Why hellish life for killing of ants unintentionally while walking?
A male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna prabhu ji, You are going to your office to work hard and earn for family, but on the road, u stepped ants mistakenly without intention to kill them, even then law of karma will be applied and u have to suffer next life.
Now i see this illogical law, If God has so much concern for killing those ants, can’t he give them birth somewhere away from Human society? or set up such a system to keep them safe? Who wants to kill them unnecessarily?? Means first we are already suffering in life in tensions of earning and maintaining family and bearing various karma, then again we are getting karma for these little things and have to suffer. it’s ok this place is full of miseries i understand that thing but seriously for these little things we get punished? That ant is also krsna’s part and parcel he could have arranged safe place for her if he is so much hurted by getting her killed.. but instead we get karma.
Why we get karma in unintentionally killing those ants even if we don’t want? Almost 99 percent of population will go to hell if laws are applied this way.
Due to these doubts in mind. all time i fear about these laws of karma and to suffer in hell. even while washing utensils, some ants gets drowned in sink unintentionally, i get anxiety of karma. kindly help”
REPLY:
See, this is misunderstanding of the laws of karma. There is no such hellish life for killing of ants unintentionally while walking.
However, your doubt is genuine one particularly for the starters in devotion.
(What are the Special treatments in hells for devotees for past sins? READ HERE!)
Karma has two types of punishment rules:
(i) Unintentional and innocent sins forgivable in this birth itself;
(ii) Intentional and Planned sins are punished in the hells and in the next birth.
You are talking about killing the ants while walking. But, we are killing thousands of microorganisms every minute even while breathing.
Yes, when you breathe, cook food or eat, thousands of microorganisms enter into the nose and mouth and many get killed by the body’s immune system.
You breathe and eat for your own living only.
So, every person is killing thousands of microorganisms while breathing and cooking and taking food.
If a person should be given hellish terms even for such killings, ALL people will go to the hell after death.
That is why, we offer food to Krishna that clears the sins involved in killing the thousands of microorganisms while cooking and eating.
When we cook for Krishna, such unintentional killings of microorganisms will not be taken into consideration because we are cooking for Krishna.
(Karma in selling male calf & aged cows considering them useless! READ HERE!)
Same applies to the killing of ants while walking. There is no punishments like hellish life for killing of ants unintentionally while walking.
When we lead a Krishna Conscious life doing everything for the pleasure of Krishna, whatever unintentional sins we do will never be treated as sins because our life is dedicated to Krishna and all the activities we do are to please Krishna.
Everyday, we are chanting a certain rounds of Krishna’s holy names.
So, our daily unintentional sins will be getting cleared on daily basis.
What about such unintentional killings by non devotees?
They too will not be sent to the hells for such unintentional sins. Because, unintentional sins are outside the rules of Karma.
For example, if a girl plans and kills a boy for having scored more than her, it is intentional and punishable in hells; At the same time, if a girl kills a boy without planning when he tries to sexually assault her to protect herself, it won’t be added to her negative karma because she tried to protect herself and in this process that boy died.
This can be applied to the killing of ants also.
(Is Mercy killing of disabled child allowed for a poor Parent with no support? READ HERE!)
As I said above, if you kill thousands of ants while walking, it doesn’t give hellish life.
But, if you catch a moving ant when you are sitting and kills that ant by pressing with the fingers or feet, INTENTIONALLY, it is added to the punishable karma.
So, avoid killing the ants and other living beings intentionally. Keep your house clean and don’t invite insects into the house.
However, if poisonous creatures like poisonous snakes enter into your house, you are permitted to kill that if you are unable to drive it out.
The point is that killing a person or living being that becomes a threat to your life, ie, when they try to kill you, it won’t be added to negative karma.
Even country’s laws don’t punish a person if he/ she kills to protect him/her from the attackers.
Above all, if you chant the Lord’s names even one round daily, all your unintentional sins will be forgiven with no conditions.
Then, why should you worry for hellish life for killing of ants unintentionally?
(What is the karma for killing animals as a habitual enjoyment? READ HERE!)