Hare Krishna.
PAMHO
AGTSP
My question today is that who impels man to do evil although there is no being like Satan. Please enlighten.
Your Servant,
Avinash G.
Jai Shree Krishna.
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Hare Krishna Prabhuji.
Thanks a lot for your enlightening response.
It is maya.
Hare Krishna Prabhuji.
Thanks a lot for your answer. So Maya does this to test an individual's integrity in loyalty towards the Lord?
I'll try to explain this in my own words. Just like in a video game we are given a bunch of levels, that we need to complete in order to reach the goal.
The same way, the Lord (using his maya shakti) keeps us in ignorance. Why does he do this? Because its his sport/leela. Our job is to rise above this ignorance and reach the final goal. The final goal is moksha (attaining Vaikuntha or Goloka). The job is not easy. It takes us many births to overcome this ignorance. Because of this ignorance, we end up doing evil deeds.
Now you may ask, if it's Lord's shakti maya that makes us do evil things, then isn't it Lord who's responsible for all the evil that's going on in the world. To answer this, i must first tell you that maya is not completely evil. It has both good and bad qualities. The good aspect of maya is sattva (purity). While the bad aspect of maya are Rajas (passion filled activity) and Tamas (inertia).
God has given us free will and a choice to choose between these three qualities of maya. But most of the people end up choosing the bad qualities of maya and that's why we have so much evil in this world like murder, war etc.
In the end, all that's going on in the world is a big game (leela) for the Lord. He puts us in the ocean of maya and sees who comes out of this ocean of ignorance. Hope i helped :)
Hare Krishna Prabhuji.
Thanks a lot for your exhaustive reply. It really helped.
Hare Krsna
The final goal is moksha (attaining Vaikuntha or Goloka).
It is upto an individual jiva to decie what the goal is. But Moksha is NOT the highest goal. Also Moksha is not the same as attaining Vaikuntha or Goloka. Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has said that Prema is the highest goal.
aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam
ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena va kalpita
srimad bhagavatam pramanam amalam prema pum-artho mahan
sri-caitanya mahaprabhor matam idam tatradarah na parah
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, the son of Nanda Maharaja, is worshipped along with His transcendental abode Vrndavana. The most pleasing form of worship for the Lord is that which was performed by the gopis of Vrndavana. Srimad Bhagavatam is the spotless authority on everything and pure love of Godhead is the ultimate goal of life for all. These statements, for which we have the highest regard, are the opinion of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. (Caitanya-matta-manjusa by Srila Viswanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The good aspect of maya is sattva (purity). While the bad aspect of maya are Rajas (passion filled activity) and Tamas (inertia).
Material energy binds the living entity with 3 modes/ropes namely - Goodness, Passion and Ignorance. Mode of goodness is the better among the three modes of material nature for spiritual advancement. But even mode of goodness is material and NOT Spiritual. Many people mistake mode of goodness to be spiritual, but that is not true. Only the transcendental energy or internal potency of Sri Krsna is spiritual. Mode of goodness does not impel one to commit evil activities, but it cannot free a conditioned living being from cycle of birth and death. Only the trascendental energy or Krsna's internal potency can free a jiva from cycle of birth and eath and give shelter in the Spiritual world.
God has given us free will and a choice to choose between these three qualities of maya.
Using free will to choose between three qualities of maya is almost like choosing between 3 different cells in a prison. The best use of free will is to GET OUT OF THE PRISON.
Ultimately even mode of goodness is a binding force that binds living entity in this prison house of material world and in cycle of birth and death. The real choice is to choose the transcendental energy or the internal potency of Sri Krsna.
Also one general thing to be understood is that Krsna is NOT responsible for us being in maya. A govt constructs a prison and puts miscreants in prison. But Govt is not responsibe for miscreants being in prison. It is the miscreants who have committed some crimes which has led the govt to put them in prison, just to restrict them from commiting further crimes and hopefully reform.
Similarly Krsna is NOT responsible for living being in material world/maya. Jiva has the choice at every fractional moment of existence to serve Krsna and get out of Maya. In fact the primary purpose of Krsna descending as avatar is to take conditioned souls out of prison. Krsna does not want living entities suffering . But Living entities have inherent anger and envy towards Krsna, which manifests as evil acts. All the wrong doing by any/every living being ever is a manifestation of envy towards Krsna. Krsna says one who is free from this envy and has love for Krsna will be taken by Krsna to His spiritual world
My dear Arjuna, he who engages in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of fruitive activities and mental speculation, he who works for Me, who makes Me the supreme goal of his life, and who is friendly to every living being – he certainly comes to Me. (BG 11.55)
In the end, all that's going on in the world is a big game (leela) for the Lord. He puts us in the ocean of maya and sees who comes out of this ocean of ignorance.
Yes, Material world is leela of Krsna. Just a caution here. Mayavadis think that jiva is also perfroming leela in material world. That is not true. Jiva is not performing leela. Only Lord Sri Krsna is performing leela.
Hare Krsna
Hare Krishna Prabhuji. Thanks a lot Prabhuji. Your answer really helped.
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