Isn’t our very existence a sin because we kill millions of micro-organisms with every breath? What can we do about it?
From: Puri Ashishkumar
Isn’t for us the fact that we every breath we take we kill millions of micro organisms proving our very existence a Sin.Or does Lord pardon this act of sustenance since Srila Prabhupada says. The Lord doesnt tolerate even an ant being killed.Is it a beacon to take up Krsna consciousness.
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Transcript
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Question from Ashish Kumar Puri Prabhu.
Isn’t for us the fact that we breathe, that out of every breath we take, we kill millions of microorganisms proving our very existence a sin? Or does Lord pardon this act of substance since Sri Prabhupada says the Lord doesn’t tolerate even an ant being killed? Is it a beacon to take up Krishna consciousness? Yes. There are knowing sins and unknowing sins and all bring consequences. But knowing sins bring far greater consequences than unknowing sins.
And therefore, either way, we do commit sins. And that’s why when we understand how deeply karmically implicated we are in the material existence, then at the very least we understand I should not perpetuate and expand my material existence by engaging in godless, sinful, non-scriptural activities. At a more evolved level, we understand that.
Yes, my existence is filled with sins. Therefore, I need to purify myself. I need to return to my natural condition.
So as souls who have eternal spiritual existence with Krishna, we don’t have in the spiritual world to kill any microbes. So if we return back to their life, then we’ll be free from this unnecessary implication and violence and the complication of its karmic consequences. So therefore, a wise person will realize this and will start taking practice of Krishna consciousness seriously.
Yes, Sri Prabhupada says that the Lord doesn’t tolerate even a single living being killed. That he does, states in the 14th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, as well as other places, where he’s referring especially to the killing of animals through organized slaughterhouses. So unavoidable killing is not as grievously sinful as avoidable killing.
And what to speak of avoidable, that is organized killing is extremely karmically heavy in its penalty. So if we live for serving Krishna and then take his prasad and orient our life as an offering to him, then Krishna will pardon us from the sinful reactions. And that is the way we can stay pure and unaffected by the karmic complications.