# Purpose of Human Life *On why human life is special and how to use it properly* --- ### The Spiritual Sky > Human life's aim is to reach that spiritual sky. But they do not know. *Bhāgavata* says, *na te viduḥ:* "They do not know that there is reality." They do not know their self-interest, that this human life is meant for understanding that reality and prepare for being transferred into that real reality. — [[spoken/1966/661102bg.ny|Bhagavad-gītā 8.21, New York, 1966]] --- ### Everyone's Duty > The human form of life is the opportunity to get this boon. So it is the duty of the state, duty of the parents, duty of the guardians, duty of the husband, duty of the father—everyone's duty is how to elevate a living creature who has got this fortunate human form of life to understand the highest perfection of life. — [[spoken/1966/661102bg.ny|Bhagavad-gītā 8.21, New York, 1966]] --- ### Not Cat and Dog Civilization > Simply have some eating and sleeping and mating and some defense and quarreling like cats and dogs—this is not civilization. The human civilization is this, that he should properly utilize this human form of life and take advantage of this knowledge and prepare himself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that always, twenty-four hours, cent per cent, he will be absorbed in Kṛṣṇa. — [[spoken/1966/661102bg.ny|Bhagavad-gītā 8.21, New York, 1966]] --- ### The Opportunity > Nobody wants war, nobody wants famine, nobody wants earthquake, nobody wants disease, nobody wants death, but these things happening. It will happen. Even if you do not want, you cannot combat all these attacks of the material nature. That is the way of material nature. Therefore self-realization is the opportunity of this human form of life. — [[spoken/1969/690429le.bos|Lecture, Boston, 1969]] --- ### The Purpose of Vedic Literature > This life has to be properly utilized. That is the whole purpose of Vedic literature. It is not to be spoiled like cats and dogs simply for sense gratification. One has to control the sense life or animal life and take to *tapa.* This very word is used there. *Tapa* means austerity, penance. — [[spoken/1969/690429le.bos|Lecture, Boston, 1969]] --- ### Don't Spoil This Rare Life > The self-realization process is to be achieved by this human form of life. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is indicating everyone. We are teaching everyone that "Don't spoil your this rare human form of life simply by engaging yourself in the matter of sense gratification." — [[spoken/1969/690429le.bos|Lecture, Boston, 1969]] --- ### The Special Significance > Eating, sleeping, sexual life and defense—this is common to the animals and the human beings. This special significance of human life is that he can understand God; the animal cannot. So if a human being is not given chance to understand God, then he remains animal. So there is no such chance in the university education—there is no department of knowledge to understand God. — [[spoken/1972/721006r1.ber|Room Conversation, Berkeley, 1972]] --- ### Not the Mission of Lower Animals > Human mission, human life should be utilized for this purpose. This is the *dharma.* This is real our engagement. We have diverted our engagement for satisfying our material needs. Oh, that is not the mission of human being. That is the mission of lower animals. — [[spoken/1966/660718bg.ny|Bhagavad-gītā 3.9, New York, 1966]] --- ### Suicidal Policy > If you neglect it, that is suicidal policy. Human life is especially meant for taking advantage of this form of life and understand, "What is God? What I am? What is my relationship with God? How to act? Why I am conditioned by so many miserable condition of life—birth, death, old age and disease?" So many things are there. But if we do not take to this, if we simply remain like animal, eating, sleeping, mating and defending, then we are factually missing the opportunity. — [[spoken/1972/721208ad.ahm|Lecture, Ahmedabad, 1972]] --- ### The Actual Aim > Then what will be the result? Now, *upararāma saṁsṛteḥ.* You become... You cease from this repetition of birth and death. This will be the result. This is the actual aim of human life. Animal life and human life, this is the difference, we repeatedly say. — [[spoken/1973/731211sb.la|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.28, Los Angeles, 1973]] --- *Quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on the purpose of human life* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]