Transcending the Suffering of Material Reactions In Kṛṣṇa Consciousness
In the material world, every living entity is tightly bound by the universal laws of action and reaction. By analyzing this continuous cycle, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that mundane fruitive work inevitably results in varying degrees of happiness and distress. True freedom is found only when one adopts the path of pure devotional service, transcending the miserable consequences of material entanglement entirely.
The Inescapable Law of Karma
The entire cosmic manifestation operates strictly on the principle of cause and effect, where every action yields a corresponding consequence. Whether engaging in pious or impious deeds, the conditioned soul is forced to accept another material body to experience the results of their labor. Bringing this reality into focus, Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that as long as we remain attached to worldly activities, we must continuously enjoy or suffer the reactions in subsequent lives.
- Every work which you are doing, good or bad, we have to suffer or enjoy the reaction of our work. And so long we have to suffer or enjoy the reaction of our work, as long as we shall go on like this, so long we have to accept this material body.
- Different individuals with different bodily features enjoy or suffer various reactions according to their past deeds.
- In proportion to the extent of one's religious or irreligious actions in this life, one must enjoy or suffer the corresponding reactions of his karma in the next.
- As the soul migrates, he suffers the actions and reactions of his past activities. These activities can be changed when the living being is in the mode of goodness, in sanity, and understands what sort of activities he should adopt.
The Severe Consequences of Sinful Life
When individuals act under the influence of the lower modes of nature, they easily engage in abominable activities like animal killing and unregulated sense gratification. Such choices generate massive volumes of negative reactions that plunge the soul into hellish conditions. Condemning this ignorance, Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that those who violate the laws of nature are held completely responsible and must endure unimaginable suffering in future incarnations.
- People do not know that because of killing innocent animals they themselves will have to suffer severe reactions from material nature.
- Either you eat meat or vegetables, if it is eaten for my satisfaction of the tongue, you become implicated in sinful activities, and you have to suffer the reaction.
- One who does not do so (eat only food offered to Krsna) continues to increase the volume of sinful action, and this prepares the next body to resemble hogs and dogs, to suffer the resultant reactions of all sins.
- When a man commits murder he becomes sinful, and therefore he also must be killed; otherwise after death he must suffer many sinful reactions.
The Conditioned State of the Soul
The pure spirit soul is eternally completely aloof from the material elements, yet it becomes entangled due to false identification with the physical body. This profound misunderstanding leads the living entity to wander across various species, imprisoned by the consequences of its own desires. By illuminating this predicament, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that as long as one considers the self to be the doer and the enjoyer, the painful cycle of bodily miseries will continue uninterrupted.
- He (the living entity) is always aloof from material contact (asango hy ayam purusah) but because he is placed in a material condition, he suffers the reactions of the material modes of nature.
- Although the living entity is aloof from the material elements, he is put into material conditions, and thus he must suffer the reactions of material activities.
- As long as a foolish person thus considers the self to be the killer of the killed, he continues to be responsible for material obligations, and consequently he suffers the reactions of happiness and distress.
- In this way (sometimes going here and sometimes there and sometimes doing this or that) the living entity wanders throughout the entire universe, imprisoned in various species and thus engaging in various activities for which he must suffer the reactions.
The Lord's Mercy Upon the Devotee
A sincere practitioner of devotional service is not subjected to the same rigid laws of karmic retribution as ordinary materialistic people. When a surrendered soul makes a mistake or carries residual debts, the Supreme Lord intervenes personally to minimize their distress. Highlighting this extraordinary grace, Śrīla Prabhupāda assures his followers that Kṛṣṇa reduces immense karmic burdens into mere token reactions, thereby swiftly purifying the devotee from all material contamination.
- If a devotee has to suffer the reactions of his past misdeeds, the Supreme Lord arranges for him to be given only a token of these reactions, and very soon he is freed from all the reactions of material contamination.
- Even though he (devotee of the Lord) falls down, he is never to be considered the same as a fallen karmi. A karmi suffers the result of his own fruitive reactions, whereas a devotee is reformed by chastisement directed by the Lord Himself.
- A description of Krsna's power in minimizing the sufferings of sinful reactions is given in Brahma-samhita as follows.
- A devotee should expertly manage to think always of the Supreme Lord so that the reactions of suffering cannot touch him. This is the expert management of papa-punya - pious and impious activities.
True Freedom Through Pure Devotion
To definitively end the cycle of action and reaction, one must transition from material endeavor to transcendental loving service. When activities are performed exclusively for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord, they produce zero material consequences. Through this sublime process, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the mind becomes completely cleansed of material desires, and the devotee achieves total liberation from the persistent sufferings of illusion and lamentation.
- Yoga, when you are in contact with Krsna, that is the secret of success in this material world, working. Otherwise whatever you are doing, whatever you are working, it will produce some reaction and you will have to enjoy or suffer.
- In a liberated condition, there is no distinction between actions for sense gratification and actions for liberation. When one is liberated from the desires of sense gratification, he has no longer to suffer the reactions of lamentation or illusion.
- A question may be raised that since any activity performed must have some reaction, how is it that the person in Krsna consciousness does not suffer or enjoy the reactions of work? The Lord is citing Vedanta philosophy to show how this is possible.
- Vasudeva Datta submitted that if they (all living entities) were unfit to be liberated, he himself would take all their sinful reactions and suffer personally so that the Lord might deliver them.
Conclusion
The stringent laws of material nature dictate that every conditioned soul must experience the bitter and sweet consequences of their fruitive labor. However, as Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully illustrates, this binding cycle of action and reaction can be completely dismantled by engaging in unalloyed devotional service. By aligning one's consciousness with the desires of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a devotee is granted special protection, ultimately bypassing all material suffering and attaining eternal liberation.
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 Suffering Reactions. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.