A Janmastami Lecture by Srila Prabhupada

Prabhupada: (chants mangalacarana prayers) His Excellency, the High Commissioner; ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for your coming here and participating in this ceremony, Janmastami, advent of Krsna. The subject matter I've been ordered to speak on is advent of Krsna. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita,

janma karma me divyam
yo janati tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam 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 'mrtatvaya kalpate. This morning, I was explaining this verse:

yam hi na vyathayanty ete
purusam purusarsabha
sama-duhkha-sukham dhiram
so 'mrtatvaya kalpate

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. Amrtatva. We are all amrta. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, na jayate na mriyate va kadacin. We living entities, we never die, never take birth. Nityah sasvato yam, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. Every one of us, we are eternal, nityah sasvato; Purana, 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. Tatha dehantara praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati. Dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara [Bg. 2.13].
This simple thing, at the present moment, they are lacking knowledge, that we, all living entities, part and parcel of Krsna, we are eternal, we are blissful, and we are cognizant. Krsna is described in the Vedic sastras:

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