Understanding Krishna's divine advent and activities grants liberation from birth and death through pure devotion.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Janmāṣṭamī Lecture — August 21, 1973, London 730821JM-LONDON [38:21 Minutes] Lecture_730821JM-LONDON Janmastami_730821JM-LONDON Prabhupāda: [chants maṅgalācaraṇa prayers] oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho dīna-bandho jagat-pate gopeśa gopikā-kānta rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgī rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari vṛṣabhānu-sute devi praṇamāmi hari-priye vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare His Excellency, the High Commissioner; ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for your coming here and participating in this ceremony, Janmāṣṭamī, advent of Kṛṣṇa. The subject matter I've been ordered to speak on is advent of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9] This fact, that we can achieve such a stage of life when we can stop our birth and death... Sa 'mṛtatvāya kalpate.
This morning, I was explaining this verse: yaṁ hi na vyathayanty ete puruṣaṁ puruṣarsabha sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīraṁ so 'mṛtatvāya kalpate [Bg. 2.15] Amrtatva means immortality. So the modern civilization, they have no idea, either the great philosopher, great politician or great scientist, that it is possible to attain the stage of immortality, amṛtatva. We are all amṛta. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, na jāyate na mrīyate vā kadācin [Bg. 2.20].
We living entities, we never die, never take birth. Nityaḥ śāśvato yaṁ, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg. 2.20]. Every one of us, we are eternal, nityaḥ, śāśvato; purāṇa, the oldest. And after annihilation of this body, we do not die.
Na hanyate. The body is finished, but I have to accept another body. Tathā dehāntara prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā [Bg. 2.13]. This simple thing, at the present moment they are lacking knowledge, that we, all living entities, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we are eternal, we are blissful and we are cognizant.
Kṛṣṇa is described in the Vedic śāstra: īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam [Bs. 5.1] Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. God, Kṛṣṇa... When I speak Kṛṣṇa, that means God. If there is any important name...
God, it is sometimes said God has no name. That's a fact. But God's name is given by His activities. Just like Kṛṣṇa accepted the sonhood of Mahārāja Nanda or Yaśodāmāyī or Devakī or Vasudeva.
Vasudeva and Devakī were Kṛṣṇa's real father and mother. Nobody is real father and mother of Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa is the original father of everyone, but when Kṛṣṇa comes here, advents, He accepts some devotee as His father, as His mother. Kṛṣṇa is the original, ādi-puruṣaṁ. Ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣam nava-yauvanaṁ ca [Bs. 5.33]. He is the original person. Then must be very old?