Q. 1. How do we know if God is real?
Answer by Romapada Swami: One way we can come to understand or verify the existence of God is simply by studying the meticulous organization of this universe and all the things happening around us. There is such precise design, order and control in the way everything in nature functions, from the gigantic planetary movements down to the intricate workings of a cell. Is it not illogical to propose that this vast universe is conducted so meticulously just by chance and for no purpose?
From our practical experience, we know that without much laborious planning, organization and maintenance, everything quickly degrades to chaos. So who has planned, organized and is maintaining the universe? Consider how is it that the sun rises every morning without fail or why there isn’t a tsunami or earthquake every week, consider who has supplied all our necessities like fresh water, air and food? Scientists would try to explain that away as natural laws which have come by blind chance, but law means there must be a law-maker. Nothing in our experience works automatically or by chance. A child may be amazed to see a remote-controlled car and conclude that it is moving by itself, but an intelligent person knows that somebody is operating it from behind the scenes. Just because we cannot see the operator does not mean he doesn’t exist!
Not just in the physical laws governing the universe, but there is order even in subtler laws that govern human interactions. It is hardly rational or meaningful to suppose that someone is born rich and another poor for no reason, some are endowed with brilliant intelligence, and others are born blind or crippled. There is reason and justice behind all these and there is a Controller or law-maker — we can come to this conclusion simply with a little introspection, although our modern ways of education and artificial living styles often rob us of opportunities for such introspection.
Q. 2. How do we know if the stories of Krishna or of any other god ever happened? Are they real? If you could answer these questions, I would very much appreciate it.
Answer by Romapada Swami: By logic and reasoning, like we just did, we can come to the conclusion that there must be God, or a Supreme Controller behind everything. But in order to conclusively know Him and understand more about Him, what His name is, what He looks like, what are His qualities – to know these we need to take the help of scriptures and realized souls who already know Him. In this way, we come to know that one of His principal name is Krishna, and of His various activities and pastimes, because they are revealed in the Vedic scriptures. On their authority, we accept Krishna.
How can we know for sure about anything at all, which is beyond the reach of our sense perception? Only by hearing from proper authorities. How does someone who has never been to Australia know that there really is such a continent on the other side of the globe? By hearing from someone who has been there – either in words or pictures or some such form. Similarly, if one wants to know who his father is, the only way to be sure is to take the authority of the mother. In the same way, we can be positively sure of God’s existence and particularly of the descriptions of Krishna being that Supreme Personality of Godhead because of the fact that so many saintly personalities, with such remarkable personal characters, have come throughout the ages and taught us the science of God.
If you study the characters, credibility and conviction of these saintly representatives of Krishna, it is one surely compelling reason which will strengthen our faith in God. If you have not already had a chance, you might appreciate acquiring a copy of the biography of Srila Prabhupada and studying it. You will come to admire what an incredibly qualified individual he was – his humility, compassion, concern for entire humanity and the sacrifices he made, his deep faith and inner stability in the face of all kinds of adversities and challenges, these are equally matched by his deep scholarly knowledge, the brilliance of his logic and penetrating insight into all aspects of life, even his astuteness in business, organization and leadership — surely such a person was not going to believe in some fairy tales and dedicate his life for propogating them and worship Him, nor did he have any personal motivation to mislead us with unverifiable facts. It would be hard to favorably compare the caliber of such a person
with the personal lives & character of any other authorities in science or philosophy that we so commonly tend to believe but rarely know. And this was not just some individual’s self-styled ideas, but that of an entire parampara, generations of such highly qualified teachers striving to pass down these messages to us intact and without any corruption, for the welfare all. In fact, there were many such disciplic lines, all over the world and most certainly at least in India, dedicated to purely worshiping Krishna for thousands of years.
We can also meditate and reflect upon the gravity and seriousness of the setting in which the messages of Krishna are spoken. It was narrated by Sukadeva Goswami while instructing King Pariksit, the emperor of the world at that time, on the verge of his predicted death, to enable the king to fix his mind on the transcendental activities of Krishna. At this most crucial time, in the context of discussing one’s duty at the time of death and other such profound topics, we would not suppose that they would have discussed some fictional stories which have no reality or substance.
Another very compelling proof is to study the lives of those who are, even today, sincerely taking to hearing about Krishna regularly and living by these messages. They are left with not just a few minutes of feelings of peace or sense of well-being, but it brings about a total transformation of their lives and character, making them very sober, compassionate and responsible individuals developing all godly qualities. This is the potency of chanting Krishna’s holy names and hearing about His pastimes. Is it possible that any ordinary person’s name & activities, what to speak of a fictional character, have such potencies that can bring about such transformations in the hearts of people?
The merit of something is known by the result it produces. Or we could say, the proof of the pudding is in eating. Of course, one who does not follow quite faithfully, or due to misfortune follows an unauthorized person who is not representing Krishna purely, these changes do not manifest for them, as in the case of many so-called religious followers today. But those who do apply themselves by proper means, the difference in their person is self-evident. And you yourself can also personally not only verify but get to know God, Krishna, personally and feel His reciprocation in your life by following these messages given by Him and coming through His devotees in disciplic succession.
I hope this brings some clarity to you. I would be more than happy to try to answer any further questions you may have.
