Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.3.17
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Los Angeles, July 12, 1969
He says that our duration of life is being taken away by the sun beginning from his rising up to the end of setting. We are daily losing the duration of our life. Just like this morning, today is 12th July, the sun rises at 5:30 in the morning, and now it is 5:30 again in the evening. These twelve hours have been taken away from the duration of our life. Is it not a fact? You'll never get it back. If you ask any scientist that "I'll give you twelve millions of dollars. Please give me back these twelve hours again," no, it is not possible. No scientist can give you. That is not... Therefore Bhāgavata says that from the beginning of the sunrise up to the end of sunset, your duration of life is being taken away. That is the business. Kalaḥ. This is called time: past, present and future. What is present, tomorrow it will be past, and again future. So past, present, future; past, present, future. But what is this past, present and future? This is past, present and future of this body.
So far I am concerned, I am not past, present. I do not belong to the category of the past, present and future. I belong to the category of eternity. Therefore we should be careful how to attain, how to be elevated to the platform of eternity. That is our business. The developed consciousness of human being should be utilized not in the animal propensities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending, but we should search out the path or the way or the avenue which will help us to get that life of eternity.