When Life Becomes Intolerable - Material Misery vs. Spiritual Solution
The experience of something "intolerable" acts as a breaking point in human psychology. In the material sense, it pushes a living entity toward despair or suicide; in the spiritual sense, it pushes a devotee toward intense remembrance of God. Śrīla Prabhupāda uses this concept to illustrate the stark reality of the bodily concept of life, where birth, death, and modern civilization inflict unbearable pain, contrasting it with the transcendental intolerance felt by those who love Kṛṣṇa.
Intolerable Misery of Material Life
The cycle of birth and death is fraught with intolerable suffering. Śrīla Prabhupāda vividly describes the condition of the child in the womb, who suffers intensely when the mother eats bitter, pungent, or sour foods. Similarly, at the time of death, the bodily systems (mucus, bile, and air) become disarranged, causing pain so severe that the dying man cries out. Beyond physical pain, the social structure of a "hellish civilization" can make existence so unbearable that people resort to suicide to escape their suffering.
- Owing to the (pregnant) mother's eating bitter, pungent foodstuffs, or food which is too salty or too sour, the body of the child incessantly suffers pains which are almost intolerable.
- Generally, at the time of death, kapha-vata-pittaih, the whole system becomes disarranged. There are coughing, there are headache, there is some pain. This is general system. Sometimes they are so intolerable that the man who is going to die, he cries.
- A hellish civilization artificially increases the conditions of life, and existence becomes intolerable for everyone.
Demonic Intolerance
A peculiar psychology exists within the non-devotee or "demonic" mentality. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that such persons can tolerate the deafening noises of modern machinery, trucks, and construction, yet they find the chanting of "Hare Kṛṣṇa" completely intolerable. This intolerance is rooted in envy. Just as the demons became intolerant of the demigods' opulence, the materialist cannot bear the presence of God or His devotees.
- On the street, Second Avenue, there is always big, big trucks and motorcars going on, heavy sound. Then the garbage carrier sound, the digging sound. So many sound they'll tolerate. And as soon "Hare Krsna," "Oh, it is intolerable." This is demonic.
- When Krsna is accepted as an enemy, He becomes the most intolerable object for the nondevotee, who cannot tolerate Krsna within or without. Here (in SB 10.11.50) this is shown by the example of Bakasura.
Spiritual Intolerance: Blasphemy and Separation
For a devotee, intolerance takes on a protective and affectionate quality. A devotee cannot tolerate blasphemy against the Lord or the spiritual master. Furthermore, in the advanced stage of love of God, the feeling of separation from Kṛṣṇa becomes acute. This "intolerable" separation is not a material misery but a state of intense spiritual absorption.
- They could not stop it , however, and therefore they appealed to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu because this blasphemy (against Caitanya) was so intolerable that they had decided to give up their lives.
- This (feeling of separation from God) is possible only when we develop genuine love for Him. In that state the devotee is always with the Lord by feelings of separation, which become more acute and intolerable in suitable circumstances.
Conclusion
The threshold of what is intolerable determines one's next step. When material pain becomes too much, one seeks to end it, often through the wrong means. However, Kṛṣṇa consciousness offers the ultimate solution. By waking up from the illusion, we end the nightmare. As Śrīla Prabhupāda profoundly states that we break the dream when it becomes intolerable. Similarly, we can break this material connection at any moment as soon as we come to the point of Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Intolerable. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.