08 Nov 2024
[Dr. Nikhil asked: Padanamaskarams Swamiji, I request You to kindly clarify the following doubt about the interpretation of this Vedic statement. Your servant, Nikhil
In what sense does the Veda say that God causes souls to rise or fall to higher or lower worlds?
eṣa eva sādhu karma kārayati taṃ yamebhyo lokebhya unninīṣata eṣa evāsādhu karma kārayati taṃ yamebhyo lokebhyo'dho ninīṣate—Veda, Kauśītakī Brāhmaṇa 3.8..(Click here to read full question)
Swami replied:- The Gita says that God never makes anybody to perform any deed (Na kartṛtvam…). The Gita further says that God does not take any soul’s good fruit or bad fruit since everywhere the nature of the soul alone is responsible in doing good deeds or bad deeds (Svabhāvastu pravartate). This nature is called ‘Prakruti’ that decides the direction of every action in the final stage (Prakṛtiṃ yānti bhūtāni, nigrahaḥ kiṃ kariṣyati?, Prakṛtistvāṃ niyokṣyati - Gita). This nature is solidified due to the mind grasping the concepts from the world continuously through several past births. The soul may do a lot of analysis with the help of its intelligence, but will finally yield to the influence of this diamond like hardened nature (Kariṣyaśyavaś'pi tat - Gita). Even the preaching of the omnipotent God fails as we see the example of Kauravas or Ravana. Again here, you shall not doubt that the omnipotency of God failed. It is not correct because God preaches the soul without forcing the soul with His power, maintaining the full freedom of the soul. God Krishna told Arjuna at the end of the Gita that Arjuna shall analyze everything taught by Him with full freedom to take the final decision.
You mentioned the Vedic statement that says that God makes somebody to do good deeds since He wants to uplift that soul. Similarly, God makes somebody to do bad deeds since He wants to suppress that soul (Eṣa eva sādhu karma kārayati…). This statement is wrongly understood to mean that the mad and rowdy natured God behaves in such atrocious manner! This is utterly wrong. The meaning of this statement is that if some good soul errs, God will lead him/her to the right path to do good deed. Similarly, if some bad soul is doing a good deed to get more power so that he can do more bad deeds, God will mislead him/her to do bad deeds and get suppressed. Arjuna was a very good soul and erred by escaping from the war against bad people. Then, God preached him and made him do the war, which is a good deed to destroy injustice and to establish justice. Similarly, God wanted to suppress the egoistic king Bali, who occupied the throne of Indra by force. He came as Vamana and influenced Bali to do a wrong deed, which is to reject his well-wisher and preacher, Shukraacaarya, who advised Bali not to do donation to Vamana. But, King Bali refused the advice of his preacher due to the influence of the Maayaa power of God and did donation due to which King Bali was suppressed down to fall in the lower world. Such nature of God cannot be blamed as fanatism and bias.
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