Nothing happens without the sanction of God
It is often said, Not a blade of grass moves without the sanction of the Supreme Lord, and that is a fact. Nothing happens without the sanction of God. There is an English saying, Man proposes and God disposes. This is correct because we can’t fulfill any of our desires without the sanction of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Sometimes, when we meet Christians and explain this to them, they find it difficult to believe.
They question there are many sinful people whose desires are evil.
There are child molesters, murders, rapists, all sorts of criminal people. So they ask, “Is God sanctioning the desires of all these sinful people? Is God enabling these people to perform these heinous acts?” The answer is yes, God is sanctioning these peoples desires and He is enabling them to do these sinful things because without the sanction of God they couldn’t perform the sinful activities.
One can become quite bewildered in understanding this, “How is it that God, who is all good is allowing these people to perform sinful activities?” The answer is God doesn’t want them to perform sinful activities but He has given us a little independence. He doesn’t interfere with our little independence. If we have a desire to perform sinful activities, although God doesn’t want us to, He also doesn’t want to interfere with our independence. So He lets us fulfil our sinful desires but He does it in such a way that ultimately we become frustrated and surrender to Him to regain our natural position as His servant.
We can’t get away with anything because as human beings we have some independence to act as we desire therefore we are also responsible for our actions. This responsibility means if we perform sinful activities we have to suffer the reaction in the future. These reactions could take the form of disease, legal implications, suffering from natural disasters or loss of our money, beauty or prestigious position. The ultimate suffering is at the time of death when we are sent to one of the many hellish planets for a long, long time. The lord of death, Yamaraja, comes for sinful people and forcibly drags them to hell where they have to endure unimaginable pain to atone for their sins.
After suffering in this way for a long time they are allowed to take birth on this earth again to “have another go at it.”
The desires we have for pleasure in this world will never satisfy us. We can try anything in this world, but we will never be satisfied. If one is thoughtful, after many, many births of frustration, he will come to think, “This material world not so good because no matter what I do I am not happy.” Then he will think, “There must be something else, there must be an other place.” He can then come to the spiritual platform.
About the Author
Madhudvisa dasa My first contact with a Hare Krishna was a most merciful Mataji in Oxford Street, London who sold me a "Higher Taste" cook book in 1984 while I was on holidays there. I started seriously reading Srila Prabhupada's books in Australia 1985 and by 1986 Srila Prabhupada had convinced me "Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead" and "we should surrender to Krishna." I joined the Hare Krishnas in Perth, Western Australia in 1986. Since then I have been chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, reading and distributing Srila Prabhupada's books and preaching as much as I can. That's my life and full-time occupation now really. I like it more than anything I've ever experienced before. Srila Prabhupada's books are so amazing... Even after reading them all many times they're still fresh and new. They are truly transcendental! That's it really. Now I'm just hankering to once again see the world chant Hare Krishna, dance and feast and float away in the ecstasy of Lord Caitanya's Sankirtana movement as it did in Srila Prabhupada's physical presence. Let the whole world drown in the ecstatic flood of love of Krishna!
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Nicely explained
Hare Krsna 🙏
Hare Krishna
I am practising Krishna Consciousness since last year and I am suffering from anxiety muscle pain in left eye since my father death. Will Chanting Hare Krishna mahamantra help me in relief from this pain..?
Also I feel like I have objections to get a job so I am putting dheepa to Hayakrivar temple.
I want to know, will this spiritual activities resolve my problems.. Please tell me brother.
Hare Krishna
The material problems of the body are not going to go away when we take to Krishna consciousness. We have the material body, we are in the material world, so the nature of the material world is problems. The problems will continue. But the thing is by Krishna consciousness a devotee raises his consciousness from material to spiritual so when he is in that spiritual consciousness he is no longer bothered by the material problems. He transcends the material problems. He realizes he is not the material body but the eternal spirit soul within. So he uses the material body in the service of Krishna. So it is not that the material problems are going to go away when we take to Krishna consciousness. But a devotee changes his consciousness and in transcendental, spiritual consciousness he is not bothered by material problems.
You just have to look at the history of the great devotees. They have very often been put into great suffering from the material point of view. Look at the Pandavas. They had to suffer so much. Banished to the forest for seven years, then Dhrtarasta tried to kill them in so many ways. Their house was set on fire, they were fed a poisonous cake, so many suffering conditions were there. But Krishna always protected them. Look at Prahlada Maharaja. Thrown into boiling oil, thrown off a mountain top, dropped into a pit with poisonous snakes and scorpions… Look at Lord Jesus Christ, his followers tried to murder him by nailing him to a cross. Even look at Srila Prabhupada. From the material point of view Srila Prabhupada had to undergo so much suffering to establish Krishna consciousness all over the world. And he had many very serious health problems including with three very severe heart attacks during his journey to the United States on the Jaladutta. He wrote later that he should have died but Krishna protected him.
So do not expect that taking to Krishna consciousness will remove your material suffering. No. It will elevate your consciousness so you do not any longer care about the material suffering, so you are not bothered by the material suffering. But the material suffering will go on as long as we have a material body in the material world. That is the nature of the material world. Suffering.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Thank you so much for the reply Ji.
Yes I shouldn’t not expect but God is my only true friend with whom I can have good relationship & share my emotions everything.
Definitely I will transcend from material to spiritual.
And I would like to say that You are doing an amazing job, spreading love of Krishna.
Hare Krishna Swamiji,
Read this article. A few questions.
The body is left here, then who suffers the punishment? Spirit/Soul?
If at all punishment is received in the same life irrespective of its form, why isn’t there any hint of the relation to the karma and its outcome? If there is no hint, there no realisation, then why one would make effort to abstain from bad actions?
If punisment is after leaving this body,due to forgetfull nature one wouldn’t remember the punishmet given to him for his actions. Again how would there be realisation of this punishment?
I hope you might have got my point.
Please guide.
Thank you
Hare Krishna.
Hare Krishna Ravi
Karma has nothing to do with a particular body. The spirit soul is eternal. We existed in the past in many different bodies and we will continue to exist in the future also in many different bodies. So it is the the spirit soul that is the constant factor. So when we perform some action, sinful or pious, that generates good or bad karma that we will have to suffer or enjoy either later on in this life or in future lives.
If you are slightly observant you can very easily see that karmic reactions are coming even in this life. If people act sinfully they will get bad reactions and if people act piously they will get good reactions. It can be seen. Of course the reactions may not come in this life. The question is often asked “why a good man is suffering” or “why a sinful man is enjoying”. So the answer is that a sinful man in this life is enjoying because he is spending his pious credits which he accrued in his previous lives. Similarly a man who appears to be good in this life who is suffering is suffering the reactions of his sinful activities in previous lives.
So this is all a great science and if you want to understand it you need to study the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. So please read Srila Prabhupada’s books and all your confusion will be cleared.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
of frustration, he will come to think, “This material world not so good because no matter what I do I am not happy.” Then he will think, “There must be something else, there must be an other place.” He can then come to the spiritual platform. This is the answer to my query I got just an hour back, prabhu even if we try to do good of anyone it becomes a tanturm on them, and we find ourself the sinner… I have been trying to be good to someone for being on the Krishna consciousness track but I think I couldent… Now I feel myself guilty and sinful… When I know that I didn’t did anything wrong… I am so much confused….or did I do?… Its a matter from Krishna connect… I’d like to talk on it or my Soul will keep regreting for long…and will not be able to forgive myself…if u give me the permission i’d like to tell u the matter… Prabhu ji please help.
hare Krishna
I don’t really know what you are talking about but if you just keep on chanting Hare Krishna and reading Srila Prabhupada’s books it will be OK.
We can’t change anything in the past. That is gone. We can learn from the past and change the future. There is an English saying: “Don’t cry over spilled milk.” It is already spilled, you can’t do anything now about that. So you just have to move on. Go forward. Chant Hare Krishna and read Prabhupada’s books and everything will be alright.
Hare Krishna Prabhu
jai srila prabhupada
i chanted the holy names after writting to you, and simply left everything on Krishna. And now everything is solved up, actually the matter was, that i was trying to preach but soon it turned into an argument, because I was preaching to a really materialistic person who was also trying to say the same thing in a confusing philosophy and was getting confused and of course making confused, in a weird way, Next day when my head was a little lighter than the argument day, i was reading the prabhupada’s litrature somewhere and got my answer, that i was not wrong or rude to anyone, but “This material world not so good because no matter what I do I am not happy.”, “There must be something else, there must be an other place”, BUT NO MATTER WHAT, I’LL NOT LEAVE PREACHING.
I deeply thank Krishna for Great rescuer srila prabhupada and you to whom i can associate and keep remembering how valuable prabhupad’s books and instructions, and he himself is.
thankyou very much
hare Krishna
Hare Krishna Vanshika
It is very good news to hear that you are feeling better and that Srila Prabhupada has saved you again and that you will never give up preaching!!!!
ALL GLORIES TO YOUR SERVICE!
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
HARI HARI BOL…
JAI SRILA PRABHUPAD… :))
Hare Krishna,
At the very onset please accept my humble gratitude. By the mercy of Krishna, I am born into a Vaishnava family in this birth. The omnipotent and omnipresent nature of Lord Krishna is being discussed in our family since my childhood which is still going on as it is a never ending process. But the real illusion was broken only when I read Srila Prabhupad’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is. I came into terms with the real wisdom that was being spoken by Lord Krishna Himself. Every time I read it I learn new things. I’ll always remain in debt to Lord Krishna and His Divine Prabhupadji for this mercy. However the main point I want to discuss is-in Bhagavad Gita it is mentioned that even if an individual is engaged in the most abominable of activities, if he doesn’t deviate from the path of devotion towards Lord Krishna, he will be kept in the right track by the blessings of Krishna. My concern is that I do believe in the words spoken by Krishna Himself but sometimes I feel guilty when I engage in activities of day to day life not approved by Krishna. At the same time the thought of Krishna supervising my activities come to my mind. Does this state of mind of mine can anyway hinder my devotion towards Krishna?
Hare Krishna!
Please accept my humble obeisance Swamiji.
Thank you very much for your kind reply which I found very uplifting. Your explanation has changed my outlook on the world ie material things for which I was hankering has no real value.
I once again thank you for showing the right path for which I am grateful.
Kindly keep on posting useful articles and giving guidance to all who want to follow & improve the real Krishna Consciousness and able to understand the original teachings of our Guru Srila Prabhupada.
Pranam.
Uma Sridhar
Hare Krishna!
Pranam Swamiji,
It is true that Krishna has given little independence and he has given more freedom to us ie human being than animals, species etc. We are blessed to born as human, in this birth we can attain his lotus feet and we should take advantage of this.
Our Guru Srila Prabhupada mentioned that we should utlize this birth and let it not go in vain and try to escape from death-birth cycle. Our Gurudev also pointed out whatever position/power, intelligence, beauty, wealth you have achieved/have everything will be finished at the time of your death. Then according to your Karma in this birth, you will take re-birth.
I have seen and wondering, even in advanced age, people worried about their sons, grandchildren, wealth ie how to increase their property (though they are very rich) and they have no time for prayer..
After we die, we do not carry anything with us, all our so called belongings will remain here. We forget our language, our dear ones, whatever professional skills/knowledge we possessed etc..
But,In our Gurdev’s book its written that whatever spiritual sadhana,(I am devotee of Krishna) we had in this birth will carry on to our next birth..How is it possible? Spiritual sadhana is somehow connected with our intelligence/brain.. When we take new birth suppose we born again as human being, we may not born in Vaishnava family may born as Christian,Muslim or any other community and we forget about our previous birth. How is it possible for us when everything about our previous life we forget, our spiritual sadhana we will continue in next birth?
Kindly clear my doubts Swamiji…
Pranam
Uma Sridhar
Hare Krishna Uma
It is a nice question. All the material things like family, money, position, fame, etc, that we are attached to in the material world are all things that are related to our material body. As soon as our material body is gone then all these things are irrelevant to us because they are only related to the material body that we have now left. They are not actually related to us, the spirit soul that we are.
So the time of death means the spirit soul leaves the material body and takes with it any spiritual advancement because spiritual advancement results in an elevation of consciousness and the consciousness is the symptom of the presence of the spirit soul. So the spiritual advancement we make in this life is connected to the spirit soul and it goes with the spirit soul either back home back to Godhead or to the next material body.
But all material achievements and attachments and family relationships are related to the material body which is burned or buried after death. So they are all completely lost.
Therefore a devotee does not care about the things that the materialists take so seriously. He does not care about family relationships or success in the material world or making a lot of money or becoming famous. He is only concerned in serving Krishna by following the instructions of the bona fide spiritual master. And whatever spiritual advancement the devotee makes is his eternal asset. It is never lost. It goes with the spirit soul because it is spiritual not material.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa