Hare Krsna,
Modern material world runs on the erroneous theory of seeing and immediately reacting on immediate causes. Countries are at war because they see and react to immediate and visible cause. Israel attacks Palestine because Hamas attacked Israel. Hamas attached Israel because they think their land is forcibly occupied. No one bothers to ponder about the unseen causes behind the immediate cause. Where and how did it all begin in the first place? What is the root cause of the conflict? No one asks these questions. Neither the government, nor the people and not even the media ask such questions. Everyone tends to jump on the immediate cause. This erroneous principle of looking only at immediate cause pervades every aspect of modern civilization. The healthcare industry runs on treating immediate causes and symptoms. Healthcare workers are trained to treat a disease, not address the root cause of the disease. The root cause could be anything such as a lifestyle incompatible with the design of the material nature and human body. Treatment of a disease rather than prevention of disease has become the norm sadly. Similarly in corporate world (which I am a part of) runs on the concept of immediate results. Perform or perish. Show good results and you keep your job and business. Perform badly and you lose them. No one bothers to address the unseen causes behind a person’s or business’ performance. Same goes for election of a government. Electorates get carried away by the immediate impact a political candidate makes. Hence short-term solutions and political rhetoric have become the norm because the political system is designed to reward immediate results. Therefore, no political leader bothers to come up with long term fixes. There are so many evils burning modern world – gun violence, conflict with nature, child abuse, women harassment, hunger and poverty, homelessness, and so on. No one is trained to be inquisitive about the remote, unseen causes.
This is the side effect of modern education which is designed to see and acknowledge immediate causes only. Scientists see only the material elements as the source of the material creation. They are unable to see that there is a Supreme Person who is the cause of all causes. What this implies is that the ability to only see immediate causes rises only from bodily conception of life. Once we acknowledge that there is a spirit soul and Supersoul behind everything, we will be able to see the remote, unseen causes. We will be able to understand how fruitive actions and reactions work, how karma and time works, how the Supreme Lord works by His various energies and potencies. This ability to see remote, unseen causes cannot come from mundane material education which is built on mental speculation and bodily conception. Real knowledge will come from guru, sadhu and sastra.
We are grateful to acaryas such as Srila Prabhupada who have mercifully removed the curtain of immediate cause from in front of our eyes and have revealed the actual truth behind the curtain. Srila Prabhupada loved to give examples of material creation.
“In the material creations, the Lord is only the supreme cause. The immediate cause is the material nature by which the cosmic manifestation is visible. The created beings are of many varieties, such as demigods, human beings and lower animals, and all of them are subject to the reactions of their past good or bad activities. The Lord only gives them the proper facilities for such activities and the regulations of the modes of nature, but He is never responsible for their past and present activities. The living entity is responsible for his own acts. The Lord only gives him facilities, through the agency of material nature, external energy. Anyone who is fully conversant with all the intricacies of this law of karma, or fruitive activities, does not become affected by the results of his activities. In other words, the person who understands this transcendental nature of the Lord is an experienced man in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and thus he is never subjected to the laws of karma. One who does not know the transcendental nature of the Lord and who thinks that the activities of the Lord are aimed at fruitive results, as are the activities of the ordinary living entities, certainly becomes entangled himself in fruitive reaction. But one who knows the Supreme Truth is a liberated soul fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (BG 4.14 Purport)
The three modes of material nature pull the strings but the Supreme Lord controls material nature.
“The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature.” (BG 3.27)
Kamsa’s argument that everyone suffers and enjoys the results of his own work under the control of providence is valid. He has this knowledge because he has a good understanding of the the constitutional position of the body and the soul [ātmā].
“Kaṁsa begged Devakī’s pardon by analyzing the matter deeply. He was not the cause of the death of Devakī’s sons. Rather, this was their own destiny. Under the circumstances, Devakī should excuse Kaṁsa and forget his past deeds without lamentation. Kaṁsa admitted his own fault, but whatever he had done was under the control of providence. Kaṁsa might have been the immediate cause for the death of Devakī’s sons, but the remote cause was their past deeds. This was an actual fact.” (SB 10.4.21 P)
Kamsa had the right knowledge but he could not act upon that knowledge. He had jnana but not vijnana (realized knowledge). He still performed the atrocities of killing Devaki’s six innocent children. Therefore, for those of us who are on the path of attaining pure love of Godhead, we must be careful about cultivating too much knowledge. Top heavy and bottom empty. Head filled with knowledge and information but heart devoid of love and devotion.
Bill Starmer prabhu shared a beautiful verse in his forum post. I would like to re-share it here as it is relevant and hits the point.
NOD 14: Some scholars recommend that knowledge and renunciation are important factors for elevating oneself to devotional service. But actually that is not a fact. Actually, the cultivation of knowledge or renunciation, which are favorable for achieving a footing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, may be accepted in the beginning, but ultimately they may also come to be rejected, for devotional service is dependent on nothing other than the sentiment or desire for such service. It requires nothing more than sincerity.
As Mother Samapriya mentioned in the review session today, we need to develop submissiveness imbued with faith to the spiritual master and the Supreme Lord. Only then the knowledge will transform into realized knowledge. Otherwise, we run the risk of becoming a Kamsa i.e., acting sinfully despite knowing the truth and transcendental knowledge related to the body and soul. All we should care about is developing a sincere desire to please the Lord and His devotees. This will keep us on the safest and transcendental platform.
īhā yasya harer dāsye
karmaṇā manasā girā
nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu
jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate
“A person acting in the service of Kṛṣṇa with his body, mind and words is a liberated person, even within the material world.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.187)
SB 10.4.27: Persons with the vision of differentiation are imbued with the material qualities lamentation, jubilation, fear, envy, greed, illusion and madness. They are influenced by the immediate cause, which they are busy counteracting, because they have no knowledge of the remote, supreme cause, the Personality of Godhead.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 