Sanatan-Dharma Teaching

Based on Sanatan-Dharma, there is no question of creating living entities (souls). We are all eternally existing and our purpose is to enjoy a personal companion relationship with God.

“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts..” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 15.7)

“All living beings are but part of the Supreme, or, in other words, that they are Mine..” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 4.35)

The Bhagavad-Gita teaches that we are the soul and not this temporary body. The soul is eternal and part of the eternal God, Lord Krishna. All living entities (souls) are part of Lord Krishna. We are all the children of Krishna and He wants to see all His children in complete bliss and with Him in His kingdom.

“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be. As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.12-13)

Based on Islam, man is the slave of Allah. The Bhagavad-Gita teaches that all living entities are eternal companions of Lord Krishna. This means everyone, including the souls in plant and animal bodies are eternal companions of God and not His slaves. Lord Krishna is truly all merciful and gracious.

“O most intelligent Uddhava, the living entity, called jīva, is part and parcel of Me, but due to ignorance he has been suffering in material bondage since time immemorial. By knowledge, however, he can be liberated.” (Lord Krishna, Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.11.4)

Spiritual Manifestation

Originally every single soul was in the Kingdom of God called Vaikuntha, the spiritual manifestation. Where everyone had a position serving and enjoying a personal relationship with Lord Krishna or His expansions. This is the companion relationship which every soul has with God.

Material Manifestation

We are not the slaves of God, because we have free will. All souls have free will, and when a soul thinks he is the enjoyer and not an eternal companion of Lord Krishna, he falls from the spiritual manifestation to the material manifestation for material life to lord it over.

“The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another, as the air carries aromas. Thus he takes one kind of body and again quits it to take another.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 15.8)

In the material manifestation the soul resides in a body which is called the living being. There are 8.4 species of living beings or bodies that a soul can occupy. The soul transmigrates from one body to another based on his desires and deserves. When the soul in a human body engages in devotional service unto Lord Krishna, he can go back to the spiritual manifestation and resume his eternal companionship relationship with God.

Based on Islam, Allah is not omnipresent. He is not present everywhere. The Bhagavad-Gita teaches that Lord Krishna is omnipresent, He is present everywhere, including within His Deity form.

“Although I am the maintainer of all living entities and although I am everywhere, I am not a part of this cosmic manifestation, for My Self is the very source of creation.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 9.5)

Personal Service to God with Deity Worship

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Those who fix their minds on My personal form and are always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith are considered by Me to be most perfect.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 12.2)

Among the living beings, only the human species have a chance to understand and personally serve God. This is called Deity worship, which is of personal benefit to God directly. Lord Krishna is real, He has a form which is most beautiful and most opulent. Deity worship entails offering flowers, water, and food items to the real, seen, and proven God, Lord Krishna. The Deities are not idols, God is personally present within each and every Deity in every Temple, and millions of humans have personally seen or experienced the presence of God within the Deities.

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 9.26)

Some of the Deities of Lord Krishna in Temples are actual transformations of Lord Krishna. He actually appeared and transformed Himself into the Deity form so He can be personally worshiped.

Lord Krishna personally accepts what His pure devotees offer to His Deity form. By placing water or food items near Deities. He actually drinks and eats the food, but God is not like us. When we eat, the food disappears, but when Lord Krishna eats, the food is completely eaten but still it’s there in complete. This is spirituality, in the spiritual realm, 1 minus 1 is 1. Lord Krishna can eat simply by glancing; He can also eat with His mouth. At the request of His pure devotees, Lord Krishna has also eaten the food and made it disappear so we can perceive His presence, millions of times. On mother’s day, the children will take money from the mother and buy her flowers and this pleases her very much. In a similar way, by offering water, flower, and food to God. This gives us an opportunity to thank and serve Him. Lord Krishna is not hungry for food, He is hungry for a loving exchange between us and Him.

Personal Service to God by Chanting His Names

Qualities of Krishna entity – Lord Krishna is omnipresent (present everywhere). He has the most beautiful form. He is eternal, full of bliss, full of knowledge, most loving, most forgiving, most merciful, most opulent, and most generous. He likes to perform His transcendental pastimes with humans and animals.

Like in Islam, there is also chanting of God’s name in Sanatan-Dharma, but the difference is that there is real benefit to chanting the names of an entity who has a form, is omnipresent, and who is the whole and we are His parts, Lord Krishna.

“He who meditates on Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O Partha, is sure to reach Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 8.8)

Just as a baby cries for the mother and this pleases the mother, because this gives her the chance to hold the baby, which increases the love and affection for both. This is mainly because the baby is part of the mother. In a similar way, we are all part of Krishna and thus by calling out His name (chanting), we the parts of Krishna, increase our love for Him. And just as a mother gives her baby comfort after being called. By chanting or calling out the name of Krishna, we get the comfort of attaining His love and His qualities. This is a guarantee which He makes for His devotees. Thus one will go back to the spiritual abode and get a body that is most beautiful, full of bliss, full of knowledge and eternal. Even in the material manifestation, a person who becomes Krishna conscious will attain His qualities of being loving, forgiving, and merciful to all. Thus there is real benefit to calling out the name of an entity like Krishna.

“He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 9.31)

Based on Islam, some people are eternally sent to hell to suffer. The Bhagavad-Gita teaches that all living entities are eternal companions of Lord Krishna. Not a single soul is ever sent to eternal hell. Every single soul will eventually go back to the spiritual manifestation and once again enjoy a personal companion relationship with God. Lord Krishna is truly all merciful and gracious.

Thus there is a real purpose to our existence based on Sanatan-Dharma teachings, we are all personal companions of God and our service to Him via Deity worship is of personal benefit to God directly. And our chanting the names of Krishna, is of real benefit to us and Him. The plant and animal bodies exist to satisfy the desires and deserves of the soul in human bodies. When humans become aggressive or ignorant, they take birth in the plant and animal kingdoms so they can practice their aggressive and ignorant behavior in an ideal body. Lord Krishna benefits from the existence of animals because they also take part in His pastimes when He appears on this and other planets to enjoy a personal companion relationship with God.

Islamic Teaching

“I did not create Jinn and Men except that they may worship me” (Koran 51:56)

Based on the Quran, humans were created by God so they can worship him. The living entities (souls) are not eternal, the soul is created along with the body in this life. This basically means we are the body and we never existed before this life. Worshiping God in Islam is bowing down and calling out the name of Allah.

Allah Entity – The followers of Islam believe that Allah is formless. This means he has no form, he is invisible, unknown, unseen, and not describable. Allah is not omnipresent (not present everywhere). He is situated above the seven heavens (References: Quran 35:10, 6:18,61 16:50, 112:4).

What benefit does Allah get from humans on Earth bowing down and calling out his name?

What benefit would a King get if his citizens were to bow down and call out his name when the King is out of Town?

What benefit would you get if people who are situated far away from you were to bow down and call out your name?

The Muslims are certainly sincere in their belief of God, which is a very good quality. Even if a person is present before us and we bow down to him, this gives him some pleasure, because we are acknowledging his presence, which is a good thing but of little personal benefit. If a person is not situated before us, and we bow down to him, this gives no personal benefit, especially if the person has no personal relationship with God (not a part of Him).

Christian Teaching

The Bible does not directly answer the question of why God created living beings. The Christians will give differing answers based on their own assumptions and thoughts. They can only speculate, because their God does not answer this question directly. One should not accept speculative answers.