Turning Hell into Paradise

We cannot expect this world to be paradise. It is, after all, the prison for all those who could not live in harmony with the Supreme Person in the transcendental world. In other words, we were originally situated with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the spiritual world as participants in His transcendental pastimes. But due our manifesting a rebellious attitude of wanting to ourselves be the Supreme instead of serving the Supreme, our desire was facilitated by our being given a new home in this material world, a place in we can consider ourselves to be the Supreme. This is why in this material world conflicts are going on at every minute. Everyone thinks that they are the center of the universe and that everything therefore revolves around them. When one person's circle of enjoyment overlaps with another person's circle there is bound to disturbance, which sometimes manifests as fighting, and sometimes escalates into a war between two countries or two groups of countries. It is only when re-establish the one common center for all living beings that we can enjoy peace and prosperity in this world and turn this hell into a paradise. The common center is naturally the source from which everything emanates. That source is Krishna or God.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Sharing the Supreme Bliss
in Timisoara, Romania--19 April 2008

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Why Do They Pursue Fleeting Happiness?

I feel strange at the mentality of general people. From childhood, when I was not Krishna conscious, I lived a painstaking life. I identified with my material body. No matter how much material happiness I enjoyed, I knew it was ephemeral and one day when my body perishes everything is over. Whenever I thought of this, I felt great depression and anxiety, and that anxiety suppressed any material happiness I experienced. The only meaningful thing at that time was searching for the Truth (even though I sought it via material science), but I was sad that maybe I would never make it during the whole life. But I kept on seeking.

Thinking back on those days, now I feel that how fortunate I am right now, it's because of the mercy of Krishna that I gradually became enlightened with spiritual knowledge. I pray that I won't fall down. But I feel strange at the mentality of people in general. They know that everything will be over one day, why are they still enjoying fleeting happiness and do not find what is eternal? When I ask them about this, their reply was always: "I know that everything is gonna over one day, but who cares, over is over, let's simply enjoy right now. Be optimistic and don't think of death, even those who are old also live a joyful life, don't be so pessimistic."

Even for some persons who know everything, that we are not this body, that God exists, they still do not care it and are madly after fleeting material things. It is strange. Why? Please explain the reasons for their mentality so that I will know how to convince them to take to self-realization one day.

Your most humble servant,

Yechen

from China

Answer: Because They Don't Know Any Better

As Srila Prabhupada would say, it is due to their poor fund of knowledge. In other words because they are completely ignorant of the the transcendental bliss of Krishna consciousness they try to make do the best they can with the temporary so-called bliss of this material existence.

When Indra, the king of heaven, was cursed to take birth as a hog he forgot that he was Indra the king of heaven and he became very attached to the so-called enjoyment of a hog's life. Srila Prabhupada describes this story as follows:

"It is said that once Indra, the King of heaven, was cursed by his spiritual master, Brihaspati, on account of his misbehavior, and he became a hog on this planet. After many days, when Brahma wanted to recall him to his heavenly kingdom, Indra, in the form of a hog, forgot everything of his royal position in the heavenly kingdom, and he refused to go back. This is the spell of maya. Even Indra forgets his heavenly standard of life and is satisfied with the standard of a hog's life. By the influence of maya the conditioned soul becomes so affectionate towards his particular type of body that if he is offered, 'Give up this body, and immediately you will have a king's body,' he will not agree. This attachment strongly affects all conditioned living entities. Lord Krishna is personally canvassing, 'Give up everything in this material world. Come to Me, and I shall give you all protection,' but we are not agreeable. We think, 'We are quite all right. Why should we surrender unto Krishna and go back to His kingdom?' This is called illusion, or maya. Everyone is satisfied with his standard of living, however abominable it may be."

Since our nature is to enjoy, we find it intolerable to be in a world of suffering. Therefore we imagine this miserable world to be a place of enjoyment. It is only after one experiences the higher taste of Krishna consciousness that he can give up the false, illusory pleasures of material existence. This is easy for the Krishna conscious person. He is no longer interested in running after the mirage of material enjoyment because he is relishing the unlimited pleasure of Krishna consciousness within his heart at every minute.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari