Sticking to Duty in Spite of All Opposition

The devotee of the Lord sometimes meets with very vicious opposition in his attempt the bless the world with the sublime mercy of the Krishna. Even though he selflessly and unceasingly acts for the welfare of all living beings, he is sometimes tortured and sometimes even killed because of his attempt to enlighten the world with Krishna consciousness. But still because of the unlimited compassion which resides in the core of his heart he never stops giving love to others even though they repay his love with hate.

The Most Merciful Srila Prabhupada

The Most Merciful Srila Prabhupada

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version

Question: Where Were We Before the Creation?

Please accept my humble obeisances
All glories to Srila Prabhupada

In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna says that there was never a time when we did not exit, and He further informs us that in future also we will be present. We also know from the Vedic literature that before the creation there was only Narayana and that after the annihilation of this material world only Narayana will be present.

My question is: Where were we before the creation and where will be the conditioned and liberated souls after the annihilation of this material world?

Regards
Saswata Adhikari

Answer: In Vaikuntha or the Body of Mahavishnu

There is no creation of the spiritual world because it is eternally existing. Similarly there is no creation of the spirit-souls because they are also eternal. This eternal existence is joyfully experienced by the liberated souls who have always and will always live with the Lord in His most amazing transcendental abode associating with Him in unlimited varieties of loving relationships.

On the other hand, this material world. in which we are currently situated, has eternally gone through cycles of creation and destruction, just as every 24 hours we experience day and night. The conditioned spirit-souls are former liberated souls who rejected the supremacy of the Lord and were thus obliged to enter into this material existence.

Before the beginning of each creation, only Lord Narayana exists here in His form known as Mahavishnu. All the conditioned spirit-souls are at that time existing in a dormant state within the body of Mahavishnu. When He creates the material universes by the mere act of exhaling, all the conditioned spirit-souls come out and take different forms according to their karma left over from the previous creation. At the time of universal destruction Mahavishnu destroys everything simply by one inhalation sucking all of the conditioned spirit-souls back into His transcendental body putting them back into a dormant state where they remain until the next creation. Again, at that time only Narayana or Mahavishnu exists in the material world until the next period of manifestation.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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