Eternity is a Choice

Anyone, regardless of his beliefs and convictions, can experience that he is a constant or eternal observer of existence.

Krishna says:

As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change. (Bg. 2.13)

What Krishna is saying here, is that one's body changes all the time from childhood, to youth, to old age. But the self or the I within, remains constant. One's mind and intelligence change, sure. You are are supposed to grow wiser with age. One's thoughts, feelings, will-power, and convictions change as time progresses.

But it is the same I-feeling, who experience all these changes. It is the same observer. The person stays the same despite the altercations in matter.

That is the eternal soul. It is the same person, or the same soul who sits in a child's body as the one who sits in the old man's body. The person didn't change, in the sense that he is the same observer. His thoughts and feelings and intelligence changed, but he remained the same soul. In this way anyone can experience his own eternality.

It's a question of absorption - either one is absorped in matter, which is in constant change. One is absorped in his thoughts, feelings, and will. Or one is absorped in one's eternal self. That means, one is absorped in observing one's thoughts, feelings, and will. IOW one is absorped in his own consciousness.

That is a choice one has. And one's choice will be determined by the way one is controlled by matter. When one's choice is motivated by the desire to become FREE from matter, then one begins his spiritual journey back home, back to Godhead.

Krishna says:

A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires - that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still - can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires. (Bg 2.70)

A person who has given up all desires for sense gratification, who lives free from desires, who has given up all sense of proprietorship and is devoid of false ego - he alone can attain real peace. (Bg 2.71)

That is the way of the spiritual and godly life, after attaining which a man is not bewildered. If one is thus situated even at the hour of death, one can enter into the kingdom of God. (Bg 2.72)

A Body Without a Head

Hard-core materialists and atheists like to judge the original Vedic social system according to the values and prejudice, they have been taught in the Western culture they grew up in. But the Vedic social system - varnashram dharma - is to be found all over the world.

Krishna says:

According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable. (Bg. 4.13)

In all human societies one can observe four types of human beings - the worker-type (skilled or unskilled), the merchant and business-type, the worrior and statesman-type, and the intellectual, priest or philosopher-type.

These four human types are to be found in all societies, and the varnashram social system, or the caste-system as it is infamously called, is merely a scientific description and organization of these different human types in society.

It is noteworthy, that Krishna says that the different human types are not to be determined by birth, but by one's ability and bodily tendency. Besides, before the Americans after WWII replaced the old traditions with their Coca-cola and Hollywood culture, people in Europe followed the varnashram system. The Church gave direction and defined the moral and ethics. The king ruled and enforced. The merchants and farmers traded, grew food, and created economy, and the worker, artist, and musician worked and entertained.

That the Church by time became corrupt and abused its power, is a different matter. The same thing happened in the Varnashrama social system in India, where the brahmins began to misuse and distort the system.

In an ideal society, the state governs in accordance with the directions of the sages and priests. But modern society is being run by the economy. It's the merchants who rule society and establishes its values and norms. That's why modern society is on its way over the brink.

Society can be likened to a body. The brahmins (the intelletual, the philosopher, the sage, the priest, and the teacher) are the head of the body. The Kshatriyas (the warrior, the king, the politician, military, and police) are the arms. The vaishyas (the farmer, the merchant, and the banker) are the belly; and the shudras (the worker, the skilled worker, the artist, the musician, the actor, and everyone who serves the other castes) are the legs.

The body is meant to be directed by the head. The function of the arms is to protect the body. The stomack's function is to nourish the body and distribute energy, and the function of the legs is to move the body here and there.

The modern Coca-cola society is a culture that is run by the belly. The merchants are in charge. It ought to be the head, but the modern society is more or less head-less. Or the head is governed by money. The present social body is bereft of a goal in life and long term-vision. It just stumbles along according to the dictation of its senses. Such a society, harmful and destructive as it is, naturally won't be allowed to dominate the world for long.

Nature is quite capable of regulating herself. That's why at the present moment, the modern western civilization is in the process of being demolished by nature. It is too harmful and destructive to nature and her inhabitants to be allowed to go on.

Krishna says:

This material nature, which is one of My energies, is working under My direction, O son of Kunti, producing all moving and nonmoving beings. Under its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again. (Bg. 9.10)

Everyone is suffering

Everybody is suffering in material existence. The bottom line of existence in a material body is lamentation and suffering. That's how Krishna has designed this world. Why? Because He wants us back with Him.

Whatever good karma you may have as a result of previous pious activities, it all ends in birth and death and in between there is disease and old age. Nobody can escape it except by Krishna's help.

And we are slaves of our senses and mind. Only Krishna can reinstate us in real happiness. Real happiness is that happiness that never ends. The material world is bad because, seen from the point of view of our real existence as an eternal soul, it is all illusory and ends in death.

We need religion to connect with Krishna and experience the eternal reality. Re-legio, from Latin, means to re-connect. That's where the word Lego comes from - I connect. Funny enough, the word yoga, from Sanskrit, means the same - to connect.

The material world is not real, not because it doesn't exist, but because it is temporary. In the eternal existence of your real self, what you do in this life, all the pleasure and pain you experience, all your values and love for family, society and friends - it all takes place in a few seconds. This life in a material body is no more important or right or noble than what the ants are doing on your lawn.

And why is this important to know? Because otherwise we will remain trapped in samsara, the endless cycle of birth and death.

Our present reality is only what we have been taught and trained up to believe. There is another eternal reality which we can connect to by Krishna's grace. We may not want that. We may want to stay in samsara. And Krishna will make arrangement for that, too.

But should you want to experience the real reality - your eternal relationship with Krishna, then you can also do that. It's an opportunity that is only available to the soul in the human life-form.  All other life-forms - fish, plants, insects, reptiles, birds, and animals are all busy trying to enjoy their bodies, eating, sleeping, mating, and defending.

Even better is to connect with the Absolute Truth and the eal purpose of life. Whatever nice experiences you have in your body - sex, friendship, work, aspirations and so on, becomes like pieces of broken glass when compared to the pleasure that lies in connecting with Krishna.

Most religions don't reveal the original, complete version of God, but the Vaishnava-religion does. It is the only religion on the planet that has complete information about God. Nowhere else will we be able to learn who God is, and what He wants with us. It is a very rare opportunity in the human form of life to obtain this knowledge. Eating, sleeping, mating, and defending we can do in any life-form. Cock-roaches also have sex.

Krishna is a fact that can be experienced by anyone who engages in the proper method.

Krishna says:

My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you this most confidential knowledge and realization, knowing which you shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence. (Bg. 9.1)