God Gives Opportunities - The Supreme Facilitator of All Desires
The Vedic literatures explain that whether a soul desires to plunge into the depths of material illusion or yearns to return back to Godhead, the Supreme Personality of Godhead acts as the ultimate facilitator. By perfectly respecting the minute independence of the living entities, the Lord provides the exact opportunities necessary to fulfill their ambitions.
The Opportunity to Forget Him
If a conditioned soul desires to lord it over material nature, the Lord does not artificially interfere with their free will. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that the Supreme Lord deliberately gives the nondevotees the opportunity to fulfill their material desires, allowing them to perpetually forget Him so they can learn through their own mature experience.
- Mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca (BG 15.15). Because the conditioned soul wants to forget You (the Supreme Personality of Godhead), by Your grace You give him opportunities, life after life, by which he can almost perpetually forget You.
- The Lord gives opportunity to the nondevotees to fulfill their desires, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca (BG 15.15)).
- To one who wants to be materially satisfied or who wants to lord it over material nature, the Lord gives the opportunity to forget His service and engage in the so-called happiness of material activities.
- Instead of restricting him, the Lord gives the conditioned soul the opportunity to enjoy so that by mature experience, after many, many births, he will understand that surrender to the lotus feet of Vasudeva is the only duty of all living beings.
The Machine of the Material Body
To facilitate these material desires, the Lord provides the living entities with specific physical forms. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes these bodies as complex machines manufactured by the external energy, upon which the living entity rides while the Supersoul sits within the heart, giving them the opportunity to act freely and witnessing their activities.
- The Lord is so merciful that He gives the living entity the opportunity to enjoy varieties of desires in suitable bodies, which are nothing but machines (yantrarudhani mayaya).
- The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy. (BG 18.61) The Lord gives everyone an opportunity to fulfill his ambitions.
- These machines (bodies) are manufactured by the material ingredients of the external energy, and thus the living entity enjoys or suffers according to his desires. This opportunity is given by the Supersoul.
- The Supersoul gives the jiva an opportunity to act freely, and He witnesses his activities.
The Mercy of His Divine Descents
Although the Lord facilitates material illusion, His true desire is for the conditioned souls to return to Him. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that when the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends in forms like Lord Rāmacandra or Lord Kṛṣṇa, He bestows the ultimate benediction, giving humanity the glorious opportunity to directly associate with Him and render loving transcendental service.
- The Supreme Lord bestows the most merciful benediction upon human society when He appears in His human form. It is then that humanity gets the opportunity to engage in different kinds of eternal service to the Lord.
- Lord Ramacandra exhibits the actual purpose of an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the devotees take the opportunity to offer loving transcendental service to Him.
- The Yadavas were only partially cognizant of the Lord, but they are also glorious because they had the opportunity to associate with the Lord, who acted as the head of their family, and they also rendered the Lord intimate service.
- The relationship between the Lord and His servitor is very sweet and transcendental. The servitor is always ready to render service to the Lord, and, similarly, He is always seeking an opportunity to render some service to the devotee.
The Path of Ultimate Escape
To practically assist the fallen souls in this age, the Lord provides structured paths of spiritual emancipation. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that through the establishment of beautiful temples, the pāñcarātrikī regulations, and the chanting of the holy names—just as He arranged for Ajāmila—the Lord gives everyone the perfect opportunity to escape material miseries and achieve the highest perfection of life.
- The pancaratriki formula for training persons in devotional service is temple worship, whereby the neophytes get the opportunity to learn devotional service to the Lord.
- The conclusion is that those who are rich men in society should construct beautiful temples and arrange for the worship of Visnu, so that people may be attracted to visit such temples and thereby be offered the opportunity of dancing before the Lord.
- The Lord, from within, gave Ajamila the opportunity to name his youngest son Narayana so that in affection he would constantly call "Narayana! Narayana!" and thus be saved from the most fearful and dangerous condition. Such is the mercy of Krsna.
- We are all conditioned souls, suffering the threefold miseries of this material world. Now the Supreme Lord is giving us the opportunity to escape these miseries by the surrendering process.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals that the Supreme Lord is the ultimate, impartial facilitator of all living entities. For those who stubbornly desire to lord it over the material world, the Lord mercifully gives them the opportunity to do so by providing them with a mechanical body and the necessary forgetfulness. As the Supersoul, He acts as the neutral witness, allowing them to fulfill their material ambitions until, through lifetimes of mature experience, they realize the futility of such endeavors. When the conditioned soul is finally ready to turn back to the spiritual path, the Lord gives boundless opportunities for emancipation. By descending in His majestic incarnations, establishing the system of temple worship, and providing the holy names, the Lord gives humanity the chance to engage in pure devotional service. In the highest stages of this loving exchange, the Lord becomes so wonderfully intimately connected with His devotee that He continuously seeks out an opportunity to render service to them. Ultimately, the entire cosmic manifestation is simply an opportunity given by Kṛṣṇa for the conditioned souls to escape the threefold miseries and return back home, back to Godhead.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category God Gives Opportunities. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.