07 Feb 2005
It is true that I did not show you the existence of hell and heaven by taking you in a rocket. But even you did not show the entire space of this universe proving that there is no hell and heaven. The space of this universe is infinite. Suppose a blind fellow is walking on the road. A person tells him that there is a fire in front of him. Another fellow says that there is no fire. If the blind fellow is wise, he will turn back assuming that there is a fire because there is no loss even if you turn back and there is no fire. If you enjoy this life without sacrifice, you are subjected to many diseases. If you sacrifice, you remain healthy. Therefore even through this angle, enjoyment of life is not good. In case there is a fire ahead and the blind fellow refuses to turn back, his feet will get burnt. There is equal probability for both the existence and non-existence of hell. If you assume the existence of hell and follow the rules of justice [dharma] in practice, there is no loss for you. But if you assume that hell does not exist and lead a sinful life, you are put to terrible loss if hell really exists. Therefore if you are wise, you will assume the existence of hell.
Moreover, the Lord comes in human form and proves the existence of super natural powers through miracles. Such human incarnations preach of the existence of the Lord and the upper worlds. Therefore you have to believe in the existence of the Lord and upper worlds, which is proved through direct perception. This is the essence of the Veda and the Gita. This is the reason for the existence of many theists in this world.