Page 34 - Metaphysical questions of life

informa on to escape.” (Ar cle by Jane Wardell AP Associated Press
updated 7/16/2004 4:47:46 PM ET)
Contrary to the specula ve beliefs of the atheists, Lord Krishna has a

specific plan for the material world and mankind. He has provided a
tangible opportunity for all persons entrapped by the illusory material
energy to rehabilitate themselves and eventually go back to the eternal
spiritual world from which they fell. Individual souls fall from the spir-

itual world due to the development of the desire to dominate and con-
trol material nature for their own selfish purposes. They fall down to
being condi oned by false concepts into the karma cycle. If one is for-
tunate to meet a genuine devotee, then such illusory desires and con-
cepts can be dispelled and one can gradually develop the qualifica ons
to return to the eternal spiritual world. By understanding the plan
of the Lord for the material crea on, one becomes intelligent and takes

up the path of Krishna consciousness very seriously.

The material world is a prison for those who choose to violate the in-
struc ons of God. The purpose of a prison is to incarcerate felons, who
have the possibility to rehabilitate themselves with poten al of being
released a er their term of imprisonment is finished. If they are
deemed capable of respec ng the laws of society, they are allowed to
return to normal society.

Those persons who refuse to recognize the plan of the Lord are
doomed to remain in a state of blindness and follow other blind lead-
ers. This is explained in the Srimad Bhagavatam:

na te viduḥ svārtha‐ga ṁ hi viṣṇuṁ
durāśayā ye bahir‐artha‐māninaḥ
andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās
te ’pīśa‐tantryām uru‐dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.3)

“Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying
material life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a
similar blind man a ached to external sense objects, cannot under-

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