​If Krishna is merciful, why do we get karmic reactions?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So, when we all have to suffer the results of our karma, Krishna is simply the overseer and the permitter. So, Krishna doesn’t do anything to protect us. Why is that? Or how do we understand this? There is the principle of justice and there is the principle of mercy.
And both of them are important principles. So, the law of karma is according to the principle of justice. Now, whatever action we have done, we have to get the reactions for that.
And within the process of bhakti, there is Kripa, there is mercy. And that mercy is that which enables us to have our reactions minimized. So, when Krishna said, Upadrashtan manta cha bharta bhokta maheshwara, that he is speaking in 13.23. The 13th chapter is talking about, it is mostly Upanishadic, that means that chapter is derived from, theme from the Upanishad.
And then Krishna is talking in the role of a judge. As a super soul, he is the overseer, he is the permitter. That means, you have done this, you will get this reaction.
Just like a judge sits above, you have done this, you get this punishment. You have done this, if this was happened to you, you will get this relief or you will get this compensation, whatever. So, like that, Krishna gives us the results of our karma when he is functioning as a super soul.
But then that same Bhagavad Gita also says in 18.66, at its conclusion that, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja, aham dvam sarva-pavebhyo moksheshyami mahasuchaham. Krishna said, just surrender unto me, I will free you from sinful reactions. Mahasuchaham, not fear.
So, Krishna is not just a judge. He is a judge, but he is much more than a judge. But he also reciprocates based on how we approach.
The judge can give mercy. Sometimes in courts also there is mercy please. If a prisoner may be sentenced for say 20 years imprisonment, but if the prisoner behaves very well in the jail, they may be released after 12 years or 15 years also.
So, like that, there is that happens, but that depends, there is the decrease of the punishment because of mercy, but that happens when the prisoner behaves well. So, the behaving well in the spiritual context is practicing bhakti. Krishna says, if you surrender unto me, I will free you from sinful reactions.
So, now we may say, if Krishna frees us from sinful reactions, then why do we still have problems? We all have, even devotees, serious devotees may also have problems. The thing is, when Krishna wants us to come to him, and if Krishna wants us to come to him, what will be unruly for our going closer to him, that we cannot know with our present vision. Because sometimes, if Krishna in one moment, he can free us from all misery.
But our mind is so attached to material things, that if we become free from misery, we think, oh, this world is an enjoyable place. In the past, I did not know how to enjoy. Now, I know how to enjoy.
And then, we say, thank you, Krishna, bye-bye. So, what will happen is, that relief from misery, that freedom from misery can act as unfavorable to our bhakti. And sometimes, of course, it may also happen that we may be in great misery, and Krishna can minimize that reactions, and by minimizing that reactions, he gives us a conviction that let me keep practicing bhakti.
So, Krishna takes our karma, and he handles it personally in a way that is suitable for our spiritual growth. So, for a devotee, it is important that whenever any problems come in life, devotee should be able to interpret those problems in a way that is favorable to bhakti. The whole, the purpose of philosophy is to recognize how Krishna is acting favorably for us.
And suppose, say, I am walking on the road, and say, if I am in Singapore, so I do not know the local Chinese language, and I am walking along the road, and suddenly, I see somebody shouting and charging towards me. And then, they raise their hand and they are shouting something. And I think, what is that? Is this person going to attack me? I raise my hand to defend myself.
Suddenly, this charge above, charge above, their hand charges above me and just goes above me. Bam! And hit someone behind. I look around and I see that actually, there is a thief who is going to attack me from behind, and this person is warning me there is a thief behind.
But because I did not understand the language, so I thought they were going to attack me only. But actually, they were warning me, and this person was coming ahead, actually protecting me. So, because I did not understand the language in which this person was speaking, I completely misunderstood.
So, like that, we do not know what problem is going to attack us from behind. We do not know what karma we have done and how that karma is going to come upon us. Or sometimes when Krishna comes in our life, sometimes a problem comes in our life, we think, why is Krishna letting it go? But that may actually not be a problem.
That may seem to be like a problem, but that may be saving us from a bigger problem also. So, sometimes when adversities come in our life, and those adversities sober us, and those adversities may save us from a bigger problem. That’s why the whole process of bhakti, especially when we study the philosophy, when we hear the pastimes, it is meant to help us learn the language in which Krishna speaks.
Learn the language in which Krishna speaks, not that we hear some mystical Akashvani, but it means that we start interpreting things in a way that is favorable for our bhakti. We shall see, okay, this is done, this may normally have seemed to me to be unfavorable, but this is actually favorable. And how it is favorable? That often we may need to associate with devotees, who can give us a philosophical, proper philosophical understanding of things.
And then by that, this may seem to be a problem, but actually, this is beneficial for me, this is going to help me grow. So, Krishna definitely, to the extent we try to practice bhakti wholeheartedly, to the extent Krishna intervenes in our life, and he orchestrates our karma in a way by which we move closer to him. Does it answer your question?