Although the age of sin is full of flaws, it nevertheless has one great advantage: one need only chant or recite the hymn “Hare Krishna” to free oneself from the bondage of matter and be elevated to the spiritual realm. Spreading God's instructions throughout the world is the best charitable activity that can bring peace and prosperity among mankind. By chanting the holy names of God, Hare Krishna, the heart is purified.
The whole difficulty in this iron age stems from the fact that there is no virtue and no purification of the heart; because of this, people make the mistake of identifying themselves with their bodies.
This means that the concept of existence is based on the body. We find this misunderstanding everywhere. As soon as a being has a corporeal concept of life, they are reduced to the level of an animal. Thus, the most dangerous impurity that sullies the heart remains this mistaken identification of the being with their body. Under the influence of this misconception, a person will think, “I am the body. I am English,” or “I am Indian. I am American. I am Hindu. I am Muslim.” This misconception remains the major obstacle and must be swept away. This is God's instruction. Each of us is a spiritual soul incarnated in a human body. Although the soul is in the body, due to false understanding and animal tendencies, the embodied being considers the body as the true self. Only the chanting of the holy names of God, hare Krishna, can purify the heart imprisoned by this false concept.
The material world is characterized by the struggle for life. Survival of the fittest, or natural selection, is a well-known principle, but the poor souls of this material world do not know what true survival is or who is truly fit to live. Survival cannot go hand in hand with death; on the contrary, this word indicates that one should eternally enjoy a life full of bliss and knowledge, without ever experiencing death. This is true survival.
The teachings of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are intended to elevate each person to this level of existence and thus end the struggle for life. He gives precise instructions on how one can end this struggle and survive into eternity. One need only listen to or read the books cited above, which convey the pure, true teachings of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to become completely pure. Thus, the struggle for existence ceases, and the being can then return to God, to his original abode, situated in his eternal and absolute kingdom.
Is it true that at the end of life, the body's components are preserved in various sectors of material energy?
The Lord answers us: Learn from my lips that it is my energies alone that act everywhere. Take an earthen pot; you have nothing but a combination of earth, water, fire, air, and ether. And whether the pot is new, old, or broken, the same elements always compose it. When it is created, the pot is only a combination of earth, water, fire, air, and ether; throughout its existence, its components remain the same, and when it is finally destroyed, annihilated, its ingredients will be preserved in various sectors of material energy. In the same vein, during the creation of this cosmos, throughout its manifestation, as well as after its destruction (which man calls “the end of the world”), it is my energy, always the same, that takes on different aspects. And because my energy is not separate from my Person, it must be concluded that I exist in all things.
Is the soul truly the lifeblood of the body?
The Lord God said: Know that what pervades the entire body cannot be destroyed. No one can destroy the imperishable soul.