By the order of a judge, one person is released from jail, and another is imprisoned, but the judge is not responsible, for the distress and happiness of these different people is due to their own activities.

Guilty as Charged

Sri Guru and Gauranga

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Owning up to personal responsibility

Although the Supreme Lord is unattached to our happiness and distress according to karma, and although no one is His enemy or favorite, He creates pious and impious activities through the agency of His material potency. Thus for the continuation of the materialistic way of life He creates happiness and distress, good fortune and bad, bondage and liberation, birth and death.

PURPORT
Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate doer of everything, in His original transcendental existence He is not responsible for the happiness and distress, or bondage and liberation, of the conditioned souls. These are due to the results of the fruitive activities of the living entities within this material world. By the order of a judge, one person is released from jail, and another is imprisoned, but the judge is not responsible, for the distress and happiness of these different people is due to their own activities. Although the government is ultimately the supreme authority, the justice is administered by the departments of the government, and the government is not responsible for the individual judgments. Therefore the government is equal to all the citizens. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is neutral to everyone, but for the maintenance of law and order His supreme government has various departments, which control the activities of the living entities. Another example given in this regard is that lilies open or close because of the sunshine, and thus the bumblebees enjoy or suffer, but the sunshine and the sun globe are not responsible for the happiness and distress of the bumblebees.

Give back that which you have stolen

PRABHUPADA: ...If you take to Krishna consciousness, then you reach the real standard of happiness because everything belongs to Krishna. I shall give you another example. Suppose you have stolen something from somebody's house or some friends. You will not be happy, even possessing that thing, stolen property. But if someday you come to return that thing to that friend, you will be happy. What do you think, Hayagriva?

HAYAGRIVA: Yes.

PRABHUPADA: Yes. Then you will feel relieved. So therefore the real thing is that everything belongs to Krishna. We are artificially enjoying the stolen property. Therefore if you go on enjoying like that, then this frustration will come. But before coming to that frustration, if we return this property to Krishna, then we become happy. So best thing is to return everything to Krishna. This is Krishna consciousness. And you will not be a loser. You will be gainer, just like Bali Maharaja. Actually, if you think, everything belongs to Krishna. Nothing belongs to you. This is maya: Krishna's property you are thinking, "mine." Is this land of America belonging to you actually? It is stolen property. You have stolen from the Red Indians or from Krishna. Everyone is thief—not you, everyone. Somebody is claiming, "This much my property," somebody else is claiming, "This much my property," but this much or that much, everything belongs to Krishna. It is stolen property. There is another example in Indian words, that hira cauri kiya abhicaurya, khira cauri kiya abhicaura. Hira means diamond, and khira means... What is that called? Cucumber, a small cucumber. So if somebody has stolen a cucumber from other's tree, so he is captured. And another man has stolen some diamond. He is also arrested. So from the police, both are thieves. If the man says, "Oh, what I have stolen? I have stolen a little cucumber. It is nothing, worth not even two cent or one cent. Why you are arresting me? He is thief. He has stolen a big diamond," no, in the eyes of law, he is also thief; he is also thief. Everyone is thief. Anyone who is not in Krishna consciousness, he is thief. He'll not be happy. The best thing is to return whatever he has possessed: "Krishna, it is Yours. Take." Finish business. Manasa deha geha, yo kichu mora. Bhaktivinoda Thakur's song... Now, everything we possess in mind. Actually we don't possess. Suppose I am possessing all this. As soon as I go from this body, all possession will remain here. I'll not take anything. So I don't possess. But in mind I am thinking, "Oh, this is mine. This is mine. Where is another box? Why it is not coming?" And possessing in mind. If I leave this body, either the box here or in the Chicago or anywhere else, what is the difference? There is no difference. But because I am possessing in the mind, "Oh, that box is mine," so I am asking, "Whether it is Chicago or it is here, it is there? Why it is not coming?" So possession in the mind. Actually you don't possess. Manasa deha geha. So by that supposed possessing, we have got our mind, we have got our body, then expansion of body, wife, children, family, society, country. In this way we possess so many things. Bhaktivinoda Thakur says, manasa deha geha, yo kichu mora: "Now whatever I possess, either in the mind or in the family or in the society or in the body—whatever I have got, I surrender unto You, my dear Krishna." Manasa deha geha, yo kichu mora, arpilun tua pade nanda kishora: "Nanda-kishora, O the son of Nanda, I give unto You." Marobi rakhobi, yo iccha tohara: "Now whatever You like, You can do, either you kill me or You protect me, as You like. You are the proprietor. You have right to do everything." This is surrender. This is full Krishna consciousness.