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
Respected Prabhu Ji and Mata Ji,
Thank you sincerely for your response. I received it with humility and gratitude. However, after careful reflection, I must respectfully share that my original question remains unanswered. The response addressed why forgetting is useful — but not the logical contradiction I raised. I hope you will consider these points with the same open heart I bring to this discussion.
1. The Free Will Contradiction Remains
The answer explained that forgetfulness helps souls heal karmic relationships — and I accept that this may be true. But this does not resolve the core issue.
If Lord Krishna can directly interfere with a soul's consciousness — erasing memory without consent — then the argument that "He cannot intervene in suffering because He respects free will" collapses entirely.
You cannot apply two different rules depending on the situation. Either Krishna respects free will absolutely, or He doesn't. Using free will as a shield against intervention in suffering, while simultaneously imposing forgetfulness on every soul without their asking, is a logical contradiction — not a spiritual mystery.
As Krishna Himself confirms in BG 18.61:
"The Supreme Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, and by His maya causes all beings to wander as if mounted on a machine."
If He is already moving souls like a machine through maya — the "free will" justification for not protecting innocents becomes even harder to defend.
2. God Could Easily Allow Anonymous Memory
The example given was — "what if you remember your mother killed you in a past life?" — and the conclusion was that full memory would destroy relationships.
But this assumes memory must come with complete identity attached. Why couldn't Krishna, in His infinite wisdom, allow a soul to remember experiences, lessons and patterns — without revealing who specifically caused them?
You remember the pain. You remember the karma. You remember what you learned. But not the face, not the name. This would preserve all the spiritual benefits of memory while eliminating the relational conflict entirely.
This solution was available. It was not chosen. That deserves an honest explanation — not a deflection.
3. Souls Cannot Recognize Each Other Across Bodies Anyway
This point is critical and I believe it was overlooked entirely.
According to Vaishnava philosophy itself — the soul is distinct from the body. A soul cannot be seen by another soul directly. We only perceive each other through physical forms.
Since bodies change completely every lifetime — a son would have no way of recognizing his mother's soul even if he had full memory of past lives. The "you would hate your mother" scenario requires you to identify her soul across a different body — which is simply not possible within the framework of this very philosophy.
BG 2.20 confirms:
"The soul is never born, nor does it die. It has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. It is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, and primeval."
If the soul is eternal and formless — how would a son ever know his mother was the same soul who harmed him in a past life? Their own answer contradicts their own theology.
4. Remembering Past Lives Would Accelerate Spiritual Growth — Not Hinder It
If souls retained memory of past lives — including experiences of heaven, hell, suffering and liberation — then spiritual knowledge would not be belief. It would be direct experience.
Nobody would need to be convinced that this material world is temporary and full of suffering. Every soul would know it firsthand. Attachment to the material would naturally weaken. The desire for liberation would intensify.
BG 15.15, which I cited earlier, states:
"From Me come remembrance, knowledge, and forgetfulness."
And BG 7.14 adds:
"This divine energy of Mine consisting of the three modes of material nature is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it."
If Krishna truly desires all souls to return to Him — then giving souls direct experiential knowledge of their past suffering, karma and spiritual journey would be the most merciful and effective path. Instead, every soul is reborn in complete ignorance, forced to rediscover everything from scratch — often spending entire lifetimes never even encountering spiritual knowledge.
Closing Thought
I am not questioning Krishna's existence or His greatness. I am questioning certain explanations given in His name that do not hold up to honest scrutiny.
Srila Prabhupada himself encouraged sincere inquiry. BG 4.34 says:
"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth."
I am doing exactly that — inquiring submissively but sincerely. A question asked with an open heart deserves an answer that can withstand honest examination.
I remain your loving son and brother, grateful for this discussion. 🙏
Respected Prabhu Ji and Mata Ji,
Thank you for this new explanation. I genuinely appreciate the effort. However, with deep respect, I feel this response has opened new contradictions rather than closing the old ones. Please allow me to explain.
1. Memory Is Not The Past — It Is a Present Tool For Future Choices
You said that free will only applies to future actions and that the past cannot be changed. I completely agree with this. I am not asking to change anything from the past. What's done is done — I accept that fully.
But here is what I am actually saying:
Memory of the past is not about the past. It is a tool for the future.
Consider a very simple example from this very lifetime — a child touches a hot stove. It burns. That pain is now in the past and cannot be changed. But the child remembers that pain — and because of that memory, he never touches the stove again. His future choices become wiser, safer and more conscious.
Now imagine if every time that child woke up, someone wiped that memory clean. He would touch the stove again. And again. And again. Suffering the same lessons endlessly — never growing, never advancing.
This is exactly what happens when past life memory is erased. We are not asking to change the past. We are asking to carry forward the wisdom earned through suffering so that our future free will choices become more informed, more evolved and more spiritually mature.
Erasing that memory does not protect free will. It actually blindfolds it.
BG 4.38 confirms:
"In this world, there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge. Such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism. And one who has become accomplished in the practice of devotional service enjoys this knowledge within himself in due course of time."
Knowledge is described as the highest fruit of spiritual experience. Yet every soul is reborn stripped of all experiential knowledge. How is this consistent with accelerating spiritual growth?
2. Partial Free Will Is Not Free Will At All
The explanation given implies that free will exists — but only in certain categories. You have free will over future actions, but not over your own memory or consciousness.
With respect — this is not free will. This is controlled liberty.
Imagine a king who puts a man in a prison cell with 10 doors. Nine are locked and one is open. The king then announces — "You are completely free to choose whichever door you want."
Technically the man has a choice. But would anyone genuinely call that freedom?
True free will means the soul has genuine autonomous choice without God-imposed limitations on its own consciousness. The moment you say "free will applies here but not there" — you have already admitted it is not really free will. You have described a selective permission system — where God decides which freedoms you get to exercise.
And if God is already selectively deciding which freedoms to grant — then the argument that "He cannot intervene to protect innocents because of free will" becomes completely hollow. Because He is already intervening constantly — just selectively.
3. Their Own Position Places The Victim At A Greater Disadvantage Than The Perpetrator
Let us be very precise about who is actually being protected here:
The perpetrator's free will to cause harm — fully protected. God does not intervene.
The victim's consciousness and memory — directly altered by God without consent.
So in this framework, God actively protects the freedom of the one causing harm — while simultaneously overriding the consciousness of the one receiving harm.
That is not a defense of free will. That is the exact opposite of it.
4. Knowledge of Hell Is Not The Same As Fear of Hell
The latest explanation says Krishna withholds memory of heaven and hell because He wants souls to return to Him out of love — not fear. This sounds beautiful. But let us examine it honestly.
Knowledge and fear are not the same thing.
Consider a simple example — a doctor tells his patient that smoking causes lung cancer and shows him real cases of suffering. The patient quits smoking. Was that decision driven by fear — or by informed wisdom? The patient made a conscious, knowledgeable choice to protect himself. That is not fear. That is intelligence.
Similarly, a soul that remembers past lives — including the suffering of lower realms — would not necessarily run to God in panic. It would make a clear, conscious, informed choice to pursue liberation. That is actually a higher and purer form of love than devotion born from ignorance.
5. This Argument Directly Contradicts The Bhagavad Gita Itself
This is perhaps the most important point. If Krishna truly did not want souls motivated by knowledge of consequences — why does He describe hell in vivid detail to Arjuna throughout the Gita?
BG 16.21:
"There are three gates leading to the hell of self-destruction for the soul — lust, anger and greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul."
BG 16.16:
"Thus perplexed by various anxieties and bound by a network of illusions, they become too strongly attached to sense enjoyment and fall down into hell."
Krishna Himself uses the knowledge of consequences — including hell — as motivation for Arjuna to act rightly. If using such knowledge were spiritually harmful, Krishna would never have spoken these verses. Their own argument contradicts their own scripture.
6. Uninformed Love Is Not Real Love
Finally — if a soul returns to God without truly knowing what it was choosing between — is that genuine love? Or is it simply innocence mistaken for devotion?
Real love requires a genuine, informed choice.
Consider this — if someone proposes marriage to a person who has been kept in a room their entire life, never shown the outside world, never allowed to meet anyone else — and that person says yes — would anyone call that a free and loving choice? Or would we recognize it as a choice made from the absence of alternatives?
Keeping souls ignorant of their past experiences, of karma, of heaven and hell — and then calling their eventual return to God "pure love" — follows the same logic.
True love toward God would be far more powerful and meaningful if it came from a soul that fully knew what this world is, fully remembered its own suffering and journey, and still chose to surrender to Krishna. That would be real love. That would be real devotion.
BG 18.66:
"Abandon all varieties of dharma and simply surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear."
Surrender is most meaningful when it is made with full knowledge and full freedom — not in ignorance.
Closing Thought
I want to be very clear — I am not questioning Krishna's greatness or His existence. I am questioning the logical consistency of explanations given in His name. These are two very different things.
BG 4.34 says:
"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth."
Sincere inquiry is itself a spiritual act. A philosophy that is truly divine should be able to withstand honest questions — because truth has nothing to fear from scrutiny.
I remain your loving son and brother, grateful for this exchange. 🙏
Sorry mataji but words are mine not chatgpt i m using it to write good English so I can reply in good way I can prove it as you can see
It was all my questions and doubts to begin with still of u want oky I will write on my own from now on
Ohh i m 21 🌚
Ohh sure haha https://iskcondesiretree.com/forum/topics/why-does-krishna-ji-make-...
Here my new threat and here my discord
Add me as a friend on Discord! Invite expires in 1 week: https://discord.gg/XRQy3YTD
Yeah I understand prabhu mataji
But they were never chat got question they were all mine I just used ai to write that's all but still let's go with one simple question
If Krishna ji can interfere with a soul free will to remove their memory of past lives than why cant je not interfere with free will to protect innocent women and children being violated when they cry out to Him for help
Like I gave an example earlier about a real yahudi girl it's a real interview u can find on internet their u can see how she hoped that God never created women's. If krishna ji is so merciful that he interfere in free will to remove memory of people in the name of mercy and compassion why can't he interfere in free will to save these women's and children's u see most of them were not even women's they were mostly just children like 9 or 10 year old then became sex slave. Where is his mercy now ?
I know ajamula story what wrong he did and how at deathbed he called his son name narayana he got saved
I also understand what ur trying to say through this example of srila Prabhupada
But ur completely forgetting what was I asking to begin with
My question was if krishna ji can interfere with people memory to make them forget abt past as a matter of mercy even if it's interfering in free will why can't he interfere when women and children's get raped as a matter of mercy it's not like they never ask for help from God
U can see a video on internet it was a interview of a yahudi girl I guess how " she said I hope God never created women's " can u understand what she had to go through if krishna ji is so merciful that he interfere in free will to make people forget about past lives why can't he interfere to save those people lives ?
Also like u gave doctor example that a person will choose to follow dos and don'ts cause of fear of getting decease from smoking it maybe true but wouldn't it also be mean that a person can choose to do what a spritual master say and follow rules out of fear of hell and get forgiveness ?
Also one more things it's not about fear of hell and suffering it's about life after death or their is more to life than just living 50 or 60 years on earth and enjoying life when a soul realises it it will focus more on spritual growth than material things
Most important thing too like u said " THOSE WHO HAVE DOUBTS ON SCRIPTURES THEY HAVE NO PLACE IN BHAKTI. " If we go with this logic I am pretty sure arjuna also have no place in bhakti cause throughout the conversation in bg he was asking questions out of answers that krishna ji was giving
Having doubts and questions shows that u r trying to go on that path even in material knowledge it doesn't mean u have no right to pursue that knowledge
And if scriptures and everything are true than their is nothing to fear, it just means that I will get all of my answers flawlessly
If u believe and start having faith even while having tons of unanswered questions and doubts than all u r doing is blindly following other people who themselves don't know the answers
I said if alot of times I will say it again I do love God but in love their should be transparency and no doubts and if spritual masters are not able to answer my question how can u expect me to follow what they say .
These were just some questions that I asked their are tons of more question that are unanswered and when I tried to seek answers for them every spritual person I met just giving me or telling me same repetitive things that are not even related to my questions
Don't take me wrong way I came here only to seek knowledge nothing more
Here if we look into it u said what is their to realise mistake from past let's say their is a boy named kazuha he watches bad things on internet and eats lots of meat too but over the period of time in his life he came to realise that it's all bad like let's say he got a cat pet cause he loves his cat he can see other animals too as like being so stops eating meat also let's say he realises by watching bad things on internet not only he destroyong his love but others too he stops it too
And lives a good life then die of God forgive him he will get new life again but vulnerable to do same things again
If God punishes him then makes him forget everything then in again he is vulnerable in this life too may do same things again
Forgetting doesn't help a bit it's just like u have a disease which makes u forget things that's all
In the end he is just continue to cycle through this birth and death thinking this is the only life
Other point like I said earlier a soul cannot see other soul to begin, people identify each other through their appearances so a son will never know if his mother killed him in past life or not with if lord is so merciful to make people forget whole for their good can't he actually make it so people forget about who did wrong with them and vice versa and at the same time let people remember all experiences choices they made and knowledge they gained i thing it will help a soul become liberated faster
Also their is like 0.001 percent chance that a family becomes same family again cause everyone have their own journey and karma and spritual growth so everyone go their own way also
By remembering things like hell heaven actually it increases chances for a soul to not to do wrong things anymore so if someone murdered someone in last life they know now that God exists and he is now already forgiven and already got punishment for what he did so that person will focus on spritual growth rather than doing same things again
Again I will say knowing abt hell and pain doesn't mean ur choices becomes coming out of fear it's just that now I know that their is world outside earth too if u know what I mean