Q1 : Why do terrible things happen to good people?
Ans 1: Lord Krishna is not directly arranging the material world. The material energy is arranging all the affairs of the material world through the three modes of material nature as is proper due to the law of karma. Therefore, whatever is supposed to happen due to the law of karma, happens. Sometimes, when there is a very good reason for it, the Lord will overrule the law of karma, but He generally only does that for His intimate devotees. Everyone else is guilty of the acts they perform and must get the reactions accordingly. The laws of karma are not subject to error or malfunction.

It is like the judge in the courtroom. The judge may hear the case of the criminals and may even feel great compassion for the criminals. There may be many reasons why the criminals should not be punished. But the law states that the punishment must be in this way and the duty of the judge is to make sure that the law is followed. Similarly, the agents of the material nature, the demigods, and the controllers of the material energy, all must make sure that the laws of nature are followed by everyone and those who do not follow are punished. Because they are compassionate by nature, the reactions are reduced for those who are acting out of ignorance and foolishness, but as it is stated in modern law, "Ignorance of the law is no excuse". You cannot make such a defense in court since the judge will not accept it.

Sometimes these terrible things happen to us or to our friends or loved ones. It is indeed tragic, and Krishna does not like that we have to suffer in this way. But if these things help you to understand that you should surrender to the lotus feet of the Lord and become Krishna conscious in this lifetime, then these events have real meaning and are valuable.

For more on What is Karma click here (go to FAQ - What is Karma?)

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Q2 : Do people in troubled places, like where there is war or famine, deserve to suffer?
Ans 2: According to the Vedic view of the world, everyone is born into suffering as a result of their past karma. It is illusion to think "I am not suffering (or not suffering so much), but those people are". The so-called comfortable societies of Western Europe and America are under intoxication. That's not just that drinking, smoking or drugs intoxicate them. Wealth, social stability, education, technology, soft living, easy sensual pleasures, etc intoxicate them. Like animals fatted for slaughter. Such creatures look upon the animals in the forest as unfortunate. "Oh, they have to struggle so hard to get something to eat. They face death on a daily basis. But our life is so nice -- everything we want is just given, and we are protected." That's an illusion. Everybody is in the same boat in the material world. "Nobody gets out of here alive". If you are in prison under sentence of death, and the fellow in the next cell is also, what's the difference, really? He may be an unruly person, so the guards mistreat him by starving him. You are well-behaved, so you eat every day. But both of you are going to be executed. That's the difference between life in a under developed and a developed country. Not much of a difference at all.

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Q3 : Is meditation possible in the age and if so what is the best form of meditation?
Ans 3: The recommended meditation process for this age is mantra meditation. Mantra meditation is done both loudly, softly, and mentally. The loud meditation is called kirtan, or the congregational chanting of the name of God, HARE KRISHNA, HARE KRISHAN, KRISHNA KRISHNA, HARE HARE/ HARE RAMA, HARE RAMA, RAMA RAMA, HARE HARE. Loud chanting together with others and accompanied by musical instruments is a type of meditation which is very effective since the mind has little chance to do anything else than hear the kirtan. When we chant softly to ourselves, it is called japa. Then we chant with beads and meditate on the names of Krishna. When one is a little more advanced he also meditates on the form, pastimes and so on, of Krishna.

Not only that, but advanced devotees meditate on the name and form and pastimes of the Lord throughout the day. This is technically called, smaranam, or remembrance. This is a very high form of meditation. We do not meditate on something void or impersonal since that is very difficult for souls who are embodied. We meditate on the form and personality of the Supreme Lord Krishna.In the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Sixth Chapter, there is a complete description of the yoga-system and Lord Krishna's conclusions about it. Lord Krishna says in the last verse of that chapter that the yogi who is always meditating on His form with transcendental faith and engaged in His service with devotion is the highest of all yogis. So we do meditate and meditation is possible in this age. However, the more traditional forms of meditation as in astanga-yoga, are very difficult in this age. Hardly anyone can even follow the yama and niyama, or the rules and regulations of what you should do and what you should not do before meditating. Then there are complicated asanas, which most people cannot do. Besides, such meditation cannot be done in a city, it has to be done in the forest or mountains far away from civilization or other materialistic persons. Only the smallest number of persons can come to the levels beyond pranayama, such as dharana. Only some dedicated yogis in India, but then they also do not get to dhyana, or meditation on the form of the Lord, and no one gets to actual samadhi, or absorption in the form of the Lord, which leads one to His service. Therefore the yogic process recommended in this age is bhakti-yoga, as Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita, 'bhaktya mam abhijanati ' : through bhakti, you will know Me.

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Q4 : Why did I leave the spiritual world if everything there is perfect?
Ans 4: According to the Vedic teachings each of us is an infinitesimal part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the eternal energetic source and we are the eternal energies emanating from Him. As minute parts, we are each endowed with qualities similar to those possessed by the Supreme Lord, but only to a minute degree.

The example is given in this connection of the sun planet and the sunshine. The sun planet contains heat and light, and because of this the sunshine, being an emanation of the sun planet, also contains heat and light. The energy must always be similar in quality to its energetic source. The difference is quantitative only. Thus the sun contains billions of degrees of heat and light, whereas the sunshine only contains a minute quantity of these qualities. One of the qualities of the Supreme Lord is that He is supremely and unlimitedly independent, and because we are His parts and parcels we are also endowed with this quality of independence, or freedom of will, but only to a minute degree. The concept of free will necessarily entails the possibility of choice. Without choice there is no freedom. Independence means choice, and choice means the chance of making both wise and unwise decisions. Without that possibility there is no real, voluntary choice, and without that there can be no expression of love, which by definition must be a voluntary act made with complete freedom. The principle expression of the minute freedom of the minute living being is in his choice as to whether or not he wants to love and serve the Complete Whole Personality of Godhead. It is not just a question of liking or disliking the perfect environment of the spiritual world, it is a question of love. Sometimes by the wrong exercise of independence, due to envy or hatred, a person can leave an apparently favorable environment. For example sometimes it is seen, in the case of the son of a very rich man, that although he can have all facilities for material enjoyment now and in the future by staying within the orbit of his father and has father's business, by independence he chooses to leave that materially comfortable situation, full of all favorable possibilities, to go off on his own. He does this because he has other interests, other concerns, or, you might say, other loves. Because the minutely independent living being voluntarily decides that he does not want to serve and love the supreme, but rather wants to become one like the supreme, he is placed in this material world by the Supreme Lord and is given the facility to attempt to become happy outside and separate from his relationship with God.

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Q5 : Why am I punished here for actions of previous lives I cannot even remember?

Ans 5: What is Karma? (click here)

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Q6 : What is life after death?
Ans 6: At the time of death every living entity worries about what will happen to his wife and children. Similarly, a politician also worries about what will happen to his country or his political party. Unless one is fully Krishna conscious, he has to accept a body in the next life according to his particular state of consciousness. For instance, a man who is overly engrossed in thoughts of his wife will accept the body of a woman. Similarly, a politician or so-called nationalist who is inordinately attached to the land of his birth will certainly be reborn in the same land after ending his political career. One's next life will also be affected by the acts one performs during this life. Sometimes politicians act most sinfully for their own sense gratification. It is not unusual for a politician to kill the opposing party. Even though a politician may be allowed to take birth in his so- called homeland, he still has to undergo suffering due to his sinful activities in his previous life.

This science of transmigration is completely unknown to modern scientists. So-called scientists do not like to bother with these things because if they would at all consider this subtle subject matter and the problems of life, they would see that their future is very dark. Thus they try to avoid considering the future and continue committing all kinds of sinful activities in the name of social, political and national necessity.

In any case, everyone is afraid of death, and therefore death is called ' bhaya', or fear. Although a man thinks himself secure surrounded by his wife and children, death does not wait for him. Death does not wait for any man; it will immediately carry out its duty. Since death must take away the living entity without hesitation, it is the ultimate God realization of the atheists, who spoil their lives thinking of country, society and relatives, to the neglect of God consciousness. One should not be overly engaged in welfare activities for one's family members, countrymen, society and community. None of these will help a person to advance spiritually. Unfortunately, in present-day society so-called educated men have no idea what spiritual progress is. Although they have the opportunity in the human form of life to make spiritual progress, they remain misers. They use their lives improperly and simply waste them thinking about the material welfare of their relatives, countrymen, society and so on. One's actual duty is to learn how to conquer death. Lord Krishna states the process of conquering death in the Bhagavad-gita (4.9):

' janma karma ca me divyam
evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti so arjuna '

"One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna." After giving up this body, one who is fully Krishna conscious does not accept another material body but returns home, back to Godhead. Everyone should try to attain this perfection. Unfortunately, instead of doing so, people are absorbed in thoughts of society, friendship, love and relatives. This Krishna consciousness movement, however, is educating people throughout the world and informing them how to conquer death. Harim vina na srtim taranti: "One cannot conquer death without taking shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

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Q7 : What is the Absolute Truth?
Ans 7: According to the Vedic literature, the Absolute Truth is that from which everything is coming. Or, in other words, that which is the original source of all existences. That Absolute Truth is understood in three features by all learned transcendentalists: Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan. Brahman is the impersonal effulgence or spiritual light, a partial aspect of the Supreme Personality of Godhead which is a subordinate emanation from His eternal transcendental form. Paramatma is that feature of the Supreme Lord by which He pervades and supports the entire creation. In this feature the Supreme Lord exists within each and every atom and within the hearts of all living beings. It is also a partial manifestation of the Absolute Truth and is subordinate to the Lord's personal form.

The word Bhagavan literally means He who is the possessor of unlimited spiritual opulences, unlimited beauty, unlimited knowledge, unlimited wealth, unlimited strength, unlimited fame and unlimited renunciation. The word Bhagavan also means He who is the ultimate abode, shelter, resting place or root of everything else. That Bhagavan is described in all the Vedic Literatures and by all of the great spiritual masters of India as the Supreme Person, who has an eternal, all knowing, blissful form and who expands all other existences by the transformation of His different energies. He is known as Sri Krishna because He is all-attractive and He is considered to be the last word in the Absolute Truth. The purpose of this human form of life is to come to know and love Him and engage eternally in His transcendental loving service.

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Q8 : Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that it is his duty as a warrior to kill his relatives. Yet, we are instructed by Sri Krishna that killing is wrong. I'm confused...
Ans 8: One should not kill. But if one is a warrior, a kshatriya, and responsible to protect the innocent people, then he must fight for their sake. This is known in all societies where there is the police and army. Arjuna was an army man. He had to fight to defend righteousness. Krishna wanted the battle to take place to free the Earth from the unnecessary defense forces which were exploiting the planet. Furthermore, Arjuna had to fight because the enemy, although relatives, were attacking him and a kshatriya should never back away from a fight. But the main point was that Arjuna was fighting for the right cause and the enemy were fighting for the wrong cause. So Krishna was telling Arjuna to fight for the right cause and gain victory and free the world from the materialistic management of the opposite side.

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Q9 : How can we get rid of the karma of killing?
Ans 9: When we breathe we kill so many living entities willfully. And there is still some karma for it (unless we are fully engaged in Lord Krishna's service). But when we willfully kill animals, say for food, there is tremendous bad karma involved. And naturally of all killing the killing of humans is most sinful. So is the killing of the unborn by abortion.

So we may have committed so many sinful activities. In this situation Sri Krishna advises:

'sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami mm sucah '"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear". (Bhagavad-gita 18.54)
So we have to engage ourselves in Krishna's service, beginning with chanting His name, eating Krishna prasadam, reading Krishna literature, going to the temple. That is the only way to get free from karma.

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Q10 : What kind of "sacrifice" is proper for today's society?
Ans 10: The Vedic literature recommends that in this age (Kali-yuga) the process for sacrifice is to simply chant HARE KRISHNA, HARE KRISHAN, KRISHNA KRISHNA, HARE HARE/ HARE RAMA, HARE RAMA, RAMA RAMA, HARE HARE.

By chanting this maha-mantra, one's consciousness will gradually become purified and one will realize one's relationship with God. The chanting is most effective when it is combined with the study of Bhagavad-gita As It Is and Srimad-Bhagavatam, the offering of vegetarian dishes to the Lord, and the avoidance of intoxication, illicit sexual connections, and gambling.

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