# Death and Dying *On understanding mortality and preparing for the inevitable transition* --- ### Air Carries the Flavor > At the time of death, the subtle mentality which you develop, it is just like the air carries the flavor; similarly, that mental idea is being carried by the subtle mind, intelligence, and you are given chance of a particular body by which you can enjoy that mental position. — [[spoken/1971/710626pc.par|Press Conference, Paris, 1971]] --- ### A Great Science > The transmigration of the soul, it is a great science, but because they cannot tackle this matter, they will avoid it. That's a great risky civilization. The higher intelligence of human being is especially given to understand this science. But they are neglecting this science. — [[spoken/1971/710626pc.par|Press Conference, Paris, 1971]] --- ### Simply a Guest > I come here for a short duration of life. Say, I am born a hundred years before or fifty years before, and I live here for fifty years and then go away, but I claim, "This is my property." Wherefrom your property comes? Before your birth the property was there, and after your death the property will remain there for thousands and millions of years. Wherefrom you claim your property? You are simply a guest. — [[spoken/1966/661216bg.ny|Bhagavad-gītā 16.8, New York, 1966]] --- ### Empty-Handed > Whatever they are accumulating, everything will be taken away at the time of death. You cannot carry anything. You have to go empty-handed and you came here empty-handed. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. — [[spoken/1976/760711ed.ny|Evening Darśana, New York, 1976]] --- ### Remembering Kṛṣṇa > If you practice devotional service, then at the time of death there is great possibility of understanding or remembering Kṛṣṇa. And if you can remember Kṛṣṇa at the time of death, your life is successful. — [[spoken/1975/751031bg.nai|Bhagavad-gītā 7.4, Nairobi, 1975]] --- ### What You Practice > 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. What you practice throughout your whole life, that will come at the time of death. — [[spoken/1974/740401mw.bom|Morning Walk, Bombay, 1974]] --- ### The Process of Life > Human civilization is this, that one should properly utilize this human form of life and take advantage of this knowledge and prepare oneself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that always, twenty-four hours, cent per cent, absorbed in Kṛṣṇa and at the time of death at once transferred there. This should be the process of life. — [[spoken/1966/661102bg.ny|Bhagavad-gītā 8.21, New York, 1966]] --- ### Prepare Your Next Body > The idea is to save yourself. Suppose I am now very happy Frenchman, but if next life I get another life, degraded life, then what is my position? Therefore one should understand; one should prepare his next body in this life. Just like a student studies very carefully to prepare his next life. — [[spoken/1971/710626pc.par|Press Conference, Paris, 1971]] --- ### Permanent Life > Next life, permanent life, that is possible. Permanent life—if you transfer yourself in the spiritual world, you get permanent life, full of knowledge, eternal life full of bliss. You should try for this. Human life is meant for that purpose; otherwise you are missing the chance. — [[spoken/1971/710626pc.par|Press Conference, Paris, 1971]] --- ### We Don't Wish to Die > We don't wish to die. Why? Because we are permanent. Death is... Just like we don't want to be diseased. These are all artificial, external things: disease, death, birth, miseries. They are not our nature. So similarly, these four kinds of external afflictions—birth, death, disease and old age—they are due to this material body. And if we can get out of this material body, then we can get out of these implications. — [[spoken/1966/661026bg.ny|Bhagavad-gītā 8.13, New York, 1966]] --- *10 quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on death and dying* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]