IF GOD IS ALL GOOD, WHY DOES EVIL EXIST?

If God is all good, then why is there evil in the world?

For God there is no evil, just good.

Just as my chest is as important to me as my back, if there is pain in my back I take care of it.

I do not ignore it thinking that the front is more important.

Evil is compared to the back of God.

It is not different from His front, or goodness.

If everything is good from God's point of view, then how can there be evil?

It is just like the sun.

On the body of the sun there is no shadow.

We create shadow by turning our back to the sun.

Similarly, when we turn away from God there is evil.

Evil is the absence of good, just as darkness is the absence of sunlight.

If you keep yourself always in the light, where is the question of darkness?

God is all-good.

So if you keep yourself always in God consciousness, then there is no evil.

And why was the world created with evil men?

Why was the police department created?

Because there is a necessity.

Some living entities want to enjoy this material world, therefore God creates it.

He is just like a father who gives a separate room to his mischievous children to play in.

Otherwise, the naughty boys would always disturb Him.

This world is something like a prison.

Therefore, there is suffering here.

In the prison house you cannot expect comfort, because unless there is suffering, there is no lesson for the prisoners.

Evil is undoubtedly created by God, but this was necessary due to the human being's misuse of his free will.

God gives man good directions, but when man is disobedient, evil is naturally there to punish him.

Evil is not desired by God, yet it is created because it is necessary.

The government constructs prisons not because it wants to but because they are necessary.

The government prefers to construct universities so that people can attain an education and become highly enlightened.

But because some people misuse their independence and violate the state laws, prisons are necessary.

We suffer due to our own evil activities.

God does not desire to create evil, but man's evil activities oblige God to create an evil situation.

- Srila Prabhupada

 

 

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The Daily Work Of God

This story is about a King who lived a few hundred years ago in India. The king had a court pandit. The kings had to entertain themselves with these court pandits. The pandits would have to give the answer to any question. So one day the king had a question for the pandit and he said, " I saw this question and I really don't have the answer. Can you tell me what's the answer - What is the daily work of God?"

The pandit said, " That's easy. The creation of course."

"No…no…no", The king said, " That he does just the one time, but what is the daily work of God?"

So the pandit said, " That's an unusual question actually. I have never heard of such a question before. Your majesty I will have to consult the scripture".

Now, the king was sometimes a bit moody, and when he was getting too moody, then he would cut heads. So the king was not acting in a friendly way, The king said, " You better have the answer within one week or else!"
...



'Or else' was something that the pandit didn't like! So the pandit went home. He looked everywhere in the scriptures of the Puranas and in the Upanisads. Everywhere he searched but he couldn't find the answer. The week was almost over. He decided that it was very important that he would visit that relative who hadn't been well for long time, and so in an emergency he would leave town. He was on the verge of leaving town, and just when he was about to leave, he came across one of his disciples. This disciple was actually a simple man. He was a cowherd. He met this simple cowherd. So the cowherd said, " Oh, Guru Maharaj your're going?"

"Well, you know things are getting out of hand. The king has began to act funny, and has threatening questions which are impossible to answer".

"What question is that?"

He said, " Oh the question, is a very unusual question. He's asking – What is the daily work of God?"

"Oh", said the cowherd, " That's an easy question".

"Oh if you know the answer than tell me".

"Well maybe it's better if I tell the king directly."

"Alright" said the pandit, " Let us go".

So they went to the court and came before the king, and the pandit said,
"Your majesty, your question is a very simple question. Therefore, I've asked my disciple to answer it."(laughter) The king looked at this cowherd with the simple clothing, and said, " He's going to answer the question?!"

The pandit said, " Yes".

The king said, "He'd better answer the question or..". He made a gesture and looked at the royal guard. "So?"

The cowherd spoke and said, " Your majesty, is it true that according to the Vedas, the one who is answering the question should sit higher than the one who is asking the question?"

The king looked at him and said, " What …you want to sit on the throne?"

"Well what do the scriptures say?"

So the king came down from his throne and the cowherd sat down on the throne. The king sat on the floor and looked at the guard and said, " If he doesn't answer the question, than take his head off"

Then the cowherd said, " Your majesty, your question is already answered".

Well the king's blood pressure went up way over to 220! Just at that point the cowherd said, " But I'll still explain it....
The daily work of God is to pull down those who are proud and to elevate those who are humble!"


(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Canberra, October 2010)

 

 

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Krsna Makes Arrangements!

When I was the Temple President, there was a devotee who came and he wanted to leave Krishna Consciousness. He came and told me;

"I've have had enough of this. I'm going back into the world, since I just want to be like everyone else. Why can't we just enjoy a bit ….drink a bit…. smoke a bit - you know with all these things - what's the difficulty?"

So I tried to convince him but he left, and he forgot everything – for about a year. But then he was in India – in South India at the Krishna river. He was sitting at the side of the river smoking. Just then a monkey came down from the mountain, which went to the river and paid obeisance's and put the water 3 times on the head. Suddenly he realised, "I'm going to be like that monkey. This monkey was a devotee and he blew it….. and now he became a monkey…and the same thing will happen to me!" (laughter)

It shocked him so much that he came right back! So Krsna makes arrangements. When a devotee falls down – then Krsna will make arrangements to bring him back!


(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Canberra, October 2010)

 

 

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Govardhana Pooja Talk (Cow Protection)

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Govardhana Pooja,7th November 2010)

Namo brahmanya devaya go brahmana hitaya ca

Srila Prabhupada explained go brahmana, first the cows and then the brahmanas - so much importance is given to the cows by Krishna that even before worshipping the brahmanas we are worshipping the cows.

Yatra ksirabdhi surabhibayam ca sa sumahan nimesardhakyo na vrajati na hi yatrapi samayah bhaja svetadvipam
tam aham iha golokam iti yam

In the Brahma Samhita, it is mentioned that in the spiritual world the cows are wish-fulfilling, they are known as Surabhi cows. They are producing oceans of milk, ksirabdhi. Krishna is residing in His transcendental abode, there are unlimited cows and it is described that when Krishna was here in Vrndavana that Krishna would have unlimited cowherd boy associates and each of these associates would have a huge number of cows and calves. If we think about the numbers of cows in these pastimes we sometimes may think how did they all fit on the narrow path ways of Vrndavana – there must have been enormous traffic jams!!!
But somehow or other by Krishna's arrangement everything is going on very smoothly: the world where cows are protected is indeed Krishna's arrangement, it is the natural way to exist...



We are now living so far from that - we are here for a day to worship the cows ., we are naturally having very warm feelings for the cows but our everyday way of life is a life with machines – and the results is that our lives are painful. It is difficult and in our lives it is a struggle, a struggle just to do about anything.
I was here in Vrndavana and see how India is playing with modern technology, they don't always understand it. Today we saw some flames coming out of an electric box and it didn't look good. Everyone though was like: "It is ok, It is ok!"
Well it didn't look ok! It is like that.

I remember the traffic and I remember how in India you learn to pray in traffic. Two vehicles were approaching each other in the darkness of night and one of the drivers was nodding, was he asleep, - it looked serious. The vehicles were coming closer and closer and a head on collision seemed unavoidable …if it would have been machines, but because they were bullock carts, nothing happened!Even when the driver sleeps the bullocks stay awake! In this way the bullocks move around and I saw many times here in Vrndavana in the night the bullocks are walking to the market and the owner sleeps in the back and when they get to the market the bullocks sleep and the owner works!... so they work in shifts!
In another words a very practical culture, A culture that is not inimical to being natural. With machines everything is inimical to being natural -in a car one fraction of a second is enough…Finished!

So the cow and the bull are described by Srila Prabhupada as totally harmless creatures. Everything about them is auspisicious, supportive for the environment and in this way with cow protection we find all the good that is required. The cows provide milk, she is one of the seven mothers along with the mother by birth, the wife of the brahmanas, the wife of the king, the wife of the guru, the nurse, the earth… – the cow is one of our mothers, and as such we depend for our existence on the cows and the cows depend on our protection. Cows are not doing well maintaining themselves independently. They are domestic animals, they are meant to be protected by human beings - There is a natural relationship between the two. That relationship is there in the spiritual world and the entire culture in Goloka Vrndavana is built on that culture.

Krishna was protecting the cows, calling the cows and there are so many pastimes concerning the cows. Krishna's name is Govinda. Yesterday we were hearing from Gopiparanadhana who was explaining that in the Govardhana pastime , at one point Indra came at the end of the Govardhana Lila before Krishna to beg pardon and at that time he was afraid so he did not come alone, but brought Surabhi, the wish fulfilling cow.. Surabhi prayed to Krishna and said that she desired that Krishna would become their Indra, not the Demigod Indra – after all the name Indra is a post other than a personal name and Surabhi wanted Krishna to become the Indra because He is the real maintainer – and therefore she wanted to crown Krishna as the Indra or king of the universe and therefore she started bathing Him with milk and Indra was forced to go along with it, -although it hurt him to crown Krishna as the Indra of the universe- " and he ordered His elephant Airavata to also start bathing Krsna with water from the heavenly Ganges, named Alakananda.

Within the Sanskrit verse it says:
'Indra gava' so Gopiparanadhana Prabhu, he explained that Indra gava is the origin of the word Govinda. He said gava and Indra becomes gavindra, which becomes Govinda. So Govinda is the maintainer of the cows, the Lord of the cows, the caretaker of the cows - that is Krishna's nature, that is Krishna's desire to care for the cows and all these pastimes are connected to the cows.
Krishna appeared in a vaishya family, in the Govinda Lilamrita there is a story that Mother Yashoda wanted Krishna to wear shoes, something Krishna certainly didn't want. So Krishna refused but his mother was extremely insisting - finally Krishna being very intelligent came up with the following question:
'Is it true that we are vaishyas'
'Yes yes'
'Well what is the first duty of the vaishyas? Isn't it the first duty of the vaishyas to protect the cows?"
"yes"
"so isn't it that we should first offer the shoes to all the cows before we can take ourselves?!"
And Mother Yashoda said ' yes" - and that she couldn't do, so in that way Krishna got out of it!
All the cowherd boys said: "Very smart very smart!"

In this way Krishna's entire life is mixed with the cows and when our lives also become more centred around the cows then we will become peaceful - and till then there will be all kinds of strains , anxieties and unnecessary tension. The material world certainly is a place full of misery and it is temporary and birth old age disease are fundamental problems of this existence, but we have also added so many problems and most of the time we are dealing with all the added problems in our life.
So if we simply return to our culture one day where the cows are protected, then we would be more peaceful - so in conclusion we can not do that now, we can at least care for some cows and with that make a humble beginning, a humble beginning towards a change in the world. So our goshallas are very important and today is a wonderful festival.

As Pancagauda said, I used to also be in charge here, I used to live here next door and look at the goshala, and I also lived in the goshala.
If I look at it now, I see many things that are old, broken walls and things and I think of what we can do to help?
Getting land for the cows would be nice, it is not just a nice idea, it is an absolute necessity, we need to, to give them the natural comfort they require. We've been talking and we would like to do something to get this land for the cows in Vrndavana. If you wish you may help. Thank you very much.
Hare Krishna.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Govardhana Pooja,7th November 2010)

 

 

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Juggling The Three Balls

Transcribed by Yamuna Devi Dasi
(Kadamba Kanana Swami 2010)

This art of juggling many interests in our life is not so easy.
There are a number of main things that I identified as essential in the life of a devotee.
These are the three balls that must be there:

First ball is personal wellbeing.
If we are not taking care of our personal well being how long are we going to last?

Personal wellbeing includes health, physical health, mental peace and also a suitable place to live. It has to be suitable in terms of our physical needs but also in terms of a place where we can be a little peaceful - Like I knew one devotee, he was so happy because Krsna gave him a house of his dream. There was an apple tree in the garden and the apples were also very sweet. Everything was very very nice…. Until the motorcycle gang moved next door!
Who said that Krsna has no sense of humor?!



Anyway, we do look for a kind of a situation where one can live in something suitable.
Personal wellbeing, we have to give it attention.
And what is good for one may not be good for the other.
May be good for Haridas Thakura to live in cave with snakes but I don't know it is good for me!
I will sleep outside and let the snake have the cave for himself – so something that is suitable for us.

After all our material needs are basically met, then it is time for our spiritual practice.
You can use word sadhana or you can use word bhajan for the second ball.
If you don't have sadhana then you are dead!
Then you are ready to put to rest because, there is nothing going on in your life.
No bhajan, No juice!
Only misery and it will only be dry.
So, this bhajan is what gives us the life.
That's to be understood!!!
If you reduce your bhajan to chanting on the clicker in the car it becomes little meagre. It's like something like lunch and there is only one boiled carrot for each day.
"Oh no, the carrot. I hope it's a big carrot today."
And that is the best you get.
These spiritual things, we have to fill them in this ball.

The third ball is to do something for Srila Prabhupada.
If you don't do anything for Srila Prabhupada or for Lord's Caitanya's mission then after a while it all becomes dry - you are chanting your rounds, you are reading Srimad Bhagavatam, you have Deities at home, you do it all… and still not happy.

This is again an essential element that we do something for Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya.
That's what gives life to spiritual practices.

Well, in beginning we think, interesting… I will write that down:

PERSONAL WELLBEING
SADHANA OR BHAJAN
AND DO SOMETHING FOR PRABHUPADA

Now we have to make that meaningful, We have to give some meaning to these three things.

Transcribed by Yamuna Devi Dasi
(Kadamba Kanana Swami 2010)

 

 

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(from Brahmacarya mails)
 
Yours
Dinesh