Hare Krishna 🙏
Obeisance to the merciful devotees of this community.
I'm new here. Dear vaishnavas, I am begging your blessings so that this fallen soul can become a devotee one day.
I have a question.That is - Why did Krsna create us ?
It is worth mentioning that I had asked this question to two devotees earlier. Both of them had the same answer. They said, "The Supreme Lord Shree Krishna created the living entities to share His pleasure with Him (Jīvas) . He gave all the created entities a correct understanding of the material and spiritual worlds and presented them with two options: material enjoyment or loving service to the Lord. Most of the living entities were willing to engage in the service of the Lord, and the rest fell into the material world." I asked them for the scriptural references on this subject. They said that this information is in the Srimad-Bhagavatam and Caitanya-caritamrita. I am currently studying the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Kindly provide me with scriptural references regarding this subject.
Pranām 🙏
Replies
Hare Krishna,
So, What Bharat Prabhu told is absolutely right. There should be any confusion you must understand this analogy of Fire and sparks carefully.
Bhagavad-gītā 15.7
mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke
jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. THE word Sanatanah means ETERNAL.
Jivas are part and parcel of the Lord Sri Krishna. Lord says jivas as HIS eternal fragmental parts.
Just as Fire and Sparks from the fire. If Fire is there there is surely the sparks emanating from the fire. isn't it? so the sparks are fragmental parts of the Fire.
the ultimate cause of all causes is Lord.
in that context you can say Lord as a creator of the sparks. ( jivas)
but actually the jivas are ETERNALLY EXISTING WITHIN THE FIRE. Isn't it? IF FIRE ( LORD IS ETERNAL) then the Jivas are also eternal ( YES OR NO)? do you agree?
So there is no QUESTION OF CREATION OF LORD YES ? So, there is NO QUESTION OF creation of Sparks as well.
yatholmukād visphuliṅgād
dhūmād vāpi sva-sambhavāt
apy ātmatvenābhimatād
yathāgniḥ pṛthag ulmukāt ( SB 3. 38. 40)
The blazing fire is different from the flames, from the sparks and from the smoke, although all are intimately connected because they are born from the same blazing wood.
Here the blazing fire is the Lord and did anyone start the fire? No it is eternally existing and the sparks coming out of the fire ( looks like they are created by the fire) but as the fire is eternally exisiting so is the sparks.
Similarly Sun and its rays. If Sun is compared to the Lord and the origin of rays are from the SUN? but the rays are eternally present so is the sun.
This is also clearly explained in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.8), where Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate: “From Me, everything emanates.” This is also confirmed in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad (3.1.1): yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. “The Supreme Absolute Truth is that from which everything is born.” Similarly, in the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (1.1.7) it is stated, yathorṇa-nābhiḥ sṛjate gṛhṇate ca: “[The Lord creates and destroys the cosmic manifestation] as a spider creates a web and draws it back within itself.” ( CC Purport under sloka CC madhya 6.172)
Purport: Although the blazing firewood, the sparks, the smoke and the flame cannot stay apart because each of them is part and parcel of the fire, still they are different from one another.
Someone may argue, “Why is there a need to create the spiritual sparks?” The answer can be given in this way: ( PURPORT CC Aadi 7.116)
Since the Absolute Personality of Godhead is omnipotent, He has both unlimited and limited potencies. This is the meaning of omnipotent. To be omnipotent, He must have not only unlimited potencies but limited potencies also. Thus to exhibit His omnipotency He displays both. The living entities are endowed with limited potency although they are part of the Lord.
“Besides these inferior energies, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises all living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.
Thus for the Lord to be the supreme controller there must be a creation to control. The basic principle for the existence of the living entities is called cid-vilāsa, or spiritual pleasure. The omnipotent Lord displays His pleasure potency as the living entities. The Lord is described in the Vedānta-sūtra (1.1.12) as ānanda-mayo ’bhyāsāt. He is by nature the reservoir of all pleasures, and because He wants to enjoy pleasure, there must be energies to give Him pleasure or supply Him the impetus for pleasure. This is the perfect philosophical understanding of the Absolute Truth. ( purport CC aadi. 7.116)
Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna 🙏
Thank you Mataji. I understood.
I would like to ask some more questions. The spiritual world is eternal. There, the Lord is enjoying the pastimes with His associates for eternity. These associates are eternally liberated beings. So there is no point in saying that there are eternally bound beings. Right? Then who are we? How did we fall into this material world?
make it as another question please.
Thank you that you got some parts cleared.
But I know you need more clarity about these questions and these questions are really important ones to be asked
Hare Krishna
Okay, thanks a lot mataji . Hare Krishna 🙏
Hare Krsna
Why did Krsna create us ?
Technically speaking, creation happens only of and in material world. But Sri Krsna says in BG that living beings are not exactly created and nor do we belong to material world/nature
Living entities are not created.
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.(BG 2.20)
Living Entities are not part of material nature
apareyam itas tv anyāṁ
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat
Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.(BG 7.5)
In Bg 7.4, Sri Krsna lists elements of His material nature (Earth, water etc). In BG 7.5 He says, living beings are His Superior energy where as material nature is Inferior energy.
This whole Material world is temporary
mām upetya punar janma
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ
After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.(BG 8.15)
So living entities are not created, nor do they belong to material world or material nature. Material world is temporary.
What is the purpose of living entities ?
This question is in the same line of thought as previous question.
The living entities are marginal potency of Sri Krsna.
kṛṣṇera svābhāvika tina-śakti-pariṇati
cic-chakti, jīva-śakti, āra māyā-śakti
Lord Kṛṣṇa naturally has three energetic transformations, and these are known as the spiritual potency, the living entity potency and the illusory potency. ( CC Madhya 20.111)
jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’
kṛṣṇera ‘taṭasthā-śakti’ ‘bhedābheda-prakāśa’
It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa because he is the marginal energy of Kṛṣṇa and a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord (CC Madhya 20.108)
You belong to Kṛṣṇa’s marginal potency. There are two worlds — the spiritual world and the material world — and you are situated between the material and spiritual potencies.( Purport CC Madhya 20.108)
Living entities have independence to choose their purpose of existence.
yayā kṣetra-jña-śaktiḥ sā
veṣṭitā nṛpa sarva-gā
saṁsāra-tāpān akhilān
avāpnoty atra santatān
O King, the kṣetra-jña-śakti is the living entity. Although he has the facility to live in either the material or the spiritual world, he suffers the threefold miseries of material existence because he is influenced by the avidyā [nescience] potency, which covers his constitutional position. (CC Madhya 20.114) (Visnu Purana 6.7.62-63)
Living entities under transcendental energy : Those living entities that want to serve Sri Krsna can transfer themselves to Sri Krsna's transcendental potency and be situated in Spiritual world.
kṛṣṇa-mādhurya-sevānanda-prāptira kāraṇa
kṛṣṇa-sevā kare, āra kṛṣṇa-rasa-āsvādana
“When one attains the transcendental bliss of an intimate relationship with Kṛṣṇa, he renders service to Him and tastes the mellows of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (CC Madhya 20.126)
Living enitites under Material energy : Those living entities that want to enjoy separate from Sri Krsna can be under material energy under 3 modes of material nature and undergo material pleasure & pain.
kabhu svarge uṭhāya, kabhu narake ḍubāya
daṇḍya-jane rājā yena nadīte cubāya
In the material condition, the living entity is sometimes raised to higher planetary systems and material prosperity and sometimes drowned in a hellish situation. His state is exactly like that of a criminal whom a king punishes by submerging him in water and then raising him again from the water.(CC Madhya 20.118)
What is the highest purpose of living entities ?
This is the best question in the same line of thought.
Attaining Sri Krsna's service is the Topmost purpose
mām upetya punar janma
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ
After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection. (BG 8.15)
Hare Krsna
Hare Krishna 🙏
Thank you so much pravuji.I have another question.
If Krishna didn't create us, then why is he called the creator in the scriptures ?
Hare Krsna
Why is he called the creator in the scriptures ?
Sri Krsna is the primary creator & destroyer of the Material world. He is also the source of all material and spiritual worlds.
Sri Krsna is also the source of all conditioned and liberated living entities. Sri Krsna is the source of His own energies. Everything belongs to Sri Krsna.
Sri Krsna is the cause of all causes.
Hare Krsna
Sorry , I didn't get it.