Respected Prabhu Ji and Mata Ji,
Please accept my humble obeisances. I have a sincere question that has been troubling my mind, and I hope you can guide me with genuine wisdom.
I have researched this topic across multiple websites and forums, but I remain unsatisfied with the answers I've come across. My concern is not just with the answers themselves, but with the tendency of devotees to accept explanations without critically examining their logical consistency.
The most common reasons given for why souls do not remember their past lives are:
Past life memories could cause psychological trauma
They could interfere with our current karmic journey and spiritual growth
However, the explanation that troubles me most is the one repeated almost universally — that Lord Krishna, in His mercy and compassion, causes souls to forget their past lives.
I struggle to accept this for one specific reason: if Krishna chooses not to interfere in free will when innocent children and women are being violated and crying out to God for help — and the standard answer is that He cannot intervene because He respects free will — then by what authority does He impose forgetfulness upon every soul without their consent?
This feels deeply contradictory to me. On one hand, free will is cited as the reason He does not protect the most vulnerable. On the other hand, He unilaterally erases the memory of every soul — something none of us ever asked for.
This is further supported by Bhagavad Gita 15.15, where Lord Krishna Himself tells Arjuna:
"From Me come remembrance, knowledge, and forgetfulness."
This verse confirms that both memory and forgetfulness originate from Krishna directly. So the question stands — if forgetfulness is His mercy, why is protection withheld in the name of free will?
I am asking this with full sincerity and an open heart. I am not trying to challenge faith, but to understand it more deeply. I would be truly grateful for a thoughtful and logically sound response.
Your loving son and brother 🙏
Replies