Giving Up Useless Ones

Sri Krsna spoke to Arjuna 5000 years ago in the midst of a world war. The location was Kurukshetra (Northern India). That discussion is what is referred to as the Bhagavad-Gita.

This One and only verse (BG 2.22) was discovered thousands of miles away, inside an Ancient Egyptian Pyramid:

vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya
navani grhnati naro ’parani
tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany
anyani samyati navani dehi

Translation

As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.

* * *

Sometime after the war, the existing world ruler was facing death. At this time the Srimad Bhagwatam or Bhagavata for short once again became manifest. The Bhagavata is about a person who knew death was knocking at his doorstep. Maharaj Parikshit was cursed to die in seven days. And so he called for "a conference on death and dying," gathered keynote speakers from various religious disciplines, the greatest sages of the world, and asked them "What is the purpose of life? And what is the duty of a person who is about to die?"

And the answer was: "Hear about the supreme personality of Godhead's pastimes, recite the names of God constantly, and remember Him in all circumstances." But that was not really an instruction just for the time of death, because, as the Gita says, you need to train your consciousness throughout life. If your life had no meaning, your death will be equally meaningless.

The Bhagavata therefore is meant to be heard constantly through out this life. By doing so we will realize our spiritual identities even while on earth. Then when the body expires we will be allowed to return home "back to Godhead." Thus ending the cycle of birth and death(samsara). -AJD