God Gives Chances - The Twofold Purpose of the Material Creation
One of the most common questions raised by philosophers and theologians is, "Why did God create a world filled with misery?" According to the Vedic literature, the answer lies in the minute independence of the soul. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the material world is neither an accident nor a cruel punishment; it is a manifestation of the Lord's supreme mercy. Śrīla Prabhupāda often emphasizes that God gives chances. He created the cosmic manifestation to give the rebellious souls the chance to fulfill their independent desires, while simultaneously providing them the ultimate chance to return back home, back to Godhead.
Facility for False Enjoyment
The living entity is constitutionally a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, meant to serve Him in love. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that when the soul misuses its minute independence and desires to imitate God by lording it over material nature, Kṛṣṇa does not force them to stay. Instead, He provides a temporary playground—the material universe—where the soul can attempt to be the master.
- The living entity is the son of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and because he wants to enjoy this material world, the Supreme Lord gives him a chance to enter various bodies.
- The living entity, he is part and parcel of God, but someone has become human beings, some has become cats, someone has become tree, some as insects, some as demigods - varieties. Because they wanted to become like that, and God has given him the chance.
- By His (God's) superior intelligence, the Lord gives everyone the chance to fulfill his desires to the fullest extent, and the resultant reaction is also awarded by the Lord.
- These are very old questions. These are not very intelligent questions. God is not creating. God is giving you chance. The conditioned souls who are not with Krsna, they wanted to enjoy this material world. Therefore God is giving them chance.
The True Purpose: Returning Home
While Kṛṣṇa allows the living entities to act out their material fantasies, He knows that true happiness can never be found in the temporary world. Therefore, Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals that the primary reason the Lord manifests the cosmos is to give the souls a chance to become frustrated with their false enjoyment and seek the Absolute Truth.
- The purpose is that we have come here to enjoy, but this enjoyment is false. God has given us the chance to enjoy, to experience that this enjoyment is not good. It is simply suffering. It is not enjoyment.
- In order to fulfill their (living entities) desire to lord it over the material energy of material forms and names, they are given a chance for such false enjoyment, and a chance to understand the real position through the revealed scriptures.
- The Lord helps the falling living entity glide down to the lowest point, just to give him the chance to see if he is happy by misusing his independence.
- This desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also extreme mercy on His part because it gives the conditioned souls another chance to develop their original consciousness and thus go back to Godhead.
Constant Counsel of the Supersoul
Kṛṣṇa does not leave the conditioned soul to wander the material universe alone. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that He expands Himself as the Paramātmā (Supersoul) and sits within the heart of every living entity. As the ultimate well-wisher, He acts as a witness to the soul's desires, but He is always waiting for the exact moment when the soul becomes receptive to spiritual guidance.
- As Paramatma, or Supersoul, He (the Lord) is situated in everyone's heart, always giving everyone the chance of good counsel. Thus everyone should take the opportunity and render transcendental loving service to Him wholly and solely.
- The Lord is always eager to have the living entity come home, back to Godhead. Sitting with the living entity as witness, the Lord gives him all chances to enjoy himself materially, but whenever there is an opportunity, the Lord gives good counsel.
- He (God), however, is always anxious to get the fallen souls back home, back to Godhead, and for this He has given so many chances to the conditioned souls via the authoritative scriptures, His representatives, and personal incarnations also.
- The Lord is unmindful of the nondevotees, although He is sitting within everyone's heart as well-wisher and Supersoul. However, He also gives them the chance to receive His mercy through His pure devotees who are engaged in missionary activities.
Rare Chance of Human Life
The soul migrates through 8,400,000 species of life, but it is only in the human form that the consciousness is developed enough to inquire about the Absolute Truth. Śrīla Prabhupāda stresses that this human form is a rare and precious chance. If we do not take advantage of it to cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we risk falling back into the lower species.
- The human form of life is a chance for one to understand his position. Therefore the most intelligent person takes to devotional service just to engage his mind, senses and body in the service of the Lord without deviation.
- Lord Siva said, "My dear Lord, only by Your mercy and grace can the living entity get the human form of life, which is a chance to get out of the miserable condition of material existence."
- The cats and dogs, they cannot take chance of entering into the spiritual kingdom, or they cannot... It is not possible they can take initiation for purifying the body. So everybody, every human being, should take advantage.
- Two things are there: one is God, and one is the repetition of birth and death. There is no third way. Either you take God... This chance... This is a chance. This human form of life is a chance. Either you go back to home, back to Godhead, or go to hell.
Conclusion
The creation, maintenance, and periodic destruction of the material universes are all driven by the causeless mercy of the Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda beautifully summarizes that the Supreme Personality of Godhead gives us every possible chance—through the scriptures, the spiritual master, and the congregational chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra—to recognize the futility of our independent desires and finally choose to return to our eternal, blissful home in the spiritual world.
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 Gives Chances. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.