When I first went to U.S.A., the theory was “God is dead.”

Prabhupada, March 31, 1974, Bombay: When I first went to U.S.A., the theory was “God is dead.” But when I began to speak, they realized, “No, God is not dead. God is with Swamiji.” They wrote. They wrote articles. So asamsayam…

We can speculate about God. That way we’ll never be successful. Because we have got limited senses. Therefore you hear from Krsna about Krsna. This is called bhakti-yoga.
You must know how great He is. That we have to learn from the sastras, from the guru, how great He is. Just like in the Brahma-samhita, Vedic, yato va imani bhutani jayante. He’s the source of all material elements. In Him everything stays, and after annihilation, everything goes into Him. This is one understanding. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam.

Unless there is something mentioned in the authorized sastras we don’t accept it.
If you simply understand Krsna, then sarvam eva vijnatam bhavanti. Then you have got full knowledge. And that is also stated in the Fourth Chapter. Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti… [Bg. 4.9]. He becomes immediately liberated. Simply if you understand Krsna, what is Krsna, tattvatah, in truth, then you are, your business is finished.
To understand Krsna is not so easy job. First of all, so many millions and millions of living entities are there. They are not interested. They are just like animals: “Eat, drink, be merry and enjoy.” Nobody’s interested what is the success of life, siddhi. They do not know. They think, “If I…” Now, especially in this age, if you can eat sumptuously then it is siddhi, all siddhi. Yes. Udaram bharita, svartham udaram bharita. That just we see people are so lazy. If they can eat their daily food some way or other, begging, borrowing and stealing, just like animals…
So they think, “Now my day’s business is finished. Now I have eaten.” And daksyam kutumba-bharanam. And if one man can maintain a family of four, five, men, “Oh, he’s Maharaja Daksa.” Maharaja Daksa, you know? He was a great personality. He was performing yajnas. So this is Kali-yuga. Even they will not be able to maintain a wife, a few children. There is no shelter. I have seen in, all these things in western countries. They have no fixed up. Just like animals. The animal also loitering in the street or in the jungle; they are loitering in a great jungle, a great city. That’s all.
Therefore the Mayavadis cannot understand. Although they have come to the point of siddha, still they cannot understand. Yatatam api siddhanam [Bg. 7.3]. They are siddhas because they have understood that “I am not this body, aham brahmasmi.” This much they have understood. But still they cannot understand Krsna. Yatatam api siddhanam [Bg. 7.3]. They say,“Krsna is nirakara.” God is nirakara. “I am as good as God.” These theories, encumbrous theories… because they do not know. Yatatam api siddhanam [Bg. 7.3].
So when one has come to this knowledge perfectly, that “I am not this body, I am spirit soul, aham brahmasmi,” that is brahma-bhuta stage. So, so after brahma-bhuta stage, there are so many other things. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati, samah sarvesu bhutesu [Bg. 18.54].
First study, begins from material point of view: Wherefrom the sky came? How the sky came into existence? First of all sky. Then, from sky, there is sound. Then, from sound there is air. From air, there is… Along with these creations… the sky creation means the air creation also, the reception of the sound. So in this way it is all described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam very nicely, how creation took place. Then, ultimately, we come to the land, where all the qualities of other elements are there. There is sound. There is touch. There is vision. There is smell. Everything is there. So… And the subtle matters. Mind, citta, intelligence, then buddh… intelligence. Then false ego. This is… At the present moment, everyone is thinking in the bodily concept of life: “I am American.” “I am Indian.” “I am brahmana.” “I am ksatriya.” This is false ego. He’s not, neither of them. Because he’s spirit soul, a different identity. So these, how the subtle mind, intelligence, are working, one should know. How transmigration of the soul takes place? By the action of mind, intelligence and ego. They do not know. There is no such science. There are so many universities all over the world. But who is studying all these things? The psychologists, they have studied a little more about thinking, feeling and willing. That’s all. But they do not know how he is working, how he is carrying the subtle soul to other body. That they do not know.
Just like your body at night is on the bed, but you are carried by the thinking, feeling, intelligence to somewhere else. Is it not? So how are you are carried? You are actually lying on the bed. (aside:) Hare Krsna. It is carried by the subtle body. Similarly, death means that this body stops working. But the subtle mind… Exactly in the same way. Just as while you are sleeping this gross body has stopped to work, but the subtle body is working.
Now, because the body is fit, therefore we come again to enjoy with the body, ksetra. We come to the ksetra. Just like you are tilling some land, but when it becomes useless, you cannot till. You have to go elsewhere. Suppose it is overflooded. You cannot work there. Similarly, death means when the mind, intelligence, along with the soul, cannot work in this body, he has to go to some other body. Tatha dehantara-praptih. Dehantara-praptih.
Is it very difficult? You see. Bhakti-yoga, how nice it is! When the aeroplane is passing, there is guragura sabdah, you find Krsna. When you are tasting water, you find Krsna. When there is sunlight, you find Krsna. When there is moonlight, you find… When you’re chanting Vedas, you find Krsna. So how you can be without Krsna consciousness? It is simply foolishness that it cannot be done. No. The how it can be done, that Krsna personally is teaching. Learn it. And do it.