This is a question that does touch every sensitive heart especially since it strikes as a direct contradiction to our idea and conception of an essentially Divine world. This is so because quite naturally and rightly we associate divinity with all that is uplifting and beautiful and harmonious and delightful and true. The breath of divinity brings peace and light and joy and love. Where then comes this world of evil and falsehood and suffering and pain? For what purposes?
The real problem comes when the manifestation begins. It is somewhat like a drama or a play being enacted. As long as the play is within the heart and mind of the playwright there is no problem. he sees things as they are changes something here, develops something there, drops something else and brings in another element until the whole story is ready. But the moment he expresses it on paper he commits it to a certain sequence. Still this works since he has thought over the plot well enough. But once the actual actors begin to take up different positions and roles it becomes subject to each one’s capacity to play well. If the villain takes up his role a bit too seriously and adds hatred and vengeance to his deeds and spite and anger beyond the designated limits of the scene then there is one kind of misalignment. Or the hero begins to take himself too seriously and imagines he is the actual doer and without him the play itself would not be then he creates another kind of misalignment. The deed done and the scene over we should move on to the next scene but the individual mind and the world mind sticks to past scenes and formulas and formulations through memory and habit. This is so because each and every act that has ever been enacted upon earth sticks to matter, creates a groove of habit and remains somewhere in the subconscient portions of the earth’s memory. Much of evil stems from here.
There were things that were the needed steps in the great chain of cause and effect that comes into existence due to the manifestation taking place within the limits of space and time. They were needed at a point of time to shake up matter vigorously out of its torpor. It was just beginning to rise from the utter swoon of inconscience. It needed a strong, almost violent push from the titanic, asuric forces of the universe. But once awakened matter was being kneaded by other forces such as those of desire and lust and other still crude stuff. As it becomes somewhat ready and refined softer and gentler forces such as emotions and thoughts pour in. Later even subtler forces of a luminous intelligence and spiritual aspiration comes in to take the story further.
But here comes the problem. The forces that had gone into creation and were valid at a given point of time continue to exist and persist. They continue to fight for their reign rather than modify themselves in a way so as to align themselves to the evolutionary march of mankind. Thus religion and rituals when they persist beyond a point can become an evil. Anger and fear needed for animal life persist beyond a point and retard man’s evolution. desire which was a helper and the ego needed to form an individual persist beyond a point and become evil.
Yet the Divine allows it since even this is used for His evolutionary purposes. The soul passing through the gates of hell finds itself move faster towards heaven chastened and strengthened by the experience. but when seen in a given small frame of time it is quite disconcerting. This is a difficulty but now with the Supramental force changing the subconscient past of earth, this will no longer be a burden to carry. These forces emerge and try to hold on in a last-ditch effort but their time is over. Man does not need this waste to grow since he has now the option of walking the straight and sunlit Path.