Ekadasi Mahatmya – Bengali

Civilizations have come and gone. From the Roman & Babylonian to the current modern age, civilizations have all progressed and evolved. If one asks how humans have progressed over these civilizations the answers would be largely around the feats achieved in technology and science. They may also boast the knowledge of avenues of luxuries it has brought along with it. In enjoying all these luxuries if even one human genuinely introspects how does these artificial luxuries satisfy the soul?s inherent desire for happiness and eternal life? One will come to a conclusion that it never does.
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in this pocket edition of Civilization and Transcendence implores us to not to lose focus over the true hankerings and needs of the soul. He imparts his teachings with sound Vedic knowledge in a lucid language and explains how technology and science are essential but cannot be of any assistance in our true pursuit: to transcend this material world and awaken our spiritual consciousness.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re alive and conscious. Meanwhile, your body is gradually, imperceptibly changing. Still reading? Then you’re still alive and your body is still changing. How about now? You’re still living, still conscious, and your body has changed yet again. Notice a pattern?

Beyond Birth and Death addresses this pattern, and challenges the reader to rethink what “life” means. We tend to think “life” is a brief event occurring between birth and death. We celebrate a birth as “a coming into life” and mourn for the “dead.” But really, life is our permanent condition, and what we call “birth and death” are merely bodily changes.

This is Krishna’s beginning instruction in the Bhagavad-gita; the self is never born and never dies. We all exist forever, but we’re now heavily involved in a temporary existence in a temporary world. What to do? If we can begin to understand the difference between our self and our material covering, the joy and relief we experience can be life-changing.

Beyond Birth and Death was prepared from transcripts of lectures Srila Prabhupada gave in 1966 on the second and eighth chapters of the Bhagavad-gita, which discuss in detail the important differences between us (the immortal, spiritual self) and our temporary material outer coverings (bodies).