# Time (Kāla) *On eternal time, its controlling nature, and death as time* --- ### Happiness and Distress Come and Go > So long we have to remain in this material world or so long we have to continue this material body, two things will continue. You cannot stop it. It is not possible. *Mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ.* And what are actually there? *Agamāpāyino 'nityās:* they come and go. They're all temporary. Winter season or the summer season, it does not stay; it comes and goes. So everything in this material world, so-called distress and happiness, they come and go. — [[spoken/1976/760619sb.tor|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.3, Toronto, 1976]] --- ### Everything Is Created and Destroyed > This world is created, it remains for some time and then it is annihilated. *Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate.* Just like your body, my body, it was created some time ago, now it is working and a day will come when it will be destroyed. This body will be lost and we will get a new body. This will be finished. In the same way, this material world, this universal form of the Supreme Lord, it is *bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate.* It is created, it stays for some time and then it is annihilated. This process goes on. — [[spoken/1976/761016bg.cha|Bhagavad-gītā 9.3, Chandigarh, 1976]] --- ### Duration of Life Decreasing > In this age, first of all, the duration of life is very small. Although in Kali-yuga one is destined to live up to a hundred years, but they, with the progress of Kali-yuga, the duration of age will be decreased. Nowadays, nobody lives for hundred years. If one is eighty years old he is supposed to be very old man. But time will come when one is twenty years old he will be considered a very old man. That time is coming gradually. — [[spoken/1976/760619sb.tor|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.3, Toronto, 1976]] --- ### Kali-yuga's Effect > This is the effect of Kali-yuga. Duration of life, mercifulness, bodily strength, memory, these things will be reduced gradually. You won't find nowadays very fertile brain. It will reduce. Not very strong man, bodily very strong; and mercy, there is no question. On the street, in your front, if somebody's being killed, nobody will take care; he'll go on with his own... There is no mercifulness. — [[spoken/1976/760619sb.tor|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.3, Toronto, 1976]] --- ### 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]] --- ### Standing for Ten Thousand Years > Suppose you get a tree body, you stand in one place for ten thousand years. In San Francisco I saw a tree called Red tree. They say it is seven thousand years old. There are many trees like that. Just imagine what a severe punishment! If you are asked to stand here for one hour you will have so much trouble. And that tree has been standing in one place for ten thousand years and it has no capacity to move even an inch. — [[spoken/1976/761016bg.cha|Bhagavad-gītā 9.3, Chandigarh, 1976]] --- ### Millions of Universes > From one single breath out of Lord Mahāviṣṇu thousands of millions of universes emanate and when He breathes in thousands of millions of universes enter within His body. Not one universe but so many universes. Millions and trillions. This universe is only one universe. There are millions of universes like this. — [[spoken/1976/761016bg.cha|Bhagavad-gītā 9.3, Chandigarh, 1976]] --- ### Not Permanent Residents > This is Kali-yuga. We are not meant to be permanent residents here. We have to prepare for going back to home, back to Godhead. That should be the aim of human life. — [[spoken/1976/760619sb.tor|Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.3, Toronto, 1976]] --- ### Cycle of Birth and Death > This material world is called *bhava-samudra. Bhava, bhava* means to take birth. You die and again you take birth. Not one kind of birth but many different births. There are 8,400,000 species of life and one has to go through them. Therefore it is called *bhava-samudra.* Who knows what kind of birth are you going to get? — [[spoken/1976/761015bg.cha|Bhagavad-gītā 7.1, Chandigarh, 1976]] --- *10 quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on time* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]