Krishna Loves You: The world is nothing but a combination of the five elements

They say that this world is unreal, without a basis, without a god. It is born of a mutual union, desire is its only cause, what else

|| जय श्री कृष्ण ||
॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ 16.8॥

_असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम्‌ ।_
_ _अपरस्परसम्भूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम्॥_


भावार्थ :आसुरी स्वभाव वाले मनुष्य कहते हैं कि जगत्‌ झूठा है इसका न तो कोई आधार है और न ही कोई ईश्वर है, यह संसार बिना किसी कारण के केवल स्त्री-पुरुष के संसर्ग से उत्पन्न हुआ है, कामेच्छा के अतिरिक्त अन्य कोई कारण नही है। (८)

Meaning:

They say that this world is unreal, without a basis, without a god. It is born of a mutual union, desire is its only cause, what else.

Explanation:

Any philosophy, any world view has to answer some fundamental questions - who am I, what is the nature of this world, where did it come from, is there a god, and what is the relationship between the I, the world, and god. In the fifteenth chapter, Shri Krishna described his worldview by answering all these questions. Here, he proceeds to describe the materialistic worldview, the worldview of the asuras, those with devilish qualities.

At its core, the materialistic viewpoint views everything as comprised of the five elements, or in today’s times, atoms and molecules. So then, the answer to the questions, who am I, and what is the cause of this world, is the same. I am nothing but a combination of the five elements, and the world is also nothing but a combination of the five elements. Both are caused by the union of elements, either through chemical or biological reactions that happen due to forces of attraction, forces of desire.

Now, if the world is comprised of nothing but inert matter, one will conclude that there is no truth to it, no basis to it, nothing higher to it. A divide starts to arise between the I and the world. If the world is an inert, unreal entity, why should I treat it with care? Anything, including lying, cheating, and murder, is then justified. Materialists go one step further and assert that there is no governing principle in this world, no god. So I can get away with whatever I want because there is no law.

Chant the mantra you have faith in
Hare Krishna