The human form is a rare gift to be used immediately for Krishna consciousness, not squandered waiting for old age.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.1 — March 15, 1968, San Francisco 680315SB-SAN FRANCISCO [21:30 Minutes] Prabhupāda: Yamunā? Yamunā: Swāmījī?
Prabhupāda: It is not working, I think. [break] ...ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā cakṣur-unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ [I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance.] śrī-caitanya mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam [When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?] vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitaṁ taṁ sa-jīvam sādvaitaṁ sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-sahitaṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaṁ śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādān saha-gaṇa-lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṁś ca [I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and of all the other preceptors on the path of devotional service. I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇavas and unto the six Gosvāmīs, including Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī and their associates. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and all His devotees, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. I then offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and all the gopīs, headed by Lalitā and Viśākhā.] It is not properly working. Yamunā: No, Swāmījī. I don't want to fix it. I've been... [break] Prabhupāda: We have been discussing Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction to his class fellows.
Fortunately, we have got some little boys. So it is very interesting. Prahlāda Mahārāja was five-years-old boy, and he was preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. All the boys, and Prahlāda Mahārāja himself, belonged to the atheist class, most materialist. They did not know anything beyond sense enjoyment.
That's all. All the fathers of the students, classfellow of Prahlāda Mahārāja, they belonged to the atheist family. In Sanskrit language the atheist is called asura, asiriyan[?]. And the persons who are God conscious, they are suras or āryans.
So they belonged to the family of asirian[?], or asuras. So Prahlāda Mahārāja is fortunately, although he is born of a father completely atheist, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa and by the grace of his mother, he became a great devotee. From very childhood, from his birth, he was a devotee. Why he became such devotee, that is explained in later chapters. We shall come to that. So he was agitating in the school amongst his class fellows to become Kṛṣṇa conscious.
So he's preaching. Just in the tiffin hour, in the recess hour, as soon as the teacher's gone, he took the opportunity and stood up on the bench and began to agitate his friends, "My dear friends," kaumāra ācaret prājñā [SB 7.6.1], [Prahlāda Mahārāja said: One who is sufficiently intelligent should use the human form of body from the very beginning of life—in other words, from the tender age of childhood—to practice the activities of devotional service, giving up all other engagements. The human body is most rarely achieved, and although temporary like other bodies, it is meaningful because in human life one can perform devotional service. Even a slight amount of sincere devotional service can give one complete perfection.] "Now we should become Kṛṣṇa conscious from this childhood.
Don't wait for your old age." Generally, people think that "When we shall become old, we shall take care of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious or God conscious or go to the church or temple. At present, let us play and enjoy life." So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "No." Kaumāra ācaret prājñā. Prājñā means intelligent. Intelligent means who does not waste time.