Nothing can happen without God's consent.

Materialists and bellicose beings want to commit all kinds of sinful acts, but nothing can be done without the consent of the Sovereign Lord. Why does God allow wrongdoing to happen?

In truth, Krishna, God, the Supreme Person does not want anyone to act guilty, and He even implores every living being, through his good conscience, to refrain from sinning. However, when someone insists on doing wrong, the Supreme Lord gives them permission to fulfill their desires at their own risk, because they will have to suffer the consequences. No one can do anything without the Lord’s consent, but He shows such benevolence that when the conditioned soul persists in his desire, He allows him to act at his own risk.

Lord Krishna says,“Only those who surrender to Me can overcome the influence of material energy.”

Consequently, no one should believe that he is a liberated soul, immune to the influence of maya, the energy of illusion. Each of us must perform devotional service with great attention by adhering rigorously to regulatory principles. This is how we can remain fixed on the Lord; otherwise, the slightest inattention will be disastrous. The Lord is always willing to excuse his devotees, but if one of them takes advantage of his indulgence to deliberately make repeated mistakes, the Lord will not fail to punish him by letting him fall into the energy traps illusory. In other words, the theoretical knowledge acquired by the study of the sacred scriptures is insufficient to protect us from the hold of maya. We must hold fast to the Lord in devotional service if we are to maintain a secure position.

All living beings are under the domination of God, the Supreme Person. However, out of false pride, there is a certain class of women who wish to remain independent. Not only women, but in fact all living things, are feminine in nature. They therefore depend on the Supreme Lord. The incarnate is never independent; in all circumstances, it depends on the mercy of the Lord. All members of society remain constantly under the dominion of the Supreme Lord. And yet there are fools to deny the existence of God. Spiritual realization consists in understanding the subordinate position that one occupies in relation to God. Once enlightened by this knowledge, the being surrenders to the Supreme Lord and is freed from the grip of material energy. In other words, if we do not surrender to the Lord, material energy in all its aspects will continue to dictate its law to us. No one in this world can deny that he is dominated. The Sovereign Lord, Krishna, who transcends material existence, reigns