Are Some People Condemned By God In This Lifetime

By krishnasmercy on June 24, 2024 • ( 1 )

“The word ‘sukriti’ refers to pious activities performed by the mercy of Krishna. One who is fortunate enough to obtain such mercy receives the remnants of the Lord’s food and thus becomes glorious.” (Lord Chaitanya, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Antya 16.100)

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‘सुकृति’-शब्दे कहे ‘कृष्ण-कृपा-हेतु पुण्य’
सेइ याङ्र हय, ‘फेला’ पाय सेइ धन्य”

‘sukṛti’-śabde kahe ‘kṛṣṇa-kṛpā-hetu puṇya’
sei yāṅra haya, ‘phelā’ pāya sei dhanya”

“Do you ever get sick of hearing from people who feel they have been assisted by divine intervention? They speak of how they were previously down on their luck. They were so low that the sky is all they could see. They were in the depths of depression, stuck in this vicious cycle of indulgence followed by regret. Not to mention the physical and mental pain associated with lack of control over the senses.

“These people were ajitendriyah, which is described nicely by both Prahlada Maharaja and Sita Devi. When things turn around for such people, they feel that God personally intervened on their behalf. He lifted them up, you see. He brought them into the light.

“Of course, they provide no evidence of this. It is a feeling they have; an intuition. They cannot explain how they know; but they just do. At least that is their testimony. I am not against this idea of being thankful, but do these people fail to realize how offensive it is to constantly hear of their triumphs?

“If one person feels blessed by God, doesn’t that mean others are condemned? Some people never make it out of their depression. They succumb to their addictions. Does that mean they were forsaken by the Almighty? You realize that is what they are saying. What other explanation can there be?”

अवश्यं विनशिष्यन्ति सर्वे रावण राक्षसाः
येषां त्वं कर्कशो राजा दुर्बुद्धिरजितेन्द्रियः

avaśyaṃ vinaśiṣyanti sarve rāvaṇa rākṣasāḥ
yeṣāṃ tvaṃ karkaśo rājā durbuddhirajitendriyaḥ

“O Ravana, inevitably all of the Rakshasas will be completely destroyed, for they have a person like you, who is stupid, lustful, and unable to control his senses, for their king.” (Sita Devi speaking to Ravana, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 48.22)

Karma is the missing factor in the analysis. Karma explains everything. More specifically, it is the results to karma. These are known as fruits, phalam. Some are good and some are bad. Not surprisingly, the deeds that are good result in phalam that are positive. The worst deeds invite punishment. That will eventually arrive, like the trees producing flowers in the proper season.

अवश्यं लभते जन्तुः फलं पापस्य कर्मणः
घोरं पर्यागते काले द्रुमाः पुष्पमिवार्तवम्

avaśyaṃ labhate jantuḥ phalaṃ pāpasya karmaṇaḥ
ghoraṃ paryāgate kāle drumāḥ puṣpamivārtavam

“Just as a tree starts to blossom during the proper season, so the doer of sinful deeds inevitably reaps the horrible fruit of their actions at the appropriate time.” (Lord Rama speaking to Khara, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 29.8)

The variety to circumstances based on karma is actually not tied to the Almighty. He is not to blame, since karma involves choice. This is at the heart of the living experience in the material world. In this regard, the so-called religion of Hinduism is actually a philosophy. It is a way to govern the life experience. The philosophy has a set of law codes, known as shastra. Shastra corrects, advises, and also limits.

Shastra can only do these things when there is acceptance. When a state leader praises the documents which led to the founding of the nation, it should be understood that those documents are only pieces of paper with words written on them. It is the adherence to the documents which makes the difference between a peaceful community and one fallen into chaos and tumult.

In the same way, through following the principles of shastra there is the opportunity to carry out good deeds. This is the positive kind of karma. Going against shastra leads to consequences of the opposite nature. The missing factor in the understanding is vision. The results to karma may not manifest immediately, and when they do manifest, they may not remain for a long time. Nevertheless, it is always some action, kriya, that triggers the appearance of the result.

Karma is an important principle to understand because knowledge of karma serves as an impetus for positive behavior. Otherwise, we can only speculate as to the reason for the difference in conditions. We say that it is bad luck when something bad happens. It is good fortune when a person elevates to a different status. If luck or chance were at the forefront, then we are practically hopeless. We cannot do anything about luck, and so there is no impetus for behaving piously. This is, of course, outside of the lofty promises for a better future in the afterlife, which is something we cannot yet directly validate.

Some people certainly are condemned directly by the hand of the Divine. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, where Shri Krishna describes various kinds of demoniac individuals. At the same time, it is their choice to follow this route, and so they essentially invite their own punishment.

तान् अहं द्विषतः क्रूरान्
संसारेषु नराधमान्
क्षिपाम्य् अजस्रम् अशुभान्
आसुरीष्व् एव योनिषु

tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān
saṁsāreṣu narādhamān
kṣipāmy ajasram aśubhān
āsurīṣv eva yoniṣu

“Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, are cast by Me into the ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 16.19)

Attributing a result to the cause of chance is due to ignorance of the actual cause. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu explains the concept of sukriti. These are meritorious credits. They are like the good kind of phalam resulting from actions. We experience the benefits from the accumulated sukriti, but we might not remember the associated deeds.

The sukriti can be known, such as through giving in charity, following pious behavior, and reading sacred texts. Sukriti can also be from an unknown source. This is described as ajnata-sukriti. Saintly people of the Vedic tradition are so kind that they try their best to create sukriti for others, even if the beneficiaries forever remain unaware.

It is certainly nice for a person to acknowledge the blessings they receive. They understand that not everything is in their control, that there must have been some higher force playing a hand in their upliftment. This does not necessarily mean that others are condemned. Rather, they have yet to make the turn in the right direction. With some accumulated sukriti, they can rise to a level that transcends even karma. This is the ultimate objective of the human birth. Shastra targets this very destination.