Wanting to Avoid the Miserable Condition of This Material World
Śrīla Prabhupāda observes that the conditioned soul is constantly engaged in a struggle to avoid the miseries inherent in material life. Unfortunately, rather than addressing the root cause of suffering, people try to avoid the symptoms. They deny the laws of karma, invent speculative philosophies to avoid Kṛṣṇa, and try to bypass the consequences of their desires. However, true spiritual intelligence awakens when one decides to avoid the material world entirely by surrendering to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and entering the eternal, blissful life of pure devotion.
The Futility of Mundane Avoidance
In the material world, every living entity desires to be the supreme enjoyer, and consequently, everyone wants to avoid rendering service. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that people deny the existence of a next life simply because they want to avoid the botheration and punishment for their sinful acts. They engage in unrestricted sense gratification but try to avoid the natural consequences through artificial means, such as contraceptives. However, the stringent laws of māyā cannot be bypassed by such foolish tactics.
- Here everyone is trying to become master, and everyone wants to avoid service. But by the nature's law, one has to become servant and render service, going on.
- People do not believe in a next life because they want to avoid botheration and punishment, but the next life cannot be avoided. It is a well known fact that we must act according to law, or we will be punished.
- Especially in the Western world, everywhere attracted sex life. Mini-skirt so that the other party may be attracted. So many means and ways they want to avoid the after-results of sex life, contraceptive. The center is sex life.
- You cannot surpass the stringent laws of maya, but if you want to avoid punishment, then you take shelter of Krsna. Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te.
Avoiding the Supreme Lord
Atheists, material scientists, and mundane philosophers constantly try to avoid the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They invent theories claiming that life comes from matter just to avoid accepting God as the original creator. Even so-called scholars and commentators write on the Bhagavad-gītā with the sole purpose of avoiding Kṛṣṇa. This rebellious attitude keeps the conditioned souls bound, as they stubbornly try to avoid the supreme government of the Lord.
- If they accept that everything comes from the living being, then they will have to accept God. So they want to avoid this. "Everything matter." But that is not the fact. Origin is life - that is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Krsna says, aham sarvasya prabhavah.
- Material scientists want to avoid the ruling government of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore they imagine different conditions under which they suppose the planets move.
- These rascal so-called commentators, they want to avoid Krsna. Therefore this Krsna consciousness movement is a challenge to these rascals. It is a challenge that "You want to make Krsna without Krsna. This is nonsense.
- He (Arjuna) wanted to skillfully avoid the fighting by using Krsna consciousness as an excuse. But as a sincere student, he placed the matter before his master and questioned Krsna as to his best course of action.
Escaping the Cycle of Birth and Death
The intelligent person recognizes that the real problem is the material condition itself. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that if we truly want to avoid the tiresome, troublesome, and miserable reality of this world, we must follow the directions given in the śāstras. By taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can permanently avoid mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani, the path of repeated birth and death, and attain a spiritual body perfectly suited for returning back to Godhead.
- If we want to avoid the tiresome, troublesome, miserable condition of this material world, then we have to accept the direction given in the sastras. But we are so dull, we cannot even understand what is the miserable condition of our life.
- This (path of birth and death) is called mrtyu-samsara-vartmani. If one wants to avoid this path, he must take to Krsna consciousness.
- If you want to avoid this material inconveniences, then take to Krsna consciousness and accept a body which is suitable for living in Krsnaloka. That is the highest perfection of life.
- Result of sex life is very, I mean to say, miserable. So we want to avoid the miserable condition of sex life, but there is another life, where there is no miserable condition of sex life. That is spiritual life.
Divine Pastimes of Avoidance
In the spiritual realm, the act of avoiding exists in its pure, original form. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how Kṛṣṇa playfully wanted to avoid being arrested by mother Yaśodā, or how He purposefully wanted to avoid the company of the gopīs just to test the depth of their sincere love. Even Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī expressed wanting to avoid talking to Kṛṣṇa in the ecstasy of transcendental anger. On a practical level, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to avoid public criticism strictly to protect the integrity of His preaching mission.
- In the Upanisads it is said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead can run with more speed than the mind, but here (in SB 10.9) we see that although Krsna wanted to avoid being arrested by His mother, He was finally defeated, and mother Yasoda captured Him.
- The gopis expressed great disappointment here (in CC Madhya 19.210). They came voluntarily, but Krsna was so cunning that He wanted to avoid their company. Their lamentation was certainly very appropriate, and in this way Krsna tested their sincerity.
- Radharani said, "My dear friend, it is impossible for Me to keep My prestige! I wanted to avoid talking to Krsna anymore - but just see! There again is His friend, Ujjvala, coming to Me with his canvassing work."
- Caitanya Mahaprabhu specifically wanted to avoid such criticism (public criticism) so that His preaching work would not be hampered.
Conclusion
In summary, Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that while it is natural to want to avoid suffering, the materialistic methods of avoidance are ultimately futile. Whether it is a mundane scientist attempting to write Kṛṣṇa out of existence, or a sensualist relying on artificial methods to avoid the consequences of their actions, the stringent laws of nature will always prevail. The true Vaiṣṇava, however, focuses on the ultimate solution. By eagerly rendering devotional service, one avoids the very root of misery—material existence itself. When we take full shelter of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, we cross over the ocean of illusion and enter the supreme realm, where even the playful act of avoiding becomes a source of endless transcendental joy.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Wanting to Avoid. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.