If God Forgives the Fallen, Why Am I Still Waiting?
Question
God is patit-pawan — the redeemer of the fallen. If God truly forgives all sinners, then why am I still suffering the consequences of my past actions? Why hasn't His forgiveness hasn't reached me yet?
Answer
You've touched upon a profound spiritual question that stems from a common misunderstanding. The idea that God's mercy is a license to sin is a grave misinterpretation of His nature. Instead, the concept of Patit-Pawan (Devanagari: पतित-पावन ISO15919: patita-pāvana ), or the redeemer of the fallen, offers hope and a path to redemption for those who sincerely seek it.
To understand this, we must first dispel the misconception and then explore the true meaning of God's forgiveness.
In that spirit let us explore these two topics.
In the end the topic will converge to portray the divine law around forgiveness of sins.
The Misconception
Misguided individuals often quote the divine words of genuine saints to justify their continued wrongdoings, believing God will forgive them anyway. For example, some may cite Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's words:
दीनबंधुरिति नाम ते स्मरन् यादवेन्द्र पतितोऽहमुत्सहे ।
भक्तवत्सलतया इति श्रुते मामकं हृदयमाशु कम्पते ॥
गौ. महा.
dīnabaṁdhuriti nāma te smaran yādavendra patito'hamutsahe ।
bhaktavatsalatayā iti śrute māmakaṁ hr̥dayamāśu kampate ॥
gau. mahā.
"I shiver in fear upon hearing that You love Your devotees (as I don't consider myself worthy of that title). However, I muster some courage when I hear that You are the redeemer of fallen souls."
"I shudder upon hearing that You love Your devotees (I shiver in fear because I don’t consider myself worthy of being called a devotee and I hence will never qualify to get your affection). However, I muster some courage (that you will accept me) when I hear that, You are the redeemer of fallen souls ."
Similarly, Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj says:
मेरे जैसा पतित न, गोविंद राधे । तेरे जैसा पावन न, पावन बना दे ॥
mere jaisā patita na, goviṁda rādhe । tere jaisā pāvana na, pāvana banā de ॥
“O Govind Radhe! There is no being more fallen than I, and there is no one as pure as You. So, please purify me by Your grace."
It is sheer foolishness to use these expressions to justify continued sin. The Vedas themselves warn against those who twist their meaning for personal gain. They state:
विभत्यल्पश्रुताद् वेदो मामयं प्रहरिष्यति ।
vibhatyalpaśrutād vedo māmayaṁ prahariṣyati ।
"We are scared of ill-informed people, who may attack us at any time, manipulating our inherent message to suit their convenience."
So, let's delve deeper to understand the true meaning of these scriptural statements.
The real meaning of Patit-pawan
The terms punya (righteous actions) and paap ( sinful actions) are often misunderstood.
Vedas declare that Punya or virtuous actions like truthfulness, honesty, sympathy, non-violence, giving alms, performing fire sacrifices etc are charateristics of Sattva guna
However, Lord Krishna further clarified the definition of paap and punya -
मन्निमित्तं कृतं पापं मद्धर्माय च कल्पते । मामनादृत्य धर्मोऽपि पापं स्यान्मत्प्रभावतः ॥
पद्म पुराण
mannimittaṁ kr̥taṁ pāpaṁ maddharmāya ca kalpate ।māmanādr̥tya dharmo'pi pāpaṁ syānmatprabhāvataḥ ॥
padma purāṇa
"Any action offered unto Me, is dharma (righteous). On the contrary, any action, even if it seems sacred, that is performed without remembering Me, is adharma (unrighteous)."
This reveals a profound truth: without surrender to God, even virtuous acts like truthfulness, benevolence, sympathy fall in the category of paap . This is because we, as jiva , are in a constant quest for happiness, which we seek either in God or in His inert energy, Maya.
When our mind is focused on the world of Maya, it is instantly infiltrated by vices like anger, greed, and lust, leading us to commit sins. Conversely, when our mind is focused on God, divine virtues like love, kindness, and sympathy saturate our antahkaran .
This confirms that every moment our mind is not focused on God, it is accumulating pāpa . Given our countless past lives, we have accumulated innumerable sins. We are indeed fallen, and God is the purifier of the fallen. So why haven't We been forgiven?
The Missing Element: Surrender
The answer lies in our own defiance. We do not acknowledge ourselves as sinners. The moment someone points out a single flaw, our false ego, born of Maya and ignorance, causes us to lose our composure.
दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया । Daivī hyēṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā.
"This Maya is My divine energy, composed of three modes, and it is very difficult to overcome."
We cannot overcome Maya on our own. As Lord Krishna states:
मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्तिते।।
Māmēva yē prapadyantē māyāmētāṁ tarantitē.. (Gītā 7.14)
"Only those who fully surrender to Me are able to cross this ocean of Maya."
God's forgiveness is not a free pass; it is the ultimate grace on completely surrendered jiva . Until we sincerely accept our fallen state and surrender our minds to Him, His purifying power cannot work on us.
Despite all the gravest sins we have committed, if we surrender to God, the patit-pavan (redeemer of the fallen) will forgive all the paap and puṇya of our past. That soul becomes a non-doer , and Shri Krishna becomes the pilot of their life.
God is completely self-satisfied ( Purnakama Atmarama ) and He is bliss. Moreover He is benevolent and well-wisher. He gains nothing from our surrender , but we have everything to gain. The choice is ours: to surrender and find not just liberation but bliss, or to remain defiant and continue to accumulate sins.
Conclusion
Committing more sins does not qualify anyone for God’s grace. Surrendering to God does. We are all fallen souls who have accumulated innumerable sins. God's epithet of "redeemer of the fallen" has not been able to work for us because we have not yet made the choice to fully surrender to Him.
As Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj says:
संचित पाप पुण्य गोविंद राधे । अगनित भक्ति सब को जला दे ॥ saṁcita pāpa puṇya goviṁda rādhe | aganita bhakti saba ko jalā de ||
"In past lives, we have accumulated countless sins (pāpa) and countless righteous deeds (puṇya). Bhakti burns all of them."
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