Is a fallen devotee excluded from hellish terms before next birth?
A male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare krishna Prabhu ji, Dandwat pranam. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! It is said by Lord in Gita that Fallen yogi again continues his devotion from next life if he falls down and becomes bhogi. He will be given chances. But generally we heard that a bhogi goes to hell. So is it that fallen Devotee has to first suffer hell for doing bhog, then he will be given chance of devotion again in human life, or he will quickly get next life without suffering hell even after living material life? As laws of karma are very stringent, don’t they led him to suffer hell also? Does a fallen Devotee gets license to do little devotion and then enjoy material world and same time escaping hell also?
kindly clarify this point please. Thank you. Your Servant.”
REPLY:
Good question. Is a fallen devotee excluded from hellish terms before his next birth?
No. He too will get hellish terms if he had done grave offenses/ sins.
I am typing this reply from the hospital bed.
My this situation in the hospital itself may give you the fitting reply. Though I serve the Lord for decades, I TOO AM SUBJECT TO THE PAINS OF THIS MATERIAL WORLD.
(How can one enjoy or suffer without gross bodies in heavens and hells? READ HERE!)
See, karma and devotion usually goes together.
Unless there is a valid and compelling reason, we won’t get immunity from karmic reactions.
But, the way of handling the devotees as well as materialistic people may be different.
This is like FIRST CLASS JAILS in the Jails.
First class jail-mates are those who pay Income tax to the country and also VIPs.
They are given some extra facilities in jails like news papers, external food, a cot with bed on it, Television, etc.
Other jail-mates have to bear with the dirty rooms with just a mat and pillow.
If this is the case even in this material world, just imagine what will be the status of fallen devotee!
Though a person is an acharya for the devotees, if he commits a big crime, he too is arrested and taken to the jail.
So, All are subject to the country’s Law.
Similarly, all are subject to the Law of Karma.
Karmic rules may be softer for the offenders who turned as devotees (or) the devotees who turned as offenders.
Of course, it it is not true that a fallen devotee excluded from hellish terms. For a certain token period, they may be subjected to some token punishment for their crimes done when he was alive.
Some offenses are forgivable from entering into the hellish planets. If their offenses are soft, they may be excluded from getting hell term.
(What are the available hells and who are sent there? READ HERE!)
But, if their offenses are grave in nature like killing, he will definitely get hellish term and then get a new birth in which he may continue to be a devotee.
Just because he should be given birth in a devotee’s family, he will not be excluded from hellish term for his grave offenses.
No one can escape from punishments just because he has followed some devotional practices for a certain period.
However, they may be treated respectfully by the hell employees of yama. This is true.
Even great devotees have been facing the reactions of their karma.
Then, what about the fallen devotees?
They too face hellish terms if they had committed grave offenses that are not forgivable.
Once they face the hellish term for his offenses and sins, he will get good next birth. That’s all.
Even in the good next birth, he will still be under the clutch of karma.
One will have to be under karma until he is in this human body.
Only when he is liberated from these material bodies, he will go out of karma and also hellish terms.
Hope you are clear whether a fallen devotee excluded from hellish terms before next birth.
(What is the need of hells since we forget our sins while after death? READ HERE!)