Will I be able to think of Krsna at the time of my death? SP answers
January 4, 2022 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa
April 1 1974 Bombay-Srila Prabhupada covers a lot of important topics just in this one morning walk conversation. To think of God or Krsna at time of death is not so simple a thing. …the sraddha ceremony,and karma yoga, what is it?
.Prabhupāda: So at the time of death, when everything is disordered, nothing is in order, unless one is very strongly practiced, how he can remember?
Dr. Patel: My father spoke, “Oṁ,” and he stopped breathing and…
Prabhupāda: That’s nice. Oṁ, oṁ ity eka… That is…
Dr. Patel: Then he stopped breathing.
Prabhupāda: That means he practiced. Therefore, either you practice Oṁ or Hare Kṛṣṇa, that is all right.
Dr. Patel: Whatever we do of our whole, all our whole, all day of life, it comes at the end. That is why you must continue to do for the life.
Prabhupāda: Twenty-four hours. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ [Cc. Ādi 17.31]. Always Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa… In this way practicing, if somebody is fortunate enough, he can remember.
Dr. Patel: Eṣā brāhmī sthitiḥ pārtha na… Sthitvā samanta-kāle ‘pi brahma-nirvāṇam ṛcchati.
Prabhupāda: So…
Dr. Patel: Therefore at the last moment you… But you can’t get that last moment in this position because you have, whole life, you have…
Prabhupāda: Yes, you have spoiled your life simply in material activities. How you can remember?
Dr. Patel: But even if you are doing material activities by your body, and by your mental activities you are bhaja kṛṣṇa…
Prabhupāda: But you are under the body… Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni [Bg. 3.27]. Body and mind is working… Unless you practice to be above body and mind… That is bhakti-yoga. Māṁ cāvyabhicāriṇi-bhakti-yoga…, sa guṇān samatītya. You cannot expect that you go on doing all these material activities and at the time of death you’ll remember Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible.
Dr. Patel: That can’t be done.
Prabhupāda: That is not possible.
Chandobhai: Should be a real concentrated difference
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Chandobhai: When you do the work, you should be a real concentration.
Prabhupāda: That is not possible.
Chandobhai: Therefore there is no… Because your attachment is more to the…
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Chandobhai: …reserves of that…
Prabhupāda: Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā… [Bg. 4.10].
Chandobhai: Mad-bhaktaḥ.
Prabhupāda: Man-mayā mad-aśritāḥ. Unless he takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa, these things are not possible. Simply by talking it is not possible. There must be practice.
Chandobhai: Acaropanam.(?)
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Dr. Patel: (Sanskrit)
Chandobhai: Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaram bhāvaṁ tyajanty ante… [break]
Prabhupāda: There is a risk. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi. If you are thinking of dog, then you become a dog.
Dr. Patel: Just as Bhārata did it.
Prabhupāda: Yes. yes, that is example. Even Bhārata Mahārāja, such a great personality, simply due to little affection to a cub of deer, he became a deer. So these people are attached to so many things. So how much risk is there at the time of death they do not understand. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, mām ekam.
