Category:Becoming a Demon
Theme Analysis
The fundamental cause of demoniac life is the misuse of free will. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Supreme Lord has endowed all living entities with individual independence. When a soul chooses to use this independence to fulfill the plan of Godhead, they become a devotee. Conversely, when they misuse it to pursue selfish sense gratification, they develop demoniac qualities. If one desires to falsely enjoy the material world and usurp the position of the Supreme, they immediately adopt the mentality of historical demons like Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, or Kaṁsa. The Supreme Lord is so accommodating that if a soul genuinely desires to become a demon, Kṛṣṇa will supply all the necessary facilities for them to enact that illusion.
Beyond individual choice, the environment plays a massive role in shaping consciousness. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that even an innocent person can become a demon if placed in bad association. He points to modern educational systems where youths go to school and, due to inferior society, become totally godless. Even Narakāsura, who was the son of the earth and the Lord Himself, became a demon solely due to the bad association of Bāṇāsura. Furthermore, the widespread propagation of impersonal philosophies—which depict God as a formless, inactive force—actively encourages the population to become faithless demons by removing the concept of a supreme, personal authority.
In Vedic history, there are unique instances where exalted devotees temporarily fell into demoniac bodies. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that Jaya and Vijaya became demons due to an offense, specifically to satisfy the Lord's desire for a combatant. Similarly, King Citraketu was cursed by Goddess Pārvatī and became the demon Vṛtrāsura. In more recent times, individuals like Rāmacandra Khān became demoniac atheists after offending pure devotees like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. However, for those who were originally pure devotees, this demoniac phase is temporary, and they are ultimately saved by their underlying connection to the Supreme Lord.
When society collectively chooses to become demons, the reactions of material nature are severe. Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals that material nature, acting as the agent of the Lord, restricts her supply of necessities when the population becomes godless. Instead of timely rains, the rivers overflood, causing mass destruction. Furthermore, the ultimate punishment for those who persistently act as demons is dictated by the law of karma: nature places them in increasingly degraded conditions where they become more and more demoniac, completely losing the ability to understand God.
- Misuse of Independence: Becoming a demon is the direct result of a living entity misusing their God-given free will for personal sense gratification instead of divine service.
- The Poison of Bad Association: Innocent individuals are transformed into godless demons through bad association, impersonal propaganda, and degraded educational systems.
- Curses and Offenses: While ordinary souls become demons through atheism, exalted devotees have historically taken demoniac births due to specific offenses or curses, though they remain protected by the Lord.
- Nature's Punishment: When a civilization becomes demoniac, material nature responds by restricting resources, creating natural disasters, and trapping the offenders in a cycle of perpetual ignorance.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Becoming a Demon - Misusing God-given Independence.
Pages in category "Becoming a Demon"
The following 30 pages are in this category, out of 30 total.
A
- A small child can become maha-bhagavata, and a very learned scholar may become a demon. Bhakti is so exalted that these are contradictory
- According to the seasonal changes the ice become melted and the water is supplied. It comes through the river. The same thing is there, but because we have turned to become demons, the river sometimes overflood, killing so many men & animal, at the loss
- Actually are devotees or how do they become demons? Are they devotees? Obviously Kaliya is... Just like Jaya and Vijaya, they were devotees. And due to some offense, then they became demons and they fought with Krsna to satisfy Krsna
- All the living entities have individual independence and when some of the children misuse the godgifted independence for their sense gratification and not to fulfill the plan of Godhead, they develop the demonic qualities and become asuras
B
I
- If a son is raised to become an unqualified demon, how can he deliver his father from hellish life?
- If you want to become a demigod or devotee, Krsna will supply you all the necessities. Now it is my choice whether I shall become a demon and whether I shall become a devotee
- In their last birth, Jaya and Vijaya did not become demons or Raksasas. Instead they took birth in a very exalted ksatriya family related to Krsna's family. They became first cousins of Lord Krsna and were practically on an equal footing with Him
- It is said in other puranas that Narakasura was the son of Dharitri, the earth, by the Lord Himself. But he became a demon due to the bad association of Bana, another demon. An atheist is called a demon
- It is up to us to become divine or demon. To go back to home, to back to Godhead, is in our own hand. Now we have to practice it
M
- Materialist person perform all pious activities or devotional activities for some material gain, and as soon as there is any hindrance in the path of material gain, they at once become demon
- Materialist person perform all pious activities or devotional activities for some material gain, and as soon as there is any hindrance in the path of material gain, they at once become demon. Therefore bhakti means without any material desire
T
- The material world cannot be enjoyed by any living entity. If one so desires to enjoy it, he immediately becomes a demon like Ravana, Hiranyakasipu or Kamsa
- The propaganda that the Lord is impersonal, that He has no activity and that He is a dumb stone without any name and form has encouraged people to become godless, faithless demons
- The “falldown” of Jaya and Vijaya occurred in a particular millennium; they do not come down in every millennium to act as demons. To think that some associates of the Lord fall down from Vaikuntha in every millennium to become demons is incorrect
- These statements are there in the Srimad-Bhagavatam in the story of Maharaja Prthu. So prakrti said that, "Because people have become godless, demons, I have restricted my supply." Therefore everything depends on the mercy of the Lord
- This is very essential, to have good society. A man may be very innocent, and if he is given chance for good society, he becomes a godly man. And if he's given inferior society, then he becomes a demon
- Those who are demons, those who are sinful, nature's law is to place him in such condition that he will become more and more a demon, so that he will never be able to understand what is God. This is nature's law
- Twelve to fifteen years, the boys become, by bad association, they become rotten. This hellish world is like that. They go to school and become demons