Category:Desiring a Material Body
Theme Analysis
In this category, Śrīla Prabhupāda demystifies the phenomenon of birth and death, explaining it as a precise mechanism driven by desire. The material body is not a random biological occurrence but a custom-made "machine" (yantra) awarded by material nature to fulfill the specific desires of the living entity. The existence of 8,400,000 species corresponds exactly to 8,400,000 varieties of material desires—from the insignificant ant to Lord Brahmā. The process is strictly legal: the Supersoul (Paramātmā) observes the soul's desire and sanctions the appropriate body, while material nature (Durgā) constructs it. Crucially, the state of mind at the exact moment of death acts as the final determinant for the next body.
- The Body as a Machine: Śrīla Prabhupāda repeatedly uses the metaphor of a machine or vehicle. Just as one might desire a specific car to travel, the soul desires a specific body to enjoy or suffer in the material world.
- Varieties of Desire and Species: The vast array of life forms is proof of the unlimited nature of material desire. Whether one wants to fly, swim, or rule a planet, there is a body designed for that specific purpose.
- The Role of Paramātmā and Nature: The living entity desires, but they cannot fulfill that desire independently. Kṛṣṇa (as Supersoul) orders, and material nature supplies the body.
- The Moment of Death: The mechanism of transfer is the mind. Whatever desire is prominent at the time of death forces the soul into a corresponding womb to develop a new body.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Mechanism of Desiring a Material Body.
Pages in category "Desiring a Material Body"
The following 50 pages are in this category, out of 50 total.
A
- A living being, according to his own action, is allowed to enter into the womb of a mother by the vehicle of a father's semina, and thus he develops his desired body. This is the law of birth in specific bodies according to one's past actions
- A living entity desiring to get the body of a demigod in a higher planet can also get it by the grace of the Lord
- A person desiring a strongly built body should worship the earth
- According to the desire and karma of the individual soul, the Lord, through the agency of maya, creates another body for him. The heart of the body is a mechanical arrangement
- According to the desires of the living being, the material body develops. So from the spirit soul the material body comes into existence, generated from the living force
- According to the living entity's desire, Yogamaya, or Maya, the goddess Durga, gives him a particular type of body, which is mentioned (in BG 18:61) as yantra, a machine
- According to the living entity’s desires, he is wandering from one body to another and from one planet to another, under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Paramatma
- All of us, beginning from Brahma down to the insignificant ant, we have come here for material enjoyment. And in this material world, according to different desires and karma, they are getting different types of bodies
- As long as one continues to be subject to polluted desires, he has to accept one material body after another. So-called yogis, without knowledge of the real purpose of yoga, practice it in order to keep the body fit
- As stated in Bhagavad-gita (BG 18.61): The Lord is situated in the core of everyone's heart, and, according to the material desires of the living entity, the Lord offers a particular type of machine - the body - through the agency of the material energy
- As such, it is not improper to conclude that the living entities appearing within this material world in different shapes, such as human beings, demigods, animals, birds and beasts, all get their respective bodies due to different desires
- At the end of life, a person thinks of what he has done throughout his whole life; thus he gets another body (dehantara) according to his thoughts and desires at the end of life
B
- Because the soul is there, therefore the body has developed, according to the desire of the soul. But it is very, very minute
- Because we wanted to enjoy. So enjoy, you enjoy with this body, particular body. Either human's body, or dog's body, or cat's body, or demigod's body, you get as you desire. You get a material body and enjoy. This is material life
- Brahma and other demigods have much better material bodies than human beings, yet the demigods, including Brahma, nevertheless desire to attain the human form of life because...
- By some desire, we have got this material body, but it does not mean that without this material body I cannot live. That is nonsense. Actual life is spiritual life. Actual life is spiritual life
- By the laws of nature one is offered another body to fulfill his unsatisfied desires, and upon taking birth again, accepting another material body, one voluntarily accepts the threefold miseries of life
- By the order of the Supreme Soul, material nature fashions a particular type of body to a particular type of living entity to work according to his past desires. BG 1972 purports
D
E
- Entangled means now I have got this human form of body, but according to my desire at the time of death I may get another body, which may not be human form of body
- Every living entity, according to karma, his past desires and activities, gets a particular type of body, from that of Brahma to that of a microbe or germ in stool
- Every one of us, because we have got different types of body according to my desire, we are acting differently. So if we come back again to the spiritual platform, then we will not work differently. We shall work concomitantly
- Everyone has got desires, different types of desire. Child is desiring some way or other. The boy is desiring another way. So the desire is on account of this body, different desire
I
- If we have got least desire for material enjoyment, Krsna will give us chance again to accept a body which will satisfy the senses
- If you analyze very scrutinizingly, there will be some difference from your body, from your daughter's body, from your boy's body. So every body . . . every living entity is getting a certain type of body according to his desire
- In a train there are first-class, second-class seats, & the conductors directs, "Here is your reserved seats, sir. Come here. Sit down." Similarly, the conductor is the SPG. He is called Paramatma. He is giving you different types of bodies as you desire
- In any case, the material bodies of all animals and men are foreign to the living entity. They change according to the living entity's desire for sense gratification. In the cycle of evolution, the living entity changes bodies one after another
- In the conditioned state of life, the body is used as our dress, and as one needs different dresses during the summer and winter, we conditioned souls are changing bodies according to our desires
- It is foolish to think that every soul that passes away goes to the same place. Either the soul goes to a place he desires at the time of death, or upon leaving his body he is forced to accept a position according to his acts in his previous life
- It is true that the material body develops only by the desire of the living entity. The evolution of the material body is due to the desires of the living being
N
- Narada spoke as follows: "In the bodily concept of existence, everyone is driven by material desires, and thus everyone develops new material bodies one after another in the cycle of birth and death"
- Now I have got this human form of body, but according to my desire at the time of death I may get another body, which may not be human form of body
P
- Perfection of yoga means attainment of such supermental states as to be able to leave the material body as desired
- Persons who are everlastingly fooled by lust and desire lose all power of understanding their change of body and their stay in a particular body. They cannot comprehend it. BG 1972 purports
S
- Since the spiritual energy, the living being, who is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, desires to enjoy this material world, the Lord gives him a chance to accept different types of material bodies and enjoy or suffer in different material conditions
- Systematic training of the mind and intelligence is needed so that at the time of death one may consciously desire a suitable body, either on this planet or another material planet or even a transcendental planet
T
- The individual souls in the material world engage in different activities according to their past unfinished desires. After the dissolution of a particular body, the individual soul forgets everything
- The living being has no birth and no death, but because of his separation from the service of the Lord and due to his desire to lord it over material nature, he is offered a suitable body to satisfy his material desires
- The living entity, according to his material desires, receives different types of bodies, which are nothing but machines offered by material nature according to the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The Lord is so merciful that He gives the living entity the opportunity to enjoy varieties of desires in suitable bodies, which are nothing but machines (yantrarudhani mayaya) - BG 18.61
- They (so-call yogis) engage themselves in fruitive activities, and thus they are bound by desire to accept another body. They are not aware that the ultimate goal of life is to approach Krsna
- This body is given according to one's past desires. To fulfill desires, one is given the body, with which he acts accordingly. Practically speaking, the body is a machine, designed by the Supreme Lord, to fulfill desires. BG 1972 purports
- This material body, although temporary, has a special use. The living entity is given a chance from the beginning of the creation to evolve different kinds of material bodies according to the reserve desires he has accumulated from time immemorial
W
- We have got desires, different types of desires. The 8,400,000 bodies means at least we have got 8,400,000 different types of desires. That we have to learn from authorities like Krsna. Therefore He says: "You try to understand." You cannot speculate
- When He desired to move from one body to another, the navel and the air of departure and death were combinedly created. The navel is the shelter for both, namely death and the separating force
- When one can see that the various bodies of living entities arise due to the different desires of the individual soul and do not actually belong to the soul itself, one actually sees. BG 1972 purports
- When the body is too old to continue, the living being gives up this body and, by the laws of nature, automatically gets another body according to his fruitive activities, desires and ambitions