Does bhakti remove karmic reactions or give relief amidst karmic reactions?
Can we change the results of our karma by bhakti? I said that when we clap and people come and ask, can we change this? Or is it just the relief that we experience? The rajasic, in a mode of passion, the tendency is always to think in terms of or, this or this.
That's the mental cause. Spiritual consciousness is not or, but and. It's this and this.
So in many fields, is it like this or is it like that? It is not. You are simply going to put in such simple categories. So yes, Krishna's mercy, bhakti helps us in terms of relief that we get.
But bhakti also helps us in terms of Krishna does deal with our reactions. Now, what does he do? He can do many things. He can minimize the reactions that we get.
If we are meant to get a lot of reactions, he can minimize them. Or he can, you could say, reschedule the reactions. That means we are meant to get certain reactions, but when we get some problem, that also matters a lot.
In cricket, it is said that in the players, ultimately if it is umpiring decisions are there, everybody gets bad decisions. And sometimes you are out and you are not out. And sometimes you are not out and you are given out.
So in the long run, you could say it evens out. But then in which match, what kind of decision you are given, that matters. If it is the last over of a match, if you are given out and you are not out, that is going to matter much more.
Then in the middle of the match, if you get out, there are many other batsmen who are waiting to come in. So you know, when what thing happens to us, that also matters a lot. So if, say, it is a stormy weather, at that time I am wild with anger at someone.
I am driving rashly out of that anger. Then that anger and that weather, both coming together, creates far greater danger. If I am angry at one other time, and in the bad weather, there is another time.
Then there is not so much trouble. So basically, Krishna is expert in dealing with our karmic reactions in a way that is the best for our good. So if he wants, he can remove the karma.
If he wants, he can minimize the karma. If he wants, he can reschedule the karma. If he wants, he can shield us from the karmic reactions.
But the main point is that, yes, scripture, the Bhakti literature do talk profusely about how the practice of Bhakti frees us from sinful reactions. Bhakti practices remove the sinful reactions. But then we also see that there are many devotees who go through some things.
And, as for the exalted devotees, we could say that it is not their karma. It is simply Krishna instructing us to do that. But it is not just exalted devotees who go through something.
We have other devotees also. If you look at the history of the Bhakti tradition in India, especially when Muslim rulers were ruling, there were so many devotees who had to suffer so much. They went through it.
So basically, if we start getting into the zone that Krishna will remove my karmic reactions, then every time suffering comes, we ask, why is Krishna not removing this? So what happens is, Bhakti, the essence of the driving force in devotion is the mood of contribution, not the mood of expectation. If we have that mood of expectation constantly, then we never have stability in Bhakti. Why is Krishna not doing this? Bhakti promises this.
Why is this not happening? Why is that not happening? So as devotees, we can focus not on expectations so much. We can focus on contribution. Yes, Krishna will help us.
But if we think that that help means that there should be no… that I chanted Hare Krishna, I surrendered to Krishna, I should have no problems in my life. That's not going to happen. Even if Krishna made our life problem-free, that itself could become a big problem.
Why? Because if life becomes problem-free, then why do I need Krishna? Our life is fine over here. Thinking that I don't need Krishna, that itself is a big problem. So therefore, as Krishna does, remove our reactions.
But how exactly he does it, we don't know. Because to know that Krishna has minimized our reactions, we would have first known this much was my reaction and this much was what I got. Therefore, it would have been minimized.
But we don't know this much. All that we see is this much. Is this much what I am getting? Is it a minimization? Or is it the full dose? We don't know anything.
So therefore, that can put us in too much in a zone of expectation, speculation, and frustration also. Because we feel it should not be happening to him suddenly. So we just focus on how can I best serve Krishna whatever situation comes in my life.
Translation? Yes.