06 Oct 2016
Shri P V N M Sharma asked: It is said that a sinner is born in sinful atmosphere and it is also said that sinful atmosphere makes the soul sinner. Prahlada is born in demons and not changed by the atmosphere. How to reconcile all these points?
Swami Replied: A sinner is born in sinful atmosphere and the surrounding sinful atmosphere increases the sinful nature of the soul. It is a double punishment. Both don’t contradict each other. A sweet, soaked in sugar solution becomes sweeter. A saltish bread in salt solution becomes more salty. It is only reinforcement and not a contradiction for reconciliation. Prahlada is an exception, since Lord Vishnu told that He Himself is going to be born in demons (Prahlaadashchaasmi daityaanaam— Gita). Let us examine the whole system of cycle and deeds.
The Gita says that the cycle of deeds and fruits is very much complicated with so many parameters surrounding from all sides resulting in a three dimensional network (Gahanaa karmano gatih). I will give a small example: a boy became seriously ill. His parents surrendered to God for cure. The illness was cured and the parents developed their devotion to God. In this incident, the development of devotion of parents is important. For this, the boy must be ill. For the illness, some past sin should be searched and its fruit should be given to the boy as illness. The boy has to suffer with illness someday or other due to the fruit of sin pending in the list. But, if the boy suffers illness now, the parents will immediately reform more through devotion.
Generally, all the sins are punished in hell. When the soul is born here, it is in free atmosphere to go in any line. The past sin should not be brought into this earth because all the sinners are punished in the upper world (hell only). Even though the soul has undergone the punishment, the sin is only reduced and not eliminated. The reduced sin exists in the account of the soul as ‘sanchita’. But in the above case, the specific sin reduced in intensity existing as sanchita is brought into this life and is exhausted in punishment as a special case for the development of devotion of the parents. There is no loss to the soul since it has to undergo the punishment today or tomorrow and hence the soul is not made a scapegoat for the sake of its parents. Hence, even though a basic rule-pattern exists, God is monitoring progress of every soul. For that purpose, any adjustment can be done in the interest of the progress of the soul. When you go to a bank, the manager will do many adjustments in the basic pattern of rules of administration in order to help the customer. Without violating the fundamental set-up of the administration, some talented ways may be applied by the manager so that the customers feel happy and the bank is maintained with many customers supporting it. In similar way, God is following the case of every soul with utmost care for its reformation and uplift. For this advantage of soul, God does so many adjustments in the rules of administration of cycles of deeds of souls. The uplift of the soul through the reformation is topmost priority for God. God is taking utmost care of each case independently in every birth. You can imagine the unimaginable intelligence of God in attending each soul with utmost care and this supports why God is unimaginable.
The general basic pattern is that this earth is called as karma loka in which the souls do works in free atmosphere. Leaving some emergent sins and good deeds for which the results are seen here only, generally, the fruits of all deeds are enjoyed in the upper worlds (bhoga lokas) in a separate span of time after death. This earth is called as karma loka because here only deeds are done without any pressure based on the discrimination of the soul. Here, the soul is not disturbed by the enjoyment of fruits so that there will be free time for the soul to learn the spiritual knowledge and get reformation. Based on the achieved spiritual knowledge, some souls change their behaviour. Some do not change. Some change a little. The further treatments in these souls differ from one category to other. Based on the different requirements, different procedures are implemented, which need different requirements of fruits. God is free to use even the fruit of a very long past deed also specifically for a case. The fruits of intensive deeds, good or bad, which are to be implemented in this birth itself, are also used for such emergency. Such arrangement of fruits of intensive deeds to be enjoyed here is specially framed so that the souls will understand that the enjoyment of fruit of any deed is inevitable for any soul. Therefore, the treatment of each soul is specially attended by God and He is free to change the procedure of the treatment at any place, if He feels it necessary.
God is like the chief doctor in the hospital attending every case giving remarks to continue the existing treatment or to introduce any change in it depending on the progress of the health of the patient. The basic administration of the hospital is certainly based on certain standard stages of activity, which are routine. But, the final decision in any point of treatment is based on the God-chief doctor only. The procedures and fruits of deeds are reshuffled by God in a systematic way to suit the need of requirement in the progress of every soul. The basic procedures stand as usual in the hospital except in a special treatment that is needed for the progress of a soul. The general setup of the basic administration takes place like the treatment by junior doctors. The senior most chief doctor is giving guidance to them.
Full Rigidity & Full Flexibility Alter as per God’s Wish That Alone Brings Full Reformation
Therefore, one should not worry about any rigid set-up of rules taking place here since God supersedes every procedure and is free to change it at any stage in view of the requirement for the further progress of soul. Of course, if the treatment is to be continued without any change, the set-up applies in the disciplined way under the supervision of junior doctors. The set-up may be strict, but the treatment to which the set-up is applied can change at any time as per the instruction from chief doctor-God. This means, the whole system, which includes disciplined set-up of rules is under the final control of God, who is the keen observer of the progress of each soul. The fruits of sins implemented in hell or here are like antibiotics lowering the strength to increase weakness by attacking bacteria like bad qualities. The fruits of good deeds implemented in heaven or here are like tonics giving strength and encouragement of health. When the antibiotic is to be used, what should be its dosage and when the course is to be stopped due to increased weakness followed by tonics for some time, is decided by the chief doctor-God. The deities of hell and heaven and the planets are like junior doctors implementing a rigid procedure during a span of time as per the recommendation of the chef doctor-God in the case of any patient-soul. The treatment looks disciplined as long as the junior doctors are carrying on it for a specific period under the instruction of chief doctor. By this, you should not think that the chief doctor can’t alter the treatment, who may not interfere with the discipline of the treatment while it is going on as per His own instruction only. But, He is free to change the very path of the treatment as per the requirement of the patient. Hence, we can say that the path of the cycle of deeds and fruits is highly disciplined and at the same time is highly flexible as per the decision of the chief doctor-God. If the patient has to continue on some treatment strictly implemented with full discipline, it will continue so by the efforts of the loyal junior staff since such treatment in such strict way is the recommendation of the chief doctor only. But, if the chief doctor wishes, the treatment with antibiotics may break at any stage and treatment with the tonics may continue up to any time as per the orders of chief doctor-God. In the running strip of the treatment, rigidity may exist, but, the strip may break at anytime as per the instruction of chief doctor-God. The final conclusion is that you must observe full rigidity and full flexibility altering as per the wish of the chief doctor-God, whose decision alone can bring the soul to full reformation, which is the highest aim of the highest authority. The punishments in the hell are the doses of antibiotics and the enjoyments in heaven are tonics. On this earth, both hell and heaven co-exist. For some patients, both treatments are to be done alternatively and for some others both treatments are to be given simultaneously. Every decision comes from the chief doctor-God only. Sometimes an emergent patient may have to be operated by surgery in IC unit of the hospital and that is the God’s incarnation killing a very dangerous demon. Everything should be understood in the angle of curing the illness to get best health only and in this angle, the chief doctor should be understood to be very kind and interested in the welfare of the soul only and not to be harsh-enemy. Cutting the body with surgical instruments in hospital is different from cutting the body with weapons in the war. Both look like, but, the intention, aim and the final result are entirely different from each other. You must love God even in difficulties, which weaken you like antibiotic courses and should never blame God even in dream. It is the highest sin to blame God since you are mistaking the love as vengeance.
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