76. How do we minimize the reactions to our actions?
“Just as a lotus leaf is in the water but it’s not touched by the water, perform your work without being attached to the results, and offer the results to Me [Krishna]. In this way, you will not incur sins or face bad reactions.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 5.10)
If you use some of the money you earn in serving humanity and Lord Krishna, this is proof that you are not attached to the results of your work, and you are offering the results (some money) to Lord Krishna. In this way, you will not face any karmic reactions caused by your work.
“Do your duty without considering happiness or distress, profit or loss, victory or defeat.
In this way, you will never face bad reactions.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.38)
In a sports match, if you are attached to seeing your team win, and when they lose, you will be upset for many days. This is the reaction to being attached to a win result. But if you were not attached to any result, then you will not be affected by the result. You will be able to accept a loss or win without getting upset.
Many parents desire for their children to become doctors and in many cases, they do become doctors. But the parents then face the bad reactions for having being attached to the results of their children’s education. They have problems in the form of not getting along with their doctor son/daughter and/or their spouse, health or some other problems. The parents should send their children to school, but not desire for any results. In this way, there will be no bad reactions. There
are many parents living in India who craze for their daughters to marry boys from America/Europe. Their greed is satisfied but the daughters face so many problems and most of them completely lose interest in the Vedic culture/religion and their children are completely atheistic.
The result of spiritual ignorance/degradation is that the soul falls down into the animal species. The animals have absolutely no interest in religion. The parents should guide their children in the right direction, spiritual advancement and not material advancement, because at death, everything material is completely useless. The parents are also held responsible for the degradation of their children.
77. What is Time?
Time is one of the energies of Lord Krishna.
“The Supreme Person [Krishna] said: I am time, the destroyer of the material creations, with the exception of you [the Pandavas]. I have come here to destroy all the warriors on both sides.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 11.32)
As each second passes, we get older, more diseased, closer to death, closer to our next body. No one can deny the existence of time (Krishna) and no one can stop time (Krishna). The sooner you accept Krishna, the sooner you will stop wasting your short and precious human birth.
78. Does God give us free will?
Yes.
The real God (Lord Krishna) is not a dictator or bully. He doesn’t force anyone to follow Him, nor does He curse those who don’t follow Him. This is because Lord Krishna is responsible, mature, and doesn’t act in a childish manner. After speaking the Bhagavad-Gita to Arjuna, Lord Krishna allows Arjuna to practice his free will. Arjuna is free to do as he wishes.
“I have explained to you the most confidential knowledge. Now, think about it and then do as you wish.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 18.63)
79. Is disease and old age the killer?
The cause, place, and time of death for each person are fixed at inception of soul into the womb of a mother. This is all based on the actions taken by us in our previous lives (karma).
We may think that people die of diseases like cancer or old age, but this is just our own perception.
It’s our allocated time that kills and not any disease or old age. There are many diseased people but they don’t all die shortly after being diagnosed with a disease, even after many years. Some die early and some die late, thus the disease is not the real cause of death.
Some people die young and some die in old age, and thus age is not the killer. It’s our own allocated time that is the real killer. At birth, the duration of life for each person is fixed in terms of the number of breaths. This is based on what the person deserves, which is based on the actions taken by the soul in his previous births (karma). Once the allocated breaths are reached, the soul gets kicked out of the body, regardless of the condition of the body or age. This can be proven by the fact that many young and healthy people die all of a sudden, because their time is up. They have
depleted their allocated number of breaths.
The athletes do a lot of exercise, but still some die at an early age, and thus exercise is not the cause of death. The rich can eat the best food in the market, but still many rich people die at an early age, and thus good or bad diet is not the real cause of death. In Kali Yuga, the human body is made to last 100 years, but most will reach their allocated time well before then.
80. Why didn’t God save those who died on 9/11?
In the 2 towers which were brought down by the Islamic terrorist attack on 11 September 2001 in New York, normally around 50,000 people occupy those 2 buildings and around 3000 died. Many people say why didn’t God save them?
Who saved the 47,000? It was Lord Krishna (God) who saved the 47,000. Lord Krishna is omnipresent (present everywhere) and He is the witness to all our actions in this life and our previous lives.
Lord Krishna does not create the terrorists nor criminals, human societies create them and He simply allows us free will to do as we wish. The result of free will is that some humans will become terrorists, because they become followers of evil man made ideology or become corrupted. But Lord Krishna has a system in place to control our use of free will. This is the law of nature, karma. For every action we take we will face an appropriate reaction. This is like the traffic laws in every country. If one speeds then one will get a fine, which puts a control on speeding, as most people stop speeding because of the fines imposed. Without the fines, nobody would follow the speeding laws and there would be disaster.
A doctor will prescribe the correct medicine to a diseased patient, but if the patient does not take the medicine or makes up his own medicine then the he will not be cured and the disease will intensify. The doctor will not force the patients to take the correct medicine and we cannot blame the doctor if the patient suffers more. In a similar way, Lord Krishna has prescribed the correct medicine that will enable all humans to get through this miserable material life with minimum misery, and go back to the spiritual creation at the end of this short life. In the form of the instructions in the Bhagavad-Gita and other Vedic scriptures. But if we do not follow the instructions given by Lord Krishna, then we will become corrupt and suffer more in this life and stay in the material creation, suffering life after life. Just like the Doctors, Lord Krishna will not force us to follow Him, He has given us free will. Lord Krishna’s credentials is that He has appeared more than 18,000 times in His original form as Krishna and millions of times in His other forms. In each and every appearance, He proved that He was God without any doubt. Despite the over whelming evidence, the foolish will not accept Him as the Supreme and will follow some unknown/invisible/unproven character as God.
The cause, place, and time of death for each person are fixed at inception of soul into the womb of a mother. If a person is destined to live to say 70, then Lord Krishna will protect him until his time is up. Where ever the person goes, Lord Krishna will make arrangements to ensure he does not die before his due date (at 70 years). This explains why 2 people who were next to each other at one point in the building, one of them dies and the other does not. This is because the time was up for one of them and the time was not up for the other person and so Lord Krishna makes arrangements
to protect the other person by moving him out of the building before it collapsed or before the planes crashed into the buildings. One person I know who worked in one of those buildings, but on the day of the attack, he was late to work and so he wasn’t in the building. This was an arrangement by Lord Krishna to save this person, as his time was not up at that point. In a similar way, Lord Krishna made arrangements to save the 47.000 people, whose time was not depleted.
Some terrorists and criminals do get away from the Police and are never caught and thus never get punished from the human law and order system. But with Lord Krishna’s (God’s) law and order system, karma, nobody gets away with anything. In the human courts, witnesses are called up by the Judge and their evidences are used to sentence the criminals based on their crimes. With Lord Krishna’s justice system, He is the Judge and He is the witness to every action that every living being takes, every second, in every life. Lord Krishna is omnipresent, present in the heart of all living beings as the super soul and also present in every atom, the perfect witness who misses nothing. Lord Krishna keeps a complete record of all our physical actions and even our inner thoughts. At death, each person is judged by the perfect witness and Judge (Lord Krishna).
Based on the Vedic teachings, the terrorists are not rewarded with virgins or heaven, they are sent to the hellish planets for a long time and then they go down to the animal kingdom (take birth as animals). The proof of this is that there are many animals in the world, the souls in animal bodies were once in human bodies but due to aggressive behavior and ignorance, they now have a more suitable body to practice their aggression/ignorance.
“At death, those who have developed the mode of goodness, will go to the higher planets where the saintly persons live. Those who have developed the mode of passion, will take birth among those engaged in materialistic activities. Those who have developed the mode of ignorance, will take birth in the animal kingdom.”(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 14.14-15)
81. Can I buy extra Time?
One can buy a billion dollar home or an Island, but one cannot buy one extra millisecond of time. When our time is depleted, we (the soul) are forced out of this body and immediately transferred to another suitable body exactly according to what we deserve. All the money in the world cannot help us to buy one extra millisecond of life. Those who are intelligent will spend their hard earned money on their life essentials and also spend some in the service of the Supreme, and helping others to know and advance in the service of the Supreme, Lord Krishna. This will enable one to go back to the spiritual creation at the end of this short life and also take others with them.
“Just become My devotee, always think of Me, bow down to Me, and worship Me. Then you will come to Me, without fail. I promise you this, as you are very dear to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 18.65)
“If one who is devoted to Me, teaches this supreme secret to other devotees, he shall be performing the highest devotional service unto Me, and he will certainly come back to Me.
There is no other servant on Earth, who is more dear to Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 18.68-69)
Those who are less intelligent will work hard to accumulate wealth and will not spend some of it in the service of the Supreme nor in the service of humanity. At death, they (the soul) are transferred to the womb of mothers in miserable places and suffer from severe poverty and disease.
82. Does Krishna ask Arjuna to fight?
Yes.
“Always think of me [Krishna] and at the same time do your duty of fighting. Surrender your mind and intelligence unto Me and surely you will attain Me without a doubt.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 8.7)
Lord Krishna is asking Arjuna to do his duty of fighting, because Arjuna is a soldier in the military and thus it’s his job to fight when there is a war. For the civilians (those not in the military), we have to do our duty according to our occupation and at the same time think of Lord Krishna.
Lord Krishna told Arjuna to fight because the other side wanted war and they were the bad guys. When there are two sides, with one side wanting war, then there will be war and thus Lord Krishna asked Arjuna to fight and destroy the bad guys. Arjuna and his followers were good and on the opposing side were the bad guys. However, all the soldiers on both sides who died in the war got immediate liberation. This is because anyone who is killed in front of Lord Krishna or by Him, gets liberation. This is how merciful Lord Krishna (God) is.
83. Why didn’t Krishna stop the war?
God does not interfere with our free will and thus when there are people/nations who declare wars on other people/nations, war will be inevitable.
Some Christian and Muslim brothers have told me that if Krishna is God, then why didn’t He stop the war? Well, why doesn’t the unknown/invisible God of the Bible and Koran stop the wars?
It is very complex to understand how God and our free will play a part in wars. Lord Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight in the Mahabharat war because if he did not then the other side who are evil and wicked would have ruled the world and this would not have been good for the world. If an evil nation attacks another nation. It would be very natural for the attacked nation to fight back. If the terrorists declare war on USA, should the USA fight or not? It would be very foolish for the USA not to fight back, otherwise the terrorists would rule USA.
If you read all the history books, you will learn that so many races of people have existed in the past and except for the Vedic race of people, all other races have become extinct within a few hundred years or at most a few thousand years. Only those who are on the side of Lord Krishna are eternal, all others are temporary. The Romans, ancient Egyptians, ancient Greeks, Mayans, and so many other races have become extinct. All the non-Vedic races existing today will also become extinct in the future.
Brahma has existed since 155.522 trillion years ago and he is a follower of Lord Krishna. The followers of the Lord Ram, an incarnation of Lord Krishna, lived around 2 million years ago and they still exist today. 5000 years ago, Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-Gita, and the followers of Lord Krishna still exist today. This is simple proof that the followers of Lord Krishna are eternal.
“My devotees become righteous, attain lasting peace, and never perish. “Lord Krishna (Bhagavad-Gita 9.31)
84. If Krishna is God then why didn’t He destroy the other side?
Lord Krishna is God and He could have instantly killed all the soldiers of the other side with just one glance, but He didn’t do this, because He doesn’t interfere with our free will, which is given by Him. Otherwise there is no point in human existence. Being human means we have free will, which we can use properly or misuse.
Based on the actions taken by Arjuna and his opponent Duryodhana, they will have to face the reactions to their actions, which in this case resulted in war. Lord Krishna approached Duryodhana and asked him to settle the land dispute peacefully but he refused and declared war. Lord Krishna offered to help both sides, one side can choose His army and the other side can choose Him as an adviser. This is free will, which we all have.
Duryodhana chose the army of Lord Krishna because he thought by having more men, he could win the war. Arjuna was very eager for Lord Krishna Himself as an adviser, he thought to have God is better than everything else. Lord Krishna was God but He was playing the role of a Prince and thus He had an army. All Princes had armies in ancient times. Arjuna knew that Krishna was God even before hearing the Bhagavad-Gita.
Only a few people knew that Lord Krishna was God, even though Lord Krishna very clearly proved that He was the greatest person. Even today, out of the 7 billion people in the World, less than 1 billion may have heard about the greatness of Lord Krishna, and only a few hundred million know for sure that Lord Krishna is the one and only God.
We can select the President or the Prime Minister of a country, but God Himself selects those who can know Him, very few, as God is not so cheap.
“Out of thousands of persons, one will strive for spiritual self-realization, and among the strivers, someone may know Me. (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 7.3)
85. When is self-defense necessary?
The Bhagavad-Gita was spoken on the battlefield and so one of its teachings is to know when self defense is necessary. It was the will of Lord Krishna that all the soldiers on both sides, except for the Pandavas, would not go back home. It made no difference whether Arjuna took part in the war or not. Arjuna was merely an instrument that Lord Krishna used to destroy the soldiers on both sides. Even before the war started, Lord Krishna showed Arjuna, the soldiers being destroyed.
There have always been divine and demonic humans, since the beginning of creation. Those who misuse the free will which is given by God are the demonic and those who properly use the free will are called the divine or demigods. The police and military in each country are not punished if they act according to the instructions of the government. In a similar way, God does not punish those who act to protect themselves from aggressors. There are five aggressors: Those who give poison, those who set fire to a house, those who attack, those who steal land, and those who kidnap women.
When one engages in violence to defend himself from these aggressors, there is no karmic reaction, because it is righteous to protect one’s body, house, land, and women.
“All these warriors have already been put to death by My arrangement, you are merely an instrument that I am using. Just get up and fight, you will win over these aggressors.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 11.33)
The Bhagavad-Gita was spoken just before the start of Kali Yuga, the age of irreligion, ignorance, and aggressors. Until 5000 years ago, Vedic emperors from New Delhi ruled the whole world. Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-Gita to instruct Arjuna and the followers of Vedic culture, but unfortunately the Temples/Brahmins have failed to teach this important message of the BhagavadGita. The result of this foolishness is that instead of Bharat ruling the whole world, the whole world is ruling Bharat. Bit by bit, the land of Bharat is being stolen by foreigners.
Vedic culture means no killing, no slavery, no hatred, no terrorism, no crusaders, universal brotherhood, no aggressors, no exploitation, and full knowledge of God.
Non-Vedic culture means killing, slavery, hatred, terrorism, crusaders, no universal brotherhood, aggressors, exploitation, and godlessness.
The simple fact is that the Hindus have not attacked other nations, never enslaved others, and never stolen land belonging to others. This is the result of following the culture and religion created by God. The non-Hindus cannot say the same.
86. When is the Day of Judgment?
The Day of Judgment is immediately at death.
Why should God keep the dead waiting?
Some people have been dead for millions of years, why should God keep them waiting for so long?
God is very efficient, He doesn’t keep the dead waiting. At death, we are instantly judged according to the actions we have taken in life (karma).
It’s due to man ideologies that people falsely believe that the Day of Judgement is someday in the future. At death, the ‘he’ (the soul) is judged based on the actions taken in his life (karma) and then ‘he passes away’ to another body. Death simply means he (the soul) has passed away to another body.
Some people falsely believe that the dead body will rise again someday in the future (resurrection). Anyone with some basic science knowledge will understand that the body is dead matter and within a few months of death, the body will decay and disintegrate and eventually turn to dust. From dust the body is made and to dust the body will return. The dead body will never rise again, because nothing will be left due to decay. If God can give us this body then He can certainly also give us another body. He does not need to make the dead matter (the body) useable again. The Laws of science and the ways of God are completely compatible based on the Vedic teachings.
“The fact is that one who has taken birth, will certainly die. It is also a fact that, one who dies will take birth again. Therefore, you should not lament for that which is unavoidable.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.27)
The fundamental Laws of Physics is that what has a beginning will have an end. What is made of matter will eventually be destroyed due to decay, caused by time. The body has a beginning and it’s made of matter, thus based on scientific logic, the body will be destroyed.
Those bodies which are buried will never rise again, but the souls who once occupied those bodies are alive and well today and will always be alive, but in different bodies.
87. What happens at death?
At death, you (the soul) are immediately judged and then transferred to the womb of a particular mother in a particular universe, on a particular planet, in a particular country, in a particular city, on a particular street, in a particular home, exactly according to what you deserve.
“Just as a person gives up old and worn out garments for new garments. In a similar way, the embodied soul accepts new bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.22)
We change clothes, furniture, countries, jobs, wives/husbands, houses, friends, cars and so on. In a similar way, we change bodies.
If you have lived a pious life and gained spiritual knowledge, then you will not take birth again in the material creation. You will go to the spiritual creation called Vaikuntha, where you will live eternally in the same beautiful body, with no old age, no disease, no death, and no anxiety. The sinners will come back to this or other planets where life is full of misery.
“Those who without deviation, meditate upon Me, worship Me, fix their mind on Me, and become attached to Me, I very quickly deliver them from material existence, which is an ocean of birth, death, and miseries.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 12.6-7)
88. Are the dead waiting in their graves or gone?
All the dead are neither waiting in their graves nor gone. God is very efficient, He doesn’t keep anyone waiting nor does He waste anyone. All the dead are alive right now, but in different bodies and in situations exactly according to what they deserve based on the actions they took in their life (karma).
“The fact is that one who has taken birth, will certainly die. It is also a fact that, one who dies will take birth again. Therefore, you should not lament for that which is unavoidable.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.27)
Anyone can see that every second, living beings are dying and being born. This is the transmigration of the soul from one body to another. This is another simple proof of reincarnation.
We can help our loved ones who have passed onto their next life, by becoming a pure devotee of Lord Krishna and asking him to take them back to the spiritual creation where they will live eternally with no misery. This teaching is unique to Sanatan-Dharma, in the non-Vedic religions they have absolutely no way to help those who have passed away.
89. Will I see my relatives again after this life?
Never.
Our relationships are based on the body and so when the body is finished, our relationship is also finished forever. The body is destroyed after death and so we can never know that person again. Even if we come across the same soul again in another body, we will not know that this person was once in another body that we knew.
Arjuna was lamenting for his relatives who were on the opposing side of the war, and Krishna made him realize that all his current relatives were never his relatives before this life and they will never be his relatives again, after this life.
We cannot know where the souls of our dead relatives and friends have gone. But there are some yogis and personalities like Brahma and Shiva, who can tell where the souls have taken birth again, and Krishna knows exactly where you and I were trillions of years ago.
In the material creation, all our friends and relatives are just for this life, and in many cases not even for this entire life, as we change friends, give up friends, and lose contact with some. But in the spiritual creation (Vaikuntha), you will know all your friends and relatives forever.
“The soul which resides in the body never dies. Therefore you should not lament for any living being.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.30)
Yes it’s natural to lament for our loved ones who have passed away to their next life. But we should know that eventually all living beings will go back to the spiritual creation where they will live eternally in the same body with no trace of misery or suffering.
Every single person we have known in this and our previous lives will eventually go back to the spiritual creation. That’s why Lord Krishna states that we should not lament for any living being. Lord Krishna is the real God and He is very merciful and loving to all living beings.
We should not lament for those who pass away, because they could be better situated in their new body and they may have gone back to the spiritual creation called Vaikuntha, the ultimate destination for all souls. On the millions of Vaikuntha planets, the people live eternally in the same body that is completely beautiful, in complete bliss, full of knowledge, and with no old age, no disease, and no trace of any misery. Based on Lord Krishna, nobody is sent to hell forever, eventually every soul goes back to the kingdom of God, Vaikuntha. This is because, Lord Krishna (God) is most Merciful and Forgiving.
90. What body will you get next?
Your consciousness at death will determine your next body. This life is a preparation for the next.
During each day of this life, you are developing a particular type of consciousness, which will manifest into a particular body at death. It’s just like a manufacturing company designing its products today to produce tomorrow.
It’s very easy to determine what your next body will be:
* If you have eaten animals, then you will become an animal and be eaten
* If you are full of hate and anger towards others, then you will become an aggressive animal
* If you have cursed others with a life of hell. Then you will end up in hell
* If you like to expose your body, then you will become a tree, naked and exposed to all
* If you like to eat everything and anything, then you will become a hog, who eats anything and everything
* If you are attached to a dog, then you will become one (a dog)
* If you are friendly to all living beings, then you will get another human body
* If you are friendly to all living beings and know who God is and serve him. Then you will be finished with material life and go back to the kingdom of God (Vaikuntha), where you will live eternally and play with God everyday
“Just as the air carries a particular smell from one place to another, the living entity will be carried to a particular body at death, based on the consciousness developed by him during life. On taking a new body, the living entity will get a particular set of senses, like ears, eyes, tongue, smelling potency, sense of touch, and mentality. The foolish persons
cannot understand how a living entity quits one body to take another. But those with knowledge can see this.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 15.8-10)
“Whatever nature, one has at the time of death. That nature he will attain without a doubt.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 8.6)
91. What is Maya?
Maya has two meanings: compassion and illusion.
One meaning of Maya is compassion. Compassion means having feelings for all living beings, being concerned for the welfare and health of all living beings.
Another meaning of Maya is illusion, which makes one living being think, that he is superior to others. The aim of this illusionary energy of Lord Krishna called Maya, is to enable the living beings to exist in the material creation in various species and situations.
The he dog thinks the she dog is the best creation
# The he pig thinks the she pig is the best creation
# The he human thinks the she human is the best creation
# The white man thinks he is the best creation
# The black man thinks he is the best creation
# The people of every country think they are the best
# The pigs love to eat stool, and people love to eat the flesh of animals, thinking it’s very nice
Without this illusion, it’s not possible for the variety of living beings to exist. If one thinks that his wife is not the best, then there is no point in having her. If a sports team thinks they are not the best. There is no point in competing with others and so there would be no need for the team to exist.
The males in every species of living beings think they are the best, and fight for females, so that his genes pass on and survive. Otherwise the species would become extinct.
There are 8.4 million species of living beings, meaning that there are 8.4 million main categories of mentalities among living beings. Under illusion (maya), the living beings are able to continue existing to satisfy the variety of mentalities.
Anything related to the body or matter is maya, an illusion that will make us think we can be happy by satisfying our bodily desires, but in reality this will only result in more misery. Maya is also in the form of ignorant people with no spiritual knowledge, newspapers, TV, Internet, places, and so on. We should be very careful about all the things that are not spiritually related, by keeping away from them. Otherwise unknowingly we will become under more illusion and the result of being under maya (illusion) is that we stay in the material creation to satisfy our bodily desires.
# A human who very much likes to expose her naked body will have her desire more satisfied after this life. Nature will give her the body of a tree and she will stay naked and exposed to all for hundreds of years
# A human who is attached to sex will have his desires satisfied by getting the body of a monkey who mates many times with many females
# Humans who are aggressive will have their desires satisfied by getting the body of aggressive animals
# Humans who have no interest in religion, will have their desire satisfied by being born in the animal kingdom, where there is no thought of God
# Humans, who like to eat flesh, will have their desire satisfied by getting bodies, which are specially made for flesh eating. At death, their souls will be transferred to the wombs of lions, tigers, crocs, and so on
“The divine illusionary energy of Mine [maya] consisting of the three modes of material nature is very difficult to overcome. Those who surrender unto Me can become free from it.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 7.14)
The three modes of material nature are goodness, passion, and ignorance. Since maya is the energy of Lord Krishna, one can only become free from it by the grace of Lord Krishna.
92. What is Krishna consciousness?
A person who is Krishna conscious is free from bodily designations and has the following state of
mind:
# I am not this body
# I am the eternal soul
# I am not a man nor woman
# I am not white nor black
# I am not rich nor poor
# I am not the owner of anything
# I and all living beings are part of Krishna
# I am the servant of Krishna and all living beings
# All living beings are my brothers and sisters
# Sees all living beings as souls and not as bodies
# The purpose of my existence is to serve Krishna (God) and all living beings and I will serve according to the best of my abilities
# Lord Krishna is present in the heart of all living beings as the super soul and thus I will respect and bow down all living beings
# I am concerned for the welfare and well-being of all living beings and I will be charitable according to the best of my capacity
# I will always be truthful, humble, kind to all living beings, tolerant in all situations, clean, and live a simple life (no fancy/expensive expenditure and not bother others with demands)
# I will make it a priority to preach all the above to others using my time, energy, money, life experiences, and intelligence
All the problems in the world would be eliminated if everyone had the above state of mind, which is called Krishna consciousness.
When one develops this consciousness, at death, the soul is immediately transferred to the spiritual creation called Vaikuntha, where the soul lives eternally in the same body with no trace of misery.
“Those who are wise, have real knowledge, understanding, and gentleness. They see with equal vision, a Brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog eater.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 5.18)
93. Are all souls equal?
Yes.
Within the body of all living beings (animals, plants and humans) there is a soul. All souls are eternal, full of bliss, full of knowledge, and equal.
“I hate no one. I am equal to all living beings…” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 9.29)
Lord Krishna is equal to everyone. This is another uniqueness of the Vedic teachings which cannot be found in the non-Vedic teachings where the animals are considered as food for humans, and those who don’t follow their ideology are considered low and sent to hell eternally.
94. Why is one soul in an animal body another in a human body?
There are 8.4 million species of living beings, and depending on the desires and mentality developed by souls in human bodies, the variety of people, plants, and animals are created.
“Just as the air carries a particular smell from one place to another, the living entity will be carried to a particular body at death, based on the consciousness developed by him during life. On taking a new body, the living entity will get a particular set of senses, like ears, eyes, tongue, smelling potency, sense of touch, and mentality. The foolish persons
cannot understand how a living entity quits one body to take another. But those with knowledge can see this.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 15.8-10)
“Whatever nature, one has at the time of death. That nature he will attain without a doubt.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 8.6)
If we live a life full of sin then our consciousness at death will be polluted and the result is degradation to lower species. If we live a pious life and engage in devotional service unto Lord Krishna, then at death, our soul will be immediately transferred to the spiritual creation, Vaikuntha.
Where everyone lives eternally in the same body that is completely beautiful, full of bliss/love, full of knowledge, with no old age, no disease, and without any misery.
95. When is the end of the world?
There are cycles of creation and annihilation. The duration of each cycle is 311 trillion, and 40 billion years. In the current cycle, the universe has existed for 155.522 trillion years old and it will end after 155.518 trillion years.
“At the end of each cycle [of 311.040 trillion years], all living beings enter into My material nature. At the beginning of a new cycle, I create them again by My potency.”
(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 9.7)
This universe will be here for another 155.518 trillion years. But you won’t be, your life may end at any time. So make sure you live a sinless life, so you move up in life (species) and not down.
96. Is the purpose of life to build an empire?
Life after life we are working like donkeys to build our empire of properties, big bank balances, nice cars, college degrees, and so on. But at the end of each life, we have to give everything up. We can’t transfer our bank balance from one life to another, nor can we take our material educational qualifications like a degree in medicine with us to our next life. Nor can we take our properties or family members with us. In each life we have to start all over again.
While we are busy working hard to build our empire, we forget that there is time, which is taking away our life. A sword is hanging over your head and at any moment it will drop, then you (the soul) will be transferred to another body and you will then have to start all over again from scratch.
“One who understands My appearances and activities, never takes birth again in the material creation and attains My abode.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 4.9)
The purpose of life is first to know the Supreme by knowing His appearances and activities, then serve Him. The result of this is that at death, the soul will be immediately transferred to the abode of Lord Krishna called Vaikuntha where everyone lives in the same body that is eternal, completely beautiful, full of bliss/love, full of knowledge, no disease, no death, and with no trace of misery.
Those who are intelligent will work hard to make a living but they will also gain some spiritual knowledge so eventually they gain enough to go back to the spiritual abode where we live in the same beautiful body. That is eternal, full of bliss, and full of knowledge.
97. Does life come from chemicals?
No. Chemicals come from life, and not life from chemicals.
The scientific theory of life is that life comes from chemicals. These chemicals, which the scientists say created life, are freely available in the world. Can any scientists create life from these chemicals?
No. Thus the scientific theory of life is very un-scientific, because they cannot prove it.
“All living beings have their source from My material and spiritual energies, and know for certain that I am the origin and dissolution of the entire creation.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 7.6)
98. How do I understand the reality of reincarnation?
* When someone dies, we say ‘He has passed away’. This implies that we accept that the soul and the body are different. The dead body is present before us but the soul has passed on. Where to? Another body.
* Every second living beings are dying and every second living beings are born. The souls in the dead bodies are being transferred to the new bodies. This is proof of the transmigration of the soul from one body to another.
* In scientific terms, energy cannot be destroyed, but it changes forms. Our body is the form and we (the soul) are the energy. When this current form of ours (this body) is destroyed. We (the soul) will change our form. Thus, get a new body.
* Take a look around. Why are there varieties of conscious living beings? Why is one soul in the body of an animal and another soul in a human body? Why is one soul in the body of a female and another in a male body? Why is one soul born in China and another born in Africa and so on? The soul is moving from one body to another, life after life. The variation of bodies is simple proof of the transmigration of the soul from one body to another.
* The fact that God is merciful is proof of reincarnation. If God is merciful then why would he create some who are fortunate and some who are unfortunate in their one and only life? If after this one and only life we eternally go to hell or heaven, which is what the non-Vedic religions preach. Then how can God be merciful to those who are eternally sent to hell for messing up their one and only life. The fact that God is merciful is proof that he gives us unlimited chances and not just one. Thus, we (the soul) transmigrate from one body to another life after life.
* If this is the only life, then why do we exist today and some will exist in the future and some existed in the past. The fact is that we exist today, we existed in the past, and we will exist in the future too.
* The body is temporary but the soul is eternal. Accept this fact? Yes? When this body is finished the soul must continue to exist, because it’s eternal. And just as the soul is currently residing in this body, when this body is finished the soul will continue to exist by residing in another body.
* If a sinner is sent to hell forever after only one life, then how can God be forgiving unless he is given another chance? The fact is that we get unlimited chances and not just one. This is because God is all-merciful.
* The existence of ghosts is proof that life does not end when this body dies. There is existence after this body dies.
99. What does rejecting karma and reincarnation mean?
Some people say they can’t remember their past lives and thus this is the only life (no reincarnation). Can you remember the day you were born? No. So why do you exist? Can you remember all the moments of your whole life? No. So does this mean that you only existed for the moments you can remember?
If there is no reincarnation, then it means this is the one and only life.
Some people are born with cancer in their only life.
Some people are born poor in their only life.
Some people only live for a day and die in their only life.
Some people suffer more than others in their only life.
Some people are born blind in their only life.
The above means God is very mean and not fair to those who are unfortunate. Or everything happens by chance, which means God is not in control. Both of these statements imply there is no God (atheistic).
Some people believe that they can live a life of sin, then at death they will be buried, and on some unknown day of judgment they will rise from their grave in the same body they died. They will get a bailout plan for their sins, and then go to heaven and eternally live in the same body they died in.
They can’t get a new body, because this would mean reincarnation.
The above means that in heaven, there will be many old people as they died in their old age. Is living in an old body eternally, heavenly or hellish life?
Why should God keep the dead waiting (for the Day of Judgment), in some cases for millions of years? This means God is not very efficient.
Some people believe that only the followers of their religion go to heaven, the others eternally go to hell. This means God is not merciful, fair, or forgiving, and has made a mistake by creating those who don’t follow a particular religion. Can God be wrong?
The believers of God must accept that God is merciful, fair, forgiving, and efficient. Thus, those who reject karma and reincarnation are the unbelievers of God (atheists).
100. How do we move up or down in Life?
Just as we can get promoted or demoted at work, we also get promoted or demoted in life. By getting a good education, earning good money, having a big house, and nice cars, you have simply become a polished animal. Material advancement is not evolution, but devolution of spiritual consciousness.
At death, all our degrees, properties, cars, and bank balances are completely useless. If you have spiritual knowledge, then you will move up in life, thus take birth in one of the higher species of living beings or overcome the cycle of birth and death. If you have no spiritual knowledge, then you will go down in life by taking birth in the lower species, in the plant and animal kingdoms.
There are 8.4 million species of living beings. According to exactly what you deserve, you will either go up or down in species after this life. I am not saying that you give up all the comforts of life and live in a cave, no. My point is that if you add some spirituality to your life, which includes stopping sinful activities like meat eating, gambling, drinking, and relationships outside marriage. Become charitable and treat people nicely. Then at least, you will be able to maintain your current position in your next life.
“At death, those who have developed the mode of goodness, will go to the higher planets where the saintly persons live. Those who have developed the mode of passion, will take birth among those engaged in materialistic activities. Those who have developed the mode of ignorance, will take birth in the animal kingdom.”(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 14.14-15)
“Those who are situated in the mode of goodness, go to the heavenly planets. Those in the mode of passion will take birth on planets like Earth. Those in the mode of ignorance will take birth on the hellish planets or in the animal kingdom.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 14.18)
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