Page 11 - Metaphysical questions of life

process of percep on, the objects of percep on and the instruments

of percep on and ac on. We need the help of the Lord for any ac on
either good or bad. Therefore, “man proposes and God disposes.” This
means the living en ty desires and God helps him a ain his desires to
the measure that he deserves according to previous karma. At all
mes the Lord is the maintainer of the living en es.

Bhak vedanta Swami Prabhupada eloquently explains the rela onship

of the living en ty and Lord Krishna, who is the ul mate well-wisher.
“The fact is that every individual living en ty is eternally part and par-
cel of the Supreme Lord, and both of them are very in mately related

as friends. But the living en ty has the tendency to reject the sanc on
of the Supreme Lord and act independently in an a empt to dominate
nature, and because he has this tendency he is called the marginal en-
ergy of the Supreme Lord. The living en ty can be situated either in the
material energy or in the spiritual energy. As long as he is condi oned

by the material energy, the Supreme Lord, as his friend, the Supersoul,
stays with him just to get him to return to the spiritual energy. The
Lord is always eager to take him back to the spiritual energy, but due
to his minute independence the individual en ty is con nually rejec ng
the associa on of spiritual light. This misuse of independence is the
cause of his material strife in the condi oned nature. The Lord, there-

fore, is always giving instruc on from within and from without. From
without He gives instruc ons as stated in Bhagavad-gītā, and from
within He tries to convince the living en ty that his ac vi es in the ma-
terial field are not conducive to real happiness. “Just give it up and turn
your faith toward Me. Then you will be happy,” He says. Thus the intel-

ligent person who places his faith in the Paramātmā or the Supreme
Personality of Godhead begins to advance toward a blissful eternal life
of knowledge.” (Bg 13.23 – purport)

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