Question: Today in the Srimad Bhagavatam class the discussion was based on the root causes of suffering. The presenter repeated your statement “Answer by Romapada Swami: ‘The root cause of all suffering is ignorance of our loving relationship with God’.
This started a discussion and raised several questions. I am therefore seeking your guidance and clarifications on the following:
- If the root cause of all suffering is “Ignorance of our loving relationship with God,” then how come those that are close and dear to God suffer?
- Is it not the misuse of our minute independence and our own actions and doings that causes suffering and not just forgetfulness and ignorance of our loving relationship with God?
Here are some extracts from Srila Prabhupada’s writings and others that I found for your kind consideration:
- “Srila Prabhupada: No. It is not God’s plan that you suffer; you suffer because you violate God’s laws. He is controlling everything, but He has given you minute independence: you can either follow His laws or violate them.
- On the question of devotees suffering Srila Prabhupada said: Yes, but they are not suffering like the non-devotees. Material life, which is the cause of suffering, is like a disease, and devotees are giving up this diseased condition of life for Krishna consciousness.
- Srila Prabhupada further explains: “It is ignorance acquired from time immemorial that is the cause of bodily suffering and distress”.
- The root cause of suffering from BG in the 2nd chapter and mentioned several times by Srila Prabhupada is mistaking material body as spirit soul.
- The root cause of suffering is that we unrelentingly struggle to get rid of the fundamental dissatisfaction by means of the fulfillment of our desires, and yet that dissatisfaction sticks to us as a perpetual, unanswerable craving.
- Lord Buddha said: “the cause of suffering is craving or thirst”
- According to the Padma Purāṇa, our present trouble is due to the fructifying of seedling sins.
- Srimad Bhagavatam 1.17.18: “O greatest among human beings, it is very difficult to ascertain the particular miscreant who has caused our sufferings, because we are bewildered by all the different opinions of theoretical philosophers”. We are the cause of our own suffering or enjoyment: Some people falsely believe that God is the cause of our suffering and enjoyment. God is not the cause of our pains, we ourselves are responsible. Whether we do good or bad is up to us, God does not force us to do anything. God is simply the overseer and permitter. Based on the actions we take, which includes our desires and thoughts. God simply ensures we face suitable reactions to our actions.
Whether we go left or right is up to us and not God.
If we allow them, the rats will multiply and take over our homes and cities. It’s up to us to stop them.
God won’t interfere. If we don’t turn off the stove, our food will burn and get ruined. God is not going to switch off the stove for us.
It’s up to us. We have to work to pay our bills. God is not going to pay our bills.
God gives everyone the intelligence and ability to make a living. We must use our intelligence and make the effort to make a living. God won’t force us.
Whether we go to a party or Temple, it’s up to us. God does not interfere, nor does He force anyone to do anything. It’s our choice. God is not partial to anyone; He is equal to all.
Based on the above statements suffering results from:
- Misuse of our minute independence.
- Humans violating God’s laws.
- Material life itself.
- Ignorance.
- Mistaking material body as a spirit soul.
- Unrelentless struggle to fulfill desires.
- Craving and thirst.
- Fructifying of seedling sins.
Therefore, can the above mean that suffering is an individual soul’s own doing and not an act of God?
No doubt ignorance of our loving relationship with God brings about the above-listed eight causes of suffering and prolongs it but it is not the root cause of suffering.
If ignorance of our loving relationship with God was the root cause, then why do those that are close and dear to God and have dedicated their lives to God go through prolonged suffering?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
Thank you for your explaining your question elaborately.
Question 1: If ignorance of our loving relationship with God was the root cause, then why do those that are close and dear to God and have dedicated their lives to God go through prolong suffering?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
Please refer to previous Digest 53 and Digest 280 where this answer is discussed.
Question 2: Therefore, can the above mean that suffering is individual souls’ own doing and not an act of God?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
Yes, you are correct. In general, one goes through suffering due to one’s own karma. Also, God is not responsible for our karma.
Krishna in BG 13.21 mentions that “Nature is said to be the cause of all material causes and effects, whereas the living entity is the cause of the various sufferings and enjoyments in this world.”
And Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport to this verse- “The senses are instruments for gratifying desire. Now, the sum total – body and instrument senses – is offered by material nature, and as will be clear in the next verse, the living entity is blessed or damned with circumstances according to his past desire and activity. According to one’s desires and activities, material nature places one in various residential quarters. The being himself is the cause of his attaining such residential quarters and his attendant enjoyment or suffering.”
In the next verse, BG 13.22, Krsna mentions “The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association with that material nature. Thus, he meets with good and evil among various species.”
Also, in BG 5.15, Krsna clearly states that He is not responsible for the living entities’ good or bad activities or the results of those activities.
Question 3: Is it not the misuse of our minute independence and our own actions and doings that causes suffering and not just forgetfulness and ignorance of our loving relationship with God?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
The “original ignorance” is ignoring God. From this original ignorance, all subsequent manifestations of ignorance follow the original.
Ignoring God -IS- a free will choice, a misuse of our minute independence.
The root cause (namely: ignoring God) has multiple effects, which in turn can become causes of additional effects, all of which bring suffering.
In this way, one might say that the answer to your question is it is both. We are here in this material world because of our choice/desire to enjoy independently of Krishna. So, we come to the material world to try to enjoy separately from Krsna by misusing our tiny free will.
And when Jivas come to the material world they forget their relationship with God, which is nothing but avidya or ignorance. All our activities are directed towards enjoying separate from Krsna. And thus the conditioned living entity disregards the instructions given by Krsna in the scriptures and devotees. This results in engaging in activities that bind one further into the endless cycle of birth and death.
