THE MEANING OF LIFE

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?

Prabhupāda: Everyone desires comfort for his body and tries to make a suitable situation for this purpose, forgetting that the body is meant to be eaten by dogs, jackals or moths and thus turned into useless stool, ashes or earth. The living entity wastes his time in a futile attempt to gain material possessions for the comfort of one body after another.

Meaning of life means to enjoy, but we are in a different platform of life. Therefore we are suffering instead of enjoying. But if you come to the real platform, then you enjoy. Because here we see struggle for existence. Everyone is struggling, but what is the aim? For enjoyment of life. Therefore life means enjoyment. But at the present moment our life is not enjoyment. People are simply suffering and dying. But if you come to the real, spiritual platform of life, then you’ll enjoy. Real enjoyment is only possible on the spiritual platform.

Material life is suffering. We are creating unnecessary necessities of life and becoming entangled. This is material life. But if one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, interested in Kṛṣṇa, then he becomes distasteful to material life: “What is the use?” This is going on, so-called industrialization, producing unnecessary thing which is not required, and they are neglecting producing food grains.

The moth that is attracted to a flame and eventually burns itself.
For love of light, the moth is burned and killed.

LIKE A MOTH TO THE FLAME

Prabhupāda: Moths are captivated by the glaring brightness of light, and thus they become prey to the fire. Similarly, the deluding energy is always captivating the conditioned souls to become prey to the fire of delusion, and the Vedic scriptures warn the conditioned souls not to become prey to delusion but to get rid of it. The Vedas warn us to go not to the darkness of ignorance but to the progressive path of light.

Moths are drawn to light, even when the light is created by a flame that will burn and destroy them. The term “like a moth to the flame” has been used to represent the mistaken attraction of someone to something deadly. It describes someone who is irresistibly drawn to something despite the potential danger or harm it may cause. It is a way of saying that one is so irresistibly attracted by something to enjoy they pay no attention to potential consequences.

From the spiritual viewpoint it symbolizes our own struggles with temptation and desire for self-control. The story also highlights the dangers of blindly following one’s mundane desires without considering the consequences.

DECORATION OF THE DEAD BODY

Sometimes, if a man dies, the relatives they decorate the dead body very nicely. But the śāstras say that what is the meaning of this “decoration of the dead body”? What benefit the man who is dead, what benefit he’s getting? Suppose you make lips very smiling, but actually that man is smiling? (laughter) Similarly, in India also, the cobbler class men, they, during their life, they will dress very wretchedly, not spend money, but after death they will purchase some velvet and cover the body and very nicely decorate, and with band party they’ll take, lead the dead body. Aprāṇasyeva dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam. So it may be very much pleasing to the relatives. Just like the dead body’s decorated. The sons of that dead body may see him, that “Oh, my father is smiling.” (laughter) But he does not know where his father has already gone. You see?

So this material civilization is just like decorating the dead body. This body is dead. That is a fact. So long the soul is there, it is working, it is moving. Just like your coat. It is dead. But so long it is on your body, it appears the coat is moving. The coat is moving. But if somebody is very much astonished, “Oh, how nice the coat is moving!” (laughter) He does not know the coat cannot move. The coat is dead. But because the man is there who is putting on the coat, therefore the coat is moving, the pant is moving, the shoe is moving, the hat is moving. Similarly, this body is dead. It is numbered: this dead body will remain for such and such time. That is called duration of life. But people are interested with this dead body exactly like the cobbler class or these decorating men. So decoration of the dead body. Aprāṇasyeva… Aprāṇasya means dead. Aprāṇasyeva maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam. Loka-rañjanam: “It is very pleasing to the relatives.” That’s all. Similarly, to get liberation, nirañjanam-nirañjanam means to get out of this so-called decoration of the dead body—one requires to acquire knowledge.

THE PURPOSE OF HUMAN LIFE

The purpose of human life is to put a stop to the cycle of repeated birth and death. There are four real problems of life, namely birth, old age, disease and death. These problems of life can be solved by understanding the spiritual nature of the self. Unfortunately, since modern educational institutions have failed in giving information about the transmigration of the spirit soul, practically no one knows that there is birth after death. The Bhagavad-gita gives complete scientific information on the subject matter of birth and death. Therefore an intelligent man should refer to the Bhagavad-gita to understand the nature of the spirit soul and how he can be liberated from the cycle of birth and death. Lord Krishna declares in the Bhagavad-gita that one who understands His (Krishna’s) transcendental activities can put a stop to the cycle of birth and death. Such a person enters the spiritual abode in the spiritual sky to enjoy eternal life full of cognizant bliss. So the purpose of the human life is to understand our spiritual nature by referring to books like the Bhagavad-gita and reestablish our relationship with God. Once we are connected with God there is no fear of death.