Dear All,
Most of the people take to some kind of faith after they experience some kind of miracle. Either their disease (which the doctors couldn't heal) got cured by some Baba, or their dwindling business started flourishing by worshipping some demigod, and so on.. However, because of such a propensity of the people to invest their faith in people exhibiting so-called miracles, the people are very much prone to being being cheated by cheaters who can somehow show others that they have some miraculous powers, even though they might not have any.
The points I want to make in this article is: there is a difference in the way devotees of God look upon so-called miracles, and the way the worshippers of other so-called powerful personalities look upon miracles.
Note that how I have qualified the miracles and other powerful personalities by the word "so-called". Why have I done that? First lets talk about the other powerful personalities. Where are they getting their power from? From God! Therefore, actually they are not powerful, but the Supreme Powerful God has given them their powers.
Coming to the so-called miracles. Well, typically a miracle is a feat that is impossible for anyone to perform, but if someone actually performs that feat, then that feat is called a miracle. But what is impossible for the Supreme Lord to perform? He can do everything and anything effortlessly! So then, what is miraculous about His activities?
The worshippers of other personalities are quite evidently and unfortunately unaware of the potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, they worship someone who can temporarily relieve them from some material miseries. Such is the ignorance of their followers and such is the ignorance (or cunningness) of the so-called miracle man, that the followers dont appreciate the temporary nature of the material world and dont aspire for attaining the eternal spiritual world. So much are they seeped in the bodily conception of life, that they think getting relieved from bodily and mental pains is the goal of life and whoever is providing that is God!
Most of the people take to some kind of faith after they experience some kind of miracle. Either their disease (which the doctors couldn't heal) got cured by some Baba, or their dwindling business started flourishing by worshipping some demigod, and so on.. However, because of such a propensity of the people to invest their faith in people exhibiting so-called miracles, the people are very much prone to being being cheated by cheaters who can somehow show others that they have some miraculous powers, even though they might not have any.
The points I want to make in this article is: there is a difference in the way devotees of God look upon so-called miracles, and the way the worshippers of other so-called powerful personalities look upon miracles.
Note that how I have qualified the miracles and other powerful personalities by the word "so-called". Why have I done that? First lets talk about the other powerful personalities. Where are they getting their power from? From God! Therefore, actually they are not powerful, but the Supreme Powerful God has given them their powers.
Coming to the so-called miracles. Well, typically a miracle is a feat that is impossible for anyone to perform, but if someone actually performs that feat, then that feat is called a miracle. But what is impossible for the Supreme Lord to perform? He can do everything and anything effortlessly! So then, what is miraculous about His activities?
The worshippers of other personalities are quite evidently and unfortunately unaware of the potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, they worship someone who can temporarily relieve them from some material miseries. Such is the ignorance of their followers and such is the ignorance (or cunningness) of the so-called miracle man, that the followers dont appreciate the temporary nature of the material world and dont aspire for attaining the eternal spiritual world. So much are they seeped in the bodily conception of life, that they think getting relieved from bodily and mental pains is the goal of life and whoever is providing that is God!
What misfortune! What a waste of human life! What blatant disregard for the timeless wisdom of the scriptures!
It is for this reason that Srila Prabhupada never recommended that preaching be done on the basis of the so-called miraculous reciprocations of the Supreme Lord Krishna and His devotees. He said that teaching through miracles is for the less intelligent class of people. Because, if preached that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead because He has done so many so-called miraculous feats, the followers of the other so-called miracle personalities will claim that their worshipable is also God! And this is an offense at the lotus feet of Krishna!
It is for this reason that Srila Prabhupada never recommended that preaching be done on the basis of the so-called miraculous reciprocations of the Supreme Lord Krishna and His devotees. He said that teaching through miracles is for the less intelligent class of people. Because, if preached that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead because He has done so many so-called miraculous feats, the followers of the other so-called miracle personalities will claim that their worshipable is also God! And this is an offense at the lotus feet of Krishna!
Some ugly looking person, who just fixes some material problems like body ache, or who produces some ash or gold, or who doesnt refer to scriptures for his teachings, who doesnt condemn meat eating, smoking, drinking, illicit sex, gambling etc. strongly, ... saying that such a person is God is a great offense at the lotus feet of the most beautiful Lord Sri ShyamSundar who is unlimitedly full of all opulences eternally.
However, the devotees do constantly discuss and relish the sweet reciprocations of the Supreme Lord with His devotees. They discuss how He lifted the huge Gowardhan Hill on the tip of the little finger of His left hand! How he danced on the hoods of the venomous serpent Kaliya! How He killed so many huge demons! How He made the Sun rise again from the west after it had set! And there are unlimited glories of the Supreme Lord! But the devotee doesent think these are miracles. The Lord is all powerful, He can do anything effortlessly. But what the devotee rejoices in is how the Supreme Lord reciprocated with His devotees! How sweet is that exchange. How He always protects them..
And when the Lord reciprocates with us, we get ecstatic. Any sincere devotee can easily feel the presence of the Lord in his life. Lot of devotees have had such reciprocal dealings with the Lord. Such dealings are not miracles as they might seem to the ordinary people. For example, if Lord Narsimha of Mayapur Dham cures the chickenpox of a devotee in one day (whereas the doctors had told it would take 21 days), then to the ordinary non-devotee, this would seem the same as some other so-called miracle person curing the diseases of his followers.. but there is a gulf of difference!
The devotee sees this as a loving reciprocation from the Lord and gets ecstatic in joy! That the Lord has lovingly and personally reciprocated with him! What unimaginable mercy! The devotee's happiness is not because his material condition has improved, but because the Supreme Lord has reciprocated with him! However, a non-devotee follower of the so-called miracle person sees this as merely a miracle and is happy because his material condition has improved! Thats the main thing he is concerned about! If the desired material result is not obtained, he will stop worshipping that particular personality..
However, the devotees do constantly discuss and relish the sweet reciprocations of the Supreme Lord with His devotees. They discuss how He lifted the huge Gowardhan Hill on the tip of the little finger of His left hand! How he danced on the hoods of the venomous serpent Kaliya! How He killed so many huge demons! How He made the Sun rise again from the west after it had set! And there are unlimited glories of the Supreme Lord! But the devotee doesent think these are miracles. The Lord is all powerful, He can do anything effortlessly. But what the devotee rejoices in is how the Supreme Lord reciprocated with His devotees! How sweet is that exchange. How He always protects them..
And when the Lord reciprocates with us, we get ecstatic. Any sincere devotee can easily feel the presence of the Lord in his life. Lot of devotees have had such reciprocal dealings with the Lord. Such dealings are not miracles as they might seem to the ordinary people. For example, if Lord Narsimha of Mayapur Dham cures the chickenpox of a devotee in one day (whereas the doctors had told it would take 21 days), then to the ordinary non-devotee, this would seem the same as some other so-called miracle person curing the diseases of his followers.. but there is a gulf of difference!
The devotee sees this as a loving reciprocation from the Lord and gets ecstatic in joy! That the Lord has lovingly and personally reciprocated with him! What unimaginable mercy! The devotee's happiness is not because his material condition has improved, but because the Supreme Lord has reciprocated with him! However, a non-devotee follower of the so-called miracle person sees this as merely a miracle and is happy because his material condition has improved! Thats the main thing he is concerned about! If the desired material result is not obtained, he will stop worshipping that particular personality..
Just to put things into perspective... there is no comparison between the so-called power of the other personalities and the power of God! The Lord creates and destroys unlimited universes in His one breath! Need I say more?
How can anyone in his right senses neglect the service to the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha Krishna who are the Supremely independent divine couple, and worship the insignificant so-called powerful personalities of this mortal world?
Abhijit.
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