God Has Given - The Divine Provisions and Human Responsibility
The modern world is obsessed with technological advancement and artificial economic development, often forgetting the original source of all maintenance. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Supreme Personality of Godhead has already perfectly given humanity everything required for a peaceful existence, along with the superior intelligence to understand Him and return to the spiritual world.
The Provider of All Necessities
There is no actual scarcity in God's creation; all shortages are the result of human greed and mismanagement. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that the Supreme Lord has generously given sufficient land, water, and pure food, and a sane human being should be completely satisfied with these natural provisions.
- Real civilization is for tapasya. Everything, God has given us everything you need. For human being, Krsna has given you nice fruits, nice flowers, nice grains, nice milk, nice sugar.
- Just see the fun. Even water, three-fourths of water, you cannot use a drop of water for drinking unless God gives you. He creates the cloud and give you. That is not your arrangement. You cannot do.
- There is no problem of eating. They have created this problem. God has given enough food. In America they throw away foodstuff in the ocean. You see. This is nonsense.
- Such crude things are going on in the name of civilization. You are manufacturing billion motor cars, and you cannot manufacture your food? God has given you so much land. This is not civilization. Civilization is how to go back to home, back to Godhead.
The Gift of Superior Intelligence
Unlike the animals, human beings are endowed with a unique capacity for self-realization. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that God has given humanity advanced consciousness and superior intelligence not for inventing new ways of sense gratification, but exclusively for understanding the Absolute Truth.
- God has given advanced consciousness to the human being. Therefore he can feel the suffering and happiness of other living beings. The human being bereft of his conscience, however, is prone to cause suffering for other living beings.
- This life is preparation for the next life. You can prepare. It is in your hand. It is in your hand. God has given you the superior intelligence better than the animals.
- If God has given you so many basic things, then you can use your intelligence.
- God has given him (a human being) extra intelligence for understanding God, but they (the modern society) are being misled: "There is no God. You utilize it for your sense gratification." This is education.
The Infallible Laws of Religion
True religion cannot be manufactured by human speculators or voted upon by assemblies. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that dharma consists strictly of the infallible codes and laws given directly by God through the Vedic scriptures, designed to regulate human life and guide the soul back to the spiritual world.
- Religion means, according to Vedic sastra, dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam(SB 6.3.19): "Religion means the law given by God." It is very simple. But if you do not know what is God, and if you do not know what law He has given, then where is religion?
- In order to regulate the activities of the living entities, God has given us codes, just as a king gives codes of law in a state, and whoever breaks the law is punished.
- To save him (the living entity who voluntarily accepts material existence) from this horrible condition, the Lord has given all the Vedic literatures in His incarnation of Vyasadeva.
- The Lord has given the infallible knowledge of the Vedas, which are not contaminated by the four defects of human life - namely the tendency to commit mistakes, to be illusioned, to cheat and to have imperfect senses.
Utilizing Our Independence for Devotion
God does not force anyone to love Him; He respects the minute free will of the living entity. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that the ultimate secret to a successful life is to voluntarily take the independence, the hands, and the ears that God has given us and use them entirely in His loving service.
- How God can withdraw the independence He has given to you? That He will not withdraw. It is up to you to use your independence properly. That proper use of independence is to surrender.
- I can understand that your energy and experience are being put to good use there in Australia. That is the secret to success, utilizing our God-given energy to please Krishna.
- Sit down and chant Hare Krsna. If you have got a nice musical instrument, it is all right. Otherwise, God has given you these hands. You can clap, (claps) "Hare Krsna." Very easy.
- God has given you the tongue, and you can chant and gradually improve. And if you make your life perfect in this way, then all material problems are solved in this life.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully illustrates that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the perfect, infallible provider for all living entities. The material world is not a place of inherent scarcity; God has given abundant land, water, grains, and fruits to perfectly sustain human society. The crises of starvation and economic collapse are entirely man-made, born from a foolish refusal to be satisfied with the Lord's natural provisions. Beyond bodily maintenance, God has given human beings an extraordinary gift: superior intelligence and advanced consciousness. This intellect is not meant for inventing destructive technologies or sophisticated methods of sense gratification, but for understanding the Absolute Truth. To guide humanity, the Lord has given dharma—infallible laws and codes of religion delivered through the Vedic scriptures compiled by Vyāsadeva. Most profoundly, God has given the living entity minute independence. While we have the freedom to misuse our God-given faculties to imitate the Lord or exploit nature, the true perfection of life lies in voluntary surrender. When a sincere soul chooses to use the intelligence, the ears, the hands, and the tongue that God has given them exclusively to hear about Kṛṣṇa, chant His holy names, and execute His will, they solve all material problems and guarantee their return back home, back to Godhead.
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 Has Given. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.