Unfortunate Rebels!

Dear All,

There are different spiritual paths described in the Vedic scriptures along with the goal that is achieved by following them. What can be a more wonderful goal than to achieve the association of God? That's what Bhakti (Devotional Service) gives -- association with God!

Knowing this, I am surprised that people follow (really?) other paths which finally result in an existence devoid of activity and devoid of any loving relationships. Why are these people destroying their futures like this?

Related Article - Can Impersonalism be defeated?

Ofcourse, Prabhupada has extensively explained the reasons. One is that the living being gets frustrated with material life and thinks that he is miserable because of seeking happiness from material relationships (relationships without God in the center), and therefore thinks that all relationships are causes of misery, and thus, in fear, aspires for an existence without relationships. Similarly, he gets frustrated with material desires and thinks that he should give up all desires so that there is no more misery.

However, he is unaware that relationships or desires in themselves are not a cause of misery, but relationships and desires without God in the center are cause of misery.

The desire to become independent of God is the cause of misery. There is ample proof of this. Some survey made by some big well known organisation clearly indicates that people who believe in God are much happier than those who dont..

Point is, why this rebellion against God, despite seeing that surrender unto God is giving so much bliss to those who have surrendered? Again, Prabhupada answers extensively all throughout his purports. The living being is in this material world (full of misery) for the very reason that he wanted to become (or enjoy) independent of God! So, even after he understands that material world and material relationships and material desires are the cause of misery, he still wants to stay independent of God! Thats the original reason he is in the miserable material world, and yet he is unaware of this! As Prabhupada says, even if the person is fed up with material entanglement, that desire to remain independent of God is still there -- the last snare of Maya!

So, these unfortunate people, rebelling against God, want to become God. So they philosophise using big big flowery words to prove that God doesent exist and only the impersonal manifestation of the sum total of energy is the Absolute Truth. This way, they hope to remain aloof from both the material world and from God!

However, that is not possible. One has to either serve the material world or serve God. One cannot become God. God is always God, and never forgets that He is God as the foolish philosophers suggest.

So, as devotees, one should not get disturbed by such philosophers, who themselves dont really want to know the truth, but are just egoistic and are trying to become God! How can such people find the happiness that comes only by surrendering unto the most merciful God! If someone is just envious of God, and just doesent want to surrender despite the well known fact that those who surrender unto God are the happiest, then who can help them?

Your servant in Krishna Consciousness,
Abhijit.