Why is Krsna so cruel to me by making my material life a failure???

krsna · May 5, 2006

Let's face it : when it comes to living a comfortable material life, I'm just a loser. Why has Krsna set me up like this? :confused: Does it make it easier for developing pure bhakti unto His lotus feet?

May 5, 2006

Pls read the Krsna Book Chapter "The Deliverance Of Lord Shiva".... That will tell you how Krsna is really helping you by making ur material life a failure... And yes, it helps develop pure Bhakti...

May 6, 2006

Not always. If there are more difficulties than you can cope with, you may lose your faith, it happened to many...

May 6, 2006

I am often sad when I read the verses glorifying Krsna's name, telling how even offensive chanting destroys all bad karma and misfortune and brings all good luck and blessing, and I see how my life is full of obstacles and suffering. Of course I am not demanding much money or any luxury, but when you have problems with your health, with your job, with your marriage, it is very difficult to maintain any spiritual standard... Especially when you see that people around you have much less problems, even though they have never chanted Harinam even in their dreams...

stonehearted · May 6, 2006

What makes you think that Krishna is doing anything to you? You have made choiced for many lifetimes that created the consequences you now complain of. But here's what Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita about His responsibility for our plight:

nadatte kasyacit papam

na caiva sukrtam vibhuh

ajnanenavrtam jnanam

tena muhyanti jantavah

Nor does the Supreme Lord assume anyone's sinful or pious activities. Embodied beings, however, are bewildered because of the ignorance which covers their real knowledge. (5.15)

Here's something from Lord Brahma's prayers after he stole Krishna's friends and calves:

tat te 'nukampam susamiksamano

bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam

hrd-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te

jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak

My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.

In other words, patiently enduring the results of our past deeds, both pious and impious, can actually help us advance spiritually.

You're not the only one whose life isn't as peachy as you'd like. And if you think you're suffering, you should read the news--see how folks are living in Darfur, or many other places in the world. Be grateful for what you have, and grateful that you don't reap the full consequences of your past choices. Dedicate your life to serving and preaching. Never become complacent with whatever attempts you have made at chanting or other service. And study the books our acharyas have left us so you may get an idea of what Gaudiya vaishnavism is really about. (Hint: it's not about you.)

krsna · May 6, 2006

You're not the only one whose life isn't as peachy as you'd like. And if you think you're suffering, you should read the news--see how folks are living in Darfur, or many other places in the world. Be grateful for what you have, and grateful that you don't reap the full consequences of your past choices. Dedicate your life to serving and preaching. Never become complacent with whatever attempts you have made at chanting or other service. And study the books our acharyas have left us so you may get an idea of what Gaudiya vaishnavism is really about. (Hint: it's not about you.)

Beautiful! So sweet and a hot spicy sauce like a good chutney.

Thank you for your sermon of compassion.

krsna das

gHari · May 6, 2006

Dhanesh has recommended reading the chapter of Krishna Book called "The Deliverance of Lord Siva". Since that book is currently down for maintenance at the on-line Vedabase.com I am posting that chapter 88 here:

The Deliverance of Lord Siva

As a great devotee of KRSNa, King ParIkSit was already liberated, but for clarification he was asking various questions of Sukadeva GosvAmI. In the previous chapter, King ParIkSit's question was, "What is the ultimate goal of the Vedas?" And Sukadeva GosvAmI explained the matter, giving authoritative descriptions from the disciplic succession, from Sanandana down to NArAyaNa RSi, NArada, VyAsadeva and then Sukadeva himself. The conclusion was that devotional service, or bhakti, is the ultimate goal of the Vedas. A neophyte devotee may question, "If the ultimate goal of life, or the conclusion of the Vedas, is to elevate oneself to the platform of devotional service, then why is it observed that a devotee of Lord ViSNu is generally not very prosperous materially, whereas a devotee of Lord Siva is found to be very opulent?" In order to clarify this matter, ParIkSit MahArAja asked Sukadeva GosvAmI, "My dear Sukadeva GosvAmI, it is generally found that those who engage in the worship of Lord Siva, whether in human, demoniac or demigod society, become materially very opulent, although Lord Siva himself lives just like a poverty-stricken person. On the other hand, the devotees of Lord ViSNu, who is the controller of the goddess of fortune, do not appear very prosperous, and sometimes they are even found living without any material opulence at all. Lord Siva lives underneath a tree or in the snow of the Himalayan Mountains. He does not even construct a house for himself, but still the worshipers of Lord Siva are very rich. KRSNa, or Lord ViSNu, however, lives very opulently, whether in VaikuNTha or in the material world, but His devotees appear poverty-stricken. Why is this so?"

MahArAja ParIkSit's question is very intelligent. The two classes of devotees, namely the devotees of Lord Siva and the devotees of Lord ViSNu, are always in disagreement. Even today in India these two classes of devotees still criticize each other, and especially in South India the followers of RAmAnujAcArya and the followers of SaGkarAcArya hold occasional meetings for understanding the Vedic conclusion. Generally, the followers of RAmAnujAcArya come out victorious in such meetings. So ParIkSit MahArAja wanted to clarify the situation by asking this question of Sukadeva GosvAmI. That Lord Siva lives as a poor man although his devotees appear very opulent, whereas Lord KRSNa, or Lord ViSNu, is always opulent and yet His devotees appear poverty-stricken, is a situation which appears contradictory and puzzling to a discriminating person.

Replying to King ParIkSit's inquiry, Sukadeva GosvAmI said that Lord Siva is the master of the material energy. The material energy is represented by goddess DurgA, and because Lord Siva happens to be her husband, goddess DurgA is completely under his subjugation. Thus Lord Siva is understood to be the master of this material energy. The material energy is manifested in three qualities, namely goodness, passion and ignorance, and therefore Lord Siva is the master of these three qualities. Although he is in association with these qualities for the benefit of the conditioned soul, Lord Siva is the director and is not affected. Although the conditioned soul is affected by the three qualities, Lord Siva, being the master of these qualities, is not.

From the statements of Sukadeva GosvAmI we can understand that the effects of worshiping different demigods are not, as some less intelligent persons suppose, the same as the effects of worshiping Lord ViSNu. He clearly states that by worshiping Lord Siva one achieves one reward, whereas by worshiping Lord ViSNu one achieves a different reward. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA: "Those who worship the different demigods achieve the desired results the respective demigods can reward. Similarly, those who worship the material energy receive the suitable reward for such activities, and those who worship the pitRs receive similar results. But those who engage in devotional service or worship the Supreme Lord, ViSNu, or KRSNa, go to the VaikuNTha planets or KRSNaloka." One cannot approach the transcendental region, or paravyoma, the spiritual sky, by worshiping Lord Siva or BrahmA or any other demigod.

Since this material world is a product of the three qualities of material nature, all varieties of manifestations come from those three qualities. With the aid of materialistic science, modern civilization has created many machines and comforts, yet they are only varieties of the interactions of the three material qualities. Although the devotees of Lord Siva are able to obtain many material acquisitions, we should know that they are simply collecting products manufactured by the three qualities. The three qualities are again subdivided into sixteen, namely the ten senses (five working senses and five knowledge-acquiring senses), the mind, and the five elements (earth, water, air, fire and sky). These sixteen items are extensions of the three qualities. Material happiness or opulence means gratification of the senses, especially the genitals, the tongue and the mind. By exercising our minds we create many pleasurable things just for enjoyment by the genitals and the tongue. The opulence of a person within this material world is estimated in terms of his exercise of the genitals and the tongue, or, in other words, how well he is able to utilize his sexual capacities and how well he is able to satisfy his fastidious taste by eating palatable dishes. Material advancement of civilization necessitates creating objects of enjoyment by mental concoction just to become happy on the basis of these two principles: pleasures for the genitals and pleasures for the tongue. Herein lies the answer to King ParIkSit's question to Sukadeva GosvAmI as to why the worshipers of Lord Siva are so opulent.

The devotees of Lord Siva are only opulent in terms of the material qualities. Factually, such so-called advancement of civilization is the cause of entanglement in material existence. It is actually not advancement but degradation. The conclusion is that because Lord Siva is the master of the three qualities, his devotees are given things manufactured by the interactions of these qualities for the satisfaction of the senses. In the Bhagavad-gItA, however, we get instruction from Lord KRSNa that one has to transcend this qualitative existence. NistraiguNyo bhavArjuna: the mission of human life is to become transcendental to the three qualities. Unless one is nistraiguNya, he cannot get free from material entanglement. In other words, favors received from Lord Siva are not actually beneficial to the conditioned souls, although materially such facilities seem opulent.

Sukadeva GosvAmI continued, "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, is transcendental to the three qualities of material nature." In the Bhagavad-gItA the Lord states that anyone who surrenders unto Him surpasses the control of the three qualities of material nature. Therefore, since Hari's devotees are transcendental to the control of the three material qualities, certainly He Himself is transcendental. It is stated, therefore, in SrImad-BhAgavatam that Hari, or KRSNa, is the original Supreme Personality. There are two kinds of prakRtis, or potencies, namely the internal potency and the external potency, and KRSNa is the overlord of both. He is sarva-dRk, or the overseer of all the actions of the internal and external potencies, and He is also described as upadraSTA, the supreme advisor. Because He is the supreme advisor, He is above all the demigods, who merely follow the directions of the supreme advisor. As such, if one directly follows the instructions of the Supreme Lord, as inculcated in the Bhagavad-gItA and SrImad-BhAgavatam, then one gradually becomes nirguNa, or above the interactions of the material qualities. To be nirguNa means to be bereft of material opulences because, as we have explained, material opulence means an increase of the actions and reactions of the three material qualities. By worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, instead of being puffed up with material opulences one becomes enriched with spiritual advancement of knowledge in KRSNa consciousness. To become nirguNa means to achieve eternal peace, fearlessness, religiousness, knowledge and renunciation. All these are symptoms of becoming free from the contamination of the material qualities.

Sukadeva GosvAmI, in answering ParIkSit MahArAja's question, went on to cite a historical instance regarding ParIkSit MahArAja's grandfather, King YudhiSThira. He said that after finishing the Azvamedha sacrifice in the great sacrificial arena, King YudhiSThira, in the presence of great authorities, inquired on that very same point: how is it that the devotees of Lord Siva become materially opulent, whereas the devotees of Lord ViSNu do not? Sukadeva GosvAmI specifically referred to King YudhiSThira as "your grandfather" so that MahArAja ParIkSit would be encouraged to think that he was related to KRSNa and that his grandfathers were intimately connected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Although KRSNa is always very satisfied by nature, when MahArAja YudhiSThira asked this question the Lord became even more satisfied because this question and its answer would bear a great meaning for the entire KRSNa conscious society. Whenever Lord KRSNa speaks about something to a specific devotee, it is meant not only for that devotee but for the entire human society. Instructions by the Supreme Personality of Godhead are important even to the demigods, headed by Lord BrahmA, Lord Siva and others, and one who does not take advantage of the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who descends within this world for the benefit of all living entities, is certainly very unfortunate.

Lord KRSNa answered the question of MahArAja YudhiSThira as follows: "If I especially favor a devotee and especially wish to care for him, the first thing I do is take away his riches. When the devotee becomes a penniless pauper or is put into a comparatively poverty-stricken position, his relatives and family members no longer take interest in him, and in most cases they give up their connection with him. The devotee then becomes doubly unhappy." First of all the devotee becomes unhappy because his riches have been taken away by KRSNa, and he is made even more unhappy when his relatives desert him because of his poverty. We should note, however, that when a devotee falls into a miserable condition in this way, it is not due to past impious activities, known as karma-phala; the poverty of the devotee is a creation of the Personality of Godhead. Similarly, when a devotee becomes materially opulent, that is also not due to his pious activities. In either case, whether the devotee becomes poorer or richer, the arrangement is made by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This arrangement is especially made by KRSNa for His devotee just to make him completely dependent upon Him and to free him from all material obligations.

He can then concentrate his energies, mind and body--everything--for the service of the Lord, and that is pure devotional service. In the NArada-paJcarAtra it is therefore explained, sarvopAdhi-vinirmuktam [Cc. Madhya 19.170], which means "being freed from all designations." Works performed for family, society, community, nation or humanity are all designated: "I belong to this society,I belong to this community,I belong to this nation,I belong to this species of life." Such identities are all merely designations. When by the grace of the Lord a devotee is freed from all designations, his devotional service is actually naiSkarmya. JJAnIs are very much attracted by the position of naiSkarmya, in which one's actions no longer have material effect. The devotee's actions are freed from effects, and so they are no longer in the category of karma-phalam, or fruitive activities. As explained before by the personified Vedas, the happiness and distress of a devotee are produced by the Personality of Godhead, and the devotee therefore does not care whether he is in happiness or in distress. He goes on with his duties in executing devotional service. Although his behavior seems to be subject to the actions and reactions of fruitive activities, he is actually freed from the results of action.

It may be questioned why a devotee is put into such tribulation by the Personality of Godhead. The answer is that this kind of arrangement by the Lord is just like a father's sometimes becoming unkind to his sons. Because the devotee is a surrendered soul and is taken charge of by the Supreme Lord, whatever condition of life the Lord puts him in--whether one of distress or of happiness--it is to be understood that behind this arrangement is a large plan designed by the Personality of Godhead. For example, Lord KRSNa put the PANDavas into a distressed condition so acute that even grandfather BhISma could not comprehend how such distress could occur. He lamented that although the whole PANDava family was headed by King YudhiSThira, the most pious king, and protected by the two great warriors BhIma and Arjuna, and although, above all, the PANDavas were all intimate friends and relatives of Lord KRSNa, they still had to undergo such tribulations. Later, however, it was proved that this was planned by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa, as part of His great mission to annihilate the miscreants and protect the devotees.

Another question may be raised: What is the difference between a devotee and a common man, since both are put into different kinds of happy and distressful conditions--the devotee by the arrangement of the Personality of Godhead, and the common man as a result of his past deeds? How is the devotee any better than the ordinary karmI ? The answer is that the karmIs and the devotees are not on the same level. In whatever condition of life the karmI may be, he continues in the cycle of birth and death because the seed of karma, or fruitive activity, is there, and it fructifies whenever there is an opportunity. By the law of karma a common man is perpetually entangled in repeated birth and death, whereas a devotee's distress and happiness, not being under the laws of karma, are part of a temporary arrangement by the Supreme Lord which does not entangle the devotee. Such an arrangement is made by the Lord only to serve a temporary purpose. If a karmI performs auspicious acts he is elevated to the heavenly planets, and if he acts impiously he is put into a hellish condition. But whether a devotee acts in a so-called pious or impious manner, he is neither elevated nor degraded, but is transferred to the spiritual kingdom.

Therefore a devotee's happiness and distress and a karmI's happiness and distress are not on the same level. This fact is corroborated by a speech by YamarAja to his servants in connection with the liberation of AjAmila. YamarAja advised his followers that only persons who have never uttered the holy name of the Lord or remembered the form, quality and pastimes of the Lord should be approached by his watchguards. YamarAja also advised his servants never to approach the devotees. On the contrary, he instructed his messengers that if they meet a devotee they should offer their respectful obeisances. So there is no question of a devotee's being promoted or degraded within this material world. As there is a gulf of difference between the punishment awarded by the mother and the punishment awarded by an enemy, so a devotee's distress is not the same as the distress of a common karmI.

Here another question may be raised: If God is all-powerful, why should He try to reform His devotee by putting him in distress? The answer is that when the Supreme Personality of Godhead puts His devotee in distress, it is not without purpose. Sometimes the purpose is that in distress a devotee's feelings of attachment to KRSNa are magnified. For example, when KRSNa, before leaving the capital of the PANDavas for His home, was asking KuntIdevI for permission to leave, she said, "My dear KRSNa, in our distress You were always present with us. Now, because we have been elevated to a royal position, You are leaving us. I would therefore prefer to live in distress than to lose You." When a devotee is put in a situation of distress, his devotional activities are accelerated. Therefore, to show special favor to a devotee, the Lord sometimes puts him in distress. Besides that, it is stated that the sweetness of happiness is sweeter to those who have tasted bitterness. The Supreme Lord descends to this material world just to protect His devotees from distress. In other words, if devotees were not in a distressed condition, the Lord would not have come down. As for His killing the demons or the miscreants, this can be easily done by His various energies, just as many asuras are killed by His external energy, goddess DurgA. Therefore the Lord does not need to come down personally to kill such demons, but when His devotee is in distress He must come. Lord NRsiMhadeva appeared not to kill HiraNyakazipu but to see PrahlAda and to give him blessings. In other words, because PrahlAda MahArAja was put into very great distress, the Lord appeared.

When after the dense, dark night there is finally sunrise in the morning, it is very pleasant; when there is scorching heat, cold water is very pleasant; and when there is freezing winter, hot water is very pleasant. Similarly, when a devotee, after experiencing the distress of the material world, relishes the spiritual happiness awarded by the Lord, his position is still more pleasant and enjoyable.

The Lord continued, "When My devotee is bereft of all material riches and is deserted by his relatives, friends and family members, because he has no one to look after him he completely takes shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord." SrIla Narottama dAsa ThAkura has sung in this connection, "My dear Lord KRSNa, O son of Nanda MahArAja, You are now standing before me with SrImatI RAdhArANI, the daughter of King VRSabhAnu. I am now surrendering unto You. Please accept me. Please do not kick me away. I have no shelter other than You."

When a devotee is thus put into so-called miserable conditions and bereft of riches and family, he tries to revive his original position of material opulence. But although he tries again and again, KRSNa again and again takes away all his resources. Thus he finally becomes disappointed in material activities, and in that stage of frustration in all endeavors, he can fully surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such persons are advised by the Lord from within to associate with devotees. By associating with devotees they naturally become inclined to render service to the Personality of Godhead, and they immediately get all facilities from the Lord to advance in KRSNa consciousness. The nondevotees, however, are very careful about preserving their material condition of life. Generally, therefore, such nondevotees do not come to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but worship Lord Siva or other demigods for immediate material profit. In the Bhagavad-gItA it is said, therefore, kAGkSantaH karmaNAM siddhiM yajanta iha devatAH: "The karmIs, in order to achieve success within this material world, worship the various demigods." It is also stated by Lord KRSNa that those who worship the demigods are not mature in their intelligence. The devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, therefore, because of their strong attachment for Him, do not foolishly go to the demigods.

Lord KRSNa said to King YudhiSThira, "My devotee is not deterred by any adverse conditions of life; he always remains firm and steady. Therefore I give Myself to him, and I favor him so that he can achieve the highest success of life." The mercy bestowed upon the tried devotee by the Supreme Personality is described as brahma, which indicates that the greatness of that mercy can be compared only to the all-pervasive greatness. Brahma means unlimitedly great and unlimitedly expanding. That mercy is also described as paramam, for it has no comparison within this material world, and it is also called sUkSmam, very fine. Not only is the Lord's mercy upon the tried devotee great and unlimitedly expansive, but it is of the finest quality of transcendental love between the devotee and the Lord. Such mercy is further described as cin-mAtram, completely spiritual. The use of the word mAtram indicates absolute spirituality, with no tinge of material qualities. That mercy is also called sat (eternal) and anantakam (unlimited). Since the devotee of the Lord is awarded such unlimited spiritual benefit, why should he worship the demigods? A devotee of KRSNa does not worship Lord Siva or BrahmA or any other, subordinate demigod. He completely devotes himself to the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Sukadeva GosvAmI continued, "The demigods, headed by Lord BrahmA and Lord Siva and including Lord Indra, Candra, VaruNa and others, are apt to be very quickly satisfied and very quickly angered by the good and ill behavior of their devotees. But this is not so with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, ViSNu." This means that every living entity within this material world, including the demigods, is conducted by the three modes of material nature, and therefore the qualities of ignorance and passion are very prominent within the material world. Those devotees who take blessings from the demigods are also infected with the material qualities, especially passion and ignorance. Lord SrI KRSNa has therefore stated in the Bhagavad-gItA that to take blessings from the demigods is less intelligent because when one takes benedictions from the demigods the results of such benedictions are temporary. It is easy to get material opulence by worshiping the demigods, but the result is sometimes disastrous. As such, the benedictions derived from demigods are appreciated only by the less intelligent class of men. Persons who derive benedictions from the demigods gradually become puffed up with material opulence and neglectful of their benefactors.

Sukadeva GosvAmI addressed King ParIkSit thus: "My dear King, Lord BrahmA, Lord ViSNu and Lord Siva, the principal trio of the material creation, are able to bless or curse anyone. Of this trio, Lord BrahmA and Lord Siva are very easily satisfied but also very easily angered. When satisfied they give benedictions without consideration, and when angry they curse the devotee without consideration. But Lord ViSNu is not like that. Lord ViSNu is very considerate. Whenever a devotee wants something from Lord ViSNu, Lord ViSNu first considers whether such a benediction will ultimately be good for the devotee. Lord ViSNu never bestows any benediction which will ultimately prove disastrous to the devotee. By His transcendental nature, He is always merciful; therefore, before giving any benediction, He considers whether it will prove beneficial for the devotee. Since the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always merciful, even when it appears that He has killed a demon, or even when He apparently becomes angry toward a devotee, His actions are always auspicious. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is therefore known as all-good. Whatever He does is good."

As for the benedictions given by demigods like Lord Siva, there is the following historical incident cited by great sages. Once, Lord Siva, after giving a benediction to a demon named VRkAsura, the son of Sakuni, was himself entrapped in a very dangerous position. VRkAsura was searching after a benediction and trying to decide which of the three presiding deities to worship in order to get it. In the meantime he happened to meet the great sage NArada and consulted with him as to whom he should approach to achieve quick results from his austerity. He inquired, "Of the three deities, namely Lord BrahmA, Lord ViSNu and Lord Siva, who is most quickly satisfied?" NArada could understand the plan of the demon, and he advised him, "You had better worship Lord Siva; then you will quickly get the desired result. Lord Siva is very quickly satisfied and very quickly dissatisfied also. So you try to satisfy Lord Siva." NArada also cited instances wherein demons like RAvaNa and BANAsura were enriched with great opulences simply by satisfying Lord Siva with prayers. Because the great sage NArada was aware of the nature of the demon VRkAsura, he did not advise him to approach ViSNu or Lord BrahmA. Persons such as VRkAsura, who are situated in the material mode of ignorance, cannot stick to the worship of ViSNu.

After receiving instruction from NArada, the demon VRkAsura went to KedAranAtha. The pilgrimage site of KedAranAtha still exists near Kashmir. It is almost always covered by snow, but for part of the year, during the month of July, it is possible to see the deity, and devotees go there to offer their respects. KedAranAtha is for the devotees of Lord Siva. According to the Vedic principle, when something is offered to the deities to eat, it is offered in a fire. Therefore a fire sacrifice is necessary in all sorts of ceremonies. It is specifically stated in the zAstras that gods are to be offered something to eat through the fire. The demon VRkAsura therefore went to KedAranAtha and ignited a sacrificial fire to please Lord Siva.

After igniting the fire in the name of Siva, he began to offer his own flesh by cutting it from his body to please Lord Siva. Here is an instance of worship in the mode of ignorance. In the Bhagavad-gItA, different types of sacrifice are mentioned. Some sacrifices are in the mode of goodness, some are in the mode of passion, and some are in the mode of ignorance. There are different kinds of tapasya and worship because there are different kinds of people within this world. But the ultimate tapasya, KRSNa consciousness, is the topmost yoga and the topmost sacrifice. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gItA, the topmost yoga is to think always of Lord KRSNa within the heart, and the topmost sacrifice is to perform the saGkIrtana-yajJa.

In the Bhagavad-gItA it is stated that the worshipers of the demigods have lost their intelligence. As revealed later in this chapter, VRkAsura wanted to satisfy Lord Siva for a third-class materialistic objective, which was temporary and without real benefit. The asuras, or persons within the mode of ignorance, will accept such benedictions from the demigods. In complete contrast to this sacrifice in the mode of ignorance, the arcana-vidhi process for worshiping Lord ViSNu or KRSNa is very simple. Lord KRSNa says in the Bhagavad-gItA that He accepts from His devotee even a little fruit, a flower or some water, which can be gathered by any person, rich or poor.

Of course, those who are rich are not expected to offer only a little water, a little piece of fruit or a little leaf to the Lord; a rich man should offer according to his position. But if the devotee happens to be a very poor man, the Lord will accept even the most meager offering. The worship of Lord ViSNu or KRSNa is very simple, and it can be executed by anyone in this world. But worship in the mode of ignorance, as exhibited by VRkAsura, is not only very difficult and painful but is also a useless waste of time. Therefore the Bhagavad-gItA says that the worshipers of the demigods are bereft of intelligence; their process of worship is very difficult, and at the same time the result obtained is flickering and temporary.

Although VRkAsura continued his sacrifice for six days, he was unable to personally see Lord Siva, which was his objective; he wanted to see him face to face and ask him for a benediction. Here is another contrast between a demon and a devotee. A devotee is confident that whatever he offers to the Deity in full devotional service is accepted by the Lord, but a demon wants to see his worshipable deity face to face so that he can directly take the benediction. A devotee does not worship ViSNu or Lord KRSNa for any benediction. Therefore a devotee is called akAma, free of desire, and a nondevotee is called sarva-kAma, or desirous of everything.

On the seventh day, the demon VRkAsura decided that he should cut off his head and offer it to satisfy Lord Siva. Thus he took a bath in a nearby lake, and without drying his body and hair, he prepared to cut off his head. According to the Vedic system, an animal to be offered as a sacrifice has to be bathed first, and while the animal is wet it is sacrificed. When the demon was thus preparing to cut off his head, Lord Siva became very compassionate. This compassion is a symptom of the quality of goodness. Lord Siva is called tri-liGga, "a mixture of the three material qualities." Therefore his manifestation of the nature of compassion is a sign of the quality of goodness. This compassion, however, is present in every living entity. The compassion of Lord Siva was aroused not because the demon was offering his flesh into the sacrificial fire but because he was about to commit suicide. This is natural compassion. Even if a common man sees someone preparing to commit suicide, he will try to save him. He does so automatically. There is no need to appeal to him. Therefore when Lord Siva appeared from the fire to check the demon from suicide, it was not as a very great favor to him.

Lord Siva's touch saved the demon from committing suicide; his bodily injuries immediately healed, and his body became as it was before. Then Lord Siva told the demon, "My dear VRkAsura, you do not need to cut off your head. You may ask from me any benediction you like, and I shall fulfill your desire. I do not know why you wanted to cut off your head to satisfy me. I become satisfied even by an offering of a little water." Actually, according to the Vedic process, the ziva-liGga in the temple or the form of Lord Siva in the temple is worshiped simply by offering Ganges water, because it is said that Lord Siva is greatly satisfied when Ganges water is poured upon his head. Generally, devotees offer Ganges water and the leaves of the bilva tree, which are especially meant for offering to Lord Siva and goddess DurgA. The fruit of this tree is also offered to Lord Siva. Lord Siva assured VRkAsura that he is satisfied by a very simple process of worship. Why then was he so anxious to cut off his head, and why was he taking so much pain by cutting his body to pieces and offering it in the fire? There was no need of such severe penances. Anyway, out of compassion and sympathy, Lord Siva prepared to give him any benediction he liked.

When the demon was offered this facility by Lord Siva, he asked for a fearful and abominable benediction. The demon was very sinful, and sinful persons do not know what sort of benediction should be asked from the deity. Therefore he asked Lord Siva to be blessed with such power that as soon as he would touch anyone's head, it would immediately crack and the man would die. The demons are described in the Bhagavad-gItA as duSkRtIs, or miscreants. KRtI means "very meritorious," but when duH is added it means "abominable." Instead of surrendering unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the duSkRtIs worship different demigods to derive abominable material benefits. Although the duSkRtIs have brain power and merit, their merit and brain power are used for abominable activities.

Sometimes, for example, materialistic scientists invent a lethal weapon. The scientific research for such an invention certainly requires a very good brain, but instead of inventing something beneficial to human society they invent something to accelerate death, which is already assured to every man. They cannot show their meritorious power by inventing something which can save man from death; instead they invent weapons which accelerate the process of death. Similarly, VRkAsura, instead of asking Lord Siva for something beneficial to human society, asked for something very dangerous to human society. Lord Siva is powerful enough to give any benediction, so the demon could have asked something beneficial from him, but for his personal interest he asked that anyone whose head would be touched by his hand would at once die. Lord Siva could understand the motive of the demon, and he was very sorry that he had assured him whatever benediction he liked. He could not withdraw his promise, but he was very sorry in his heart that he was to offer him a benediction so dangerous to human society. Devotees of the Personality of Godhead never ask any benediction from Lord ViSNu, or KRSNa, and even if they ask something from the Lord, it is not at all dangerous for human society. That is the difference between the demons and the devotees, or the worshipers of Lord Siva and the worshipers of Lord ViSNu.

While Sukadeva GosvAmI was narrating the history of VRkAsura, he addressed MahArAja ParIkSit as BhArata, referring to King ParIkSit's birth in a family of devotees. MahArAja ParIkSit was saved by Lord KRSNa while in his mother's womb. Later, he could have asked Lord KRSNa to save him again, from the curse of a brAhmaNa, but he did not do so. The demon, however, wanted to become immortal by killing everyone with the touch of his hand. Lord Siva could understand this, but because he had promised, he gave him the benediction.

The demon, however, being very sinful, immediately decided that he would use the benediction to kill Lord Siva and take away GaurI (PArvatI) for his personal enjoyment. He immediately decided to place his hand on the head of Lord Siva. Thus Lord Siva was put into an awkward position because he was endangered by his own benediction to a demon. This is an instance of a materialistic devotee's misusing the power derived from the demigods.

Without further deliberation, the demon VRkAsura approached Lord Siva to place his hand on Lord Siva's head. Lord Siva was so afraid of him that his body trembled, and he fled from the land to the sky and from the sky to other planets, until he reached the limits of the universe, above the higher planetary systems. Lord Siva fled from one place to another, but the demon VRkAsura continued to chase him. The predominating deities of other planets, such as BrahmA, Indra and Candra, could not find any way to save Lord Siva from the impending danger. Wherever Lord Siva went, they remained silent.

At last Lord Siva approached Lord ViSNu, who is situated within this universe on the planet known as SvetadvIpa. SvetadvIpa is the local VaikuNTha planet, beyond the jurisdiction of the influence of the external energy. Lord ViSNu in His all-pervasive feature remains everywhere, but wherever He remains personally is the VaikuNTha atmosphere. In the Bhagavad-gItA it is stated that the Lord remains within the heart of all living entities. As such, the Lord remains within the heart of many lowborn living entities, but that does not mean that He is lowborn. Wherever He remains is transformed into VaikuNTha. So the planet within this universe known as SvetadvIpa is also VaikuNThaloka. It is said in the zAstras that residential quarters within the forest are in the mode of goodness, residential quarters in big cities, towns and villages are in the mode of passion, and residential quarters in an atmosphere wherein indulgence in the four sinful activities of illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling predominate are in the mode of ignorance. But residential quarters in a temple of ViSNu, the Supreme Lord, are in VaikuNTha. It doesn't matter where the temple is situated; the temple itself, wherever it may be, is VaikuNTha. Similarly, the SvetadvIpa planet, although within the material jurisdiction, is VaikuNTha.

Lord Siva finally entered SvetadvIpa VaikuNTha. In SvetadvIpa there are great saintly persons who are completely freed from the envious nature of the material world and are beyond the jurisdiction of the four principles of material activity, namely religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation. Anyone who enters into that VaikuNTha planet never returns to this material world. Lord NArAyaNa is celebrated as a lover of His devotees, and as soon as He understood that Lord Siva was in great danger, He appeared as a brahmacArI and personally approached Lord Siva to receive him from a distant place. The Lord appeared as a perfect brahmacArI, with a belt around His waist, a sacred thread, a deerskin, a brahmacArI stick and raudra beads. (Raudra beads are different from tulasI beads. Raudra beads are used by the devotees of Lord Siva.) Dressed as a brahmacArI, Lord NArAyaNa stood before Lord Siva. The shining effulgence emanating from His body attracted not only Lord Siva but also the demon VRkAsura.

Lord NArAyaNa offered his respects and obeisances unto VRkAsura, just to attract his sympathy and attention. Thus stopping the demon, the Lord addressed him as follows: "My dear son of Sakuni, you appear very tired, as if coming from a very distant place. What is your purpose? Why have you come so far? I see that you are fatigued, so I request you to take a little rest. You should not unnecessarily tire your body. Everyone greatly values his body because with this body only can one fulfill all the desires of one's mind. We should not, therefore, unnecessarily give trouble to this body."

The brahmacArI addressed VRkAsura as the son of Sakuni just to convince him that He was known to his father, Sakuni. VRkAsura then took the brahmacArI to be someone known to his family, and therefore the brahmacArI's sympathetic words appealed to him. Before the demon could argue that he had no time to take rest, the Lord informed him about the importance of the body, and the demon was convinced. Any man, especially a demon, takes his body to be very important. Thus VRkAsura became convinced about the importance of his body.

Then, just to pacify the demon, the brahmacArI told him, "My dear lord, if you think that you can disclose the mission for which you have taken the trouble to come here, maybe I shall be able to help you so that your purpose will be easily served." Indirectly, the Lord informed him that because the Lord is the Supreme Brahman, He would certainly be able to adjust the awkward situation created by Lord Siva.

The demon was greatly pacified by the sweet words of Lord NArAyaNa in the form of a brahmacArI, and at last he disclosed all that had happened in regard to the benediction offered by Lord Siva. The Lord replied to the demon as follows: "I myself cannot believe that Lord Siva has in truth given you such a benediction. As far as I know, Lord Siva is not in a sane mental condition. Since he had a quarrel with his father-in-law, DakSa, he has been cursed to become a pizAca (ghost). Thus he has become the leader of the ghosts and hobgoblins. Therefore I cannot put any faith in his words. But if you still have faith in the words of Lord Siva, my dear King of the demons, then why don't you make an experiment by putting your hand on your own head? If the benediction proves false, then you can immediately kill this liar, Lord Siva, so that in the future he will not dare give out false benedictions."

In this way, by Lord NArAyaNa's sweet words and by the expansion of His superior illusion, the demon became bewildered, and he actually forgot the power of Lord Siva and his benediction. He was thus very easily persuaded to put his hand on his own head. As soon as the demon did that, his head cracked, as if struck by thunder, and he immediately died. The demigods from heaven showered flowers on Lord NArAyaNa, praising Him with shouts of "All glories!" and "All thanksgiving!" and they offered their obeisances to the Lord. On the death of VRkAsura, all the denizens in the higher planetary systems, namely the demigods, the pitRs, the Gandharvas and the inhabitants of Janoloka, showered flowers on the Personality of Godhead.

Thus Lord ViSNu in the form of a brahmacArI released Lord Siva from the impending danger and saved the whole situation. Lord NArAyaNa then informed Lord Siva that this demon, VRkAsura, was killed as the result of his sinful activities. He was especially sinful and offensive because he wanted to experiment on his own master, Lord Siva. Lord NArAyaNa then told Lord Siva, "My dear lord, a person who commits an offense to great souls cannot continue to exist. He is vanquished by his own sinful activities, and this is certainly true of this demon, who has committed such an offensive act against you."

Thus by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, NArAyaNa, who is transcendental to all material qualities, Lord Siva was saved from being killed by a demon. Anyone who hears this history with faith and devotion is certainly liberated from material entanglement as well as from the clutches of his enemies.

Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Eighty-eighth Chapter of KRSNa, "The Deliverance of Lord Siva."

May 7, 2006

Chapter 8: Let There Be Calamities

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Teachings of Queen Kuntī

This material world is certified by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā as a dangerous place full of calamities. Less intelligent persons prepare plans to adjust to those calamities, without knowing that the nature of this place is to be full of calamities. They have no information of the abode of the Lord, which is full of bliss and without trace of calamity. The duty of the sane person, therefore, is to be undisturbed by worldly calamities, which are sure to happen in all circumstances. Suffering all sorts of unavoidable misfortunes, one should make progress in spiritual realization, because that is the mission of human life. The spirit soul is transcendental to all material calamities; therefore, the so-called calamities are called false. A man may see a tiger swallowing him in a dream, and he may cry for this calamity. Actually there is no tiger and there is no suffering; it is simply a case of dreams. In the same way, all calamities of life are said to be dreams. If someone is lucky enough to get in contact with the Lord by devotional service, it is all gain. Contact with the Lord by any one of the nine devotional services is always a forward step on the path going back to Godhead.

In this very interesting verse, it is described that vipadaḥ — calamities or dangers — are very good if such dangers and calamities remind us of Kṛṣṇa.

tat te 'nukampāḿ susamīkṣamāṇo

bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaḿ vipākam

(Bhāg. 10.14.8)

How does a devotee receive dangers? There must be dangers because this material world is full of dangers. But foolish people who do not know this try to avoid the dangers. Thus they struggle for existence. Everyone is trying to become happy and avoid danger. This is our material business. Everyone is trying for ātyantikaḿ sukham, ultimate happiness. A working man thinks, "Let me work very hard now and put money in the bank, so that when I get old I shall enjoy life without working." This is the inner intention of everyone. No one wants to work; as soon as one gets some money, he wants to retire from work and become happy. But that is not possible. One cannot become happy in that way.

Here Kuntīdevī speaks of apunar bhava-darśanam. The prefix a means "not," and punar bhava means "repetition of birth and death." The real danger is the repetition of birth and death. That must be stopped.

The material world is full of dangers (padaḿ padaḿ yad vipadām). For example, if one is on the ocean one may have a very strong ship, but that ship can never be safe; because one is at sea, at any time there may be dangers. The Titanic was safe, but on its first voyage it sank, and many important men lost their lives. So danger there must be, because we are in a dangerous position. This material world itself is dangerous. Therefore, our business now should be to cross over this sea of danger as soon as possible. As long as we are at sea, we are in a dangerous position, however strong our ship may be. That's a fact. But we should not be disturbed by the sea waves; instead, we should just try to cross over the sea and get to the other side. That should be our business.

As long as we are in this material world, there must be calamities because this is the place of calamity. But even with calamities our business should be to develop our Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so that after giving up this body we may go back home, back to Kṛṣṇa.

On the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, Arjuna said to Kṛṣṇa, "Whatever You are saying is all right. I am not this body. I am a soul, and this is also true of everyone else. So when the body is annihilated, the soul will continue to exist. But when I see that my son is dying or my grandfather is dying and that I am killing, how can I be solaced simply by knowing that they are not dying, but that only their bodies are changing? I am accustomed to thinking of them with affection in terms of the body, and so there must be grief and suffering."

Kṛṣṇa did not deny what Arjuna said. "Yes," He replied. "That's a fact. Because you are in the bodily concept of life, there must be suffering. So you must tolerate it, that's all. There is no other remedy." As mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā (2.14), Lord Kṛṣṇa told Arjuna:

mātrā-sparśas tu kaunteya

śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ

āgamāpāyino 'nityās

tāḿs titikṣasva bhārata

"O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of heat and cold, happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed."

In America it may sometimes be very chilly in the morning, and that may make taking one's morning bath a little difficult. But does that mean that those who are devotees will stop taking their prescribed morning bath? No. Even if it is chilly, they must take this regular bath. The duty must be done, even if there is a little suffering involved. That is called tapasya, or austerity. Tapasya means that we must proceed with our business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness despite all the dangers and calamities of this world. This is called tapasya, or voluntary acceptance of the difficulties of life.

Sometimes those who have undertaken strict vows of tapasya will ignite a ring of fire all around themselves, and in the scorching heat of the sun in the hot summer they will sit down in the midst of that fire and meditate. Similarly, in the chilly cold of winter they will immerse themselves in water up to the neck and meditate. Such vows are prescribed in strict systems of tapasya. But Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu does not give us such a prescription. Instead, He gives us a very nice program: chant, dance, and take prasāda, food offered first to Lord Kṛṣṇa. But still we are unwilling. We are so fallen that we cannot accept even this tapasya. Although this kind of tapasya is very easy to perform and very pleasant (su-sukhaḿ kartum avyayam), still we are not agreeable. We may even prefer to rot in the street. Some people prefer to drink and have sex and live in the street. So what can be done?

The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving all facilities so that people may come here, chant, dance, live very peacefully, take kṛṣṇa-prasāda, and be happy, but people will not accept it. That is called misfortune. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, portraying the people of this age, therefore said, "I am so unfortunate that I have no attachment for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa." Lord Caitanya prayed (Śikṣāṣṭaka 2):

nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis

tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ

etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi

durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ

Kṛṣṇa, the transcendental holy name of God, has all potencies, Lord Caitanya said. Kṛṣṇa has unlimited potencies, and similarly in the holy name of Kṛṣṇa there are unlimited potencies. Kṛṣṇa has thousands and thousands of names, of which the name Kṛṣṇa is the chief, and there are no hard and fast rules for chanting. It is not that one must chant at a certain time. No. At any time one may chant. Furthermore, Kṛṣṇa's name is identical with Kṛṣṇa Himself. Therefore the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa.

We should not think that Kṛṣṇa is living in His abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana, and that His name is different from Him. In the material world, of course, in the material conception, a name is different from the fact it represents. But in the absolute world there are no such differences. The name is as potent as Kṛṣṇa is. We have a tongue, and if we use this tongue to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, we shall immediately come directly in touch with Kṛṣṇa, because the name Kṛṣṇa and the person Kṛṣṇa are not different. We may think that Kṛṣṇa is far, far away, but in fact Kṛṣṇa is within us. He is far away, but at the same time He is the nearest. But even if we think that Kṛṣṇa is far, far away, His name is present. We can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa will immediately become available. Kṛṣṇa is available in this easy way, for which there are no hard and fast rules. We can chant at any time and immediately get Kṛṣṇa. Just see the mercy of Kṛṣṇa!

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ: "My dear Lord, You have given me such generous facilities by which to contact You, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attachment for these things. I have attachment for so many other things, but I have no attachment for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is my misfortune." Kṛṣṇa is so magnanimous that He is present before us by the transcendental vibration of His name, which has all the potencies of Kṛṣṇa Himself, and if we remain in contact with that name we shall get all the benefits of Kṛṣṇa's benedictions. But still we are not inclined to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. This is our misfortune.

A devotee, however, is never disturbed by dangers, reverses, or calamities. Rather, he welcomes them. Because he is a surrendered soul, he knows that both dangers and festivals are but different demonstrations of Kṛṣṇa, who is absolute. In the śāstra, the Vedic literature, it is said that religion and irreligion, which are complete opposites, are merely the front portion and the back portion of God. But is there any difference between God's front and God's back? God is absolute, and therefore a devotee, either in opulence or in danger, is undisturbed, knowing that both of these are Kṛṣṇa.

When a devotee is in danger, he thinks, "Now Kṛṣṇa has appeared before me as danger." In His form of Nṛsiḿhadeva, the Lord was dangerous to the demon Hiraṇyakaśipu, but the same Nṛsiḿhadeva was the supreme friend to the devoted Prahlāda Mahārāja. God is never dangerous to the devotee, and the devotee is never afraid of dangers, because he is confident that the danger is but another feature of God. "Why should I be afraid?" the devotee thinks. "I am surrendered to Him."

Therefore Kuntīdevī says, vipadaḥ santu: "Let there be calamities." Vipadaḥ santu tāḥ śaśvat: "Let all those calamities happen again and again." Because she knows how to remember Kṛṣṇa at times of danger, she is welcoming danger. "My dear Lord," she says, "I welcome dangers, because when dangers come I can remember You." When Prahlāda Mahārāja's father was putting him into dangerous predicaments, Prahlāda was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. So if we are put into a dangerous position and that danger gives us an impetus to remember Kṛṣṇa, that is welcome: "Oh, I am getting this opportunity to remember Kṛṣṇa." Why is this welcome? It is welcome because seeing Kṛṣṇa or remembering Kṛṣṇa means advancing in spiritual life so that we will not have to suffer any more of these dangers. Tyaktvā dehaḿ punar janma naiti mām eti so 'rjuna (Bg. 4.9). If one becomes advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the result will be that after giving up the body (tyaktvā deham) one will not have to take birth again in this material world (punar janma naiti). This is to be desired.

Suppose I am very comfortable at the present moment. My body may be comfortable, but there will be death, and then another birth. After giving up my present body, if I get the body of a cat or a dog, what is the meaning of my comfortable position? Death is sure, and after death one must surely accept another body. We may not know what kind of body we shall get, but we can know from the śāstra, the Vedic literature. The śāstra says that according to our particular mentality, we will get a particular kind of body. Although I may be in a comfortable position, if I keep myself in the mentality of a dog, I shall get my next life as a dog. Therefore, what is the value of this comfortable position? I may be in a comfortable position for twenty years, thirty years, fifty years, or at the utmost one hundred years. Yet if, when I give up this body, my mentality causes me to become a cat, a dog, or a mouse, what is the benefit of this comfortable position? But people do not consider this. They think, especially in the present age, "I am now in a comfortable position. I have enough money and a good estate. I have ample comforts and enough food. When this body is finished, I am not going to take birth again, so as long as I am living, let me enjoy life." This is the modern philosophy of hedonism, but it does not correspond to the facts.

Kuntī, however, is aware of birth and death, and she is anxious not to repeat this process. This is indicated by the words apunar bhava-darśanam. If one always sees Kṛṣṇa, one is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for Kṛṣṇa consciousness means always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. One's consciousness should be absorbed in Kṛṣṇa thought. Therefore the spiritual master gives different varieties of engagements to devotees in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For example, under the direction of the spiritual master the devotees may sell books in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But if the devotees think that the energy invested in selling books should be diverted into selling jewelry, that is not a very good idea. Then they would become nothing more than jewelers. We should be very much careful not to be diverted from Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Even if there is danger or suffering in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we should tolerate it. We should even welcome such danger, and we should pray in appreciation to Kṛṣṇa.

How should we pray? Tat te 'nukampāḿ susamīkṣamāṇaḥ: "My dear Lord, it is Your great mercy that I have been put into this dangerous position." That is the viewpoint of a devotee. He doesn't regard danger as danger. Rather, he thinks, "It is Kṛṣṇa's mercy." What kind of mercy? Bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaḿ vipākam: "Because of my past activities, I was meant to suffer very much. But You are mitigating that suffering and giving me only a little." In other words, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa a devotee may receive only token punishment.

In court an important man is sometimes found to be a culprit, and the judge may be able to fine him a hundred thousand dollars and know that the man can pay it. But he may tell the man, "You just give one cent." That is also punishment, but it is greatly minimized. Similarly, we have to suffer for our past deeds. That is a fact, and we cannot avoid it. But karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām (Brahma-saḿhitā 5.54): the sufferings of those who engage in devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness are minimized. For example, one may have been destined to be killed, but instead of being killed with a knife, he may instead get some little cut on his finger. In this way, for those who engage in devotional service, the reactions of past activities are minimized. Lord Kṛṣṇa assures His devotees, ahaḿ tvāḿ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi: "I shall give you protection from the reactions of sinful life." So even if a devotee has a history of very grievous criminal activities behind him, instead of being killed he may only get a little cut on his finger. Why then should a devotee fear danger?

We should simply depend on Kṛṣṇa consciousness, because if we live Kṛṣṇa consciously under all circumstances, we shall not return to this material world (apunar bhava-darśanam). If we repeatedly think of Kṛṣṇa, see Kṛṣṇa, read of Kṛṣṇa, work for Kṛṣṇa, and somehow or other remain in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we benefit in such a way that we shall be saved from taking birth again in the material world. That is true benefit. But if we become a little comfortable because of other, materialistic engagements and we forget Kṛṣṇa and have to take birth again, then what is our benefit? We should be very careful about this. We should act in such a way that our Kṛṣṇa consciousness can under no circumstances be disturbed, even if there is heavy suffering. That is the instruction of Kuntīdevī.

Before winning the Battle of Kurukṣetra, all the Pāṇḍavas were put into many dangers, as already described in the previous verses. They were given poison, they were put into a house of lac that was later set afire, and sometimes they were even confronted with great man-eating demons. They lost their kingdom, they lost their wife, they lost their prestige, and they were exiled to the forest. But throughout all those dangers, Kṛṣṇa was there. When the Kauravas were trying to strip Draupadī naked, Kṛṣṇa was there supplying cloth to protect her honor. Kṛṣṇa was always there.

Therefore, when the Pāṇḍavas went to see their grandfather, Bhīṣmadeva, on his deathbed, Bhīṣmadeva began to cry. "These boys, my grandsons, are all very pious," he said. "Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, the oldest of the brothers, is the most pious person. He is even called Dharmarāja, the king of religion. Bhīma and Arjuna are both devotees, and they are such powerful heroes that they can kill thousands of men. Their wife, Draupadī, is directly the goddess of fortune, and it has been enjoined that wherever she is, there will be no scarcity of food. Thus they all form a wonderful combination, and moreover, Lord Kṛṣṇa is always with them. But still they are suffering." Thus he began to cry, saying, "I do not know what is Kṛṣṇa's arrangement, because such pious devotees are also suffering."

Therefore, we should not think, "Because I have become a devotee, there will be no danger or suffering." Prahlāda Mahārāja suffered greatly, and so did other devotees like the Pāṇḍavas and Haridāsa Ṭhākura. But we should not be disturbed by such sufferings. We must have firm faith, firm conviction, knowing, "Kṛṣṇa is present, and He will give me protection." Don't try to take the benefit of any shelter other than Kṛṣṇa. Always take to Kṛṣṇa.

In Bhagavad-gītā Lord Kṛṣṇa says, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati: "My dear Arjuna, you may declare to the world that My devotee is never vanquished." Now, one may ask, why did Kṛṣṇa advise Arjuna to declare this? Why did He not declare it Himself? The answer is that if Kṛṣṇa Himself made this declaration, it might be suspect, because Kṛṣṇa sometimes violates His own promise. But the promise of a devotee will never be violated. This is Kṛṣṇa's concern. "Oh, My devotee has declared this. I must see that his word is kept." This is Kṛṣṇa's position because of His affection for His devotee. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa said, "You declare it. If I declare it, people may not believe it, but if you declare it they will believe you because you are a devotee." Even though Kṛṣṇa may break His own promise, He wants to see that the promises of His devotees are fulfilled.

Therefore, we must take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and adhere to this consciousness under all circumstances, even in the most dangerous position. We must keep our faith in Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, and then there will be no danger.

stonehearted · May 7, 2006

Beautiful! So sweet and a hot spicy sauce like a good chutney.

Thank you for your sermon of compassion.

Krishna das, I apologize if I added too much chili to the chutney. I hope the sermon didn't have too much fire and brimstone, and that I wasn't too cranky. We all have problems, and when we're in the middle of them, it seems as though there's just nothing else, like when we're caught in a thick fog. Main thing: keep chanting and reading the devotional literature. Everything will clear soon.

Here's another perspective, from Swami B. V. Tripurari's latest book, Sri Caitanya's Siksatakam:

The second effect of nama-sankirtana is deliverance from the great fire of material existence, bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam. The metaphor of a forest fire is often employed to help us understand the nature of material existence. Just as a forest fire often has no external cause but ignites on its own by the friction of two trees, similarly the responsibility for the conflagration of material existence rests with the desires of its inhabitants. God is not to blame. Karma is the stern hand of nature that responds in kind to any and all forms of exploitation. Nature is not to be exploited by the mind’s idea of what her purpose is. She belongs to God.

Sephiroth · May 8, 2006

Let's face it : when it comes to living a comfortable material life, I'm just a loser. Why has Krsna set me up like this? Does it make it easier for developing pure bhakti unto His lotus feet?

Pure Bhakti? :eek4:

If you want to develop pure bhakti, then why are you so stressed of not living a comfortable material life?

I think you better get your priorities straightened here. You better sit down and rethink whether you want Krishna or you want materialistic life.

May 8, 2006

In Srila Prabhupad's words, the day we decide to start our devotional life, we declare a war on Maya.

So, it is quite obvious that a devotee of Lord has to face much moer troubles in life, than an ordinary materialistic person. It is not so easy to attain lotus feet of Krishna. We should not forget that great sages did strong penances and tapasya in forests for thousands of years, and still ended up not knowing Krishna fully. In front of them, what are our difficulties?

In fact, this is Maya's test. She tests how much determined you are to attain love of Krishna. Hence she poses you with great difficulties. Many people give up to such problems, but those who are determined face the problems at their face and defeat them.

On the contrary, as far as materialistic persons are concerned, Maya keeps deluding them by giving them more material pleasures so that they never think of devotional service to Lord. Only by their great fortune or causeless mercy of a Vaishnava, can such materialists come across Krishna Consciousness.

krsna · May 8, 2006

The higher type of man clings to virtue, :rolleyes: the lower type of man clings

to material comfort. :eek4: The higher type of man cherishes justice, :pray: the

lower type of man cherishes the hope of favors to be received. :eek3:

-- Confucius (551-479 BC) Chinese Philosopher:smash:

stonehearted · May 8, 2006

Pop quiz: If the higher person clings to virtue and cherishes justice, what do the highest persons cling to and cherish?

gHari · May 8, 2006

stonehearted · May 8, 2006

I'll give you full credit for that answer, Gary. However, I had in mind two qualities that might parallel the two categories suggested by Confucious, and which are embodied in your answer. Anyone?

bija · May 8, 2006

I do not know. Mercy and sweetness are all I can perceive so far. Desperately in need of both. Mercy from the sanga also- because I have no right to claim entry into it. Sweetness from the sanga also- without the mercy I have no way of seeing the sweetness of it.

stonehearted · May 8, 2006

I can give you credit for that answer, too. One of them is one of the qualitites I had in mind, but is in the wrong slot. Here's what I was thinking:

If Confucious says that the higher persons cling to virtue and cherish justice, it occurred to me that the highest persons cling to love and cherish mercy.

Any other answers are also welcome. It's okay to look in your books.

krsna · May 9, 2006

I can give you credit for that answer, too. One of them is one of the qualitites I had in mind, but is in the wrong slot. Here's what I was thinking:
If Confucious says that the higher persons cling to virtue and cherish justice, it occurred to me that the highest persons cling to love and cherish mercy.

Any other answers are also welcome. It's okay to look in your books.

When I let go of what I am(a conditioned soul),

I become what I might be(a pure servant of Krsna). :pray:

-- (Bhakta) Lao Tzu

May 9, 2006

Whilst it is true that Krishna is merciful etc. etc., one should understand that he is also an autocrat. He is powerful, and we all know that powerful men love controlling the rest of us mortals. Krishna, being most powerful, he is parameswara and Shaktmaan, so he not only controls but plays a game by giving us fragile bodies so we could feel pain (which by the way brings us closer to Krishna), and he lets us live in this world, a world full of greedy men, terrorists etc, which also is an exceedingly merciful act on Krishna's part, since it brings us closer to him.

As you see, even though Krishna is powerful enough to do anythigng he pleases, he is doing it for us mortals, for our own good. Consider the people in Darfur, who are suffering every day, consider the genocide in Rwanda where millions were killed in just over a month, thousands raped in that period. All this may appear ruthless and we tend to say, "it is all the doing of terrorists, why blame Krishna." But actually, not even a blade of grass moves without Krishna's approval. And even if it's true that terrorists are responsible, still Krishna could've protected hapless women, which he didn't. Why?

That's where the autocrat's mercy comes in, Krishna is benevolent. He probably wanted those women to suffer for their previous wrongs, so he mercifully let those men violate the women's honor. And those men would suffer next time, that also is Krishna's mercy. As you can see, all this is Krishna's mercy, even though he is an autocrat. Have you seen cancer patients, how they suffer bodily pain and vomit blood, and scream for relief? All that's Krishna's mercy, my friend! He's trying to teach those souls how despicable this material world is, by giving them cancer and excrutiating agony along with it. How merciful a creator!

I really can't believe people complain against such a merciful, sweet, loving god. I love Krishna, more importantly, his mercy toward lost souls, how he liberates them by giving them intense pain, all for a good cause, by the way. Hare Krishna!

May 9, 2006

Let's face it : when it comes to living a comfortable material life, I'm just a loser. Why has Krsna set me up like this? Does it make it easier for developing pure bhakti unto His lotus feet?

its just ur materialistic thinking that makes u feel that ur missfortuned etc.. im very poor and have bad health, had a violent life and so on, but i have Krsna in my life.. so whats the problem? in one of the Srí siksastaka verses Lord Caitanya says that u (Krsna) may treat me how u whant.. its for ur own good He does this.. chant and chant and stop thinking materialistic

bija · May 10, 2006

quote Govinda Dasa

. im very poor and have bad health, had a violent life and so on, but i have Krsna in my life..

Similarly I Govinda dasa. Sometimes we seem to think in relative consciousness of nationhood etc. We need to go beyond the boundaries of american consciousness, european consciousness, australian consciousness etc, and weighing our situation up with our own backyard.

If I did not have a job, had poor health, so forth and lived in some parts of the world would I be surfing the net? Don't think so?

Yes you do have Krsna in your life Prabhu, you have a beautiful quality of gratitiude. Your story says alot. Thank you.

krsna · June 15, 2008

I do not know. Mercy and sweetness are all I can perceive so far. Desperately in need of both. Mercy from the sanga also- because I have no right to claim entry into it. Sweetness from the sanga also- without the mercy I have no way of seeing the sweetness of it.

'Audarya' means being an instrument, a real krsna das in giving out Sriman Mahaprabhu's mercy and sweetness indiscriminately to one and all.

<B><BIG><BIG>Prayer to the Holy Dhama</BIG></BIG></B>

Navadvipa-pranama

navina-sri-bhaktim nava-kanaka-gaurakriti-pati

navaranya-shreni-nava-sura-saridvat valitam

navina-sri-radha-hari-rasa-mayotkirtana-vidhim

navadvipam vande-karunamadyan nava-rucim

I bow down to Sri Navadvipa, the transcendental land which is filled with forests ever colled by fresh breezes from the Ganga, where newly born devotion manifests by the unprecedented mercy of the Lord of golden complexion, and which bestows the ever-fresh mellow [rasa] of loud glorification of Radha-Krishna in Their highest ecstasy [maha-bhava].

Bishadi · June 15, 2008

Let's face it : when it comes to living a comfortable material life, I'm just a loser. Why has Krsna set me up like this? Does it make it easier for developing pure bhakti unto His lotus feet?

Seems these are old question.

Perhaps unasnwered?

The answer is predeterminations.

To maintain predetermined ideas as to what an experience is to be, rather than observe each as they are and look for the idea to be learned; then a sort of 'hell' encompasses the 'isolation' of the self.

each 'set up' their own existence

krsna · June 15, 2008

Srila Prabhupada encouraged us to be pessimistic about material life (meaning life with no spiritual practice), yet with Krishna consciousness we are meant to have a attitude of great hope and positive expectancy. There are many quotes in Srila Prabhupada’s translations and purports to this effect:

The Six Principles of Surrender:

“When a person becomes firmly convinced about the importance of devotional service, he surrenders unto the Supreme Lord. There are six symptoms of surrender:

(1) One should perform only those actions favorable for devotional service to Krishna.

(2) One should give up everything unfavorable for discharging devotional service.

(3) One should firmly believe that Krishna will protect one in all circumstances and that no one is a better protector than Krishna. This conviction should be distinct from the monistic philosophy that one is as good as Krishna. Rather, one should always think that Krishna, or God, is great and that one is always protected by Him.

(4) One should have the conviction that Krishna is one’s maintainer, and one should not take shelter of any demigod for maintenance.

(5) One should always remember that one’s activities and desires are not independent. In other words, the devotee should feel completely dependent on Krishna, and thus he should act and think as Krishna desires.

(6) One should always think himself the poorest of the poor and feel totally dependent on the mercy of Krishna.”

(From Sutra 12 of the Narada-bhakti-Sutra)

“The strong conviction that one will certainly receive the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called in Sanskrit asa-bandha. Asa-bandha means to continue to think, “Because I’m trying my best to follow the routine principles of devotional service, I am sure that I will go back to Godhead, back to home.”

In this connection, one prayer by Rüpa Gosvami is sufficient to exemplify this hopefulness:

“I have no love for Krishna, nor for the causes of developing love of Krishna—namely, hearing and chanting. And the process of bhakti-yoga, by which one is always thinking of Krishna and fixing His lotus feet in the heart, is also lacking in me. As far as philosophical knowledge or pious works are concerned, I don’t see any opportunity for me to execute such activities. But above all, I am not even born of a nice family. Therefore I must simply pray to You, Gopijana-vallabha [Krishna, maintainer and beloved of the gopis]. I simply wish and hope that some way or other I may be able to approach Your lotus feet, and this hope is giving me pain, because I think myself quite incompetent to approach that transcendental goal of life.”

The purport is that under this heading of asa-bandha, one should continue to hope against hope that some way or other he will be able to approach the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.”

(From NOD chapter 17 on Character of One in Ecstatic Love pg 137)

And lastly one of our favorite versus is found in Brahma’s prayers in the 10th Canto of the Bhagavat. The expressed attitude is meant to be one our guiding principles:

“My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.”

PURPORT

Srila Sridhara Svami explains in his commentary that just as a legitimate son has to simply remain alive to gain an inheritance from his father, one who simply remains alive in Krsna consciousness, following the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga, automatically becomes eligible to receive the mercy of the Personality of Godhead. In other words, he will be promoted to the kingdom of God.

The word su-samiksamana indicates that a devotee earnestly awaits the mercy of the Supreme Lord even while suffering the painful effects of previous sinful activities. Lord Krsna explains in the Bhagavad-gita that a devotee who fully surrenders unto Him is no longer liable to suffer the reactions of his previous karma. However, because in his mind a devotee may still maintain the remnants of his previous sinful mentality, the Lord removes the last vestiges of the enjoying spirit by giving His devotee punishments that may sometimes resemble sinful reactions.

The purpose of the entire creation of God is to rectify the living entity’s tendency to enjoy without the Lord, and therefore the particular punishment given for a sinful activity is specifically designed to curtail the mentality that produced the activity.

Although a devotee has surrendered to the Lord’s devotional service, until he is completely perfect in Krishna consciousness he may maintain a slight inclination to enjoy the false happiness of this world. The Lord therefore creates a particular situation to eradicate this remaining enjoying spirit.

This unhappiness suffered by a sincere devotee is not technically a karmic reaction; it is rather the Lord’s special mercy for inducing His devotee to completely let go of the material world and return home, back to Godhead.

A sincere devotee earnestly desires to go back to the Lord’s abode. Therefore he willingly accepts the Lord’s merciful punishment and continues offering respects and obeisances to the Lord with his heart, words and body. Such a bona fide servant of the Lord, considering all hardship a small price to pay for gaining the personal association of the Lord, certainly becomes a legitimate son of God, as indicated here by the words daya-bhak. Just as one cannot approach the sun without becoming fire, one cannot approach the supreme pure, Lord Krsna, without undergoing a rigid purificatory process, which may appear like suffering but which is in fact a curative treatment administered by the personal hand of the Lord.”

SB 10.14.8

“According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Krishna. By the mercy of both Krishna and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.”

Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya 19.151

Why is Krsna so cruel to me by making my material life a failure???

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