The discriminating power of understanding what is good and bad, eternal and non-eternal is God’s gift to mankind, says SRILA BHAKTI BALLABH TIRTHA GOSWAMI MAHARAJ
The Supreme Lord never interferes with the relative independence of conditioned souls. If their relative independence is stopped forcibly, the individual soul which is anu-sacchidānanda, (an atom of Brahman) will be destroyed. If consciousness is destroyed, both the Supreme Lord, Who is All-existence, All-knowledge and All-bliss, as well as the jiva, the individual soul, a minute particle of consciousness, will not be benefited.
The Supreme Lord as the indwelling monitor of the conditioned souls, existing within their hearts, bestows upon them the discriminating power of understanding what is good and bad, eternal and non-eternal.
Sometimes He Himself appears to help the jivas to make good use of their relative independence and take absolute shelter of Him, and He also inspires the conditioned souls through His personal associates.
The individual soul should submit to God willingly. If the Supreme Lord does not want to do anything forcibly to change the minds of the conditioned souls, how can conditioned souls, like us, use force to change individual minds?
Sadhus (pure devotees) always help all conditioned souls to accept the right path willingly, by dint of their ideal lives and affectionate behaviour.
Enslaved jivas, who are averse to Sri Krishna and want to enjoy the material world, are enveloped by the material energy consisting of three primal qualities ― sattva (goodness), rajas (passion) and tamas (darkness).
The non-eternal bodies of living beings are created by rajas guna; they are sustained for some time by sattva guna and they are destroyed by tamas guna.
To fulfil the desires of the unfortunate jivas, the Supreme Lord has created 84 lakh species. The Lord is satisfied by creating the human species, because they are capable of accepting the Eternal Truth and giving up non-eternal things ― that is, they are capable of worshipping God.
Human birth is not meant for eating, sleeping, defending, and mating like beasts and birds. It is only meant for worship of the Supreme Lord.
sṛṣṭvā purāṇi vividhāny ajayātma-śaktyā
vṛkṣān sarīsṛpa-paśūn khaga-dandaśūkān
tais tair atuṣṭa-hṛdayaḥ puruṣaṁ vidhāya
brahmāvaloka-dhiṣaṇaṁ mudam āpa devaḥ
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.9.28)
‘The Supreme Lord did not get contentment after creating the variety of living beings — trees, reptiles, beasts, birds and ferocious animals etc.— by His own māyā-śakti. So last, He created the human species and was satisfied, because human beings have the proper eligibility to worship Krishna.’
So, God’s desire is that human beings should worship Him, voluntarily.
Let’s consider the following story: One person had enough money, was well-to-do and had all comforts, but he had difficulties with his wife. His wife was obstinate. There was always disturbance and want of peace in the family.
He had a friend who was an expert in hypnotism. He expressed his heart to him and prayed to him if he could make his wife obedient to him. That hypnotist gave him a magic stick.
His friend said that by that stick, he could control his wife. Whatever he would order her to do, she would be forced to do. He was very happy on hearing this. He came back to the house with that stick and ordered his wife, ‘sit down’, ‘stand up’ , ‘come here’.
In this way, whatever he ordered his wife, she was doing. But after some time, he lost interest in it, because it became like a puppet show of dolls, without life. He wanted his wife to obey him willingly and by her own independence. If necessary, she could object, and could say anything against him also. If she moved like a lifeless doll, the husband would not get any satisfaction.
Similarly, if the Lord forcibly makes sentient beings do something, their consciousness will be destroyed. The Supreme Lord is Omniscient. He cannot do that which is not beneficial to sentient beings. He loves them and wants them to be free to make their own choices.
(Excerpted and abridged from the book, Affectionately Yours, Divine Letters)
Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj was President-Acharya of Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math from 1979 till he left his physical body on April 21, 2017 at the age of 92. For more than six decades, he preached the philosophy of universal unity, travelling the globe to spread his message of transcendental divine love, interacting with theologians of all faiths.
More Stories by Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj
Freedom with Discipline, indeed this is the way we can be the benevolent children of Lord, being God hand & God will in action…this is the only way we can participate in His play and make it a Divine Life.