Inquiries into the Absolute: Digest 65

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Digest 65, July 29th, 2003

Answers by His Holiness Romapada Swami Maharaja

*** You are welcome to send in your questions to HH Romapada Swami at

iskcon_dc with the word "Question" in the subject.

 

Liberation

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Q 1)

First of all, thank you for your sanga and your potent enlightening

answers. We have heard that the human form is the most valuable one and

that only out of human form can the living beings go back home, back to

Krishna. Does this refer also to the great sages and demigods? Do they

also fall down on the earth in drops of rain, attain human bodies and

out of them go back home when they also finish the process of bhakti

yoga?

 

Is it only through the human form that the living entities can go back

home also out of the bodies of animals (from Vrndavan) or if they attain

the association of pure Vaisnavas (like a dog in lord Caitanyas lila).

We thank you very much in advance for your answer and pray that you are

well.

 

Answer)

Thank you very much for your kind words and your well-wishing prayers!

 

There is no rule that souls embodied in other forms of life cannot go

back to Godhead, but it doesn't happen that way generally because of the

strongly pervasive mood of enjoyment of the superior pleasures of heaven

that most of its inhabitants are preoccupied with, or in activities of

ignorance, in the case of lower life forms like animals. It is the human

form of life that provides the greatest impetus and facility for

spiritual pursuit; other forms of life are designed for other purposes.

 

There are examples of great sages ascending through all the higher planets

up to Brahma-loka and being completely purified, they along with Brahma,

directly return back to Godhead from Satyaloka, at the time of universal

annihilation. Again, in some instances greatly advanced souls may take

one last birth in a lower body due to some residual sinful reactions or

offenses, before they return back to Godhead, as said about the animals

in Vrndavan, or as we see in the history of Gajendra. Instances such as

Sivananda's dog being delivered and Gajendra's being liberated are rare.

Regardless of the external situation, however, as soon as one revives

their original spiritual consciousness, they are immediately in the

kingdom of God.

 

Q 2)

We hear cases of dogs or fish taking four-handed forms and going to the

spiritual world when devotees gave them some prasadam. Then why is it

that the human form of life is considered more valuable? Devotees could

bless everyone to become fish and give them prasadam.

 

Answer)

Certainly one pure devotee is capable of delivering all living

entities; yet although they are freely distributing their mercy, only

the qualified recipients derive the full benefit. Prabhupada explains

that while the sun is distributing its rays everywhere, the blind man

is unable to receive those rays.

 

This qualification for receiving descending mercy is not to be calculated

in material terms, but based on our faith and great eagerness to achieve

that mercy. All of our sincere devotional efforts, sadhana, and execution

of duties is simply to attract that mercy, or more precisely to make

ourselves eligible to receive that mercy. Work AND grace - both are

necessary.

 

One references which you perhaps have previously heard relates an incident

wherein some fish that had eaten the remnants of Ramanujacarya attained

four-handed forms and ascended to the sky. It is said that his disciples

then inquired of him how the fish could have attained such a destiny,

while they themselves having honored his remnants many times have not yet

attained such perfection. Ramanujacarya replied that because the disciples

did not yet have complete faith, they committed offenses by discriminating

and making material judgements about prasadam, and thus could not

experience the potency of the prasadam, while the fish were not guilty of

any such offense. This is not to say that animals, being ignorant, have a

better chance than human beings. Rather such pastimes go to illustrate the

efficacy of transcendental association in a simple heart, while those

lacking such simplicity and faith, even though more qualified by our human

estimation in austerity, knowledge, piety etc are bereft of such grace if

they failed to guard themselves from offenses.

 

Sometimes an honorary doctorate may be awarded to an illiterate person for

their exceptional qualifications, but this doesn't minimize the need for

other students to apply themselves ever-so-diligently to their studies.

 

Q 3)

It is said that 7 generations up and down get liberated when a pure

devotee is born in that family or if a family member has perfected himself

at the end of life. Also we hear that one cannot go back to godhead unless

he has fully surrendered and achieved love of Krishna. What happens when

the people in that family are not devoted? We can take Srila Prabhupada's

family as an example. Please explain.

 

Answer:

There is a distinction between `attaining liberation' and `going back to

Godhead, or achieving love of Krishna.' The freewill of a living entity

is never interfered with, and as long as one maintains aversion to

Krishna, one cannot enter the spiritual world.

 

Srila Prabhupada answered this specific question by explaining that

the 'type of liberation achieved by those related to devotees is that

they are given the direct opportunity to engage in devotional service

in their next life.' The understanding offered by Srila Prabhupada was

that the rendering of devotional service is itself on the liberated

platform; however, one may or may not favorably accept that opportunity.

 

The family members of a pure devotee are greatly benefited and purified

by that connection; the Lord arranges to extend to them the opportunity

to become free from all their past sinful actions, simply out of his

unlimited love for his beloved devotee and anyone connected to them.

Opportunity is provided for spiritual progress and in such an elevated

state of purity and liberation from material reactions, they may (or may

not) become more favorably disposed towards devotional service based on

that living entity's own free will.

 

One such example was the son-in-law of Sarvabauma Bhattacarya, Amogha.

 

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Aug 01 2003, Friday Disappearance Sri Raghunandana Thakura

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