Question: I am an Indian student currently in Germany. I am extremely fond of Krsna Consciousness and ISKCON. I am also chanting for the last few months. I have some fundamental doubts which I have described below. I want to fully dedicate myself to Bhakti and these doubts are preventing me from fully dedicating myself. Hence please answer my queries in detail. I will be eternally grateful to you if you help me in this.
4a) The jiva comes to material world because he wants to enjoy separately from Krsna. Lord Krsna, being all-merciful provides him facilities to enjoy. At the same time, Jiva understand that being in material world is not his real position. The material world is a correctional facility for the Jiva and Lord Krsna mercifully organizes everything with this purpose.
The Jiva transmigrates from one body to another remaining under illusion. My question is why does Lord has arranged in such a manner that Jiva forgets all his past life activities? As a result, he has to undergo endless cycle of birth & death for infinite lives and suffer.
We are told that we forget about our past lives because birth & death are both extremely painful experiences. We will not be able to remain sane if we have the memory of so many lifetimes.
But to me, this argument is not valid because if a living entity was to remember his past life, he will surely learn within one or two lifetimes that the material life is not worth it. He will then be saved from the suffering of endless cycle of birth & death.
To me, this sounds more merciful than allowing living entities to remain under the illusion for time immemorial by making them forget about their past lives. I feel like this arrangement would be better than the current one as it is more merciful.
Of course, I know Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and I accept it. We are so insignificant compared to Him. But, this doubt is acting as an obstacle in my bhakti process, and hence I request you to clarify in detail.
Answer by Romapada Swami: Please refer to Digest 242 as this question was answered there.
4b) My second doubt is as follows: We are eternally part and parcel of Lord Krsna. As He says in Bhagavad Gita, there was never a time when we did not exist. At the same time, He is the original person, cause of all causes and source of all creation. He is Adi Purusa. This means that if He is the original person, there must have been some point when living entities would have come into being. How to reconcile this contradiction?
Answer by Romapada Swami: The living entities are also Krsna’s energies. The Absolute Truth, Krsna, always exists with His energies.
As mentioned by you within your question, the living entity always existed, in other words, there was never a time when each jiva did not exist.
It is not that Krsna came into being at some point in time, and then He created us at a later point in time. Rather, we are co-eternal with Krsna.
4 c). In the same line, it is also confusing why did God have all these living entities? What is the reason that Krsna wished to have living entities as His part and parcels? Being omniscient, He would have known that at some point in time many of these living entities would want to enjoy independently from Him. Because of the free will of the jiva and because Krsna made living entities in such a way that some of them (due to the weakness of heart or false ego) would want to enjoy separately from Him, Krsna would have known that at some point, billions of His part & parcel will be suffering under horrible illusion. But ofcourse, these attributes were given by Him only. Still why did He wish to have living entities? I mean why did He still want them, in spite of knowing that some of them will suffer horribly? The Jivas are totally subservient to God or Krsna. They did not have any say in this creation or creation of themselves, then why God made this creation in such a way knowing fully well that at least maybe 25% of them or billions of them will suffer horribly.
To add to this, the Jiva has to undergo punishment in hellish planets for his sins and then he forgets everything in the next life to start anew. To an outside observer, this looks like a very unjust arrangement and does not reflect the supreme mercy of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
I am extremely sorry for the harsh language that I may have used. Also, maybe I am totally impure to ask such questions because I have not seen such questions being put forward in any lectures/forums. But as I said, I have understood almost everything else about bhakti & only the doubts described above are preventing me practicing Krsna Consciousness with full conviction.
Hence, please take some time and give me a detailed explanation. Also, please give me a direct email address in case I need to reach you with further clarifications once you give me your guidance.
Answer by Romapada Swami: The answer below is also addressed in Digest 22D
First of all, we must understand that the soul was never “created”. The individual soul is co-eternal with God, being His part and parcel. The purpose of our existence is enjoyment – not only God’s enjoyment but ours also, due to the mere fact that we are fragmental parts of Him.
But as part and parcel of the Supreme Whole, our enjoyment is in relation with God’s enjoyment. “Ananda mayo ‘bhyasat”: in our relationship with the Supreme Lord, in serving Him, both the Lord and the living entity experience transcendental bliss.
However, the rebellious living entity forgets his real position. His so-called punishment by the material energy — which is as illusory as is his enjoyment — is not cruelty on the part of the Supreme Lord; rather the soul’s experience of the realm of duality is another feature of His mercy to help the living entity reinstate himself in his original position. This is just like a father who might admonish his child in order to train him: the father’s chastisement is another feature of his love and is for the child’s benefit. Commonly, while being admonished, the child does not recognize the loving nature of his father’s behavior towards him.
There would be no meaning to argue why one should beget a child and then train the child to refrain from unwholesome conduct!
