am put into this condition?” This is beginning of human life. This is the beginning of human life. And if one does not inquire this, then he is animal. Just like Sanatana Goswami. He was minister, but he could understand ... Minister can become any rascal. I am the fool number one.” Therefore he came to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and the first question was that. He was never proud, “I am minister, I am so learned scholar. Why shall I go to Caitanya Mahäprabhu and ask Him who am I?” This is humbleness, and this is the qualification of becoming a disciple. When one becomes humble, when actually one understands that he is fool number one, he has to go to a genuine guru to understand the value of his life.
Insofar as the living entities are concerned, the authoritative sastras state that the living entity has neither birth nor death. In the Gita it is stated that the living entity is never born, and he never dies. He is eternal and indestructible, and he continues to live after the destruction of his temporary material body. In reference to the concept of sanatana-dharma, we must try to understand the concept of religion from the Sanskrit root meaning of the word. Dharma refers to that which is constantly existing with a particular object. We conclude that there is heat and light along with the fire; without heat and light, there is no meaning to the word fire. Similarly, we must discover the essential part of the living being, that part which is his constant companion. That constant companion is his eternal quality, and that eternal quality is his eternal religion.
By A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
In our original spiritual position we do not have a body like we do now. In our present bodies we are called conditoned, that is because our material body does not represent our real self. We are like actors in different costumes, having to play and act according to the script of the play. We can not act naturally because we are bound by the rules of this material world. What are these rules ? The rules are that good brings good, bad brings bad and the quest for self- realisation resulting in love for Krishna God brings us back home to the spiritual world. Bad or good activities still result in having to accept the positive and negative results from these activities, which also means for ever repeated re-birth. Devotional activities to the Supreme Lord however meant to please the Lord have the result that we never have to be born again in this material world and are promoted to the Kingdom of God. So the sooner we start the better.( Devarsirat das)
The living entity is described as isvara, the controller of his own body. If he likes, he can change his body to a higher grade, and if he likes he can move to a lower class. Minute independence is there. The change his body undergoes depends upon him. At the time of death, the consciousness he has created will carry him on to the next type of body. If he has made his consciousness like that of a cat or dog, he is sure to change to a cat's or dog's body. And, if he has fixed his consciousness on godly qualities, he will change into the form of a demigod. And, if he is in Krsna consciousness, he will be transferred to Krisnaloka in the spiritual world and will associate with Krsna. It is a false claim that after the annihilation of this body everything is finished. The individual soul is transmigrating from one body to another, and his present body and present activities are the background of his next body. One gets a different body according to karma, and he has to quit this body in due course. It is stated here that the subtle body, which carries the conception of the next body, develops another body in the next life. This process of transmigrating from one body to another and struggling while in the body is called karsati or struggle for existence.
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Eternal time is the witness of all our actions, good and bad, and thus resultant reactions are destined by Him. It is no use saying that we do not know why and for what we are suffering. We may forget the misdeed for which we may suffer at this present moment, but we must remember that Paramatma is our constant companion, and therefore He knows everything, past, present and future. And because the Paramatma feature of Lord Krsna destines all actions and reactions, He is the supreme controller also. Without His sanction not a blade of grass can move. The living beings are given as much freedom as they deserve, and misuse of that freedom is the cause of suffering. The devotees of the Lord do not misuse their freedom, and therefore they are the good sons of the Lord. Others, who misuse freedom, are put into miseries destined by the eternal kala. The kala offers the conditioned souls both happiness and miseries. It is all predestined by eternal time. As we have miseries uncalled-for, so we may have happiness also without being asked, for they are all predestined by kala. No one is therefore either an enemy or friend of the Lord. Everyone is suffering and enjoying the result of his own destiny. This destiny is made by the living beings in course of social intercourse. Everyone here wants to lord it over the material nature, and thus everyone creates his own destiny under the supervision of the Supreme Lord. He is all-pervading and therefore He can see everyone's activities. And because the Lord has no beginning or end, He is known also as the eternal time, kala.
HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Q.Do you believe in reincarnation?
Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Why not? Just like I had my small body. Then I had greater body, another body, another body. So every moment there is incarnation, reincarnation, every moment. That is medical science opinion. We are changing our bodily condition, material condition, but I am existing. Therefore, as I have passed over my childhood body to be incarnated into boyhood body, from boyhood I have reincarnated in a youthhood body. From youthhood body I reincarnated my old body. Similarly, after leaving this body I must have to accept another body. That I have already explained. Just like we change our dresses. So soul is eternal; the body is not permanent, temporary, and there are 8,400,000’s of different types of bodies. We are migrating or transmigrating from one to another. This business, if we want to stop... Because we are eternal, our aims and object should be to attain that eternal status. That we can attain by Krishna consciousness. This is the movement. We are giving information to everyone that “If you want your eternal life, blissful life, life of knowledge, then you take to this movement, Krishna consciousness.
Srila Prabhupada. Suppose you know the cause of cancer. What is the benefit? Even if you could stop cancer, you could not make a man live forever. That is not possible. Cancer or no cancer, a man has to die. He cannot stop death. Death may be caused, if not by cancer, simply by an accident. Real scientific research should aim at stopping death. That is real science, and that is Krishna consciousness. Simply to discover some medicine to cure disease is not a triumph. The real triumph is to stop all disease. Bhagavad-Gita (8.16) asserts that the real trouble is birth, death, old age and disease. : “From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place.” The solution to the problem of repeated birth and death is Krishna Consciousness,that is real science.