Survival of the Fittest

The first principle of the Bhagavad-gita is that we are not these bodies. This is the foundation upon which all spirituality is built. When we come to terms with this fact, only then do we begin to overcome the hard struggle for existence.

na tv evaham jatu nasam
na tvam neme janadhipah
na caiva na bhavisyamah
sarve vayam atah param

"Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be." (Bg 2.12)

Since the time of Charles Darwin the phrase "Survival of the fittest" has become almost like a mantra. generally when we speak of survival of the fittest we speak of survival of a species in terms of their bodily existence. Srila Prabhupada makes a remarkable statement with regard to what is actual survival of the fittest in this excerpt from his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 8.5.23.

"The material world is characterized by a struggle for existence, and survival of the fittest is a well-known principle, but the poor souls of this material world do not know what is survival and who is fit. Survival does not mean that one should die; survival means that one should not die, but should enjoy an everlastingly blissful life of knowledge. This is survival. The Krsna consciousness movement is meant to make every person fit for survival. Indeed, it is meant to stop the struggle for existence. The Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita give definite directions on how to stop the struggle for existence and how to survive in eternal life. The sankirtana movement, therefore, is a great opportunity. Simply by hearing Bhagavad-gita and chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one becomes completely purified. Thus the struggle for existence ceases, and one goes back home, back to Godhead."