Why Do Devotees Have a Negative Outlook on the Material World?
The actual fact is that this material world is a miserable, negative place, full of danger at every step. It is a temporary abode of death, birth, disease and old-age, home of suffering and pain only. To come to this platform of understanding of things as they are, is not a very common thing, and therefore such persons who attain to it, they are described as great souls:
Los Angeles 30 April, 1973
Lynne Ludwig
15163, Sylmar, California 93142
My dear Lynne Ludwig,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter from California dated November 27, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully, although due to extensively travelling and preaching tour in India, I have not yet got the opportunity to reply you at length until now. Your complaint is that you have met two of my young disciples in California and they appeared to you as having “a very negative outlook towards the people they meet.” Of course, I do not know the case, what are the circumstances, but kindly forgive my beloved disciples any unkindness or indiscretions on their part. After all, to give up one’s life completely for serving the Lord is not so easy thing. And Maya, or the illusory material energy, she tries especially hard to try to get back and entrap those who have left her service to become Devotees.
So sometimes in the neophyte stage of devotional service, in order to withstand the attack of Maya and remain strong under all conditions of temptation, young or inexperienced devotees will adopt an attitude against those things or persons possibly harmful, threatening to their tender devotional creeper. They may even over-indulge in such feelings just to protect themselves, and thus they will appear to some non-devotees, who are perhaps themselves still very enamoured by the material energy of Maya, as being negative or pessimistic.
But actual fact is that this material world is a miserable, negative place, full of danger at every step, duhkhalayam asasvatam, temporary abode of death, birth, disease and old-age, home of suffering and pain only. To come to that platform of understanding of things as they are, that is not a very common thing, and therefore such persons who attain to it, they are described as “great souls”:
mam upetya punar janma
duhkhalayam asasvatam
napnuvanti mahatmanah
samsiddhim paramam gatah
This verse is spoken by Krishna, or God, Himself in Bhagavad-gita (8,15) so who can be more final authority? That means that anyone who has understood that the material worlds are places of misery and temporaryness, duhkhalayam asasvatam, they never return here again, and because they are mahatmanah, the great souls, Krishna keeps them with Him, having qualified themselves to escape this nasty place by becoming His pure devotees. So the point is that to make advancement in spiritual life, everything material, unless it is utilized to serve and please Krishna, must be viewed with a pessimistic eye. We are not very much hopeful for any lasting pleasure or satisfaction for our deepest cravings within this realm of gross matter.
You refer to the word “love” several times in your letter, but actual fact is there is no love in this material world. That is false propaganda. What they call “love” here is lust only, desire for personal sense-gratification;
kama esa krodha esa
rajoguna samudbhavah
maha-sano maha-papma
viddhy enam iha vairinam
Krishna tells Arjuna, His disciple, that “It is lust only . . . which is the all-devouring, sinful enemy of this world.” In the Vedic language, their word for materialistic “love” as we call it at present day; “kama” lust for material desire, not love. The word for love, actually love we find in Vedas is “prema”, meaning one’s love of God, only. Outside God, there is no possibility of loving. Rather it is lusty desire the whole range of human activities, whatever and whenever, so long with this atmosphere of matter, the every activity of the human being–or any living entity–is based upon or given impetus, and thus polluted, by the attraction between male and female, sex-desire.
For that sex-life, the whole universe is spinning round–and suffering! That is the harsh truth. So-called love, here, means “you gratify my senses, I’ll gratify your senses,” and as soon as that gratification stops: immediately there is divorce, separation, quarrel, hatred. So many things there are, going on under this false conception of love. Actual love means love of God, Krishna.
Everyone wants to repose his loving tendency in some object which is in his opinion worthy. So it is a question of ignorance only, poor fund of knowledge, where to find that Supreme Lovable Object actually worthy to accept and reciprocate their love. People simply do not know, there is no proper information. Anything material, as soon as there is some attachment, it will kick you upon the face, deteriorate, disappoint you–it’s bound to dissatisfy and frustrate you, that’s a fact. So these young boys in your country, and all over the world, they are accepting. “Yes, that is fact,” and they are getting the right information from Krishna:
bahunam janmanam ante
jnanavan mam prapadyate
vasudevah sarvam iti
sa mahatma sudurlabhah
B.G. 7.19
“After many births and deaths, he who is actually wise surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” Again Krishna uses the word mahatma, great soul. So these are not ordinary boys and girls, our devotees, that you have met, no. They are to be considered as actually wise, great souls, because they have experienced in so many births the miserable disease of material life and they have become disgusted. Therefore they are seeking higher knowledge, something better, and when they find Krishna and surrender unto Him, they become mahatma, actually in knowledge. This material world is just like a prison-house, a punishing place just to bring us to that point of becoming disgusted and surrendering at last to Krishna, going back to my original mature of eternal life of bliss and complete knowledge. So these devotees, that is their credit, they have done what is “very rare” amongst all men in the human society, sudurlabhah, very rare.
So after surrendering to Krishna, that will be the final receptable for investing his love: in God. If somehow or other anyone develops their dormant love of God–love of god is present there in everyone, just like fire is there in the unlit match, covered-over–if Krishna becomes the Supreme Adorable Objectality, the Supreme Friend, the Supreme Master, the Supreme Lover–then, oh, he shall never again become disappointed or unhappy. Rather, because his loving propensity is rightfully placed,
mac-citta mad-gata-prana, bodhayantah parasparam
kathayantas ca mam nityam, tusyanti ca ramanti ca,
the devotee, one whose life is surrendered to Krishna, is always enjoying “great satisfaction and bliss” and he is constantly “enlightened”, always positive, not negative as you say. The advanced devotee is the friend of everyone: yoga-yukto visuddhatma, purified soul engaged in loving devotional service to Krishna, sarvabhutatmabhutatma, he is dear to everyone and everyone is dear to him; and in another place Krishna claims that: yo mad bhakta sa me priya, that His devotee who is very dear to Him, advesta sarva-bhutanam, maitah karuna eva ca, is not envious but is the kind friend to all living entities. The devotee is supposed to be, furthermore, equal to everyone, panditah sama-darsinah, never discriminating; this one good, this one bad, no.
So these are the descriptions of the more advanced stages of Krishna Consciousness devotees, when has got mature knowledge by development, and at present many of our students are young boys, they are learning gradually and the process is so effective, certain, and authorized that if they stick to it they will come to the right point, as you say, of loving. But that love is not material, that is our point, so it may not be judged on the on the false sentimental platform of ordinary mundane dealings. So to say they are not loving, that maybe true from the materialists point of view–they have given up affection for family, friends, wife, country, race, like that, all based upon the bodily concept of life or flickering sense-gratification–they have become little detached from Maya’s love, or lust, and they want Krishna’s love, or endless, full, rewarding love, but they have not yet developed to that point, that’s all and we cannot expect that all of a sudden, being addicted to so many bad habits, your countrymen, will give up eating flesh, taking intoxication, sex-life, and so many other nasty things, and become overnight great self-realized souls. That is not possible. That is utopian. Just becoming initiated as Krishna’s devotee puts him in the topmost category of human society: sa buddhiman manusyesu, sa yuktah krtsna-karma-krt: “he is intelligent among human society, he is in the transcendental position, although engaged in sorts of activities”. And such devotee, no matter he has not advanced yet to the highest level of spiritual understanding, still he is to be considered the most exalted personality never mind he has got any temporary frailties:
api cet suduracaro, bhajate mam ananya-bhak,
sadhur eva sa mantavyah, samyag vyavasito hi sah
“Even if a devotee commits the most abominable actions, he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated,” (B.G. 9,30). As you will say, “To err is human”, so in the neophyte stage we may always expect some discrepancies are there. Kindly see the things in this light and forgive their small mistakes. The big thing is they have given their life, everything to Krishna–that is never a mistake.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
[73-04-30]
About the Author
HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founded the Hare Krishna Movement in 1966 in New York. In only 11 years he spread the movement all over the world. He wrote more than 80 books including Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Sri Isopanisad. Prabhupada's books constitute a complete library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.
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“Anything material, as soon as there is some attachment, it will kick you upon the face, deteriorate, disappoint you–it’s bound to dissatisfy and frustrate you, that’s a fact.”
Hare Krishna Prabhu
Please accept my humble obeisnces
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Prabhu, does the struggle against material nature always go on even for pure devotees until they reach Krishna Loka or Vaikuntha?
No Prabhu. Pure devotees do not struggle against material nature. Pure devotees transcend material nature.
Hare Krishna!
The title and its message suggest that those who have negative approach to life and this world are devotees of Krishna…
Does it mean those who see God as perfect and complete and everything that comes from God is also perfect and complete, even this material world, are not devotees of God?
Does it mean that those who see this world as a perfect opportunity given to them by Krishna to purify themselves, are not devotees of Krishna?
Does it mean that those who see everything is happening perfectly under the supervision of Krishna and that not a blade of grass moves without His consent, are not devotees of Krishna?
Does it mean that those who have a positive approach to life even though Krishna describes this world as Dukhalayam, are not devotees of Krishna?
Does it mean that those who spread joy and love in the hearts of all those lives they touch are not devotees of Krishna?
Hare Krishna!
Hare Krishna Mahesh
Devotees are realists. They know the true nature of the material world. Devotees know that things are going on in the material world, not according to the desire of Krishna, but according to our desires. That is the problem with the material world. Things are NOT going on in the material world according to Krishna’s desires.
We are all individual parts and parcels of Krishna. Krishna is unlimitedly great and we are unlimitedly small. Still we are made from the same substance as Krishna and we have all the same qualities as Krishna. But Krishna is like the ocean and we are like a tiny drop.
So we have all misused our independence and come here to the material world to try and imitate Krishna. So here you find everyone is trying to become the lord and master. Everyone is trying to become the boss. It is hellish. And everything here in the material world is only a perverted reflection of the original pure thing in the spiritual world.
Yes, it is true that nothing happens in the material world without Krishna’s sanction. But you have change the word to Krishna’s consent. You are saying that Krishna is giving his blessings to what is happening in the material world. But that is not true. Krishna does not like what is happening in the material world. Yes Krishna gives His sanction, but He doesn’t like it. It is like a child who wants to put his hand in the moving fan and asks his father, “can I do it, I want to do it, I must do it”. So father does not want his child to put his hand in the fan because it will hurt the child’s hand. But child is bothering the father “let me do it, let me put my hand in the fan…” So father puts the fan on low speed and says “OK son, put your hand in the fan…” and son puts his hand in the fan and it hurts and he understands why his father did not want him to put his hand in the fan…
Anyhow the point is you do not understand the nature of the material world and you do not know what a devotee is. A devotee is not in the material world, he has nothing to do with the material world. He is encouraging others also to become detached from the material world and enter into the spiritual world, he wants to take everyone back home back to Godhead.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Prabhu
“Anyhow the point is you do not understand the nature of the material world and you do not know what a devotee is”
Don’t you think this sounds very arrogant? Where is the kindness for all living beings or main aim here is to prove who is right but isn’t that an ego game?
Hare Krishna Gauri
You need to read the question I was answering also. The person who wrote the question was confused:
This is not the vision of a devotee. This is the vision of an impersonalist or a mayavadi.
Sure we know that God is perfect and complete. But that does not mean that everything that comes from God is also perfect and complete. That is not the vision of a devotee, that is the vision of a mayavadi.
The material world, which comes from God, is not perfect and complete. Far from it. The material world is a perverted reflection of the spiritual world. The real substance that we are looking for, real happiness, real love, eternal life, real pleasure, does not exist in the material world.
So as Srila Prabhupada affirms in the article, devotees do have a negative outlook on the material world.
Devotees know there is no happiness in the material world. Actual devotees are not in the material world, they elevate their consciousness the spiritual, transcendental platform, thus transcending the material world.
So the commentor is very confused and is speaking rubbish.
He has no idea what is a devotee, what is Krishna consciousness and what the material world is…
HARE KRISHNA
Please assist me I have the pdf of SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM .please let me know if the TENTH CANTO was completed by Prabhupadas devotees after he passed on,because the third part of it is very small and I would like to read the remainder
It is pointless reading books that are not written / translated by authors who are not pure devotees of Krishna. They do not know Krishna themselves so they can not explain Krishna to you.
So get Prabhupada’s Sri Caitanya-caritamrta and read that. Do not go outside reading Srila Prabhupada’s books otherwise you will be lost.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Truly a negative place! And Maya’s always trying to make us a part of it by showing things which shine like diamond from outside but hollow inside. But Krishna consciousness is total opposite, seems to be like simple but has great jewels inside! The jewels which can’t be found in this hollow material world and the things which it offers for sense gratification.
And “love” here, truly, right said by prabhupaad is lust but nothing else, and that lust (sense gratification) is not only present in the face of sexual attraction but many many things like non sense talks (gossip) which are without Krishna, mundane activities like earning more money than required and thousands of stuff like this, which Maya has for us in her store.
But Krishna’s store has much better quality and quantity of things which last forever!!!
So its always a better option to choose Krishna’s store which is doing less advertisement but giving good stuff and simply ignore Maya’s store whose advertisement is great but everything available is hollow!
Hari bol!
Harekrishna Prabhu jI
i have some doubts about illicit sex.What is illicit sex?How one can do the sex with his wife.Could you please discuss in detail about this.
Sex is for having children in marriage. So any sex which is not meant for having children in marriage is illicit sex.
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
Do our material problems get solved by chanting Hare Krishna? some suggest we have to approach powerful astrologers and they will suggest some pujas of different Gods which will solve our problem, so that we can proceed in our devotional life.. please suggest.
Krishna is far more powerful than any astrologer. He can solve any problems. There is a verse: akarma sarvar karma va muksha karma udare di tivrena Bhakti yogena. It means that no matter what you want the best thing is to ask Krishna for it. There are three classes of men mentioned here. Akarma is the devotees, they have no desire for their own benefit, they only desire to serve Krishna. Sarvakarma is the materialilists, they are full of material desires and it is recommended that they also worship Krishna for this. The other class of men is mokshakarma. These are the people who desire liberation. They realize there is no happiness ultimately in the material world so they are working to get liberation.
So no matter what you want the best way to achieve it is by worshipping Krishna.
But this idea of solving your material problems is not possible. The only sollution to material problems is becoming Krishna conscious. That is the solution. We have to train ourselves so that we always remember Krishna and never forget Krishna so that at the time of death we will remember Krishna and Krishna promises that “Anyone who remembers Me at the time of death will come to Me.”
So the only solution to material problems is to leave the material world and go back home back to Godhead.
You will never find anyone who has solved their problems in the material world. It is just not possible.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Hare krishna prabhuji,,,
kindly help out this situation …………
Prabhu im having some of the doubts, so kindly please reply me to this mail…..
prabhu ji one year back im finished postgraduation M.C.A in india from one year im not trying seriously about job.. from august 1 2010 im turned into Krsna’s devotee.. im so much attracted to Iskcon and our guruji preaches.. from that day till now im daily going to krishna temple and i read min of 10 books of prabhupada and im now studying geeta in 6 chapter… prabhu ji im so much enjoying now with these… recently i came to malaysia to job searching…. im frankly saying that im believing krsna now more and more… im trying to remember him always by god grace im able to do so….
Only in 3 months i felt that some thing is achieved by me…. I came to malaysia bcoz of trust on supreme.. daily im chanting 6 rounds a day .. and im very happy when he is in my heart and im enjoyed some times im getting cry and i think he is gone away from me y prabhu?
And im not able to read my books im intreasted to read always regarding krsna only….. sometimes im getting doubt that can i get the job or not? tell me prabhu…..
I dnt know what to do? in my mind im thinking that i dnt want to do any thing just i want to remember krsna 24 hrs a day….. and from yesterday 7 Nov Damodara masam which was very liked by krsna im offering Ghee deepam in earlymorning before sunrise…..
Let me know onething prabhuji,,,, if we pray krsna perfectly with pure love and remembering him always then we get liberation only after death or we may get jobs and small desires of money but not to buy cars flots and etc money for need he ll provide everything for his devootees ah in this material world….. I know liberation is the highest taste by comparing with this remaining all are waste, but we have live in this world so im asking prabhu….
And im sure that my life ambition is to construct a temple for krsna in my small village after 20 yrs (now im 24 yrs old) by god grace and i want to live in that..
First of all i want to be a life member of ISKCON and i want provide money for rice prasad for atleast oneday per month in hyderabad iskcon temple.. i want to by all krsna bigger images and arrange in my house for all these i need money thats it prabhu i dnt need cars and etc,..
But i believe that i may do that by krsna grace but i dnt know how? some times im thinking will krsna is with me always with me or not? If this thought in my mind im getting cry… pls krsna be with me…..
help me devotees of supreme
Kindly reply me pls prabhu…. im waiting
Hare krishna…
Hare Krishna Prabhu
Increase your chanting to 16 rounds a day minimum. That is your most important business. Continue your program of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books. You must read them all. And then start again and read them all again. And strictly follow the four regulative principles.
Do not be disturbed by the disturbing conditions you will always find in the world around you.
Simply go on with your business of Krishna consciousness and be a little detached.
If you are unsure what to do chant Hare Krishna more. Krishna is in your heart and the more you chant Hare Krishna the more you will be able to hear Him giving you the advice what to do.
Do not worry that you seem to have lost the taste for the chanting. It is a test. With the help of the knowledge we get from reading Srila Prabhupada’s books we must become convinced of the power of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra and we must continue chanting even if we are not feeling any benefit at all. There is a very strong benefit but we can not feel it because we are conditioned. The example is given that in the beginning material life is like nectar but then later it turns into poison. But spiritual life in the beginning seems like poison because we have to give up so many sense gratification activities and spend time chanting Hare Krishna when in the beginning we don’t have any attachment to chanting Hare Krishna. But if we are prepared to tolerate this “poison” of chanting Hare Krishna when we have no taste for it and following the regulative principles when we want to break them then that poison will soon turn into nectar. The dormant Krishna consciousness that is within our hearts will awaken and we will gradually become merged more and more into the ocean of transcendental bliss that is Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s sankirtan movement…
So chant Hare Krishna [at least 16 rounds a day] and be happy. Don’t worry about the other things…
why god creates human or other animals while creating this universe?means tell me stepwise explanation of creation of universe ,human beings,animals,etc & why?for what purpose is this creation? i am really confused?is that story of 1 man & 1woman ate fruit(apple)& did sex & thus further creation takes place true?please give me reply.harekrishna
Param Pujya Shree Madhudvisa Dasa,
Namaskar.
Ever since i was a small kid, i have always been disinterested in material things. Be it money, or acquiring wealth, love etc.
In fact i’am a celibate, and have always been one. The question then arises, what should be the driving force for my actions?
As all material worldly actions have a desire or results as the driving force.
Since material things or their acquisition never have interested me.
The Nishkam Karma thoery stated by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita helped me find a motivating factor for all my worldy actions.
I do work, yet i still feel emptiness within me.Like even after drinking water the thirst exists..
What is the reason for it?
Lord Kirshna has been kind enough to visit me in my dreams, i have seen him as a young man so beautiful, that can not be mentioned in words.His beauty surpasses all . Yet after seeing him in my dream on more than one occasion, a sense of blankness or emptiness prevails.
The thirst hasn’t been quenched yet,
I feel like a misfit in this Age of Kali.
Kindly guide me,
Regards & Love,
Akshay Kaul.
Namaste swamiji,
I read the topics related to soul in this website, which are very interesting. Could you please clarify my doubts?
Did God created Man only for the purpose of his satisfaction? If so for his satisfaction do we need to struggle so much in this material world?
If anyone do harm or kill any of our family members and say i am God you have to pray for me then should we have to blindly accept and pray him which is what happening in this material world? God is the one who is killing the man at his middle age, younger age and old age. But still we should pray him since he is God.
You may say if there is no death then it leads to nature imbalance. But he would have keep in such a way that after death the loved ones will take rebirth again in the same family, So that everyone will be happy that the departed soul is getting new and good body to enjoy in this material world again with us in the same family. Why man is not able to remember what happened to him after death that is after leaving the earth plane? Why it remained mystery to him? I mean not the previous births. If we remember atleast that then we will know today we are suffering in this material world because of our sins we did in previous births. After death based on our sins we will suffer at yamaloka then why again our life is based on our good and bad things did by us in previous births for which we have already struggled in yamalokam?
Can God create as many souls as we desired to give birth? What will happen to all these souls if the material world ends? From the parent soul if the child souls are born then in that case there won’t be rebirth?
There are so many people who would have done spiritual practice before death. Why can’t those souls help us to know what will happen after death in detail? Can we trace out our loved departed ones? Why for few Life span is less and few it is more?
If I would have asked any foolish questions with my ignorance please excuse me and please clear my questions as much as possible because I am struggling so much to get these answers. I will be very greatful to you if you could clarify my doubts?
HARI BOL
JAI ACHARYAS AND LORD
I WILL TRY TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS. I PRAY THAT WHATEVER I WRITE MUST BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH ACHARYAS AND SCRIPTURES.
1) Did God created Man only for the purpose of his satisfaction?
Ans: Yes, ofcourse. As we are parts and parcels of Krsna- The Supreme Lord, our eternal duty is to serve him, just like finger must serve stomach, then only it will be satisfied.
What is the duty of this finger? “Now I wish that you stand like this.” The finger is standing like this. It is executing my order. If I say, “Close,” finger immediately closed. So this is the duty
Lecture on BG 4.11-18 — Los Angeles, January 8, 1969: This is very easy to understand. Just like this finger is the part and parcel of your body. The hand is the part and parcel of your body. The leg is the part and parcel of your body. So we are all part and parcel of the Supreme. So what is our duty? What is the duty of this finger? “Now I wish that you stand like this.” The finger is standing like this. It is executing my order. If I say, “Close,” finger immediately closed. So this is the duty. If I am part and parcel of Krsna then what is my duty? My duty is to act what Krsna says, that’s all. That is my action. Without knowing this, whatever I do, that is perverted action. Just like in diseased condition this finger cannot act according to my order. “Oh, there is some pain. If I want to make it stand like that, oh, I feel pain,” because there is diseased condition. Similarly, when we do not act in Krsna consciousness that is our diseased condition of life. That is not normal condition. In normal condition we shall be all prepared to act in Krsna consciousness. That we should know. Then our action will be right.
Just like this finger is the part and parcel of my body. So what is the duty of the finger? I ask the finger, “Please come here.” It comes immediately. I ask the finger, “Come here.” So that means service
Lecture on SB 3.26.10 — Bombay, December 22, 1974: So what is the duty of the part and parcel? That is also very easy to understand. Just like this finger is the part and parcel of my body. So what is the duty of the finger? I ask the finger, “Please come here.” It comes immediately. I ask the finger, “Come here.” So that means service. Therefore part and parcel’s duty is… Just like in a office, if I say, “This man is one of our part,” or “one of my partner,” a partner means he is working for the same interest. That is partner. So similarly, we are part and parcel of Krsna — that means we must be partner of Krsna. And what Krsna wants? Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam [Bg. 18.66]. He wants. So as partner of Krsna, you should preach that “You surrender to Krsna.” That is your business.
2) If so for his satisfaction do we need to struggle so much in this material world?
Ans: No, we are suffering out of our own misuse of free will. Since we are parts and parcels of Lord Krsna, we possess minute independence. If we misuse it to live independent of Lord, we come to material world to enjoy separately. Actually, we suffer more and more. So, material nature’s business is to punish us who are rebellions. After many births in material bodies, one may get human body and then spirit soul may revive its eternal constitutional position.
BG 5.2, Purport:
“People are mad after sense gratification, and they do not know that this present body, which is full of miseries, is a result of one’s fruitive activities in the past. Although this body is temporary, it is always giving one trouble in many ways. Therefore, to act for sense gratification is not good. One is considered to be a failure in life as long as he makes no inquiry about his real identity. As long as he does not know his real identity, he has to work for fruitive results for sense gratification, and as long as one is engrossed in the consciousness of sense gratification one has to transmigrate from one body to another.
SB 4.24.28, Purport:
Being influenced by the three modes of material nature, the living entity tries to dominate material nature, but actually he is not the puruṣa (enjoyer) but prakṛti, as described in Bhagavad-gītā (7.5): apareyam itas tv anyāṁ prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām. Thus the jīva, or living entity, is actually prakṛti, or the marginal energy of the Supreme Lord. Being associated with material energy, he tries to lord it over the material nature. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (15.7):
mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke
jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi
prakṛti-sthāni karṣati
“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.”
By endeavoring to dominate material nature, the living entity simply struggles hard for existence. Indeed, he struggles so hard to enjoy himself that he cannot even enjoy the material resources.
3) If anyone do harm or kill any of our family members and say i am God you have to pray for me then should we have to blindly accept and pray him which is what happening in this material world? God is the one who is killing the man at his middle age, younger age and old age. But still we should pray him since he is God.
You may say if there is no death then it leads to nature imbalance. But he would have keep in such a way that after death the loved ones will take rebirth again in the same family, So that everyone will be happy that the departed soul is getting new and good body to enjoy in this material world again with us in the same family.
Ans: No. First of all you should know who is God or Supreme Lord.
The Sanskrit word bhagavān is explained by the great authority Parāśara Muni, the father of Vyāsadeva. The Supreme Personality who possesses all riches, all strength, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation is called Bhagavān.
BG 2.2, Purport:
The Sanskrit word bhagavān is explained by the great authority Parāśara Muni, the father of Vyāsadeva. The Supreme Personality who possesses all riches, all strength, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation is called Bhagavān. There are many persons who are very rich, very powerful, very beautiful, very famous, very learned, and very much detached, but no one can claim that he possesses all riches, all strength, etc., entirely. Only Kṛṣṇa can claim this because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No living entity, including Brahmā, Lord Śiva, or Nārāyaṇa, can possess opulences as fully as Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is concluded in the Brahma-saṁhitā by Lord Brahmā himself that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one is equal to or above Him. He is the primeval Lord, or Bhagavān, known as Govinda, and He is the supreme cause of all causes:
īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
“There are many personalities possessing the qualities of Bhagavān, but Kṛṣṇa is the supreme because none can excel Him. He is the Supreme Person, and His body is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. He is the primeval Lord Govinda and the cause of all causes.” (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.1)
So, only pseudo cheap gods will say to kill your family members.
The cause of all sufferings are we ourselves. We want to enjoy independent of God. If someone tells you to surrender, will you do? I can say No. Because we are revolting souls. Only by association of devotees, a fortunate soul is saved and begins devotional service.
SB 4.26.8, Purport:
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that the living entity, since time immemorial, is suffering the threefold miseries of material nature due to his demoniac attitude, which is his spirit of revolt against the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa also confirms this in Bhagavad-gītā (15.7):
mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke
jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi
prakṛti-sthāni karṣati
“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.” Every living entity is part and parcel of God. There is no reason for the living entity’s being put into the miserable threefold condition of material existence but that he voluntarily accepts material existence on the false pretext of becoming an enjoyer.
God, evil is created by God undoubtedly, but it is necessary on account of the human being misusing his free will. God gives him good direction but when he is disobedient, then naturally the evil power is there to punish him.
Philosophy Discussion on John Stuart Mill:
Hayagrīva: Mill concludes that the existence of evil in the universe, or what he considers to be evil, pain and death, excludes the existence of an omnipotent God. He sees man in a position to aid the intentions of providence by surmounting his evil instincts. So God is not all-powerful, infinite in His power. If He were, there would be no evil, according to Mill.
Prabhupāda: No. God, evil is created by God undoubtedly, but the, it was necessary on account of the human being as, misuse of his free will. God gives him good direction but when he is disobedient, then naturally the evil power is there to punish him. Therefore the evil is not created by God but still it is created. It is necessary. Just like the government constructs the prison house. So this prison house creation is not the government’s intention. Government wants that university is sufficient, people may be educated and highly enlightened, but because some, not all, misuses the independence, little independence, he creates evil circumstances, and he is compulsorily put into the prison house. Similarly, we suffer on account of our own evil activities but God, being Supreme, He punishes us for our evil activities. For God there isn’t… When we are under the protection of God, there is nothing evil, only good thing. There is no evil. So God does not create evil but man’s evil activities obliges God to create an evil situation.
You may ask why God has given us free will?
If you have no free will, then you are a stone. The stone has no free will. You want to be stone? Then you must be, must have free will. But don’t misuse your free will.
Lecture on BG 15.15 — August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):
Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda? Why God gave to man free will if He knew the man would fall down in the material world?
Prabhupāda: If you have no free will, then you are a stone. The stone has no free will. You want to be stone? Then you must be, must have free will. But don’t misuse your free will. But don’t try to become stone. That is not life.
Kṛṣṇa’s mercy is always there. It is your misuse of free will. You are given the opportunity—that is fortune. But you do not accept the fortune. That is your misfortune.
Morning Walk — May 10, 1975, Perth:
Amogha: Śrīla Prabhupāda? Why is it that some people, when they hear about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they take it, and some do not. And still, after that, some of those who take it, they stay, and some who take it take it for some time and then they fail?
Prabhupāda: That is fortunate and unfortunate. Just like one inherits father’s property. Many millions of dollars, and he has become a poor man by his misusing the money. Like that. He is unfortunate. He got the money, but he could not utilize it.
Jayadharma: Does fortune mean it’s the mercy of Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa’s mercy is always there. It is your misuse of free will. You are given the opportunity—that is fortune. But you do not accept the fortune. That is your misfortune. That is stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛita. Lord Caitanya said, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). Kono—some fortunate man can accept it. Because mostly they are unfortunate. Just see, throughout the whole of Europe and America we are making propaganda. How many students have come? A very insignificant number, although they have come. They are fortunate.
Moreover, the enjoyment that you have with family is temporary, joyless and in ignorance.
4) Why man is not able to remember what happened to him after death that is after leaving the earth plane? Why it remained mystery to him? I mean not the previous births. If we remember atleast that then we will know today we are suffering in this material world because of our sins we did in previous births. After death based on our sins we will suffer at yamaloka then why again our life is based on our good and bad things did by us in previous births for which we have already struggled in yamalokam?
BG 15.15, Translation and Purport:
I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.
The Supreme Lord is situated as Paramātmā in everyone’s heart, and it is from Him that all activities are initiated. The living entity forgets everything of his past life, but he has to act according to the direction of the Supreme Lord, who is witness to all his work. Therefore he begins his work according to his past deeds. Required knowledge is supplied to him, and remembrance is given to him, and he forgets, also, about his past life.
The living entity forgets as soon as he quits his present body, but he begins his work again, initiated by the Supreme Lord. Although he forgets, the Lord gives him the intelligence to renew his work where he ended his last life. So not only does a living entity enjoy or suffer in this world according to the dictation from the Supreme Lord situated locally in the heart, but he receives the opportunity to understand the Vedas from Him. If one is serious about understanding the Vedic knowledge, then Kṛṣṇa gives the required intelligence. Why does He present the Vedic knowledge for understanding? Because a living entity individually needs to understand Kṛṣṇa. Vedic literature confirms this: yo ‘sau sarvair vedair gīyate. In all Vedic literature, beginning from the four Vedas, Vedānta-sūtra and the Upaniṣads and Purāṇas, the glories of the Supreme Lord are celebrated. By performance of Vedic rituals, discussion of the Vedic philosophy and worship of the Lord in devotional service, He is attained. Therefore the purpose of the Vedas is to understand Kṛṣṇa. The Vedas give us direction by which to understand Kṛṣṇa and the process of realizing Him. The ultimate goal is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Vedānta-sūtra (1.1.4) confirms this in the following words: tat tu samanvayāt. One can attain perfection in three stages. By understanding Vedic literature one can understand his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by performing the different processes one can approach Him, and at the end one can attain the supreme goal, who is no other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this verse the purpose of the Vedas, the understanding of the Vedas, and the goal of the Vedas are clearly defined.
Krsna is so kind that he makes us forget our past life. Because if we remember how sinful we were, we would not be able to enjoy in this world. We have come here for sense and mental gratification and Lord does not want us to keep trying for it. But he sends his devotees to inform us that we can never be happy here in miserable world.
5) Can God create as many souls as we desired to give birth? What will happen to all these souls if the material world ends? From the parent soul if the child souls are born then in that case there won’t be rebirth?
Soul is never born and never dies. It exists simultaneously with Supreme Lord. Material world will never end, it simply disappears. But we have to escape this place for spiritual world.
6) There are so many people who would have done spiritual practice before death. Why can’t those souls help us to know what will happen after death in detail? Can we trace out our loved departed ones? Why for few Life span is less and few it is more?
Whatever will happen after death depends on Karma. But however good-bad your karma may be, you will never get liberated by getting entangled in cycle of karma. Life span is also dependent on destiny(breaths are fixed) but Krsna, The Lord can change it to let us depart for Kingdom of God.
MATA JI! I WOULD RECOMMEND YOU TO READ BOOKS OF HIS DIVINE GRACE A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI PRABHUPADA AT http://www.prabhupadabooks.com .
Glories to Lord, Acharyas, Scriptures, Bhakti Devi and Lord’s energies
very nive ,thank you very much i got so much hope by this