Annihilating the Atheists - God and the Demons
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the cosmic conflict between good and evil is ultimately resolved by the direct intervention of the Supreme Lord. By studying his instructions, we can understand why the Lord descends to kill the demons, the root of atheistic ignorance, and the absolute mercy hidden within the Lord's deadly strikes.
The Divine Mission
The material world is frequently plunged into chaos by the disturbances of atheistic men. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that to reestablish cosmic harmony, the Supreme Lord personally incarnates to protect His peaceful devotees and aggressively annihilate the demonic forces.
- Lord Visnu incarnates for two purposes: paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam (BG 4.8). That is, He comes to engage in pastimes with His devotees and to annihilate the demons.
- Fighting is always taking place between the demons and the power of the Supreme Personality. Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam - BG 4.8.
- Ramacandra was so strict, and God Himself was ruling, and still, there was Ravana. But because Ramacandra was there he was also killed. Paritranaya sadhunam. God's business is to protect the faithful and kill the demons.
The Ignorance of the Atheists
An asura (demon) is characterized by immense material pride and a deep-seated envy of the Supreme. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that these miscreants are completely bewildered by false ego; they deride the Lord's incarnations as ordinary occurrences and foolishly attempt to usurp the position of God.
- Demons proudly declare, "Who is God? Why, I am God! When I can illegally manipulate funds and become so wealthy that I can enjoy everything in this world, then I am indeed Almighty God."
- Bewildered by false ego, strength, pride, lust and anger, the demon becomes envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in his own body and in the bodies of others, and blasphemes against the real religion.
- Demons cannot understand the incarnations of the Lord; they think that His incarnations as a fish or boar or tortoise are big beasts only. They misunderstand the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, even in His human form, & they deride His descent.
The Absolute Power of the Lord
Demons often amass extraordinary military and mystic power, terrifying the entire universe. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that no matter how formidable a demon like Hiraṇyākṣa or Hiraṇyakaśipu may appear, their strength is entirely insignificant before the effortless might of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Although a demon may be very powerful and extraordinary in the eyes of an ordinary man in the material world, to the Lord, killing such a demon is no difficulty. He can kill millions of demons as simply as a child plays with dolls and breaks them.
- His (God's) one signal is sufficient to destroy all our attempts. His inconceivable power, as displayed here (SB 3.19.26), is so strong that the demon (Hiranyaksa), despite all his demoniac maneuvers, was killed by God when God desired, simply by one slap.
The Transcendental Mercy of Death
Because the Supreme Lord is completely absolute, everything He does is auspicious. Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals a profound theological truth: when God personally kills a demon, it is not an act of mundane violence, but an exhibition of divine mercy that immediately grants the demon spiritual liberation.
- Mundane violence and nonviolence have nothing to do with the Lord's acts. A demon killed by Him attains the same result as one who attains liberation after many, many births of penance and austerity.
- In the sastras it is said that if a person, even though a demon, is killed by God, he is immediately liberated.
- One has to study very carefully. Because God is absolute, there is no difference between His activities killing the demon and giving protection to a devotee. He is giving protection to the demon also, by killing him. But one cannot understand.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda beautifully illustrates the absolute nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead's pastimes within the material world. While the conditioned souls view the universe through the dualities of violence and peace, the Lord operates on a purely transcendental platform. To fulfill His divine mission (paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ), He repeatedly descends to protect His beloved devotees and curb the rampant chaos manufactured by atheistic demons. Blinded by false ego and temporary material power, these asuras foolishly challenge the supreme authority of God, unable to recognize His incarnations. Yet, when the Lord effortlessly steps in to vanquish them, His actions are entirely free from mundane malice. Because the Lord is absolute and all-auspicious, the very act of killing a demon is an infusion of His divine grace. By dying at the hands of the Supreme Lord, the most sinful atheists are instantly purified and awarded the ultimate liberation, proving that God's protection and His punishment are equal manifestations of His boundless mercy.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category God and the Demons. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.