Srila Prabhupada, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 7, Chapter 6, 1968:..The ultimate goal of life is Vishnu, or Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In a later verse Prahlada Maharaja will say, “People in this material world who are enamored with the material energy do not know what the goal of human life is. Why? Because they have been enchanted by the Lord’s glaring external energy.
They have forgotten that life is an opportunity to understand the ultimate goal of perfection, Vishnu.” Why should we be very anxious to know Vishnu, or God? Prahlada Maharaja gives a reason: “Vishnu is the dearmost person. That we have forgotten.” We all seek some dear friend—everyone searches in this way. A man searches for dear friendship with a woman, and a woman searches for dear friendship with a man.
Or else a man searches out a man, and a woman searches out a woman. Everyone searches after some dear friend, some sweet friend. Why? We want the cooperation of a dear friend who will help us. This is part of the struggle for existence, and this is natural. But we do not know that our dearest friend is Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Those who have read the Bhagavad-gita will find this nice verse in the Fifth Chapter: “If you want peace, then you must understand perfectly that everything in this world and other worlds is the property of Krishna, that He is the enjoyer of everything, and that He is the supreme friend of everyone.” Why perform austerity?
Why perform religious rituals? Why give in charity? All these activities are meant for pleasing the Supreme Lord, and nothing more. And when the Supreme Lord is pleased, you will get the result. Whether you want to gain higher material happiness or spiritual happiness, whether you want to live a better life on this planet or on other planets—whatever you want you will get if you please the Supreme Lord. Therefore He is the most sincere friend. Whatever you want from Him, you can get. But the intelligent man does not want anything that is materially contaminated.
In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna says that by pious activities one can elevate oneself to the highest material planet, known as Brahmaloka, where the duration of life is millions and millions of years. You cannot figure the duration of life there; your arithmetic will be ineffective. The statement in the Bhagavad-gita is that the life of Brahma is so long that 4,320,000,000 of our years are only twelve hours to him.
Krishna says, “Whatever position you want, beginning from the ant right up to Brahma, you can have. But the repetition of birth and death will be there. However, if by practicing Krishna consciousness you come to Me, then you don’t have to come back to this miserable material condition.”
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