What is the purpose of life?

10-31-2005, 03:41 AM

Hi All,

I just wonder why are we here on earth to spend some 60-100 years? Why God (or any super power) has created this scheme? Just what is the purpsose of life?

10-31-2005, 11:54 AM

Hare Krishna!

Good question!

To go back to Krishna is the answer!

The way to go back is to serve Krishna in this human life and die and go to Him to live eternally with HIM!

Read the Bhagavat Gita as it is by Srila Prabhupada- you will know the answer to your question!

Haribol!

anand

10-31-2005, 04:22 PM

I Blieve the reason we are alive (our purpose, the meaning of life) is to learn. its knowledge. education. not just about material sciences or book smarts, but also spiritual education. education of god. vidyam. buddhi. jnanam.

we are born because of our past karma. our original karma is believed by some wise men to be due to the jivan's ignorance. and this set off a series of births that have led us today to where we are now. the point is to learn. gain more knowledge and act in correct accordance with this knowledge. correct actions coupled with correct knowledge will bring one good karma in the future and will lead one up the ladder of spirituality to mahasamadhi. union with brahman. then we will have perfect knowledge and perfect action.

our purpose in this life is simply to learn and act correctly. every day is another chance to gain on both accounts.

maadhav · 10-31-2005, 09:00 PM

the desires in your mind are coming from the purpose of your life that you have chosen in this or previous life.

sit in silent room and list your desires.

11-02-2005, 06:34 AM

Thanks, Ratheesh and others for replies.

If I look around and see everyone (including myself), All I see that people want to accumulate wealth, house, car. They want to have good business/job. Their ultimate purpose is to have enough money to get all the materialistic things in life and be happy (which is not bad, I think).

I have been reading Bhagwat Gita for a while, at times I am very impressed with the stuff, but soon I think, if this is mere theory, and I doubt, if it is real, as we do not have any proof of re-birth, moksha, life after death etc.

I however, have a feeling from inside, that earth is not the ultimate place to live in this universe, and there has to be some permanent place for human beings, which should be much much better than our current life (earth). We hardly know even .001% of what our universe consists of and if we have any other living forms else where and if we are somehow connected to that.

Any comments will be valuable.

Everyone's
Shravan

11-02-2005, 07:28 AM

on what you mean by purpose, intrinsic or otherwise. If you're searching for a purpose *within* the field of worldly conciousness, you're courting disappointment. Because this world, by itself, has no purpose whatsoever. However, it does have a hidden purpose, if and only if it leads to the Uncaused Cause, Vishnu.

That's why all Hindu scriptures, including the Gita, which you're currently reading, stress mukti or liberation from the material plane of consciousness. Safe to say that mukti is the goal, but it isn't a goal related to this life, or to the world we're living in. Earning a million dollars is a goal related to this world, it is part of this world, but mukti as a goal is other-worldly and doesn't belong to this plane at all.

So your question, Is there a purpose in this world? Yes, there is, but it isn't an intrinsic one.

narayanadasa · 11-03-2005, 01:32 AM

Jai Sriman Narayan:

Please read the book "God, Rebirth and Vedas" ISBN 8122405061. You will find common scientific examples about rebirth, God and proof that Vedas are God-Given.

11-03-2005, 02:34 PM

The purpose of life is to get out of this cycle of birth and death.

This material world is a prision house for all those who enveyed the LORD while staying with Him in His aboade.

We can regain our position by again becoming His devotee.

11-03-2005, 04:21 PM

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I have been reading Bhagwat Gita for a while, at times I am very impressed with the stuff, but soon I think, if this is mere theory, and I doubt, if it is real, as we do not have any proof of re-birth, moksha, life after death etc.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

scientific proof will come in time.
Rebirth is something that has been part of Indian thought for the past 5000 years perhaps. perhaps older. it is something downplayed by "modern" societies because of the lack of proof. This comes from a tradition based in Western European history and culture. Yet the prrof is somewhat right in front of their faces. Althoguh we as humans are real and alive we are only the sum of the parts. the parts are molecules. milions of millions of tiny molecules that come together to form bigger more complex entities which also come together and so on, etc., until the end result is a biological being called homo sapien.

upon death wwhat happens? these molecules dont disappoear. Every one of them breaks apart from the mold and the mold (being) no longer functions are one entity. The molecules go their way, in a sort of limbo or such, until it forms with other molecules to form a new entity. this is the way of life and existance. all forms of life and created from molecules come together and grow to form the creature we are.

so in a sense, we will be reincarnated into something else after death, when our molecules un-bond and form new things.

moksha is a psychological concept meant to attain a sense of salvation and bliss - to attain satchitananda and be one with brahman. to "feel" this can only be done through our conciousness. It is our consiousness that "feels" and experiences. This is an idealized state of perfection that is sought by many. It has been stated by wise men and lay men alike, that this idealized state of brahman is both the cause of breaking the cycle as well as the result of breaking the cycle.

Asking for proof is like asking for proof of our love. We can give examples of how we can show our love but we cannot let the questioner experience the love we feel.

The Bhagavad Gita is a book written by many wise men taht display the complied truths of a group of people in south asia. No matter one's opinion on the book, it still contains many truths and gives one much to contemplate on.