CONFUSION?

Confusion erupts when we don’t know:
Who are we?
Why are we here?
Where are we going?

Result of this confusion leads to failure of human intelligence to take a decision. This is what happened with Arjuna during battlefield of Kurukshetra. He was confused to fight or not! Despite his confusion, Arjuna was intelligent enough to approach the real spiritual master - Lord Krishna and surrender upto Him, who enlightened his intelligence to remove confusion.

CONDITIONED SOUL?

All living entities are originally spiritual (as part of God) but due to the desires they are temporarily covered with material energy and are called conditioned souls. Soul is distinct from body-mind complex. It only resides in body for higher purpose.

GOOD-EVIL?

In the material world, meanings change as per fulfilment or non-fulfilment of desires. Same person or thing becomes good if that serves our purpose. Reverse is true if our desires are not met with. But in the spiritual world, whatever helps you think of Me (God) is good, and whatever causes you to forget Me (God) is evil.

It is truly said, “Those who live immoral and unethical lives are wicked people.” Sometimes evil people seem to flourish-not suffer. Do sins ever go unpunished? We may break the state laws and not be caught but there is no possibility of deceiving God. He is present within the hearts of all living entities, witnessing their attitudes. How long will a sinner flourish? For a life time? For 2-3 lifetimes? Lord Krishna says, ” I am death personified. Just because a fool temporarily gets unpunished, we should’t think that there is no punishment. Rather, he is just being given enough rope to hang himself!

MAYA?

What is maya-illusion? We can understand maya by knowing different meanings of illusion. Illusion is:-
Literal meaning: That which is not.
Misconception: I am this body and these things are mine.
Illusion: As soon as we think “I am the doer.”

Illusion (maya) and truth can’t exist simultaneously just as darkness and light can’t be seen simultaneously.

Most of us remain trapped by maya throughout our lives. Even Arjuna was trapped in maya when be refused to fight in the great war Mahabharata as he was concerned with his temporary blood relations than the eternal spiritual connection with Lord Krishna.

SIN?

In this material world no one can become desireless but we can change quality of desire. Similarly, passions can’t be eradicated but can be educated. Human beings have lots of desires and lots of passions. Urge for sex is the strongest of all material desires. All the senses can be controlled if sex life is controlled, but indiscriminate sensual satisfaction reduces man to a level lower than that of an animal. Thus, it can be concluded that tendencies are not sins. It is the inner consent to wrong tendencies that constitute sin. The urge for pleasure is not sinful. Indulgence in immoral pleasures which create greater bondage and retard our higher self development is sinful. Arjuna asked Lord Krishna: By what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if by force? Lord Krishna replied, “It is lust only, which is born of contact with material objects of passion, later transformed with wrath, which is sinful of this world.” Disconnecting anything from God is also sin. For instance, as long as your hand is connected to your body, it is very useful and beautiful. But if it is severed, it is ugly and useless, although it may still be called a hand.

LUST?

Regardless of how much of anything we get, we always want more and more. Thus the senses become enraged like a roaring fire. Man’s pure consciousness is covered by his primary enemy, in the form of lust which remains ever dissatisfied. Lust is the strongest bond to material existance. Lust for material things must be changed into hankering for God. When love is perverted, it is expressed as lust.

DEATH?

It is rightly said - “Every date of birth has a date of death.” Death is like an arrow that is already in flight. Your life lasts only until the arrow reaches you. You should live each day as if it were to be your last. You will have to give an account for every moment wasted. Life is short. The vanities of the world are transient, but they alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive. Being the only animal capable of knowing that he has to die, man should live his life humbly and prepare for the next life.

LIBERATION?

Libration means becoming free from all reactions of actions. A follower of Vedas voluntarily retires from material life to cultivate Krishna consciousness before death overtakes him.

DO ANIMALS ALSO SIN?

Animals are programmed by nature. They eat according to their nature. Cows eat grass and tigers eat flesh. They act according to their instinct, not itelligence. Therefore, there is no question of sinning.

But, man can sin because he has been given the independence to choose between right and wrong. Without this independence to use the intellect we would be robots. Machines also can’t be sinful. Therefore, greater the gifts, greater the responsibility.

TAYAG - SANYAS?

To give up the results of all activities is called tayag (renunciation) and this stage of life is called the renounced order of life - sanyas. According to Hitopadesa, 1.120, a decrepit (weak due to old age) man can’t enjoy sensual pleasure, nor can he renounce it. That means, if you are not able to do any activity, due to disease or old age, then it is not tayag, because tayag is, doing something, without expecting anything.

SOUL

The word soul means atma in Sanskrit. Atma is the life force which is present in a body. A live body is therefore called a jiva-atma in Sanskrit.

SUPER SOUL

Param-atma is Super soul, who is the creator of all creation and all jiva-atmas - God. In Upanishads, soul and super soul are likened to two birds on a tree. Tree is the material body. One bird; the jiva-atma or the individual soul, is trying to enjoy the fruits of the tree which can be compared to the object of senses of this material world. The other bird; param-atma or super soul, is simply witnessing the activities of his friend the jiva-atma. The super soul - God is waiting for us to turn our attention towards Him, but we are so engrossed in enjoying the objects of senses that we ignore Him.