(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Cape Town, SA, 19th Dec 2011) Lecture – SB 7.13.46
When the atheists are coming up and looking for arguments to prove that God doesn’t exist, and they are just trying to find the arguments. It’s a difficult thing, since coming up with arguments is not so simple…you have to think about coming up with arguments. I have to rack my brain for coming up with some arguments. So that is how it is, since you do not just think about it.
So the atheists are thinking and thinking and trying to come up with arguments to deny the existence of God. And then again, suddenly:
‘Idea! Idea…. that’s a good one! That’s a great argument, that God doesn’t exist.’
But, where did he get the argument? And it suddenly popped up in his brain. So who gave it to him? Krishna. So Krishna gave him the argument to help him forget Krishna! That’s what it is. So if we want to forget Krishna, then Krishna will help us! So the whole world is covered over. Long ago they wanted to forget God:
‘We don’t need Him anymore. We used to, but now we don’t need Him anymore because we have our machines, technology and we don’t need to pray anymore.’
But we used to, when people were helpless with the forces of nature. Other then that, just look at the wind the other day, and with the rain. Just turn on the speed of those window wipers, and keep on driving. It doesn’t really affect our life anymore. Previously if you lived very simple then (and when the roof is shaking in the wind) and then everybody would get down on their knees and pray:
‘Oh Lord…. oh Lord please let the roof stay on our house!’
All our modern machines and so on…. we don’t pray anymore. People used to pray for rain, but now you turn on the pump. Just turn on the pump to start irrigation – it’s ridiculous. If it’s really bad then we see the clouds. We go up in the plane and throw all the chemicals into the clouds, and then it will rain…. no problem, we can make it rain very easily.
I heard that when the Chernobyl explosion had happened, that there was this huge radioactive cloud and it was heading towards Moscow. The Russian army came with planes and they seared those clouds and the rain came down, long before it reached Moscow! Such things are going on:
‘So why do we need God for? We can take care of ourselves!’
Says the jiva, but that is illusion. We understand since how long does it last? So any devotee can see through that. We can see now that we depend on Krishna very much so. Without Krishna we cannot be successful:
‘tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtir,’ (Bg 18.78)
With Krishna there will be good fortune and there will be victory, without any doubt, and that is Krishna the Supreme Lord. Like Arjuna who won the battle of, Kurukṣetra. Although he was not the most powerful warrior – but he won! He was powerful undoubtedly, but still others were more powerful but he defeated them with the help of Krishna. So we can also do this, and we certainly have to use our own ability with the help of Krishna. With the help of Krishna then only can one be successful in life and attain perfect happiness!