03.32 – Confusion in attribution obscures illumination – end confusion with devotion

People ask: “If God, the creator of the world, is good, why is there so much evil in the world?”

The question reveals a fundamental confusion in attribution – they are placing the blame on the wrong doorstep.

The sun gives only light, no darkness. Those who turn away from the sun see darkness. They can see light if they just turn towards the sun. But if instead they blame the sun for giving darkness, then they deprive themselves of the chance to see the sun as the source of light.

Gita wisdom reveals God, Krishna, to be all-good, the source and shelter of all goodness. Those who turn away from him expose themselves to evil. This turning is a turning away from the spiritual to the material. Krishna and we belong to the spiritual level of reality where all delight in eternal light and love. The material level of reality is dark – it impels us to dark actions that cause the various evils here. When we stay attached to the material and demand Krishna to illumine it with unmitigated goodness, we are like those staying turned away from the sun and demanding to see its light. The Bhagavad-gita (03.32) indicates that this misdirection of consciousness (acetasah) causes the bafflement of all our knowledge (sarva-jnana vimudhams). If we blame Krishna for not being good, then we end up decreasing further our chance to return to goodness. Thus, turning away from him is the evil that subjects us to all the evils of the world.

Thankfully, Krishna, unlike the sun, is no passive observer; he is an active redeemer. He descends to the material level to share the path of devotion, the easiest path for returning to the spiritual level.  For those who accept his gift, perennial goodness awaits.

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03.32 – But those who, out of envy, disregard these teachings and do not follow them regularly are to be considered bereft of all knowledge, befooled, and ruined in their endeavors for perfection.