God's Helping - The Internal and External Guidance of the Supreme
A prominent symptom of material conditioning is the false pride of independence. The living entity foolishly thinks, "I am the doer, I am the creator, and I am the master of my own destiny." The Vedic literatures systematically dismantle this illusion, revealing that we are entirely dependent on the Supreme Personality of Godhead at every single moment. We cannot even digest our food or see the sun without His explicit assistance. However, God's help extends far beyond simply maintaining our physical bodies. Recognizing the suffering of the conditioned souls, the all-merciful Lord has deployed an elaborate system of spiritual rescue. Śrīla Prabhupāda meticulously explains how the Lord helps us simultaneously from within as the Supersoul and from without as the spiritual master and the scriptures. By understanding the mechanics of God's help, how He respects our free will, and how He actively guides the surrendered soul back to the spiritual realm, we can finally abandon our false pride and accept His supreme shelter.
The Illusion of Material Independence
Mundane science and human endeavor often attempt to solve the problems of life independently. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out the sheer foolishness of this approach, explaining that even our basic bodily functions, like seeing and digesting, are only possible because of the direct help of the Supreme Lord.
- We are proud, "I have got my hand. I have got my eyes." What is the use of your eyes? Unless God helps you to see, what is the value of your eyes?
- Unless the Supreme Lord helps him (the living entity) in digesting, there is no possibility of eating. He thus produces and digests foodstuff, and, by His grace, we are enjoying life.
- Since He (the Supreme Lord) is helping the digestion of all kinds of foodstuff, the living entity is not independant in the eating process.
- All plans for material enjoyment, either by worship of different demigods as described in the previous verses of this chapter or by modernized advancement of scientific knowledge without the help of God or demigod, are illusory only.
The Internal Help of the Supersoul
God does not leave the living entity alone in the material world. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Lord accompanies every soul as the Paramātmā (Supersoul) within the heart. For the sincere devotee, this internal guide acts as the caitya-guru, giving direction and clearing away material impurities.
- From within He (the Supersoul) is directing as caitya-guru, or the spiritual master sitting within the heart. Indirectly He is also helping the living entity by manifesting Himself as the spiritual master outside.
- The Lord always helps the pure devotees by imparting necessary knowledge within their hearts, and thus out of His special favor He dissipates all the darkness of ignorance.
- As the individual soul begins the process of devotional service and gradually begins to develop his Krsna consciousness, the Supersoul who is seated within begins to help him dust all the impurities from the mirror of the mind.
- The complete central force is generated from the heart by the Lord, who is seated there and who helps the conditioned soul in remembering and forgetting.
The External Help of the Spiritual Master
Because our minds are clouded by illusion, we cannot always clearly hear the Supersoul. Therefore, the Lord provides external help. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that the Lord manifests outwardly as the bona fide spiritual master and the Vedic scriptures to practically guide the conditioned soul.
- A conditioned soul is always helped by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in three ways - by the scriptures, the spiritual master and the Supersoul within the heart. The Lord is the deliverer of the conditioned soul and is accepted as the Supreme Lord of all living entities.
- He (the Supreme Godhead) manifests Himself as spiritual master both internally and externally to help the conditioned soul both ways. Therefore He has been mentioned herein as gurum.
- To get the assistance and help of a bona fide spiritual master means to receive the direct help of the Lord Himself.
- This Krsna consciousness movement is meant for the purpose of understanding God. The spiritual master is the living representative of Krsna who helps externally, and Krsna as Supersoul helps internally.
Respecting the Soul's Free Will
God is not a dictator who forces surrender. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies a crucial theological point: the Lord's help is perfectly tailored to the desires of the individual. If a soul wishes to forget God and enjoy matter, the Lord helps them do so; if they wish to return to Him, He provides all necessary spiritual aid.
- 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.
- When the living entity prefers to misuse his independence and glide down towards nescience, the all-merciful Lord first of all tries to protect him from the trap, but when he persists in gliding down to hell, the Lord helps him to forget his real position.
- One who wants to continue to forget the Lord is helped by the Lord to forget Him birth after birth, but one who remembers Him, by dint of association with a devotee of the Lord, is helped to remember Him more and more.
- God does not interfere with our tiny independence. If we want to act according to the order of God, then He will help us.
Helping the Demigods in Cosmic Administration
The Lord's assistance is not limited to delivering individual souls; He also actively maintains the cosmic order. Śrīla Prabhupāda recounts how the Supreme Lord frequently descends to personally help the administrative demigods whenever they are overwhelmed by powerful demonic forces.
- The Lord descends from His abode (Krsnaloka), the topmost planet in the spiritual sky, in order to help the demigod administrators of this material world when they are greatly vexed by the asuras, who are envious not only of God but also of His devotees.
- To help the demigods (churning the milk ocean) God assumed the incarnation of a gigantic tortoise, swimming in the milk ocean. At the same time, the mountain scratched His backbone as He was partially sleeping and thus relieved His itching sensation.
- Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: Just to help Indra, Lord Visnu killed the two brothers Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu. Because of their being killed, their mother, Diti, overwhelmed with lamentation and anger, contemplated as follows.
- The Lord and His eternal associates appeared on earth to help the administrative demigods in eradicating the burden of the world. He called for some of the confidential demigods to appear in the Yadu family and serve Him in His great mission.
The Easy Path of Surrender
Trying to achieve spiritual perfection through intense, independent endeavor is incredibly difficult and prone to failure. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda guarantees that when a person completely surrenders to the Lord, the Lord personally takes charge, burning away all sinful reactions and making the path of liberation surprisingly easy.
- Only Lord Krsna, or His bona fide representative the spiritual master, can release the conditioned soul. Without such superior help, one cannot be freed from the bondage of material nature.
- Either you try to become sinless by your efforts, but if you think that you are unable, then you simply surrender to God, and He will help you.
- Agham dhunvanti, He destroys all kinds of resultant activities of sinful life. Not he does; it is done by Krsna. He says, aham tvam sarva-papebhyo: "I'll help you. I will release you from all kinds of reaction. You simply surrender."
- Many stalwarts in the devotional line fell victim to these allurements (for women and wealth) and thus retreated from the path of liberation. But when one is helped by the Lord Himself, the whole process becomes as easy as anything by the divine grace of God.
Conclusion
A systematic study of the Vedic literatures completely dismantles the arrogant concept of human independence. As Śrīla Prabhupāda repeatedly emphasizes, no living entity can function without the direct and constant help of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We cannot even digest our food or perceive light without His subtle assistance. However, God's greatest act of mercy is the help He provides to rescue us from the cycle of birth and death. Knowing that the conditioned souls are hopelessly entangled in the stringent laws of material nature, the Lord institutes a flawless system of divine guidance. From within, He acts as the caitya-guru (the Supersoul), quietly directing the sincere soul and dusting the impurities from their mind. Because we are often too deafened by material desires to hear His internal voice, He also manifests externally as the bona fide spiritual master and provides the authorized Vedic scriptures. Crucially, the Lord never forces His help upon anyone; He perfectly respects our minute free will. If we stubbornly choose to forget Him and chase material illusions, He will provide the temporary means to do so. Yet, the moment we turn to Him with a sincere heart, He actively clears the path. For the surrendered soul, the Lord promises to personally destroy all past sinful reactions, making the otherwise impossible journey to liberation "as easy as anything." Whether He is descending to help the demigods defeat cosmic demons or sitting in the heart of a struggling neophyte, the Supreme Lord is the ultimate, unfailing well-wisher. The only price for His unlimited help is our sincere and complete surrender.
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 Helping. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.