Evil

[Guest guest]

can anyone here explain how it is that an all pwerful god has allowed evil to exist?

[Guest guest]

he allowed it because he's mercyful to us

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna!

 

All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obesiances unto him!

 

There is nothing called evil. It is just the lack of goodness-we use the term evil. For example, there is nothing called "cold". Cold is not a physical state-it is just the lack of heat that is called cold.

 

Similarly, no evil exists but just lack of goodness. God gave man free will and unfortunately man is mis using his freewill from time immemorial and encroaching upon other's businesses. That is why wars and all other stuff and this creates bad Karmic reaction and that is why everyone is suffering. Like one apple rottens the entire bunch, the bad karmic reactions have reaction on the entire globe.

 

Animal slaughter, war, deforestation, slavery, atom-bomb, theft, murder, lust, is all the misuse of man's free will and hence bad Karma affecting everybody. God did not create any of the above but only man did. So, how can we blame GOD for man's misuse of power and freewill.

 

For example, you know killing and eating animals for enjoyment is not correct and also you have this good information in the GITA. So tell me, how many people stop meat eating and start reading the GITA. People have access to both but what does man do with his freewill, he chooses meat-eating. This kind of wrong choice is going on for eternity and that is why we are here in this planet suffering, else we will be with GOD enjoying.

 

Hence, it is all about usage of freewill and corresponding karma associated with it, and there is NO EVIL-everything created by MAN.

 

GOD IS PERFECT, SO HIS CREATION IS ALSO PERFECT, BUT WE ASSOCIATE WITH MATTER AND DO IMPERFECT THINGS, THIS IS MANKIND.

 

HARIBOL!

 

anand

[Guest guest]

<font color="brown">Ratheeshji ! </font color>

 

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Guestji (Hare Krishna!) has explained nicely the matter. There is no evil but a lack of divinity and it is laid in our mundane consciousness. While people or souls (embodied and without body) activate their lack portion / negative from zero divinity, the power becomes negative and we feel demonism. So this evil power can be controlled by lead positive, lead up. When the zigzag records of all past incarnations will be deleted or modified, person will not feel any evil activity in the environment.</font color> /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

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Om Namah Shivay ! </font color>

[Guest guest]

but if it is done by free will, God knew that we would do it....if god knows everything, including the future, he would know that we would choose to do bad. and in that case, why didnt an all-good god make us always freely choose good over bad?

[ggohil]

" why didnt an all-good god make us always freely choose good over bad?"

 

Then we would not have free will.

 

The Ability to chooes, to perform evil, good, believe in God or not to believe in God, is the free will.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna!

 

All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obesiances unto him!

 

Srila Prabhupada says our duty as human beings is to love GOD.But, again, he continues to say Love is voluntary and generated by free-will and not by force. You cannot love someone by force.Similarly, by exercising your free-will only can you love GOD unconditionally.

 

Yes, GOD knows the future and that is why even before the age of Kali HE predicted the characteristics of KALI- because man will misu-use his given freedom. GOD knows that manipulation of material nature for sense pleasure will only lead to misery and HE says that in the GITA and ignorant man does not follow the GITA and goes on manipulating material nature for the sake of sense pleasure.

There is no end to this!!

 

that is why it is important to follow GURU like Srila PRabhupada and have a disciplined life!!

 

Haribol!

 

anand

[Guest guest]

<<why didnt an all-good god make us always freely choose good over bad?">>

 

<<Then we would not have free will.>>

 

 

yes, but the keyword in my statement is 'freely'..meaning, we have the option to do so, but everyone always CHOOSES to pick the good over the bad. y coudlnt god have created it that way?

[Guest guest]

then it is not free anymore if GOD chooses...if we choose it is free.

 

For example, your father gives you money to spend and tells you can spend it the way you want. Now you can use ur free will to do anything with the money.

 

Say, your father gives the money and tells you son.....spend this money on this and not on that, then you dont have free-will to spend as you like.

 

Similarly GOD has given us this life(like the money)to do what we want with it. Since HE is all mercy HE has also given the GITA telling us what to do. If we follow it is good, if not it is not good.

 

So, the concept of love is only if it is naturally by you and not induced.

 

Haribol!

 

anand

[Guest guest]

We choose good or bad depending on our karma. This body is not the last janma of ours, We had taken so many janmas before this human form, done so many bad things or good things so far. so accordiong to our past karmas we choose good or bad in next janma.

HariBhol!

[Guest guest]

Although Hinduism strongly believes in doctrine of Karma and we experience the results of our karma in our day-to-life, it is still a mystery why ghosts (evil) are created. As it is, the soul is going to take birth as per the karmas of past birth, then why ghosts come into the picture ?

[Guest guest]

"but if it is done by free will, God knew that we would do it....if god knows everything, including the future, he would know that we would choose to do bad. and in that case, why didnt an all-good god make us always freely choose good over bad? "

 

God gives us free will...to choose between right and wrong..God does know everything, and does know the choices we will make...but in His wisdom, He allows us to make those "wrong" choices in order for us to learn from the "wrong" choices...we wouldnt know what the right thing to do is if we occasionally didnt choose the wrong thing...if he made us with an inherent tendency to always choose good over bad, that really wouldnt be free will now would it?

[Guest guest]

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My mystic friend Shri Bhootnath says :

Ghosts are created according to karma, according to gap in between death and rebirth. Ghosts are holy and evil also as per they have done their karma in the life time. According to the theory, the soul (energy form) moves besides the dead body for at least three days after the death. So Hindus burn the body as possible quickly. The Maya, the attachment attracts the soul and it stays near the relatives or attachments for a period. When through the mantras and other activities relatives of the dead person show the destination of soul then it moves to that realm. But some karma of the soul and some wrong activities of the relatives may the reason for wandering the soul in an invisible plane that's very near to our mortal world. These souls, we call ghosts are very miserable.

But if a person who can realize this dimension and can connect with them he or she is able to work with them for holy or evil activities. The ghosts are not so strong as human, because they have the limitation of power that they earned in life time but a person who is embodied is able to connect to the supreme power and may gain more power. Ghosts are just souls are in energy form and they are able to show you hallucinations for a moment only. </font color>

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Om Namah Shivay ! </font color>

[Guest guest]

Dear Cheelaram,

 

Thanks for your reply. Although it is agreed what is happening, the point is why ghosts are created. If the man has to take birth according to his bad or good karmas after death, why he has to become ghost. I am not talking about few days after man's death.

 

Is it possible that those who deal evil activities associated with ghosts during their life time, are like to become ghosts ??

 

[Guest guest]

<font color="blue">Namaste Bombay 112 !

 

The ghost form, the wandering soul is a form to punish the soul for a period of time against his / her bad karmas of the life. Some times the period of time may be so long or so short. It is amazing that, some of the straying souls don't know the fact that they aren't in the body. When the soul doesn't earn any knowledge during life-time he / she unable to understand and find out the way ahead and the angel of death also doesn't show them the way of up-leading. Some evil minded or holy minded magicians (tantriks) sometimes use them for healings or to hurt somebody or to earn money through magic. It is OK to heal someone but other selfish activities are bad and when these people (bad tantrik, selfish actor and magician) dies, they also wander with these ghosts, but these ghosts are more powerful than others.

 

So, in fact, it is possible that those who deal evil activities associated with ghosts during their life times, after death they become powerful destructive ghosts.

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Om Namah Shivay ! </font color>

[Guest guest]

 

Dear Chelaraam,

 

"It is amazing that, some of the straying souls don't know the fact that they aren't in the body. When the soul doesn't earn any knowledge during life-time he / she unable to understand and find out the way ahead and the angel of death also doesn't show them the way of up-leading."

 

This can be possible in case of accidental deaths when a man is not aware that he is dying. In accidental deaths man sometimes dies on the spot. But in such cases he should not suffer. So the ghost form is not punishment always.

 

If you see the destructive ghosts who cause problems, are not always under the control of any Tantriks but the innocent souls are. So the punishment is for whom ?

 

Even healing as you said will have the evil side effects because it is part of punishment to innocent souls. Any good work with evil method may result to good method but evil work.

 

[Guest guest]

<font color="blue">Namaskar Bombay 112 !

 

How many persons are aware of death ? People are aware of their desires. Death comes suddenly for foolish person. But if the person is aware, conscious or super conscious then he / she never dies, only change the form.

 

Yes innocent souls are bonded to tantriks because, the soul who is more tantrik than the embodied man doesn't come in capture.

 

Innocent souls are punished because, they have done something wrong in any incarnation.

 

In the matter of healing, while the innocent souls are helping to cure the body or psyche of a soul, I think they become happy. But if something is done by them by force then it is wrong and innocent souls feel pain. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

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<font color="brown">

Om Namah Shivay ! </font color>

 

 

[Guest guest]

 

Dear Cheelaram,

 

With due respect, I want to point out that every suffering of today is not always the result of past but there are some actions of today for which the reaction will take place in future. For instance, so many people dies in natural calamities like floods, earthquakes etc. have not always done something wrong in their past births. This is also applicable to the some cases of ghost forms. By the way, what we understand is there are various types of ghosts.

 

Those who are aware of consciousness or experience the death, are great yogis. But those who dies in accidents do not sometimes get the chance to prepare themselves for death or links themselves to their soul before death. For normal man it is the sleep during which mind & body gets linked to the soul. You can not generalize that 'death comes suddenly for foolish persons'. It is not always true.

 

[Guest guest]

 

For instance, so many people dies in natural calamities like floods, earthquakes etc. have not always done something wrong in their past births.

 

 

 

How can you come to this conclusion? It has been said in the vedic texts that association of baddha-jivas with material world has been since "time immemorial" i.e. anadi, so billions of billions of births/deaths; then how can you calculate that anyone is "innocent". Therefore, it is not possible to get out of the cycle by one's effort alone since it will take an eternity to finish the karmic due and in the meantime danger always of more karmic dues etc. Only method is by the divine mercy.

 

As cheelaramji has explained ghosts are jivas in their subtle bodies who, due to extreme attachment to their previous position or something, do not take another body. So it is suffering since the ghost does not have the gross body to fulfil the extreme desires. Yes, desire is strong; it is only desire that causes us to come to material bondage and it is desire that can cause us to become free from it. The law of karma is never mistaken.

[Guest guest]

<font color="blue">Namaskar Bombay112 ji ! </font color>

 

"Those who are aware of consciousness or experience the death, are great yogis. But those who dies in accidents do not sometimes get the chance to prepare themselves for death or links themselves to their soul before death. For normal man it is the sleep during which mind & body gets linked to the soul. You can not generalize that 'death comes suddenly for foolish persons'. It is not always true."

 

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Yes, they are Yogis or great Yogis. They are beyond bondages. The person dies in an accident, it is the consequence of his past deeds. People die in natural calamities, disasters are also the same thing. In this material world, people (accept the awaken people) are just sleeping and watching the reflections of reality. We don't know those souls who are our wife, child, father, mother brother etc. and even myself. Just imagine, thousands years ago in barbarian era some people were brutal and they did do barbarian activities in their lives. After their death, they reincarnated in different continents of the globe and some others were without body. Since thousands years they were far from each other then after several thousand years all those people have embodied within a region of the globe, the end of lives are the same pattern and the end time is same. So it is the decision of the God.

 

Before death they can't link because they haven't done such doings. In sleep, only while the person is in lucid dream he meets the soul. When the driver doesn't know the road rules and isn't sincere to driving then maximum chance for an accident. Insincerity of driving, carelessness of the driving are the reasons of an accident. So it comes suddenly, but not in every case. The folly activities of people (but everyone thinks, he / she is a clever person himself) call the destruction. Mystically awaken person is intelligent others are intellectuals for this material world but not aware beyond their mind and body.

 

I have written the above paragraphs according to my knowledge. I am not a 'gyaani' or 'buddhimaan prani', just seeking the path to go ahead (to the light) in this darkness. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

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Om Namah Shivay ! </font color>

[maadhav]

evil exists because jivas exist, and use their god given freedom wrongly/ unspirually.

 

on an island where no one lives, there is no evil.

if only one person lives there, even then there is no evil.

when two or more live there, then some or all my do evil things.

 

if they all live like animals only,

then the even will not know that somethings they do is evil.

only a spiritually advance, a bit advanced, can realize that some one does something evil.

 

[Guest guest]

Dear Chelaram,

 

With due respect, our intention of visiting this forum is the same, so I take the liberty to discuss the point of results of Law of Karma, even though our original subject is “evil”.

 

If we believe that whatever is happening is always the result of our past births, then there is nothing we can do in this world. There will be no free will.

It is very difficult to say what Karma brings forth a particular disease. Is it a single Karma or a combination of several Karmas that brings epilepsy? The sages declare that the theft of a golden necklace brings Scrofula in the neck in the next birth. They say that leprosy, epilepsy and gulma (chronic gastric catarrh) are due to very bad Karmas. It is also difficult to say whether this body is the resultant product of a single Karma or a mixture of several Karmas. Generally one strong and powerful Karma determines the birth of an individual and keeps up the current of life of that particular birth. Some minor Karmas may be joined to the main trunk or the central thread. Learned persons say that one will have to take several births sometimes to exhaust the fruits of one important virtuous Karma. The secret of Karma is very mysterious. God only knows them because He is the Law-giver. Sometimes highly virtuous and vicious Karmas bring forth their fruits in the very life itself.

To sum up in a nutshell: there are three kinds of Karmas, viz., the Sanchita or accumulated ones, the Prarabdha or the fructiferous, and the Agami or current actions. Sanchita are works which have been accumulated in several previous births; Prarabdha are those which have given the present life and have already started to bear fruit; and Agami are the works which are being done in this present life. They will bring fruits in a future life. The Sanchita and Agami are destroyed by getting Brahma Jnana or knowledge of the Self or God. But the Prarabdha can only be exhausted by experiencing their fruits in the present life. A child is born blind, deaf or dumb—this is due to Prarabdha. One man dies at the age of ninety, another at thirty-five and the third at eighteen: this is due to Prarabdha. Jati (caste), longevity of life, Bhoga (enjoyment), are all due to Prarabdha. A virtuous man suffers, he is starving. A scoundrel is in a prosperous condition. An aged mother loses her only son who was her sole prop. A young girl who was newly married loses her husband. Instances like these can be multiplied ad infinitum. In all these cases Prarabdha operates unerringly with scientific accuracy and precision.

 

Besides there is law of compensation, otherwise how the souls will reach God. The chance is given to every innocent soul as per his desire in the form of birth. Even Hindu scriptures say that a man may become a Deva or a beast or a bird or vegetable or stone according to his merit or demerit. The Upanishads also corroborate this statement. Kapila also agrees on this point. But Buddhism and some Western philosophers teach: ‘There is no more retrogression for a man when once he takes a human birth. There is no necessity for him to be born as an animal for the sake of demerit. He can be punished in a variety of ways in the human birth itself.’

[Guest guest]

Haribol!

 

 

If we believe that whatever is happening is always the result of our past births, then there is nothing we can do in this world. There will be no free will.

 

 

 

Why confuse free will with karma? Like a man is sentenced to 20 yrs prison for a crime committed 10 yrs ago; the free will can be exercised even in prison and good behaviour may mean he would be freed before the term ends. To explain it more, the Lord as the SuperSoul has a "plan" for our desires; what is that plan? By exercise of free will we can choose between different alternatives and the plan is there for all alternatives in accordance with our desires. When we choose an alternative as per our desires and orientation the particular "plan" is set in motion so to say. We choose and the subsequent events are "planned" in that sense of the word. The planning is in accordance with prarabdha and in this way both the factors of free will and karma play their part.

 

You have correctly given the sanchita, prarabdha and agami divisions and everything can be understood from them. As far as i can see there is no disagreement between yourself and cheelaramji; only different aspects of the same thing.

[Guest guest]

Your point of view is not yet clear.

 

Some of our actions of today are Agami, the results of which are yet to be seen. If we accept that every event is planned, the murders which are taking place will be results of the past births and the criminals need not be punished today.

 

Freewill does not mean just the choice amongst the options, but it also means no compulsion. Man is free to take his decisions without interference from god.

 

[Guest guest]

he made us for good and only for the best of us but adam and eva did wrong so it was not his fall us human made the biggest misstake, but God is till working on us thats what I belive thank u