May All Envious Persons Become Pacified

Lord Sri Krishna states:

icchā-dveṣa-samutthena
dvandva-mohena bhārata
sarva-bhūtāni sammohaṁ
sarge yānti parantapa

"O scion of Bharata, O conqueror of the foe, all living entities are born into delusion, bewildered by dualities arisen from desire and hate."
--Bhagavad-gita 7.27

This is why, just as a prison is naturally filled up with criminals, this material world is naturally filled up with envious, hateful persons. The very reason this material world exists is to give those who are envious by nature a place where they can feel at home and at the same time become rectified of their envious mentality.

Prahlada Maharaja, a great pure devotee of the Lord was not happy to see so many people completely entrapped in envy and misery. Therefore he prayed:

svasty astu viśvasya khalaḥ prasīdatāṁ
dhyāyantu bhūtāni śivaṁ mitho dhiyā
manaś ca bhadraṁ bhajatād adhokṣaje
āveśyatāṁ no matir apy ahaitukī

"May there be good fortune throughout the universe, and may all envious persons be pacified. May all living entities become calm by practicing bhakti-yoga, for by accepting devotional service they will think of each other's welfare. Therefore let us all engage in the service of the supreme transcendence, Lord Sri Krishna, and always remain absorbed in thought of Him."
--Srimad Bhagavatam 5.18.9

Those who follow in the footsteps of Prahlada Maharaja also pray in this mood because they cannot tolerate the sufferings of others.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Prahlada Maharaja Instructs His Classmates

Prahlada Maharaja Instructs His Classmates

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: Adam and Eve Story from the Bible

Gurudeva, I had a question related to the story of Adam and Eve. It tells us how everything began and why things are the way they are today all because we are still living under the curse Adam and Eve had brought upon this earth as a result of their own transgression against the Lord by eating the forbidden apple. My question is: Is this story true? We don't find anything related to this in our Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita which tell us this that we are suffering here in this material world because of their transgression against the Lord.

What we found is that because we are envious of the Lord we wanted to enjoy separately from the Lord. That's why we are in the material world. So up to what point is this Adam and Eve story true?

Thank you.

Your unworthy servant,

Neelam S.

Answer: Forbidden Apple Eaten = Paradise Lost

Even if we take the story allegorically, it speaks a great truth. The forbidden apple is the desire to enjoy separately from God. Srila Prabhupada refers to this forbidden apple in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 5.14.12 as follows:

"The wealth and riches acquired through previous pious activities should not be misused for sense gratification. Enjoying them for sense gratification is like enjoying the fruits of a poisonous tree. Such activities will not help the conditioned soul in any way, neither in this life nor the next. However, if one engages his possessions in the service of the Lord under the guidance of a proper spiritual master. he will attain happiness both in this life and the next. Unless he does so, he eats a forbidden apple and thereby loses his paradise. Lord Sri Krishna therefore advises that one's possessions should be given unto Him."

So instead of trying to enjoy that apple separately, which is forbidden, we should offer it to Krishna first before we eat it. In other words everything should be done for the Lord's pleasure instead of our own. In this way we will enjoy pleasure on equal with God and regain the paradise of His kingdom never to fall down again.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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