God's Allowing - The Concession of Free Will and Material Desire
A common question posed by mundane philosophers is, "If God is all-good and all-powerful, why does He allow evil and suffering to exist?" Śrīla Prabhupāda answers this by explaining the spiritual science of free will. The Supreme Personality of Godhead does not create suffering; rather, He respects the minute independence of the living entities. If a soul wishes to turn away from God and attempt to lord it over material nature, the Supreme Lord steps back and allows them to try. By examining what God allows—from the degradation of the materialists to the ultimate liberation of the pure devotees—we can clearly understand the perfect balance of His supreme noninterference and His causeless mercy.
The Concession of Material Desires
The material world is specifically designed as a playground for rebellious souls. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Lord does not force anyone to love Him. If a living entity insists on pursuing mundane sense gratification, the Lord provides the facility and allows them to act out their desires.
- The living entities are also differentiated expansions of the Lord's Self and because some of them desire to be lords and imitate the Supreme Lord He allows them to enter into the cosmic creation with the option to fully utilize their propensity to lord it over nature.
- If a living being wants to go to hell, the Lord allows him to do so without interference, and if he wants to go back home, back to Godhead, the Lord helps him.
- It is not God's desire that a human being become a pig, but he develops such mentality to eat everything. So God allows him to do everything, to eat everything up to stool in the body of a pig. That is God's concession.
- When the living entity is bewildered in his desires, the Lord allows him to fulfill those desires, but the Lord is never responsible for the actions and reactions of the particular situation which may be desired.
The Destination of Enemies and Impersonalists
The Lord is merciful even to those who oppose Him or misunderstand His personal nature. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that while the Lord allows demons and impersonalist philosophers to attain a type of liberation, He restricts them from entering His personal, spiritual planets.
- It does not take even a moment for the Lord to kill any powerful demon, including Hiranyaksa. The Lord could have killed him long before, but He allowed the demon to display the full extent of his magical feats.
- The impersonalist philosophers are in one sense like the enemies of the Lord because the out-and-out enemies of the Lord and the impersonalists are both allowed to enter only into the impersonal effulgence of the brahma-jyoti.
- Impersonalists and the enemies of the Lord are, because of attraction to God, allowed to enter into His kingdom, but they are not allowed to enter into the Vaikuntha planets or the Goloka Vrndavana planet of the Supreme Lord.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead thought it wise to catch hold of the dangerous part of the snake and allow the demons to hold the tail, which was not dangerous, but with a competitive desire, the demons thought it wise to hold the snake near the mouth.
Protecting the Pure Devotees
While the Lord allows the conditioned souls to wander through various species of life, He takes strict, loving charge of His surrendered devotees. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that the Lord does not allow His pure devotees to fall into the trap of material degradation.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead does not allow any of His devotees or assistants to be engaged in sense gratification.
- Because Prahlada Maharaja was a devotee, the Lord allowed him to enjoy material opulence as the king of the materialists.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead did not ask Bali Maharaja to separate from his family; instead, the Lord allowed him to stay with his family members.
- Maharaj Dhruva says "My dear Lord, I have practiced austerities and penances because I was desiring to receive something from You, but in exchange You have allowed me to see You, who are never visible even to the great sages and saintly persons."
Allowed to Enter the Spiritual Kingdom
The ultimate goal of existence is to stop trying to exploit the material world and to return to our original constitutional position. Śrīla Prabhupāda confirms that when a soul gives up the desire for material enjoyment and takes to pure bhakti-yoga, the Lord allows them to enter His eternal association.
- By the grace of God one is allowed to enjoy this material world, but when one is disgusted with material enjoyment and is frustrated, and when one surrenders unto the lotus feet of the Lord, then the Lord is so kind that He frees one from entanglement.
- Those fortunate living entities who catch the truth and surrender unto the lotus feet of Vasudeva after many, many births in the material world join the eternally liberated souls and thus are allowed to enter into the kingdom of Godhead.
- By development of pure devotional service one can factually know the Lord as He is and thus be trained in the bona fide service of the Lord and be allowed to enter into the direct association of the Lord in so many capacities.
- Everyone should appreciate the service of others. Such are the activities of Vaikuntha. Since everyone is a servant, everyone is on the same platform and is allowed to serve the Lord according to his ability.
Conclusion
A true understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead's character requires grasping the delicate balance between His absolute authority and His respect for the living entity's free will. Śrīla Prabhupāda systematically explains that the miseries of the material world are not God's fault; they are the result of God allowing the conditioned souls to act out their rebellious desires. If a soul wishes to live like an animal, the Lord supplies the appropriate body and allows them to eat whatever they desire. He even allows proud demons to exhibit their power before He crushes their false prestige. For those who harbor philosophical envy, the Lord allows them to merge into the impersonal brahmajyoti. However, for those who take to the path of pure devotional service, the Lord acts as a fiercely protective father. He does not allow His pure devotees to fall into the snare of sense gratification, though He may allow them to interact with material opulence without being affected by it. Ultimately, when a soul is completely purified of the desire to imitate the supreme controller, the Lord mercifully opens the gates of Vaikuṇṭha and allows them to enter His eternal, blissful association.
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's Allowing. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.