suchandra 1 Report post Posted January 30, 2008 Strong arguments by Sankarshan prabhu, "so do you think you can be happy if you don't love God? Can a fish be happy if it is out the water? No way! It is simply a matter of sanity." Why Were We Created? by Sankarshan Das Adhikari Tuesday, January 29, 2008 by Hare Krsna http://lordkrsna.blogspot.com/2008/01/why-were-we-created_29.html We always hear from the scriptures of the world how God created us. But in the Bhagavad-gita Krishna states that there was never a time that we, the living beings, did not exist. So how can God have created us if we have always existed? It seems contradictory. Actually there is no contradiction. We are all the eternal emanations of the Lord. Krishna confirms this in chapter 10 of the Bhagavad-gita in which He states: aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate "I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. " Bhagavad-gita 10.8 So it is very clear that we are dependent upon the Supreme Lord for our existence. We are clearly not self-manifested. We are God-manifested. So we can understand that God created us by manifesting us from Himself in way similar to the way that the sun emanates sunshine. And He is presently emanating us from Himself. Were He not doing so, we would not exist. We know that He will eternally emanate us from Himself because He promises us in the Bhagavad-gita that we will always exist along with Him for all of eternity. The other day someone asked me if God could choose not to manifest us and thus zap us out of existence. Of course, the fact is that God can do anything He chooses. But this does not mean that He will do this. Just as an ordinary parent of this world would never think of killing his children, the Lord, Who is unlimitedly more merciful than any being of this world, would never consider the annihilation of His beloved spiritual children. Indeed He is eternally emanating us from Himself simply for the purpose of expanding His own enjoyment by having loving relationships with us. So what should this mean to us? This means that we exist for one purpose and for one purpose only, to love God. So do you think you can be happy if you don't love God? Can a fish be happy if it is out the water? No way! It is simply a matter of sanity. We have to learn how to love God perfectly and completely. This and this only will fulfill the purpose of our existence. Our ultimate self-realization system, Krishna consciousness, is custom designed by God Himself to bring us back to our original, pure, enlightened state of perfect consciousness. Kindly accept this process now with full determination, patience, and enthusiasm. Your life will be unlimitedly sublime. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sopatel 0 Report post Posted January 30, 2008 Since the question was why we were created... There are many different opinions about the creation of the universe. Shunyavad, Aarambhavaad, etc. According to Vaishnavism and Srimad Bhagwat in the beginning there was only one Brahman and no other entitiy. It wished to become many, "Ekoham bahusyaam." I am one, let me be many. Brahman took up many forms, which we know today as this universe. Thus by God's will alone, this universe is created, sustained, and dissolved in the end. "Yato vaa imani bhutani jaayante Yena jaataani jeevanti, Yat prayantyabhisamvishanti Tat vijigyasasva Tad Bramha." That, by which all these creatures and inanimate objects are created, by whom all living creatures are created, all beings sustained and in whom everything gets dissolved, develop a wish to know that. That alone is Brahma. Plato too says, "Before an object is created, its thought is born." Before a table is made, its thought or idea takes shape in the carpenters mind. Hence, the universe begins with its thoughts. It also means that with the end of thought the universe also ends. Hence, if you attain a state of thoughtlessness, or Samaadhi, you world gets dissolved or submerged. Hence in our scriptures, this state of thoughtlessness or samaadhi is described as being a kind of Pralaya. Pujya Baishri Rameshbhai Oza, Jigyasa on atma and paramatma So all in all, we were created from the original and we need to go back to the original. This is what this life is for and we should feel extremely blessed that we realise this truth. Jai Shri Krishna Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beggar 0 Report post Posted January 30, 2008 According to Vaishnavism and Srimad Bhagwat in the beginning there was only one Brahman and no other entitiy. It wished to become many, "Ekoham bahusyaam." I am one, let me be many. Brahman took up many forms, which we know today as this universe. Thus by God's will alone, this universe is created, sustained, and dissolved in the end. "Yato vaa imani bhutani jaayante Yena jaataani jeevanti, Yat prayantyabhisamvishanti Tat vijigyasasva Tad Bramha." That, by which all these creatures and inanimate objects are created, by whom all living creatures are created, all beings sustained and in whom everything gets dissolved, develop a wish to know that. That alone is Brahma. Bhagavad Gita As It Is -- Get Your Own Copy <center>Chapter 7. Knowledge of the Absolute</center> TEXT 10 bijam mam sarva-bhutanam viddhi partha sanatanam buddhir buddhimatam asmi tejas tejasvinam aham SYNONYMS bijam--the seed; mam--unto Me; sarva-bhutanam--of all living entities; viddhi--try to understand; partha--O son of Prtha; sanatanam--original, eternal; buddhih--intelligence; buddhi-matam--of the intelligent; asmi--I am; tejah--prowess; tejasvinam--of the powerful; aham--I am. TRANSLATION O son of Prtha, know that I am the original seed of all existences, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the prowess of all powerful men. PURPORT Bijam means seed; Krsna is the seed of everything. In contact with material nature, the seed fructifies into various living entities, movable and inert. Birds, beasts, men and many other living creatures are moving living entities; trees and plants, however, are inert--they cannot move, but only stand. Every entity is contained within the scope of 8,400,000 species of life; some of them are moving and some of them are inert. In all cases, however, the seed of their life is Krsna. As stated in Vedic literature, Brahman, or the Supreme Absolute Truth, is that from which everything is emanating. Krsna is Parabrahman, the Supreme Spirit. Brahman is impersonal and Parabrahman is personal. Impersonal Brahman is situated in the personal aspect--that is stated in Bhagavad-gita. Therefore, originally, Krsna is the source of everything. He is the root. As the root of a tree maintains the whole tree, Krsna, being the original root of all things, maintains everything in this material manifestation. This is also confirmed in the Vedic literature. Yato va imani bhutani jayante. "The Supreme Absolute Truth is that from which everything is born." He is the prime eternal among all eternals. He is the supreme living entity of all living entities, and He alone is maintaining all life. Krsna also says that He is the root of all intelligence. Unless a person is intelligent he cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beggar 0 Report post Posted January 30, 2008 Prabhupada: The impersonalist theory is that I am now devotee. As soon as I become perfect I become one." Prof. Hopkins: Oh. Prabhupada: That is their theory. Then there is no more difference. In the preliminary stage, when I am not perfect, I am worshiping some imaginary form of God. But when I become perfect there is no need of worshiping, I become one with God. This is impersonal. Now, actually, the Supreme has no form so they recommend whichever form you like to worship you can select out of these five. But their destination is the same. So somebody likes "I worship Siva," somebody says "I worship Ganesa," somebody says, "I worship Durga," and Surya, or somebody says, "I worship Visnu." So this Vaisnava is impersonalist. You'll find amongst smarta brahmanas there are also some of them Vaisnavas, but they are impersonalists. Prof. Hopkins: So you would... You would say that those, those smartas say, and I know smarta brahmanas who are worshipers of Visnu. You would say they still are impersonalists in some ultimate sense because at some point they would deny... Prabhupada: No, it is very difficult to pick them out. Most of the so-called Vaisnavas, they are impersonalists. Prof. Hopkins: Some, I suspect, are more Vaisnavas than they are smartas. Prabhupada: So, satatam kirtayanto mam? Brahmananda: <center> satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drdha-vratah namasyantas ca mam bhaktya nitya-yukta upasate</center> "Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion." Prabhupada: Perpetually. It is not that I am worshiping now and when I am perfect I become one. That is impersonal. Prof. Hopkins: But someone who sees devotion as the not just a stage... Prabhupada: They say everything one; no devotee, no devotion, and no person. Everything becomes one. Prof. Hopkins: So that would then be the deciding test, as it were, of whether one were a serious devotee or not. Prabhupada: Devotee means serious devotee. Prof. Hopkins: Not only that one is devoted now, but that one sees the goal as perpetual devotion. Prabhupada: Yes. Nitya-yukta. Prof. Hopkins: And which never is there... Prabhupada: The word is used, nitya-yukta. Nitya-yukta means perpetually. If a devotee is to merge into the existence of the Lord then why this word is used, nitya-yukta. Upasana. Not only nitya-yukta, upasana. Upasana means "you worship Me." As soon as the word is "he worships" that means the worshipable and the mode of worship and the worshiper must be there. That is indicated, nitya-yukta, perpetual. But the Mayavadis or these impersonalists, they think that it is temporary. I am devotee temporarily. As soon as I become perfect I become one. Prof. Hopkins: So that you would see then, in terms of, in terms of some kind of theological structure, you would see that Purusottama as always... Prabhupada: Uttama, uttama means the best. Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation, 7-13-75, Philadelphia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
