My dear Maharaja,

Namaste! Jai Vaishnava!

HpS - All respects to our Vaisnava Guru, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Prabhupada. By his divine grace may we be fit association for your good self!

Today, disciple of Gopal Krishna Swami called me. He used to attend programs in Austin. Then he went back to India and is having tough time.

Few years ago, he asked me that all sins are destroyed after diksha. So why his life became bad after diksha and why Krishna did not protect him after diksha.

HpS - Maybe:

• Was he really initiated or was the process incorrect.
• Did he continue taking shelter of Krsna after initiation or did start to include offenses in his service?
• After surrendering to Krsna and hearing BG, Arjuna had to kill his teacher, his grandfather, his nephews and see his own son die. Krsna never says He will protect our disease, this body, rather our service!

My response at that time was that you took diksha without knowing that you are Atma. That is why you are asking this question. If you know that you are Atma or trying to know this truth, then you won’t ask this question. Atma is always protected. It is protected from death as it is eternal. It is protected from suffering as suffering does not exist after moment has passed. So Atma does not suffer. Whatever problem you can think of, Atma is totally protected from that problem. I asked him to give me an example when Atma is not protected. Most probably, he did not get my answer. 

Today he asked about Krishna. How Krishna can be all merciful when he gives suffering to all beings? He had lot of arguments. I agreed with his statements instead of proving them wrong. When we give reality to suffering, Krishna cannot be all-just, all-merciful and all-powerful at the same time. Problem with his statements is that he is looking at the world as I am this body and this mind.

Now I have better understanding of my true being than 3-4 years ago. So explained to him how suffering is unreal at the level of Atma. What comes and goes has no substantial reality. What exists all the time is real. He should focus on unchanging reality instead of changing objects, thoughts, emotions etc like happiness and distress. 

Truth is that Atma does not suffer. As there is no suffering at the level of Atma and that is the true level, Krishna does not give suffering to any living being. Again his question is based on ignorance of giving reality to self as body and mind. When ignorance is destroyed, this question disappears.

He understood some stuff but I am useless person in teaching these topics. 

I pray to Krishna that the teachers in Iskcon start teaching knowledge of the self to their students and members so that people like C. Prabhu can truly understand Gita. Gita starts with knowledge of the self and it is hard to make substantial progress without this knowledge. Until then, you will have confused people like C. Prabhu.

HpS - I think ISKCON people are trying to teach BG chapter two and also, that we can only be satisified when we engage as liberated souls in the service of [i] KRSNA [i] !!!!!

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna!!!

If we follow the principles of the SB we can become qualified as preachers on the level of Narada Muni!

Regards,

Gaurav Mittal

HpS - Best wishes for your Sankirtan.

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