14 May 2021
[An online spiritual discussion was conducted on May 08, 2021, in which several devotees participated. Swami’s answers to devotees’ questions are given below.]
[Śrī Durgaprasad asked: Pādanamaskāram Swami! Why did Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa say, “Na kartṛtvaṃ na karmāṇi…”, which means that He is not responsible for the fruits of the actions of any soul? But He has also said that He will come again and again to establish justice, which means that He will definitely interfere in the administration of souls on earth. Could You please clarify? At your lotus feet, Durgaprasad.]
Swāmi replied: Let us take a worldly example to explain this point. The teacher comes into the class and teaches the subject again and again. The aim of the teacher is that every student in the class should attentively listen to the lecture, understand the subject and pass the examination. The teacher strongly wishes that no student should fail in the examination. In spite of his sincere aim and sincere effort, some students pass and some fail. The students who passed are promoted and rewarded. The students who failed are not promoted and are punished. The teacher does not interfere with the academic administration in any way. This shows that the academic administration is logical and fair to all students.
The teacher is not connected to the effort of the students in any way. The result depends only on the effort of the student and the teacher has no connection with whether the student passes or fails. The teacher only teaches all students again and again and instructs them to put in enough efforts in the proper way. If a student does not put in enough effort in the proper way, the teacher cannot be blamed. The teacher has completed his duty by sincerely teaching and instructing the students to work hard and pass the examination. You are linking the duty of the teacher to the effort of the students. The effort of the students lies in sincerely following the instructions of the teacher. How can the teacher be held responsible for the insufficient or faulty practical effort of the student? This is the point made by God Kṛṣṇa in the Gītā. He says that He is not interfering with the efforts made by the students and hence is not responsible for the result obtained by them (Na kartṛtvaṃ na karmāṇi…). The teacher does not interfere with the rule that a sincere student putting in sincere effort will pass and an insincere student putting in insincere effort will fail. The teacher is not linked with this rule, which is the basis of the academic administration.
When the Incarnation of God punishes injustice in order to protect justice, the situation is different. An insincere student is trying to spoil the efforts of the sincere student and this is injustice. So, the teacher will interfere and punish the insincere student to protect the sincere student. Such interference to save justice from injustice is only a support necessary for the smooth running of the academic administration. If you say that forcing every student to put in sincere effort is also the responsibility of the teacher, it is not right. God has given full freedom to souls and so, God confines Himself to preaching alone (Svabhāvastu pravartate…).
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