Why does creation continue for so long?
It is really surprising that our world continues and continues. How does this miracle take place? The answer is: God must keep it going for us unintelligent persons. I have chosen a few reasons to substantiate this fact. The first reason is us being souls, who are eternal.
We remain in the cycle of birth and death in various species, with temporary stay in heaven and hell, according to our good and sinful doings. Who gets which species? The Karmaphala Principle is the basis, which is: “What you sow is what you reap.”
The Divine Authority oversees this; they record all our acts done with the mind, senses and words for future rewards and punishments. They strictly follow dharma — the highest moral and religious principles to maintain fairness.Surely, a good percentage of humans try to follow dharma in their behaviour. Let us call them divine. Similarly, a big percentage loves to break the rules of proper human behaviour.The struggle goes on between these opposing forces. Love and hate dominate these exchanges, and our world remains a duhkhalaya. (The Bhagavad Gita 8.15) Then, there is the overpowering ‘maya’ (illusion) of the three gunas in this material world. It affects all who live here. Why has God put us in the clutches of maya?
He had to because we only wish to enjoy our senses and minds unlimitedly. This is only possible under illusion. At the same time, God has made a provision to transcend this maya by taking His shelter. (7.14) Unfortunately, the majority does not use this option.
Material success distances us from God; we go into enjoyment mode. Rich people inculcate the feeling of ‘bhogabhava’ (mood of enjoying), as different from ‘sevabhhava’ (mood of serving) in their children. But hardly anyone takes this opportunity.Powerful people make big mistakes as power goes to their head. Free will is misused rather than used to become dear to God. Ego destroys one and all.
So what choice is God left with? He has to keep the earth planet going on and on, where people choose to chase dreams rather than reality. What could have been done? The answer is: what a small percentage of the population chooses to do; they take shelter of God. (18.62) What does God do for them? Just as He has promised in this verse.
To begin with, God gives them peace, supreme peace — a commodity which everyone is seeking, but in wrong ways. One cannot buy peace with money, power or fame; the source is God only. (2.66) The other big prize God offers to us is a visa to Brahmalok — His abode, where the standard of living is topmost. There is no comparison with a visa to an advanced Western country, where diseases, death and all kinds of sufferings are present as they are anywhere else. There the chosen souls are freed from suffering and maya while the rest of us continue to struggle indefinitely. I have chosen to take shelter of God.
The writer is a spiritual teacher; views are personal
