If a son goes back to Krishna, will his materialistic parents also go?
A male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Dear prabhu, HARE KRISHNA!!! I wanted to ask that if devotion can also helps parents of a person, who are highly materialistic in nature and dont believe in Lord Krishna at all to reach the Krishna Abode. Thanks!!!”
REPLY:
Partially true. Generations will definitely get liberated, but, going back to Krishna is always conditional. Going back to Krishna needs personal performance of devotion. Krishna does not allow anyone to enter into goloka unless he is pure without material attachments. If He some times, mercifully permits someone though not fully qualified considering his devotional practices, they later develop some kind of jealousy and come back to the material sky on their own will. So, Krishna is very careful in allowing only the pure devotees into His kingdom.
So, Liberation alone can be given by a devotee to his generations. Liberation and Moksha are different Liberation is getting liberated from material worlds, ie, attaining mukthi. Moksha means, entering in to the spiritual planets.
(SHOULD A DEVOTEE PRAY FOR MUKTHI or MOKSHA FROM KRISHNA? READ HERE!)
It is said in scriptures if a person is performing devotion seriously and thus attain liberation (Mukthi) from this material world , as a bonus, all his SEVEN PREVIOUS and NEXT SEVEN GENERATIONS WILL ALSO GET LIBERATED.
So, if you get liberated and go back to Krishna, you are also liberating your father, grand father, your son, your grand son and all other seven generations before and next to you.
So, you are doing a greatest favour to your whole past and future generation by liberating them. So, hereafter, if any of your family member speaks against your devotional practices, show this post to them and tell them that they will get liberated along with you. They will become happy and cooperate with you.
(READ HERE: HOW KRISHNA’s GOLOKA VRINDAVAN AND VAIKUNTA WILL BE? A DESCRIPTION!)
You have asked whether they will be liberated though they are materialistic. Answer is YES.
Why?
Even the enemies of Krishna are liberated if they are killed by Krishna, because, they had the DIRECT glimpse & interaction of Krishna that is very auspicious. Though they are not praising Krishna, Krishna’s sight is VERY POWERFUL AND AUSPICIOUS. That sight itself will liberate them.
Same applies here. Though your family members do not consider Krishna as their prime target, they too get liberated because they get the glimpse of Krishna and hear the sound vibrations of Hare Krishna Maha Manthra chanted by you. Though they did not involve in devotion directly, they atleast were bearing all the devotional services done by you, or helped you in devotion though they are materialistic. This clears their negativities and they too get the blessings of Krishna.
(How to understand if even the enemies killed by Krishna are also liberated? READ HERE!)
If there is a sun, so many planets surrounding it will get its light. If there is a pure acharya, even drunk addicts get changed. Thus, there is an effect for powerful persons and things to make effects on others.
Similarly, if you get liberated and go back to Krishna, that means, your soul (you) have attained purity and hence the soul becomes the most powerful one. So, this powerful soul (like sun) also liberates your past and next seven generations.
This is the POWER a devotee attains when he sincerely practices Krishna Bakthi.
But, only the sadhaka goes back to Krishna’s Kingdom. The generations are liberated. In case, they too had performed some devotion to Krishna, they too may get opportunity to enter into Krishna’s kingdom, ie, back to Krishna.
In case they had taken next birth(s), they will start to follow serious devotional practices in that birth and they will get liberated or go back to Krishna from that birth.
(How to Go Back to Godhead Krishna’s Kingdom Vaikunta / Goloka at the earliest? KNOW HERE!)
TAIL PIECE:
How could Srila Prabhupada transform even the drinkers as the devotee of Krishna? even in our media, 100’s of devotees in the past have written to me that the writings of this site have transformed their life. How is this possible? This is the power of the service to Krishna and the true intention of the speaker. When I enjoyed the devotion to Krishna, I did not like to enjoy alone. So, I joined all of you through our media to practice Krishna Consciousness along with me. This true intention and service is very effective and hence the readers too are transformed. Similarly, the generations also getting liberated along with a sincere devotee.
Thus Krishna Bakthi is very powerful. It can spread faster than anything.
(Can I take my parents, wife and children to Krishna’s Kingdom Goloka? READ HERE!)