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The Suffering Antidote in Krishna Books
By Victor Epand
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada translated and wrote many commentaries on Krishna, but more specifically about what he is like in his original, personal form. They are also about he how he is doing in the eternal spiritual world. In the temporary world of manifold miseries, one will understand his transcendental activities that can attain the transcendental platform of eternal existence in full bliss and knowledge. The Krishna books tend to provide much more fascinating stories and invaluable spiritual knowledge.
Once you see the Krishna books, then you may like many others that express doubt. In fact, they wonder if they are mythology or if they are suppose to take his messages literally. Some feel that Krishna is just as imaginary as Superman or mythological gods of ancient lore. These people instead of rejecting Krishna as imaginary, they need to understand who he is, because he is much more than a hero or myth. His pastimes are described in these books and are transcendental. They deal with the philosophical understanding of the cause of all causes.
Many wonder how the ultimate truth can be a person, but Krishna's personality is not limited or material. He possesses the opulences of wealth, fame, beauty, knowledge, strength, and renunciation. Since so many people have had bitter experiences with people being imperfect and mortal, which is why it is so easy to come to the conclusion that truth can not have a personal form. Jiva Gosvami informs us that if we do not accept the truth as inconceivable, then we will never begin to understand him.
Krishna is a person, but he is not limited, frail, nor mortal as we are. Another pressing objection to taking Krishna consciousness seriously is that the concept of God as the supreme is valid, and understanding how it relevant to us today. We are faced with practical and urgent problems of economic and class struggles, and there is the imminent threat of nuclear war. It is wondered how can Krishna help with our everyday predicaments.
Unless we know the truth, then we can never solve problems arising from the immediate, relative truths. An expert physician knows certain symptoms indicate a specific disease and by curing the disease, then he can cure all the symptoms. Similarly, the world's problems of conflict, scarcity, oppression, disease, and so on, are merely symptoms of our ignorance of life's real purpose, which is know, serve, and love Him.
Unless our leaders become enlightened in God consciousness and attack the root cause of social ills, not to mention widespread spiritual ignorance, then no palliative measures can ever succeed in curing the body politic. Human propensity for love has to be satisfied in terms of real and its spiritual needs. Our ultimate need is to understand our intimate loving relationship with Krishna, who is not irrelevant. In fact, attempting to solve our problems without Him is irrelevant.
Forgetting him is disobeying His codes of universal religion are the causes of all suffering. Careful study of the Krishna books is not a waste of time, but an activity of the utmost importance. For those of us not interested in reading lengthy treatises on transcendental philosophy, Srila Prabhupada has presented the Krishna books in the attractive form of short stories comprising ninety chapters.
Krishna books are actually a summary study of the Tenth Canto of the Sanskrit scripture Srimad-Bhagavatam, which describes Lord Krishna's all attractive pastimes. They make the essence of this most sublime Vedic literature accessible to modern readers all over the world. The relevance to our modern difficulties becomes even clearer when we consider the setting of the original narration of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which was a sacred forest in India five thousand years ago.
The sage narrated the pastimes of Lord Krishna to the emperor Parikshit, who had been cursed to die within seven days. By their practical example, these two exalted persons teach us that life's ultimate purpose is to hear about, glorify, and remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead. King Parikshit was especially intent on hearing about Krishna, because he knew he would die in a matter of hours. He was confident that by hearing about Krishna during his last moments, he would attain the eternal, spiritual world and thus escape the cycle of birth and death. more...
The Suffering Antidote in Krishna Books
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