If problems come upon us simply by our past karma, what is the use of bhakti?

Podcast:

Why do devotees sometimes seem to suffer much more than nondevotees? If everything is happening according to karma, then why practice bhakti? Non devotees seem to be getting everything in their life. Even with it, they don’t light a single lamp, whereas devotees seem to have so many problems. And sometimes their material necessities are not taken not, provided for.

Answer. This is indeed a very difficult situation to be in. And I’ll try to answer this in three parts. First is about the cause of suffering. And second is the cure for suffering.

And third is the comfort during suffering. Now the cause of suffering is very difficult to know. In one seventeen-eighteen, in the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita said, that Dharma is speaking to Parikshit Maharaj and saying that it is very difficult to know what is the root cause of suffering, from where suffering has come, klesha has come. And if he asks the people who who are supposed to but they have different opinions. And I’m bewildered by that.

And it is not that Parashat Maharaj tries to enlighten him. Saying that I’ll tell you what is the cause of suffering. Parashat Maharaj actually responded by saying bravo that, you know dharma, and that’s why you’re refusing to point towards someone as a cause of suffering. The point here is twofold. First is that life is tough, as we say.

Everybody has difficulties. Sometimes for some people we know the difficulties, some people we don’t know the difficulties. But, just because we don’t know the difficulties doesn’t mean the difficulties are not there. Different people may have problems of different kinds, but nobody’s life in this world is easy. Some people may have basic material comforts, but they may have psychological problems, they may have relational traumas.

One or the other of the kleshas, from the environment, from the body mind machine, and from people around. This is always there for everyone. So having said that, what then is the solution? In solution, the fact is that distress comes upon everyone. Krishna tells Arjuna, when everyone knew he was killed, that distress befalls everyone in this world, whether it is the good people or the bad people.

The difference is that amid distress, the good people, the wise people act in ways that makes things better, whereas the unwise people act in ways that makes things worse. That is our fundamental choice. Will we be bitter and resentful, maybe let ourselves become hopeless, amid distress, or will we continue moving on despite the distress with determination, with faith, with hope. So rather than getting too much into the cause of the suffering, we need a pragmatic approach just like when somebody gets cancer. Now in some cases, some causes of some types of cancers are known.

In most cases, the occurrence of cancer is a bit unpredictable. So if that occurs, the thing to do is not why it was caused, but what can be done about it. So what is the cure? If we look at our existence from the perspective of this life alone, then sooner or later devotion to God will stop making sense. Because there will be times when from this life’s perspective, the life of those who are devoted may well be tougher than the lives of those who are not devoted.

But when we see this life only as one phase, an existence that spans across many lifetimes, and an existence that is destined ultimately for unending reunion with God and His personal abode, then we will be able to push ourselves forward. It’s like there are two patients, both of them are sick. One of them is both of them have a disease, both of them are in pain, one of them is given pain medication. That person is feeling relatively free from pain and is feeling even cheerful. Other person is given pain medicate is not given pain medication, but is given curative medication.

That person may be feeling pain, but their pain is going to go away from them eventually. Now, why not give pain medication to this person also? Yes, it can be given. So pain medication is like the in the immediate relief from material things. And education is like sorry, spiritual spiritual growth is like the curated medication.

So we need to ideally have both. But sometimes, Krishna, we put us in a situation where the pain medication goes away, and then devotee has nothing but the ultimate medication to focus on. That when high birth, wealth, learning, beauty, these kind of things are no longer there, then a person has to wholeheartedly take shelter of the Lord. So that’s what is happening here, in this situation, or meant to happen in this situation when then one turns towards God and takes shelter of God. Then after that, the next thing is that the cure is the impetus for the cure is intensified for us when the pain medication is taken away, and that’s what is a desired effect for us.

Now you may say, okay, we might be getting ultimately relief, but what about right now? Right now I am suffering. What do I do at this present moment? So how do we get some comfort or relief from his suffering? For that, we need to be resourceful enough to find.

So we need to find out how can we see some source, see if we can find some source of solace? So in this way, maybe there is some association of some devotee who comforts and consoles us. We try to get that as much as possible. Maybe there is some activity of Bhakti, like Kirtan, in which we can immerse ourselves. We don’t try to run away from life through these activities, but we are trying to get some relief and strength to face life and its challenges.

Anyway, satsattvic activities also, we can see those also as coming from Krishna and calming our mind so that we can go towards Krishna. So the dhami buddhi yogam tamya namapa yanthiti, Krishna says, that intent in that when we try to practice bhakti attentive, with a favorable disposition, priti purvaka, with an appreciative heart, then we will be able to overcome many of the challenges that we face. Because Krishna will give us the intelligence from within. Maybe this is what I can try. Maybe that is what I can try.

Then that way, we’ll be able to grow beyond the troubles that we have. Thank you. Ray Krishna. To summarize, the cause of suffering is unknowable, and let’s not agonize only too much. The cure for suffering is what, as devotees, we have.

And to see this cure, we need to see beyond just this one lifetime. It is like this one hospital ward for a brief time. That’s what our this lifetime is like. And while we are being your only curative medication on pain medication, then we can try to find from where we can get some comfort to endure tamas diksha subharata. And if you can end if you can endure with a positive hopeful devotional attitude, then we can attain Krishna.

Thank you.