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Bhagavad Gita As It IsReferences to text BG 4.9 |
BG 4.9: One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.
| Text | ↓ | â„– |
|---|---|---|
| The good sages said: O grave SÅ«ta GosvÄmÄ«! May you live many years and have eternal fame, for you are speaking very nicely about the activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. This is just like nectar for mortal beings like us. Maharaja Parikshit Cursed by a Brahmana Boy |
| SB 1.18.11 |
| O King Parīkṣit, mainly the topmost transcendentalists, who are above the regulative principles and restrictions, take pleasure in describing the glories of the Lord. The First Step in God Realization |
| SB 2.1.7 |
| On the very night of the day of the chastisement of the KÄliya snake, when the inhabitants of VrajabhÅ«mi were sleeping carefreely, there was a forest fire ablaze due to dry leaves, and it appeared that all the inhabitants were sure to meet their death. But the Lord, along with BalarÄma, saved them simply by closing His eyes. Such are the superhuman activities of the Lord. Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions |
| SB 2.7.29 |
| Out of the four principles — namely religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation — liberation has to be taken very seriously. The other three are subject to destruction by the stringent law of nature — death. Prithu Maharaja's Meeting with the Four Kumaras |
| SB 4.22.35 |
| A person who executes his occupational duty properly for one hundred births becomes qualified to occupy the post of BrahmÄ, and if he becomes more qualified, he can approach Lord Åšiva. A person who is directly surrendered to Lord Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu, in unalloyed devotional service is immediately promoted to the spiritual planets. Lord Åšiva and other demigods attain these planets after the destruction of this material world. Chanting the Song Sung by Lord Siva |
| SB 4.24.29 |
| NÄrada Muni asked King PrÄcÄ«nabarhiá¹£at: My dear King, what do you desire to achieve by performing these fruitive activities? The chief aim of life is to get rid of all miseries and enjoy happiness, but these two things cannot be realized by fruitive activity. The Descriptions of the Characteristics of King Puranjana |
| SB 4.25.4 |
| Although King Purañjana should not have lamented over the fate of his wife and children, he nonetheless did so due to his miserly intelligence. In the meantime, Yavana-rÄja, whose name was fear itself, immediately drew near to arrest him. Puranjana Becomes a Woman in the Next Life |
| SB 4.28.22 |
| NÄrada Muni continued: What I referred to as the chariot was in actuality the body. The senses are the horses that pull that chariot. As time passes, year after year, these horses run without obstruction, but in fact they make no progress. Pious and impious activities are the two wheels of the chariot. The three modes of material nature are the chariot’s flags. The five types of life air constitute the living entity’s bondage, and the mind is considered to be the rope. Intelligence is the chariot driver. The heart is the sitting place in the chariot, and the dualities of life, such as pleasure and pain, are the knotting place. The seven elements are the coverings of the chariot, and the working senses are the five external processes. The eleven senses are the soldiers. Being engrossed in sense enjoyment, the living entity, seated on the chariot, hankers after fulfillment of his false desires and runs after sense enjoyment life after life. Talks Between Narada and King Pracinabarhi |
| SB 4.29.18-20 |
| What was described as KÄlakanyÄ should be understood as old age. No one wants to accept old age, but YavaneÅ›vara [Yavana-rÄja], who is death, accepts JarÄ [old age] as his sister. Talks Between Narada and King Pracinabarhi |
| SB 4.29.22 |
| The living entity, while dreaming, gives up the actual living body. Through the activities of his mind and intelligence, he acts in another body, either as a god or a dog. After giving up this gross body, the living entity enters either an animal body or a demigod’s body on this planet or on another planet. He thus enjoys the results of the actions of his past life. Talks Between Narada and King Pracinabarhi |
| SB 4.29.61 |
| Even if one is liberated, he nevertheless accepts the body he has received according to his past karma. Without misconceptions, however, he regards his enjoyment and suffering due to that karma the way an awakened person regards a dream he had while sleeping. He thus remains steadfast and never works to achieve another material body under the influence of the three modes of material nature. The Activities of Maharaja Priyavrata |
| SB 5.1.16 |
| Lord Ṛṣabhadeva told His sons: My dear boys, of all the living entities who have accepted material bodies in this world, one who has been awarded this human form should not work hard day and night simply for sense gratification, which is available even for dogs and hogs that eat stool. One should engage in penance and austerity to attain the divine position of devotional service. By such activity, one’s heart is purified, and when one attains this position, he attains eternal, blissful life, which is transcendental to material happiness and which continues forever. Lord Rishabhadeva's Teachings to His Sons |
| SB 5.5.1 |
| O My sons, you should accept a highly elevated paramahaá¹sa, a spiritually advanced spiritual master. In this way, you should place your faith and love in Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You should detest sense gratification and tolerate the duality of pleasure and pain, which are like the seasonal changes of summer and winter. Try to realize the miserable condition of living entities, who are miserable even in the higher planetary systems. Philosophically inquire about the truth. Then undergo all kinds of austerities and penances for the sake of devotional service. Give up the endeavor for sense enjoyment and engage in the service of the Lord. Listen to discussions about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and always associate with devotees. Chant about and glorify the Supreme Lord, and look upon everyone equally on the spiritual platform. Give up enmity and subdue anger and lamentation. Abandon identifying the self with the body and the home, and practice reading the revealed scriptures. Live in a secluded place and practice the process by which you can completely control your life air, mind and senses. Have full faith in the revealed scriptures, the Vedic literatures, and always observe celibacy. Perform your prescribed duties and avoid unnecessary talks. Always thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, acquire knowledge from the right source. Thus practicing bhakti-yoga, you will patiently and enthusiastically be elevated in knowledge and will be able to give up the false ego. Lord Rishabhadeva's Teachings to His Sons |
| SB 5.5.10-13 |
| Lord Ṛṣabhadeva was the head of all kings and emperors within this universe, but assuming the dress and language of an avadhÅ«ta, He acted as if dull and materially bound. Consequently no one could observe His divine opulence. He adopted this behavior just to teach yogÄ«s how to give up the body. Nonetheless, He maintained His original position as a plenary expansion of Lord VÄsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. Remaining always in that state, He gave up His pastimes as Lord Ṛṣabhadeva within the material world. If, following in the footsteps of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, one can give up his subtle body, there is no chance that one will accept a material body again. The Activities of Lord Rishabhadeva |
| SB 5.6.6 |
| When bulls are yoked together and tied to a central post to thresh rice, they tread around that pivot without deviating from their proper positions — one bull being closest to the post, another in the middle, and a third on the outside. Similarly, all the planets and all the hundreds and thousands of stars revolve around the polestar, the planet of MahÄrÄja Dhruva, in their respective orbits, some higher and some lower. Fastened by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to the machine of material nature according to the results of their fruitive acts, they are driven around the polestar by the wind and will continue to be so until the end of creation. These planets float in the air within the vast sky, just as clouds with hundreds of tons of water float in the air or as the great Å›yena eagles, due to the results of past activities, fly high in the sky and have no chance of falling to the ground. The Sisumara Planetary Systems |
| SB 5.23.3 |
| My dear King ParÄ«ká¹£it, in the province of YamarÄja there are hundreds and thousands of hellish planets. The impious people I have mentioned — and also those I have not mentioned — must all enter these various planets according to the degree of their impiety. Those who are pious, however, enter other planetary systems, namely the planets of the demigods. Nevertheless, both the pious and impious are again brought to earth after the results of their pious or impious acts are exhausted. A Description of the Hellish Planets |
| SB 5.26.37 |
| The YamadÅ«tas replied: That which is prescribed in the Vedas constitutes dharma, the religious principles, and the opposite of that is irreligion. The Vedas are directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, NÄrÄyaṇa, and are self-born. This we have heard from YamarÄja. The History of the Life of Ajamila |
| SB 6.1.40 |
| Since the living entity is associated with material nature, he is in an awkward position, but if in the human form of life he is taught how to associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His devotee, this position can be overcome. The History of the Life of Ajamila |
| SB 6.1.55 |
| Upon seeing the ViṣṇudÅ«tas, AjÄmila gave up his material body at Hardwar on the bank of the Ganges. He regained his original spiritual body, which was a body appropriate for an associate of the Lord. Ajamila Delivered by the Vishnudutas |
| SB 6.2.43 |
| Anything expressed by material vibrations, anything ascertained by material intelligence and anything experienced by the material senses or concocted within the material mind is but an effect of the modes of material nature and therefore has nothing to do with the real nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Lord is beyond the creation of this material world, for He is the source of the material qualities and creation. As the cause of all causes, He exists before the creation and after the creation. I wish to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him. The Hamsa-guhya Prayers |
| SB 6.4.29 |
| [NÄrada Muni had described that there is a bila, or hole, from which, having entered, one does not return. The HaryaÅ›vas understood the meaning of this allegory.] Hardly once has a person who has entered the lower planetary system called PÄtÄla been seen to return. Similarly, if one enters the Vaikuṇá¹ha-dhÄma [pratyag-dhÄma], he does not return to this material world. If there is such a place, from which, having gone, one does not return to the miserable material condition of life, what is the use of jumping like monkeys in the temporary material world and not seeing or understanding that place? What will be the profit? Narada Muni Cursed by Prajapati Daksha |
| SB 6.5.13 |
| A pure devotee who is fully accomplished in the science of devotional service will never instruct a foolish person to engage in fruitive activities for material enjoyment, not to speak of helping him in such activities. Such a devotee is like an experienced physician, who never encourages a patient to eat food injurious to his health, even if the patient desires it. Appearance of the Demon Vritrasura |
| SB 6.9.50 |
| Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« said: Desiring to give up his body, Vá¹›trÄsura considered death in the battle preferable to victory. O King ParÄ«ká¹£it, he vigorously took up his trident and with great force attacked Lord Indra, the King of heaven, just as Kaiá¹abha had forcefully attacked the Supreme Personality of Godhead when the universe was inundated. Vritrasura's Glorious Death |
| SB 6.12.1 |
| O Supreme Lord, if persons obsessed with material desires for sense gratification through material opulence worship You, who are the source of all knowledge and are transcendental to material qualities, they are not subject to material rebirth, just as sterilized or fried seeds do not produce plants. Living entities are subjected to the repetition of birth and death because they are conditioned by material nature, but since You are transcendental, one who is inclined to associate with You in transcendence escapes the conditions of material nature. King Citraketu Meets the Supreme Lord |
| SB 6.16.39 |
| MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira inquired: What kind of great curse could affect even liberated viṣṇu-bhaktas, and what sort of person could curse even the Lord’s associates? For unflinching devotees of the Lord to fall again to this material world is impossible. I cannot believe this. The Supreme Lord Is Equal to Everyone |
| SB 7.1.34 |
| Through polluted intelligence one is subjected to the modes of nature, and thus one is conditioned by material existence. Like a dreaming state in which one falsely suffers, material existence, which is due to ignorance, must be considered unwanted and temporary. What Prahlada Learned in the Womb |
| SB 7.7.27 |
| O my friends, O sons of demons, everyone, including you (the Yaká¹£as and RÄká¹£asas), the unintelligent women, śūdras and cowherd men, the birds, the lower animals and the sinful living entities, can revive his original, eternal spiritual life and exist forever simply by accepting the principles of bhakti-yoga. What Prahlada Learned in the Womb |
| SB 7.7.54 |
| My dear Lord, now I have complete experience concerning the worldly opulence, mystic power, longevity and other material pleasures enjoyed by all living entities, from Lord BrahmÄ down to the ant. As powerful time, You destroy them all. Therefore, because of my experience, I do not wish to possess them. My dear Lord, I request You to place me in touch with Your pure devotee and let me serve him as a sincere servant. Prahlada Pacifies Lord Nrisimhadeva with Prayers |
| SB 7.9.24 |
| By devotional service, pure devotees who incessantly think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead receive bodies similar to His. This is known as sÄrÅ«pya-mukti. Although ÅšiÅ›upÄla, Dantavakra and other kings thought of Kṛṣṇa as an enemy, they also achieved the same result. Prahlada, the Best Among Exalted Devotees |
| SB 7.10.40 |
| As long as one has to accept a material body, with its different parts and paraphernalia, which are not fully under one’s control, one must have the lotus feet of his superiors, namely his spiritual master and the spiritual master’s predecessors. By their mercy, one can sharpen the sword of knowledge, and with the power of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s mercy one must then conquer the enemies mentioned above. In this way, the devotee should be able to merge into his own transcendental bliss, and then he may give up his body and resume his spiritual identity. Instructions for Civilized Human Beings |
| SB 7.15.45 |
| As long as one has to accept a material body, with its different parts and paraphernalia, which are not fully under one’s control, one must have the lotus feet of his superiors, namely his spiritual master and the spiritual master’s predecessors. By their mercy, one can sharpen the sword of knowledge, and with the power of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s mercy one must then conquer the enemies mentioned above. In this way, the devotee should be able to merge into his own transcendental bliss, and then he may give up his body and resume his spiritual identity. Instructions for Civilized Human Beings |
| SB 7.15.45 |
| The Supreme Personality of Godhead is certainly not known to everyone, but He is very powerful and influential. Therefore, although the serpent of eternal time, which is fearful in force, endlessly chases everyone, ready to swallow him, if one who fears this serpent seeks shelter of the Lord, the Lord gives him protection, for even death runs away in fear of the Lord. I therefore surrender unto Him, the great and powerful supreme authority who is the actual shelter of everyone. The Elephant Gajendra's Crisis |
| SB 8.2.33 |
| An artist onstage, being covered by attractive dresses and dancing with different movements, is not understood by his audience; similarly, the activities and features of the supreme artist cannot be understood even by the demigods or great sages, and certainly not by those who are unintelligent like animals. Neither the demigods and sages nor the unintelligent can understand the features of the Lord, nor can they express in words His actual position. May that Supreme Personality of Godhead give me protection. Gajendra's Prayers of Surrender |
| SB 8.3.6 |
| Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« said: After Lord BrahmÄ had thus spoken, glorifying the Supreme Lord’s activities and prowess, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is never subject to death like an ordinary living being, appeared from the womb of Aditi. His four hands were decorated with a conchshell, club, lotus and disc, He was dressed in yellow garments, and His eyes appeared like the petals of a blooming lotus. Lord Vamanadeva, the Dwarf Incarnation |
| SB 8.18.1 |
| The Lord appeared in His original form, with ornaments and weapons in His hands. Although this ever-existing form is not visible in the material world, He nonetheless appeared in this form. Then, in the presence of His father and mother, He assumed the form of VÄmana, a brÄhmaṇa-dwarf, a brahmacÄrÄ«, just like a theatrical actor. Lord Vamanadeva, the Dwarf Incarnation |
| SB 8.18.12 |
| Unable to see Him, Hiraṇyakaśipu said, “I have searched the entire universe, but I could not find Viṣṇu, who has killed my brother. Therefore, He must certainly have gone to that place from which no one returns. [In other words, He must now be dead.]†Lord Vamanadeva Begs Charity from Bali Maharaja |
| SB 8.19.12 |
| With this attitude, Pṛṣadhra became a great saint, and when he entered the forest and saw a blazing forest fire, he took this opportunity to burn his body in the fire. Thus he achieved the transcendental, spiritual world. The Dynasties of the Sons of Manu |
| SB 9.2.14 |
| King Khaá¹vÄá¹…ga was unconquerable in any fight. Requested by the demigods to join them in fighting the demons, he won victory, and the demigods, being very pleased, wanted to give him a benediction. The King inquired from them about the duration of his life and was informed that he had only one moment more. Thus he immediately left his palace and went to his own residence, where he engaged his mind fully on the lotus feet of the Lord. The Dynasty of Amsuman |
| SB 9.9.42 |
| My Lord, You may use my water as You like. Indeed, You may cross it and go to the abode of RÄvaṇa, who is the great source of disturbance and crying for the three worlds. He is the son of ViÅ›ravÄ, but is condemned like urine. Please go kill him and thus regain Your wife, SÄ«tÄdevÄ«. O great hero, although my water presents no impediment to Your going to Laá¹…kÄ, please construct a bridge over it to spread Your transcendental fame. Upon seeing this wonderfully uncommon deed of Your Lordship, all the great heroes and kings in the future will glorify You. The Pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Ramacandra |
| SB 9.10.15 |
| Lord RÄmacandra returned to His abode, to which bhakti-yogÄ«s are promoted. This is the place to which all the inhabitants of AyodhyÄ went after they served the Lord in His manifest pastimes by offering Him obeisances, touching His lotus feet, fully observing Him as a fatherlike King, sitting or lying down with Him like equals, or even just accompanying Him. Lord Ramacandra Rules the World |
| SB 9.11.22 |
| The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who has full potency, will personally appear as the son of Vasudeva. Therefore all the wives of the demigods should also appear in order to satisfy Him. The Advent of Lord Krishna: Introduction |
| SB 10.1.23 |
| After the departure of the great saint NÄrada, Kaá¹sa thought that all the members of the Yadu dynasty were demigods and that any of the children born from the womb of DevakÄ« might be Viṣṇu. Fearing his death, Kaá¹sa arrested Vasudeva and DevakÄ« and chained them with iron shackles. Suspecting each of the children to be Viṣṇu, Kaá¹sa killed them one after another because of the prophecy that Viṣṇu would kill him. The Advent of Lord Krishna: Introduction |
| SB 10.1.65-66 |
| O Lord, Your transcendental name and form are not ascertained by those who merely speculate on the path of imagination. Your name, form and attributes can be ascertained only through devotional service. Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krishna in the Womb |
| SB 10.2.36 |
| No one in this material world has become free from the four principles birth, death, old age and disease, even by fleeing to various planets. But now that You have appeared, My Lord, death is fleeing in fear of You, and the living entities, having obtained shelter at Your lotus feet by Your mercy, are sleeping in full mental peace. The Birth of Lord Krishna |
| SB 10.3.27 |
| The Supreme Personality of Godhead replied: My dear mother, best of the chaste, in your previous birth, in the SvÄyambhuva millennium, you were known as Pṛśni, and Vasudeva, who was the most pious PrajÄpati, was named SutapÄ. The Birth of Lord Krishna |
| SB 10.3.32 |
| Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« said: After thus instructing His father and mother, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, remained silent. In their presence, by His internal energy, He then transformed Himself into a small human child. [In other words, He transformed Himself into His original form: kṛṣṇas tu bhagavÄn svayam.] The Birth of Lord Krishna |
| SB 10.3.46 |
| The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is the bestower of many benedictions, including liberation [kaivalya], or oneness with the Brahman effulgence. For that Personality of Godhead, the gopīs always felt maternal love, and Kṛṣṇa sucked their breasts with full satisfaction. Therefore, because of their relationship as mother and son, although the gopīs were engaged in various family activities, one should never think that they returned to this material world after leaving their bodies. The Killing of the Demon Putana |
| SB 10.6.39-40 |
| Those who have received the clear vision of knowledge from the sunlike spiritual master can see You in this way, as the very Soul of all souls, the Supersoul of everyone’s own self. Thus understanding Your original personality, they are able to cross over the ocean of illusory material existence. Brahma's Prayers to Lord Krishna |
| SB 10.14.24 |
| An intelligent person who has controlled his mind and conquered fear should give up all attachment to material objects such as wife, family and nation and should wander freely without embarrassment, hearing and chanting the holy names of the Lord, the bearer of the chariot wheel. The holy names of Kṛṣṇa are all-auspicious because they describe His transcendental birth and activities, which He performs within this world for the salvation of the conditioned souls. Thus the holy names of the Lord are sung throughout the world. Maharaja Nimi Meets the Nine Yogendras |
| SB 11.2.39 |