I dont mean to talk about god, or miracles.
2007-05-11 16:32:20 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The purpose of life is eternal SPIRITUAL HAPPINESS obtained with love of Godhead and not MATERIAL HAPPINESS which is transitory, flickering and temporary. With spiritual happiness material happiness comes as a byproduct.
In the material world everything is temporary and comes to and end or dies for that which has birth has death also. But,the reason behind birth and death is to learn the lesson that the material world is temporary and miserable as told by Lord Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita(8.15) thus, "After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection".
The same question was asked by Mike Robinson of London Broadcasting Company in 1976 while interviewing Prabhupada(Founder of ISKCON).
Mike Robinson: Can you tell me what you believe to be the meaning of life? Why do we exist in the first place?
Srila Prabhupada: The meaning of life is to enjoy. But now you are on a false platform of life, and therefore you are suffering instead of enjoying. Everywhere we see the struggle for existence. Everyone is struggling, but what is their enjoyment in the end? They are simply suffering and dying. Therefore, although life means enjoyment, at the present moment your life is not enjoyment. But if you come to the real, spiritual platform of life, then you'll enjoy.
God does not like to send us to this temporary miserable material world. We want to come here and God sanctions it. Just like if a child wants to touch fire, the parents say no. But when the child wants again and again, the parents say ok. The child touches and burns the fingers and does not touch the fire again.
When we come here in this material world, one is born to die again and again in the mrityu samsara(chain of birth and death) until we learn our lesson(burn our fingers)and go back to God.
But, the reason behind birth and death is to learn the lesson that the material world is temporary and miserable as told by Lord Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita(8.15) thus, "After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogés in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection".
Just like one goes to school not to stay there permanently or one goes to the hospital not to stay there for over. From the school we learn and go out and from the hospital we get cured and go out. Similarly in this temporary miserable world of repeated birth and death (Mrityu samsara) we learn the lesson and go back to our original home, back to God's abode in the spiritual world.
After God sends us here on the material world due to our will, God gave various scriptures so that human beings can, by reading them lead a peaceful life on earth and understand the purpose of God. Scriptures vary from place to place and are different according the nature of the persons capacityGod Himself comes himself in various avatars like Lord Buddha, Krishna, Chaitanya and sends his different representatives, sons like Jesus and Mohammed. And other preachers of God consciousness appeared in different places and gave different methods of approach to God. Though, all speak about the same God consciousness, the way of approach is different due to difference in language, place and circumstances etc...
The Vedas say three are many ways,viz., Karma yoga, Sankhya youga, Jnana Yoga, Dhyana yoga and ultimately Bhakti yoga for different practitioners.
In the material world, we spirit souls are encaged in a temporary material body and the Lord as supersoul comes along with us and stays in the heart so that again we can go to spiritual world.
Below is some excerpts from Bhagavad-gita-as-it-is, by A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness)
Lord Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad gita(19.61),
The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.
Comparing the soul and supersoul sitting on the tree of body,
both the Katha Upanisad and Svetasvatara Upanisad say,
"Although the two birds are in the same tree, the eating bird is fully engrossed with anxiety and moroseness as the enjoyer of the fruits of the tree. But if in some way or other he turns his face to his friend who is the Lord and knows His glories—at once the suffering bird becomes free from all anxieties."
The supersoul is only acting as the witnesser and sanctioner.as mentioned in the Bhagavad gita(13.23),
"Yet in this body there is another, a transcendental enjoyer, who is the Lord, the supreme proprietor, who exists as the overseer and permitter, and who is known as the Supersoul."
2007-05-11 21:12:42 · answer #1 · answered by Gaura 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
LIFE IS ALL ABOUT QUESTIONS......
LIKE THESE:
can you cry under water?
How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
If money doesn't grow on trees then why do banks have branches?
Since bread is square, then why is sandwich meat round?
Why do you have to "put your two cents in"...but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?
Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
What did cured ham actually have?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?
If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
If you drink Pepsi at work in the Coke factory, will they fire you?
Why are you IN a movie, but you are ON TV?
2007-05-11 23:36:26 · answer #2 · answered by Love Exists? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Animals eat sleep mate and defend as do human beings. The only thing that distinguishes us from animals is we have the intelligence to question our existence and our relationship with God. IF we fail t use our intelligence to make any spiritual advancement in this life we will fall back to animal species or lower in our next life. This is the law of Karma Nature. The purpose of human life is to question ones existence and their relationship with God. for inofo on karma and reincarnation and the purpose and meaning of life go to harekrishnatemple.com Read Bhagavad Gita as it is By Bhaktivedanta PRabhupada- You asked and that is the purpose what can we say.
2007-05-11 23:41:30 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Life is about living - family and work and play and the small pleasures and highs and lows. Life is cooking dinner, walking the dog, listening to music, spending some time here on Y/A - it's all good (most of the time anyway).
2007-05-11 23:39:14 · answer #4 · answered by irish1 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The purpose of earthly life is to decide where I will spend the rest of my life, once my few short years on this earth are over.
2007-05-11 23:47:21 · answer #5 · answered by PaulCyp 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Living the must full filling existence while harming the fewest people.
2007-05-11 23:36:07 · answer #6 · answered by Mark M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Living in the ever-present NOW.
2007-05-11 23:36:30 · answer #7 · answered by huffyb 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
glorifying God in all aspects of life
2007-05-11 23:36:21 · answer #8 · answered by BE@UTIFULGIRLZ 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
About 70 years.
Spend it wisely.
.
2007-05-11 23:36:55 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
life is about sorrows n joys
2007-05-12 09:03:00 · answer #10 · answered by love_amie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋