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Commentary by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura -
09-25-2001, 03:43 PM
adi-jivaparadhad vai
sarvesam bandhanam dhruvam
tathanya-jiva-bhutasya
vibhor dandena niskrtih
adi--original; jiva--soul; aparadhad--because of the offense; vai--indeed; sarvesam--of all; bandhanam--bondage; dhruvam--indeed; tatha--so; anya--of other; jiva-bhutasya--souls; vibhor--of God;
dandena--by the punishment; niskrtih--deliverance.
Some philosophers say that because of the first living entity's sin all the other living entities are imprisoned in the material world. Later, punishing Himself for their sins, God delivers the living entities.
Commentary by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Thinking about the virtues and faults of this world, some moralistic monotheists concluded that this material world is not a place of
unalloyed pleasures. Indeed, the sufferings outweigh the pleasures. They decided that the material world is a prison to punish the living entities. If there is punishment, then there must be a crime. If there were no crime, then why would there be any punishment?
What crime did the living entities commit? Unable to properly answer this question, some men of small intelligence gave birth to a very wild idea. God created the first man and placed him in a pleasant garden with his wife. Then God forbade the man to taste the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Following the evil counsel of a wicked being, the first man and woman tasted the fruit of the tree of knowledge, thus disobeying God's command. In this way they fell from that garden into the material world filled with sufferings. Because of their offense, all other living entities are offenders from the moment of
their birth. Not seeing any other way to remove this offense, God Himself took birth in a humanlike form, took on His own shoulders the sins of His followers, and then died. All who follow Him easily attain liberation, and all who do not follow Him fall into an eternal hell. In this way God assumes a humanlike form, punishes Himself, and thus liberates the living entities. An intelligent person cannot make sense of any of this.
janmato jiva-sambhavo
maranante na janma vai
yat-krtam samsrtau tena
jivasya caramam phalam
janmatah--from birth; jiva--of the living entities; sambhavo--birth; marana--death; ante--at the end; na--not; janma--birth; vai--indeed; yat--what; krtam--done; samsrtau--in the world; tena--by that; jivasya--of the living entity; caramam--final; phalam--result.
(These philosophers say that) the living entity's life begins at birth and ends with death. After death, he is not born again. After death he attains the results of his actions in that one lifetime.
To accept this mixed-up religion one must first believe these rather implausible things: "The living entity's life begins at birth and ends at death. Before birth the living entity did not exist, and after
death the living entity will no longer stay in the world of material activities. Only human beings have souls. Other creatures do not have souls." Only extremely unintelligent persons believe this religion.
In this religion the living entity is not spiritual in nature. By His own will God created the living entities out of matter. Why are the living entities born into very different situations? The followers of this
religion cannot say. Why is one living entity born into a house filled with sufferings, another living entity born into a house filled with joys, another living entity born into the house of a person devoted to
God, and another living enttity born into a wicked atheist's house?
Why is one person born in a situation where he is encouraged to perform pious deeds, and he performs pious deeds and becomes good? Why
is another person born in a situation where he is encouraged to sin, and he sins and becomes bad? The followers of this religion cannot answer all these questions. Their religion seems to say that God is unfair and irrational.
Why do they say that animals have no souls? Why do birds and beasts not have souls like human beings? Why do the human beings have only one life, and, because of their actions in that one life are rewarded in eternal heaven or punished with eternal hell? Any person who believes in a truly kind and merciful God will find this religion
completely unacceptable.
atra sthitasya jivasya
karma-jnananusilanat
visvonnati-vidhanena
kartavyam isa-tosanam
atra--here; sthitasya--situated; jivasya--of the soul; karma--fruitive work; jnana--mental speculation; anusilanat--by cultivating; visva--world; unnati--elevation; vidhanena--by the way; kartavyam--to be done; isa--of God; tosanam--satisfaction.
(These philosophers say that) by cultivating fruitive work and speculative philosophy one should make improvements in the material
world and in this way please God.
The followers of this religion have no power to worship God selflessly. In general their idea is that by cultivating fruitive work
and speculative philosophy one should work to make improvements in the material world and in this way please God. By building hospitals and schools, and by doing various philanthropic works, they try to do good
to the world and thus please God. Worship of God by performing fuitive work (karma) and by engaging in philosophical speculation
(jnana) is very important to them. They have no power to understand pure devotional service (suddha-bhakti), which is free of fruitive work and philosophical speculation. Worship of God done out of a sense of duty is never natural or unselfish. "God has been kind to us, and therefore we should worship Him." These are the thoughts of lesser minds. Why is this not a good way to worship God? Because one may think, "If God is not kind to me, then I will not worship Him." In this way one has the selfish, bad desire to get God's kindness in the future. If one wishes that God will be kind by allowing one to serve Him, then there is nothing wrong with that desire. But the religion under discussion does not see it in that way. This religion sees God's kindness in terms of one's enjoying a happy life in this material world.
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