Dear Bhagavata, We should always refer to the authorized scriptures to get a solution to such an argument. Let us see what Lord Krishna assures us in the Bhagavad Gita. "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I'll deliver you from all the sins. Do not 'FEAR'." Once we are born in this material world, we are sure to commit sins, but due to the grace of the Bhagavathas we will be able to understand our eternal position. When we understand that we are not this body but spirit soul and our duty is to surrender and serve the Supreme Lord, our daily activities will change and we will avoid commiting sins. When you surrender to Sriman Narayana who is the source and abode of all the spiritual and material worlds, you need not fear. It is just like a young child asking a father, please help me and the father will really help the child by protecting him. Just like that, if we really surrender ourselves to Him, He will really protect us from commiting sins. You are right when you say 'just because we have faith it is not that we can do any thing as we like. We should have the fear not to do any wrong things.'- When you deeply analyse this statement, you can understand that no devotee of the Lord wants to commit sins. When you have faith and are devoted to Narayana, you'll surely follow His teachings according to the Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures by the acharyas. When you strictly follow these scriptures and surrender unto Him, the fear that you will commit sins will no longer be there. In the advanced stage, you'll not have time to think about this fear because you'll be thinking of the Lord 24 hours a day. There is no place for any other thought in your mind except the Supreme Lord. Moreover, it is natural for you to fear commiting sins as you are a devotee of the Lord. The devotees of the Lord should be always careful that he never commits any sin. The devotees of the Lord do not want to commit sins because they love Him. If you have such a fear, it is NOT the normal fear found everywhere. It is a symptom that you are following 'Bhakti-Yoga'. The devotees want to be very careful in their life so that they can love Him. So, still you are following 'Bhakti-Yoga'. This is the greatness of the Supreme Lord and the Bhagavad Gita. "One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus leaf is untouched by water". - Bhagavad-gita (5.10) I hope this has answered your query. Please feel free to write back for further clarification. Ramanuja Dasan, Kishan. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send your FREE holiday greetings online! http://greetings.yahoo.com
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