If KRSNA is full of compassion, why did he place us in illusion in the first place??

krsna · May 25, 2007

BY: NAVA JAUVANA DASA

Questions of Illusion and Love

May 24, INDIA (SUN) —

So the question comes up, from reading Bhagavad-gita 7.14, if God is full of compassion, ready to release us from illusion, why did he place us in illusion in the first place? This is an important question.

I read that a well known author, a contemporary English atheist, was recently persuaded thru logic of the existence of God. This caused a big shock in atheist circles. The converted atheist said, ‘God exists, I cannot deny it, but He must be an evil being.’

This gentleman was being sincere in his understanding, or misunderstanding, based on his observations of nature. But this only underscores the problems we have in trying to understand God from the human platform. We are here in the material world of physical and mental laws (including the duality of good and evil) due to our being ignorant of the higher laws of divine love. Ignorance is the cause of our illusion, not God. Shadow is the cause of darkness, not light.

The illusion of being independent and free is a symptom of our ignorance. How can we be free or independent when we are completely controlled by nature in the form of time, space, the senses, birth and death? The same nature that controls us also supports our illusion.

But God is not being cruel by placing us in illusion. He is only fulfilling our own misguided desires. He does not impose illusion on us. We impose it on ourselves thru our own karma. He facilitates us to experience our karma by providing the grand illusion of this material world. And he gives us the chance to clear our karma by sending us agents from the world of divine love. :pray:

krsna · May 25, 2007

A relaxing walk across the country

By Liz Gould

On May 14, Bhaktimarga Swami passed through Dryden, on foot. The Hindu Monk, who is on his third walk across Canada, is not walking for money, but as a way to wind-down.

“In India, when a man is 50-60 years old, he normally does something downscale. Walking is a nice way to become inspired, as well as inspire others, ” said Swami.

Swami, formerly John Peter Vis, was born as a Catholic, and grew up on a farm in Chatham, Ontario.

In the late ’60’s, India became a very popular culture with many celebrities. During that time, Swami developed an interest in the Indian lifestyle, as well as the music.

“I became attracted to this lifestyle and enrolled as a monk in the Hare Krishna movement back in ‘73 when it was hip to be radical, daring and different,” explains Swami in his Canwalk 2006 brochure.

The first time Swami walked across the country, he started in Victoria, BC and zigzagged through Southern Ontario. Once reaching the East Coast, Swami turned around and walked back.

“It takes about six months to walk across the country,” said Swami. “I walk about 40-45 km each day.”

Depending on the season, Swami can walk eight to nine hours a day, starting at 4 a.m.

Though Swami walks most of the journey alone, a support team follows him, checking in every few hours to make sure he’s ok.

While walking, Swami carries nothing but meditation beads. Swami says a chant for each bead, 180 in total.

“The chant is a prayer. It’s my way of asking the creator to allow me to do something for him.”

Swami considers himself as a very “patriotic monk,” which is one of the reasons why he chose to walk across Canada.

“Walking is a great opportunity for me to see our country’s beautiful and diverse landscape. It’s also an opportunity for me to interact with the different cultures and the different people who live in Canada.”

Laulyam · May 25, 2007

Vrajanatha: Prabhu, I understand that this marginal position is situated in tatastha-svabhava, or junction, of the spiritual and material worlds. Why is it that some jivas go from there to the material world, while others go to the spiritual world?

Babaji: Krsna’s qualities are also present in the jivas, but only in a minute quantity. Krsna is supremely independent, so the desire to be independent is eternally present in the jivas as well. When the jiva uses his independence correctly, he remains disposed towards Krsna, but when he misuses it, he becomes vimukha (indifferent) to Him. It is just this indifference that gives rise to the desire in the jiva’s heart to enjoy maya. Because of the desire to enjoy maya, he develops the false ego that he can enjoy material sense gratification, and then the five types of ignorance – tamah (not knowing anything about the spirit soul), moha (the illusion of the bodily concept of life), maha-moha (madness for material enjoyment), tamisra (forgetfulness of one’s constitutional position due to anger or envy) and andha-tamisra (considering death to be the ultimate end) – cover his pure, atomic nature. Our liberation or subjugation simply depends on whether we use our minute independence properly, or misuse it.

Vrajanatha: Krsna is karunamaya (full of mercy), so why did He make the jiva so weak that he became entangled in maya?

Babaji: It is true that Krsna is karunamaya, overflowing with mercy, however, He is also lilamaya, overflowing with desire to perform pastimes. Desiring various pastimes to be enacted in different situations, Sri Krsna made the jiva’s eligable for all conditions, from the marginal state to the highest state of mahabhava. And to facilitate the jiva’s progressing practically and steadfastly towards becoming qualified for Krsna’s service, He has also created the lower levels of material existence, beginning from the lowest inert matter up to ahankara, which are the cause of unlimited obstruction in attaining paramananda. Having fallen from their constitutional position, the jivas who are entangled in maya are indifferent to Krsna and engrossed in personal sense gratification. However, Sri Krsna is the reservoir of mercy. The more the jiva becomes fallen, the more Krsna provides him with opportunities to attain the highest spiritual perfection. He brings this about by appearing before him along with His spiritual dhama and His eternal associates. Those jivas who take advantage of this merciful opportunity and sincerely endeavor to attain the higher position gradually reach the spiritual world and attain a state similar to that of Sri Hari’s eternal associates.

Vrajanatha: Why must the jivas suffer for the sake of Bhagavan’s pastimes?

Babaji: The jivas possess some independence. This is actually a sign of Bhagavan’s special mercy upon them. Inert objects are very insignificant and worthless because they have no such independent desire. The jiva has attained sovereignty of the inert world only because of his independent desire.

Misery and happiness are conditions of the mind. Thus what we may consider misery is happiness for one engrossed in it. Since all varieties of material sense gratification finally result in nothing but misery, a materialistic person only achieves suffering. When that suffering becomes excessive, it gives rise to a search for happiness. From that desire, discrimination arises, and from discrimination, the tendency for inquiry is born. As a result of this, one attains sat-sanga (the association of saintly people), whereupon sraddha develops. When sraddha is born, the jiva ascends to a higher stage, namely the path of bhakti.

Gold is purified by heating and hammering. Being indifferent to Krsna, the jiva has become impure through engaging in mundane sense gratification. Therefore, he must be purified by being beaten with the hammers of misery on the anvil of this material world. By this process, the misery of the jivas averse to Krsna finally culminates in happiness. Suffering is therefore just a sign of Bhagavan’s mercy. That is why far sighted people see the suffering of jivas in Krsna’s pastimes as auspicious, though the near sighted can only see it as an inauspicious source of misery.

Vrajanatha: The jiva’s suffering in his conditioned state is ultimately auspicious, but in the present state it is very painful. Since Krsna is omnipotent, couldn’t He think of a less troublesome path?

Babaji: Krsna’s lila is extremely wonderful and of many varieties; this is also one of them. If Bhagavan is independent and almighty, and performs all kinds of pastimes, why should this be the only pastime that He neglects? No pastime can be rejected if there is to be full variety. Besides, the participants in other types of pastimes also must accept some sort of suffering. Sri Krsna is the enjoyer (purusa) and the active agent (karta). All ingredients and paraphernalia are controlled by His desire and subject to His activities. It is natural to experience some suffering when one is controlled by the desire of the agent. However, if that suffering brings pleasure in the end, it is not true suffering. How can you call it suffering? The so-called suffering that one undergoes in order to nourish and support Krsna’s pastimes is actually a source of delight. The jiva’s independent desire has caused him to abandon the pleasure of serving Krsna, and instead accept suffering in maya. This is the jiva’s fault, not Krsna’s.

Vrajanatha: What harm would there have been if the jiva had not been given independent desire? Krsna is omniscient, and He gave this independence to the jivas, even though He knew that they would suffer on account of it, so isn’t He responsible for the jiva’s suffering?

Babaji: Independence is a precious jewel, in the absence of which inert objects are insignificant and worthless. If the jiva had not received independence, he would also have become as insignificant and worthless as the material objects. The jiva is an atomic, spiritual entity, so he must certainly have all the qualities of spiritual objects. The only difference is that Bhagavan, who is the complete spiritual object, possesses all these qualities in full, whereas the jiva only has them to a very minute degree. Independence is a distinctive quality of the spiritual object, and an object’s inherent quality cannot be separated from the object itself. Consequently, the jiva also has this quality of independence, but only to a very minute degree, because he is atomic. It is only because of this independence that the jiva is the supreme object in the material world, and the lord of creation.

The independent jiva is a beloved servant of Krsna, and thus Krsna is kind and compassionate towards him. Seeing the misfortune of the jiva, as he misuses his independence and becomes attached to maya, He chases after him, weeping and weeping, and appears in the material world to deliver him. Sri Krsna, the ocean of compassion, His heart melting with mercy for the jivas, manifests His acintya-lila in the material world, thinking that His appearance will enable the jiva to see His nectarean pastimes. However, the jiva does not understand the truth about Krsna’s pastimes, even after being showered by so much mercy, so Krsna then descends in Sri Navadvipa in the form of guru. He personally describes the supreme process of chanting His name, form, qualities and pastimes, and personally instructs and inspires the jivas to take to this path by practicing it Himself. Baba, how can you accuse Krsna of being at fault in any way when He is so merciful? His mercy is unlimited, but our misfortune is lamentable.

Vrajanatha: Is maya-sakti the cause of our misfortune then? Would the jivas have had to suffer like this if the omnipotent and omniscient Sri Krsna had kept maya away from them?

Babaji: Maya is a reflected transformation of Krsna’s internal potency, svarupa-sakti, and it is like a fiery furnace where the jivas who are not qualified for Krsna’s seva are chastized and made fit for the spiritual world. Maya is Krsna’s maidservant. In order to purify the jivas who have turned against Krsna, she punishes them, gives appropriate therapy, and purifies them. The infinitesimal jiva has forgotten that he is an eternal servant of Krsna, and for this offense, maya, taking the form of a witch (pisaci), punishes him. This material world is like a jail, and maya is the jailer who imprisons the estranged jivas and punishes them. A king constructs a prison for the benefit of his subjects, and in the same way, Bhagavan has shown His immense mercy towards the jivas by making this prison-like material world and appointing maya as its custodian. Vrajanatha: If this material world is a prison, it also requires some suitable shackles. What are they?

Babaji: Maya incarcerates the offensive jivas with three types of shackles: those made of goodness (sattva-guna), those made of passion (rajo-guna), and those made of ignorance (tamo-guna). These fetters bind the jiva, whether his inclination is tamasika, rajasika, or even sattvika. Shackles may be made of different metals such as gold, silver or iron – but that makes no difference to the pain of being bound by them.

Vrajanatha: How can the shackles of maya bind the atomic, conscious

jivas?

Babaji: Objects of this material world cannot touch spiritual objects. However, as soon as the jiva develops the conception that he is an enjoyer of maya, his atomic, spiritual form is covered by the subtle body made of false ego. That is how the shackles of maya bind his legs. The jivas having a sattvika ego reside in the higher planets and are called devatas; their legs are bound by sattvika shackles made of gold. The rajasika-jivas have a mixture of the propensities of the devatas and of the human beings, and they are confined in rajasika shackles made of silver. And the tamasika jivas, who are mad to taste jadananda (bliss derived from dull matter), are bound in tamasika iron shackles. Once the jivas are bound in these shackles, they cannot leave the prison. Even though they suffer various types of miseries, they remain in captivity.