References: ŚBh. 6.1.42-52, ŚBh 3.31, Bg 5.15.
The Problem of Evil
In other words, if God created everything, did God also create evil? To understand the answer to this question, we must first understand what good and evil are. Most people tend to think that good and evil are opposites, like light and darkness, love and hatred. But is this really so? Examining the nature of these "opposites," we will see that they are not opposites at all.
The Analogy of Light and Darkness
Darkness is not the opposite of light, it is merely the absence of light. We will notice that all the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle. Similarly, hatred is only the absence of love, and evil is the lack of good. Thus, God, who created everything, did not create evil, just as He did not create darkness, hatred, or ignorance, because these things do not exist. They exist only as terms indicating the lack of what really exists (created by God) —the absence of light, love, goodness, and knowledge.
Materialistic people, who do not consider that the soul is eternal, are always inclined to blame God for the evil they encounter. Indeed, we see that bad things happen to good people, and we often see that bad people do not receive punishment. This raises doubts about God's justice or His ability to overcome evil. Many people, unable to understand the problem of evil, have stopped believing in God or stopped considering Him almighty. This question is so important in theology and practice that it gave birth to a separate branch of theology—theodicy—the science examining God's justice and the problem of evil.
Western Philosophy's Impasse
In any case, to this day no one in the West has found at least a decent answer to the problem of evil. Thinkers tend either to blame God, and thus atheism or rebellious philosophy prevails, or the blame is placed on the person himself who encounters suffering. Then God's innocence is preserved, but a new problem arises—that most people did not deserve such punishment as they experienced, in other words, God appears like a vengeful type who assigns the greatest punishments for every trifle.
Why did God give one person a good life and another a hellish one? Why does a scoundrel live like a lord, while a virtuous person suffers? Is God unequal to all?
God or Material Nature?
So why do bad things happen to good people? Is God mocking His creations? The Vedic philosophy and primarily the Bhagavad Gita answer this question. BG 5.15 says:
nādatte kasyacit pāpaṁ
na caiva sukṛtaṁ vibhuḥ
ajñānenāvṛtaṁ jñānaṁ
tena muhyanti jantavaḥ
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is not responsible for anyone's sinful or pious actions. However, the embodied living entity is bewildered by ignorance, which covers true knowledge."
The previous verse says that the Lord, residing in the same body together with the embodied living entity, neither acts Himself, nor induces people to act, nor creates the fruits of action. All this is done by the modes of material nature.
Nature's Role
Thus the Lord is neither powerless nor guilty of the evil we encounter. He only created the material world and its laws, which themselves provide reactions to living beings for their deeds. Krishna Himself does not interfere in the affairs of this world. He confirms this in BG 9.5: na ca mat-sthāni bhūtāni – "And yet I am not in this world". Therefore karma is managed by material nature.
kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛtve
hetuḥ prakṛtir ucyate
puruṣaḥ sukha-duḥkhānāṁ
bhoktṛtve hetur ucyate
— Bhagavad-gītā 13.21
Happiness or suffering depends on our choice and our desires. But desires extend further into the past than our memory reaches. Therefore their fulfillment is ensured by material nature, placing us in various situations, which we call fate. We call fate that which happens regardless of our will. And although many things happen to us unexpectedly or without our will, it is wrong to say that we have nothing to do with it. Therefore there is no fate, there is a reaction for deeds done in the past. Karma cannot be called punishment, because when punishing it is indicated for what one is being punished. Karma is a rather blind principle (like everything in material nature), therefore only a rather conscious person notices that they are experiencing what they deserved. Many people don't know what they suffer for and only in the subconscious does memory form of what can be done and what cannot.
The World as a Prison
We are by no means good people. The material world is a prison or at best a place of exile. It is called durga (prison), and the mistress of this prison, material nature, is also called Durgā (the prison owner). This prison is perfect (thanks to Maya—illusion), because no one wants to escape from it (although it is impossible anyway). All of us have fled from the spiritual world.
Our Choice
There is no reason in the spiritual world, no factor, no influence, and no hint that would encourage us, push us, force us, convince us, or suggest being separate from God. There is no reason beyond ourselves for such a desire to arise, therefore this desire itself is the complete expression of our free will. We cannot blame God for our suffering now, because we ourselves chose this suffering. We chose to associate with the material world and seek happiness where it cannot be.
God is not guilty of being the only God, and of not creating something similar to Himself, with whom by associating, we could be happy. Thus we are rebels who wrongly used our freedom. Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains in the book "Jaiva Dharma" that the living entity through its negligence in service and curiosity about Maya loses Krishna's mercy and thus becomes weak. Thus it finds itself on the border of two worlds (Krishna's and Maya's) (tata). When it turns to Krishna, asking permission to see what Maya looks like, Krishna tries to dissuade it and asks it to return, but if the jiva looks at Maya, she immediately seizes it. Having fallen into the material world, the soul immediately feels independent and controlling. Therefore, most souls falling from the spiritual sky for the first time are born in Lord Brahma's position in some universe. Thus begins the soul's journey downward.
"Freedom does not mean being uncontrolled. In this world we desire not freedom, but independence. We want to have no superior. But that is not freedom."
When we reject Krishna's authority, we become constrained. Seeking independence, we lost freedom. The material world is a testing ground where we try to become happy, but at the same time it acts like a straitjacket. This world helps us forget Krishna and punishes us for it.
Action and Result
We seek happiness through activity, but most often each action produces a result we do not expect at all. A murderer thinks about money, but gets the death penalty. Trying to fix the situation, performing new actions, we only make things worse. ŚBh. 7.9.17 says:
If we are possessed by material ideas, everything we do to solve problems only deepens them. There is no fate imposed by a merciless God. There are our desires, which give birth to actions and consequences. We do not know how to act correctly. Krishna says in BG 2.50:
Buddhi Yoga
buddhi-yukto jahātīha
ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte
tasmād yogāya yujyasva
yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam
"A person engaged in buddhi yoga is freed from both good and bad reactions of their actions already in this life. Therefore strive for yoga, which is the art of acting perfectly."
O Lord,
People's lives
Are so intertwined,
That You are powerless
To fulfill their desires so,
That they would not experience pain…
— S. Žebrauskas
Fate and Free Will
The living entity itself is responsible for its actions. Even material nature only provides us with tools for activity (karana). No one can blame Krishna for experienced misfortunes (Bg 5.15). In fact, the living being itself has been avoiding Krishna Consciousness for time immemorial, so it has created such deplorable living conditions for itself. And then, shrouded in illusion, it tends to blame the Lord for being so merciless. The Kausitaki Upanishad says that by the Lord's will the living entity can go to heaven or to hell, but again, for one who wants to improve and performs virtuous deeds, the Lord helps to improve by engaging them in virtuous deeds, and for one wanting to go to hell, the Lord engages them in sinful deeds. The Lord Himself does not take responsibility for our wanderings. Everything happens because we have material desires, which the Lord does not oppose.
Free will manifests through desires. There are two types of them: temporary (imposed by circumstances) and inherent (svarūpa). Egoistic tendencies dictate the desire to satisfy the body and avoid suffering. Spiritual nature dictates the desire to surrender to the Supreme and love Him. Only inherent desires express the soul's true freedom.
By surrendering to matter, the soul renounces free will and submits to the laws of nature. However, having learned about spiritual life, it can awaken spiritual desires and free will. There is one condition—to renounce bodily pleasures. Can one become free without renouncing what restricts freedom?
Krishna gave us the same nature as His own. He associates with us as an equal with an equal. The bonds of love with Krishna are free—He does not force us to love. Since there is no more perfect personality than Krishna, only with Him can we experience perfect relationships.
Krishna does not want us to be in the material world. He desires our return more than we ourselves do. Therefore, epoch after epoch, He descends Himself or sends pure devotees to preach about perfect relationships with Him. Krishna reveals wonderful pastimes to awaken souls' desire to surrender to Him.
The Law of Karma
"Like waves in great rivers, you cannot turn back what has been
done. The soul is like a cripple bound by the chains of the
fruits of good and evil."
— Maitri Upanishad 4.2
The Vedas state that karma is anadi—without beginning. However, this does not mean that we are eternally in this world. Karma begins even before we enter the world of Maya, where material time operates, measured by past, present, and future. Therefore, it is impossible to say when our entanglement in this world began. In other words, the first desire to be separate from Krishna created the first reaction—karma, which was the cause of our material body. Whether virtuous or sinful, any material activity entangles. In BG 4.17 Krishna speaks about 3 forms of action:
Karma
Action according to religious norms—virtuous activity.
Vikarma
Sinful action—especially promotes the development of a new body.
Akarma
Transcendental action—frees one from the chains of karma.
One must understand all forms of activity in order to be freed from suffering. Understanding material forms (karma and vikarma), a person will only ease their suffering. However, by understanding transcendental activity (akarma), one easily becomes transcendentally happy.
In BG 8.3, Krishna says that karma is activity that promotes the development of a new body. In this case, the word vikarma (sinful activity) refers to activity that especially promotes the development of a new body (the prefix vi in Sanskrit strengthens and emphasizes the meaning of the word). The living entity in this world tries to enjoy in one way or another, but nowhere finds perfect satisfaction. Therefore, when one body becomes boring or its resources are exhausted, the living entity gets a new body so that it can try to fulfill its unfulfilled desires. Thus it can enjoy different senses life after life. One life is preparation for another life.
On the other hand, karma is also meant to repay living beings for their bad deeds. In any case, karma always means activity and payment for it. Since any activity in this world is performed seeking a result, both virtuous and sinful activity entangles the living entity. We get what we deserve, therefore we are truly the creators of our own destiny.
Karma is the reactions of past and present life. Although we cannot change our nature, we can create situations in which it will manifest least. Karma creates situations, but how we behave depends on us.
Will can be influenced by the three modes: goodness, passion, and ignorance. A person in the mode of goodness has the greatest possibilities to act. They can choose a profession, education, partners, way of life. A person conditioned by the mode of passion sees a narrower choice, which they often consider the only solution in the existing situation. Therefore, a person influenced by passion can make correct or incorrect decisions, but they will always be exclusivist (i.e., "my decision is the only correct one"). A person conditioned by the mode of ignorance feels pressed into an ever- narrowing tunnel, and whatever they do, the result gets worse and worse. In other words, a person full of ignorance sees no choice and tends either to give up any activity or desperately grasp at any activity except intelligent activity.
Bhagavad-gita 18.14 also confirms that karma is not the only factor forcing the living entity to behave one way or another.
adhiṣṭhānaṁ tathā kartā
karaṇaṁ ca pṛthag-vidham
vividhāś ca pṛthak ceṣṭā
daivaṁ caivātra pañcamam
"The place of action (the body), the performer, the various senses, various kinds of efforts, and finally the Supersoul are the five factors of action."
The soul and God are of transcendental nature. God, free from karma, helps the living entity to act. However, the living entity, surrendering its will to the modes of material nature, refuses God's help and chooses dependence on karma.
Material nature is completely determined—strict laws operate in it. By choosing to act according to the laws of matter, the soul becomes dependent on them and loses free will. However, by acting according to the laws of the spiritual world, we are freed from material limitations. To the extent we act on the spiritual level, we are free from karma.
Karma almost always manifests through desires, which are called karmashaya. When the time comes to experience a reaction, a desire arises in the mind, creating the corresponding situation-reaction. Vedanta Sutra defines four stages of karma:
1. Bīja (Seed)
Desires lie deep in the subconscious and do not manifest at all. They may manifest only in the next or even several lives later. A person often doesn't even realize what strange desires lie in their heart. Suitable circumstances must arise for such desires to begin developing.
2. Kūṭa-sthaḥ (Sprouting)
The seeds of karmic desires begin to sprout and we suddenly feel certain desires, inclinations. At this stage it is still possible to fight them.
3. Phalonmukha (Ripening)
Our desires bear their fruits in the form of various situations, matured desires, or habits. At this stage, fighting desires is very difficult.
4. Prārabdha (Manifested)
At that time we experience the consequences of our desires in the form of diseases, suffering, or pleasures. Usually this means innate things: our body's constitution, innate inclinations, and diseases.
Each individual is connected with a larger community and shares its joys or sufferings. When a nation sins and experiences war, famine, or epidemics, each member experiences the consequences, although personally they may be blameless. This is called collective sin and explains inequality in the world.
The Power of the Holy Name
Spiritual practice allows one to destroy the consequences of karma at various stages depending on the intensity and nature of the practice. For example, brahma yoga—meditation and austerities seeking liberation—destroys sprouting desires and manifesting desires, but cannot uproot the very desire for sense gratification (bija karma), because by its nature the pursuit of liberation is also a desire to enjoy transcendence. Those who practice brahma yoga often reach mystical heights and consider themselves liberated, but Lord Brahma in ŚBh 10.2.32 says that such people's intelligence is impure, because they never begin to worship the Lord's lotus feet. On the other hand, one who with a spirit of service sincerely serves Krishna and constantly chants His name easily gets rid of all karmic consequences, not only those lying in seed form, but even those that have fully ripened their fruits (prarabdha karma). Srila Rupa Goswami describes this in his Namastaka as follows:
yad-brahma-sākṣāt-kṛti-niṣṭhayāpi
vināśam āyāti vinā na bhogaiḥ
apaiti nāma sphuraṇena tat te
prārabdha-karmeti virauti vedaḥ
"O Holy Name, the Vedas state that meditation on the impersonal Brahman cannot free one from karmic reactions, and that one must suffer or enjoy them. However, when You manifest in a person's consciousness, all reactions (even prarabdha karma) immediately disappear."
QUESTIONS
- Is the conditioned soul free or dependent?
- How does the concept of fate relate to free will?
- Using analogies, explain how the living entity ended up in such
Self-Check Questions
- Briefly explain what good and evil are in the context of Krishna consciousness?
- What role do desires play in material imprisonment and liberation from matter?
- Briefly explain the law of karma and its relationship to the cycle of birth and death.
- Tell about the 3 forms of action.
- What are the four stages of karma?
APPENDIX: Punya Karma
Excerpt from Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's book "Shri Chaitanya Shikshamrita", Chapter 2, Part 2.