Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.41 – March 19, 1976, Māyāpur

Is God Unkind

Anantaram Sastriji: [chants mantras]

My spiritual master is the embodiment of unlimited loving ecstasy for the son of Saci. I have been blessed by your nectarean mercy. You are an unlimited ocean of mercy. I beg shelter and service to your lotus feet for ever. [Prayer to Prabhupada composed by Anantaram Sastriji.]

Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. [Prabhupada and devotees repeat] Srimad-Bhagavatam, 7.9.41 [chants verse; Prabhupada and devotees respond; Prabhupada corrects some pronunciation] [break]

Pusta Krsna: Translation: "My dear Lord, You are transcendentally situated on the other side of the river of death. We are suffering on this side of the river of death on account of the resultant action of our own activities and have thus fallen in this river. We are suffering the pangs of repeated birth, death and awful arrangements. Not only me, but on behalf of all others in suffering conditions, kindly see upon them and out of Your causeless mercy and compassion deliver us and thus maintain us."

So this is our material condition of life. Prahlada Maharaja is describing one after another. So sometimes foolish person accuse God that "Why He has put us into this miserable condition, different states..., status of life? Somebody is rich, somebody is poor, somebody is diseased, somebody is healthy, and so many varieties." Bhaktivinoda Thakura has said, kesava tuya jagata vicitra. Vicitra [Saranagati, Pratikulya-varjana, song 25, text 1] means "varieties." "So if God is kind, why He has made so many varieties?" This is not the common question you meet? You are preaching. They inquire like this, hmm: "Why God is not kind to everyone? Why He has made this distinction?"

So this is not God's creation. We should know that it is my creation. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja said, evam sva-karma-patitam. Just like a man is condemned to death. In the court the judge gives the judgment that "This murderer should be hanged." So it is not the judge that he is giving order to the murderer to be hanged. It is the murderer who has created his situation to be hanged. This is to be understood. Not that the judge is partial, he's giving order to somebody that he must get decree for two millions of dollars, "He must have it," and another man is condemned to death. It is not that the judge is partial, he's giving somebody two millions of dollars and somebody is ordered to be hanged. The judge is impartial. Ye yatha mam prapadyante tams... [Bg 4.11]. Karmana daiva-netrena [SB 3.31.1].

This is the version. We act according to our whims, and the resultant action is there immediately. The nature's law, God's law, is there. We have got experience that if we infect some disease, contaminous disease, then we must suffer from that disease. So it is not God's creation that somebody is suffering from some painful condition and somebody is enjoying. No. We infect ourself with some contamination because this world, this material world, is full of contamination. Full of contamination. Just like when there is epidemic, the whole situation is contaminous. Therefore one has to take vaccine injection to protect himself. So anyone who has come to this material world must know that he has come in a place which is a place of epidemic. So you must have to remain very cautious. Otherwise you will have to suffer.

So in different ages, in different time, different types of medicines and vaccines are recommended, but in this age, Kali, it is so dangerously contaminous that no other process of medicine will act. Which is...? What is, then, the rescue? The only medicine is harer nama. Therefore Krsna..., Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, harer nama harer nama harer nama eva kevalam, kalau...

Devotees: ...nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha.

Prabhupada: This is only medicine. To become free from the infection, this harer nama is the only medicine, bhavausadhi. [SB 10.1.4] Ausadhi means medicine. Pariksit Maharaja said harer nama, this chanting of Hare Krsna, is not meant for the conditioned soul, because as soon as one chants Hare Krsna maha-mantra, he immediately becomes free from the contaminous, contagious position. There is a verse, eka hari name yata papa hare, papi haye tata papa karibare nare. Once chanting of Hare Krsna mantra is so powerful that all the sinful reaction of life-immediately gone. You have read the life of Ajamila. He was very, very sinful. He committed so many sinful activities. But at the last moment he simply chanted "Narayana." Immediately he became free. Immediately Visnudūta came to rescue him from the hands of the Yamadūta. Just see what is the power of chanting the holy name of...

So this is fact, that if we chant Hare Krsna we immediately become free from all contamination of this material world-provided we don't commit it again. That is required, that... We finish all the resultant action of contamination of this material life, provided we remain without being fallen again. Therefore there is dasa-vidha-namaparadha. You know ten kinds of offenses. So if you chant Hare Krsna mantra being careful not to commit the ten kinds of offenses, then you are immediately liberated. The most dangerous offense is namnad balad yasya hi papa-buddhiḥ. [The seventh offense: to commit sinful activities on the strength of the holy name.] If we think that "I am so fortunate. I have got this hari-nama, and it can vanquish all kinds of sinful reaction. So very good instrument. So I go on committing all kinds of sinful activities and chant Hare Krsna. Then it will be neutralized," this is the most dangerous offense. Namnad balad yasya hi papa-buddhiḥ. "Because I am chant... I know that by chanting Hare Krsna I shall be free from all resultant action of sinful..., so let me go on, and throughout whole day I shall commit all kinds of sinful activities, and in the evening I shall chant Hare Krsna. Then everything will be finished." This rascaldom is very, very dangerous. We must be very careful. Don't take Hare Krsna mantra as an instrument to neutralize your sinful activities. Don't take it. It is a fact that as soon as you are initiated with Hare Krsna mantra, you become free, but don't commit it again. Ara nare bapa. [The Lord said, "Do not commit further sins. Jagai and Madhai replied: Never again, O Lord."] CB Madhya-khanḍa 13.225]

Just like Jagai-Madhai. Jagai-Madhai was most dangerously sinful persons, and they surrendered to Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You know the story, that he injured..., both the brothers injured Nityananda Prabhu. Still, Nityananda Prabhu was so persistent that He decided that "in spite of all the faults of these two persons, I shall deliver them." So when He was injured by these two brothers, so Caitanya Mahaprabhu became very, very angry, and He immediately called for His cakra to kill these sinners. But Nityananda Prabhu requested, "My dear Lord, in this incarnation You promised that You'll not take any weapon to kill. So don't kill them. Have mercy on them." This is Vaisnava. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu became pacified. In the meantime, these two brothers fell on the Caitanya Mahaprabhu's lotus feet: "Sir, excuse us and save us." In this way they became surrendered. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu made one condition, that "You have committed so many sinful activities. I shall excuse them immediately, provided you promise that you'll not commit again." This is initiation. This is called initiation, that to the spiritual master or Krsna we surrender. He immediately excuses all sinful reaction of life. But if we commit again and again, that is not very good proposal. By chanting Hare Krsna mantra we become immediately free, undoubtedly, but if we take it as an instrument for committing sinful activity, then the danger is very... Just like in the Christianity there is a process of confession?

Devotees: Yes.

Prabhupada: That throughout the whole week he'll commit all sinful activities, and on Sunday he'll simply agree, or..., what is called?

Devotee: Confess.

Prabhupada: That "I have committed," yes. "I have committed these sins, and give some fine." This process is not good. We should not do that, confession, "Yes, sir, I am..." I think in your country there was a movement, Moral Rearmament. Their process was that "You commit sinful activities, but you confess. Then it will be neutralized." That was their formula. But I don't think it was successful. It could not be successful. That is not possible. Process is that "By my karma I have become sinful. Now I have got the remedial measure, chanting of Hare Krsna, but I shall not commit again." Then he's successful. Then it is successful, immediately. Namnad balad... But we should not take advantage of this.

So here Prahlada Maharaja said, evam sva-karma-patitam: "By my own sinful activities I am now in this conditioned status of life, in this material world." It is not created by God. We create. Karmana daiva-netrena [SB 3.31.1]. God, or the supreme authority... Just like Yamaraja: he is there, representative of God. He gives his judgment, what kind of body I'll have to accept after death. So therefore this atheist class of men, they deny to accept the next birth. But that is not the fact. The next birth is there. The example is very nicely given by Krsna:

So if a child... Now there are so many boys. So if he says, "No, no, no. I'll not become a young man. I shall remain a child," that is not possible. He has to change his body. There is no question that he does not like to change his body. No, he must have. So similarly, this body, when it is finished, you may say that "I don't believe there is another body," but there is-"must"-exactly like that, that a young man, he may think, "This body is very nice. I am enjoying. I shall not become old man." No, you must become. That is the law of nature. You cannot say. Similarly, after death, when this body is finished, you must have another body. Tatha dehantara-praptiḥ. And who is speaking? The Supreme Lord, the Supreme Person, He is speaking, the supreme authority. And if you, by your ordinary reason, you try to understand that what is the law, a very simple example is given there. So there is life. You cannot deny it. There is life. Now, that life, that body, is not in your hand. At the present moment, when the life is there, you are very proud of your knowledge. You are very impudent to accept the existence of God. You can do that foolishly. But after death you are completely under the control of nature. That is. You cannot avoid. Just like when you are foolish, you can say, "I don't believe in the government's law. Whatever, I shall do." But when you are arrested, then everything is finished. Then simply slap and shoes, that's all.

So we are so foolish that we do not believe in the next life. That is simply foolishness. There is next life, especially when Krsna says. You can say, "We don't believe it." You don't believe or not believe, it doesn't matter. You are under the laws of nature. Prakrteḥ kriyamanani gunaiḥ karmani sarvasaḥ [Bg 3.27]. Karanam guna-sahgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yonisu [Bg 13.22], Krsna said. Why one has become nicely situated? Why one is situated, one man is..., one living entity is eating very nicely very nice foodstuff, and another animal is eating stool? This is not accidental. This is not accidental. Karmana daiva-netrena [SB 3.31.1].

Because one has acted in such a way that he has to eat stool, he must eat. But the maya, the illusory energy, is so clever that while the animal is eating stool, he's thinking, "I am enjoying heaven." This is called maya. So even by eating stool he's thinking that he is enjoying heavenly pleasure. Unless he's covered by that ignorance, he... If he remembers that "I was... In my previous life I was human being, and I was eating so nice foodstuff. Now I am obliged to eat stool," then he cannot prolong. That is called praksepatmika-sakti-maya. [Throwing potency of Maya. Paramatma-sandarbha 54] We forget. Forgetfulness.

So this forgetfulness is going on. Evam sva-karma-patitam bhava-vaitaranyam anyonya-janma marana. Here is again, anyonya-janma: "Not only this birth, but another birth, another birth, another birth." You cannot say that "This is the final" or "This is the beginning." No. That is not. Anyonya-janma-marana. In another body also there is birth and death. As in this body we have got birth and death, similarly, in another body also, either I take my birth as Lord Brahma or a small, insignificant ant, it doesn't matter. Any material body you take, there is birth and there is death. You may live... Just like we are human being; we may live for many years, hundred years, in comparison to the ant's life, and similarly, we may live hundred years, and Brahma is living for millions of years. So it does not mean there is no death. Death must be there. One who has taken birth, he must die. The janma-marana. And as soon as you take birth, the all the material conditions, tri-tapa-yatana-adhyatmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika-you have to accept. There is no rescue. As soon as you take birth, janma-marana, jara... Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi [Bg 13.9]. As soon as you take birth, then you have to take jara, old age; and vyadhi, and disease; and last, marana. [death]

So we do not understand this. This is called ignorance, foolishness. Prahlada Maharaja, Vaisnava, he understands this, that "I am fallen in this miserable condition," evam sva-karma-patitam, "by my own activities. Not only I; everyone in this material..." That we should know. Don't think that "He's suffering. I am enjoying." I am also suffering. If I am not suffering now, I will have to suffer. Suffering must be there. This world is meant for suffering. Duḥkhalayam asasvatam [Bg 8.15], Krsna says.

"This is a place for suffering." You cannot enjoy. That is not possible. Duḥkhalayam asasvatam, napnuvanti mahatmanaḥ samsiddhim paramam gataḥ [Bg 8.15]. So unless you attain the complete perfection of life, samsiddhim paramam, there is no question of stopping your miserable condition of life. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja said, pasyan janam sva-para-vigraha-vaira-maitram. And in each and every life there will be this distinction, "This is mine, and this is your," "You are my friend" or "You are my enemy" and "I am your friend. I am..." This contradiction will go on. You cannot... Therefore you see the whole world, they are sometimes fighting as enemies, and sometimes they are trying to make the United Nation. You see practically. Sometimes vaira, enemies, and sometimes maitram, friend. But this is all illusion. They will never become friendly. It is not possible. This contradiction will continue, sva-para-vairam, and create situation: "You suffer; I suffer. I snatch your ears and you snatch my ears," that's all. You have seen the punishment between the two boys? So we shall create this enmity and so-called friendship and then suffering. This is going on.

Sva-para-vairam hanteti paracara piprhi mūḍham. Mūḍham. We are all rascals. We are trying to create peaceful condition. It is not at all possible, peaceful condition. This rascal must know it clearly that there cannot... By your manufacturing some League of Nation or United Nation, it is not possible. In the New York we have seen the United Nation, and every year a flag is increasing-another flag, another flag, another flag. Where is "united"? Increasing of flags. That means disunity. "I don't agree with you. We don't want to remain with you. We must have Pakistan. We don't want to remain with Hindustan." So "All right." "We don't want this. We don't want this"-this is fighting, going on, sva-para-vairam. This is the condition of this material world. And we must suffer the threefold miseries. So where is happiness? But because we are illusioned by the external energy, therefore we think that "We are making good arrangement to live peacefully, and we shall live peacefully." Where is peace? You have to die. You don't want to die; you have to die. You don't want disease; you must suffer from disease. You don't want to become old man; you must become old man. So where is your happiness? This is all foolishness. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja said, hanteti paracara piprhi mūḍham: "We are rascals, fools, so we are suffering in this way. Kindly save us."

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupada! [end]