If we are not spiritually advanced do the problems we face come from our past karma or by Krishnas arrangement?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

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Thank you very much. So if we face obstacles, and if you’re not very advanced, then are those obstacles coming by our own past karma or are they actually coming by Krishna’s plan? Actually, it’s not that the two are exclusive. No, Krishna’s plan can also work through our karma.
That means certain problems may come because of our karma. But if we take shelter of him, Krishna can bring good even out of the bad. Bad things will happen in life.
That’s the result of our past karma. But Krishna can bring good out of the bad also. So for us, if we start getting too analytical about why this is happening, where this is coming from.
No, it is coming from past karma. It is coming from Krishna’s plan. We don’t have to focus on that.
Rather than focus on where this is coming from, we should focus on where this is taking me. Let me see how this can take me towards Krishna. In the Bhagavatam third canto, in the start there is this incident where Duryodhana speaks very harsh words to Vidura.
He says, Vidura, we have maintained you, but you are a traitor. You are like a prostitute who just goes and works for anyone else. So you are, while living with us, while being maintained by us, you are favoring the Pandavas.
You are a traitor. Therefore, get out of here. And the only thing you can take is, give us your breath.
So normally also this will be a big insult for anyone to speak like this to a Kshatriya. And that too, for a junior to speak this to a senior. You know, Vidura is one generation older than him.
It’s a grievous insult. And Vidura is just naturally, even when we say somebody is pure devotee, that is not pure devotee. Even when we say they are pure devotee, that does not mean that they don’t have human emotions.
They have. But the test of our devotion is not that we don’t feel human emotions, but it is that we don’t let those emotions alone determine our actions. We immediately try to return, as soon as possible, we return back to our mood of service to Krishna and think how I can serve Krishna.
So there it is said that although Duryodhana spoke these words under the influence of the external energy, under the influence of Mahamaya, out of his own greed for the kingdom, out of his own envy for the Pandavas, out of his own arrogance in his own strength, he spoke these words. But Vidura saw these words as the arrangement of the internal energy of the Lord. He says, by these words, now I can leave the kingdom.
I don’t have to fight on the side of the Kauravas. I won’t have to fight for them, against the Pandavas. He said, let me just go on a pilgrimage and let me go closer to my Lord.
So the point is that as devotees, we need to see every situation as a way to go closer to Krishna. So specifically why that situation came, it’s very, very difficult to know. If I’m walking along the road, going out, and I slip and fall.
Did I slip because of my past karma or did I slip because somebody had spilled water over there? And it can be anything. It may be both. Now it is because of my past karma that I fall, but it is because of somebody’s present mistake that the water was spilled over there.
So as we start analyzing, Krishna says, So we have to just see in a way, okay, whatever has happened, what is the best thing I can do in this situation? How can I serve Krishna in this situation? And it is not that Krishna’s plan is only for his devotees or only for his pure devotees. Krishna is there in the hearts of everyone. He’s there in the hearts of the demons also.
No. What is he there for? There is nothing in the hearts of the demons that is attractive for Krishna. But Krishna is there also.
Why is he there? Because he cares for everyone. So it is Krishna’s love for us is not based on who we are. It is based on who he is.
He is the benefactor of all living beings. So 5.29 Gita says that he’s the beneficiary of all living beings. So Krishna’s love for us is based on who he is.
He’s the all-loving, all-merciful Lord of everyone. Of course, our experience of his love is based on who we are. If we are too attached to material things, we won’t perceive Krishna’s love.
Sun will always give light, but if our eyes are closed, we can’t see the sunlight. Like that, if we are too materially attached, we can’t perceive Krishna’s love so much. But still, Krishna always loves us.
So we should not think that because I’m not a serious devotee, so Krishna doesn’t care for me. Krishna cares for everyone. But the more purer our devotion, the more we reciprocate positively with Krishna’s care.
But it’s not that Krishna doesn’t care for us. He cares even for the demons. In Kula Shekhar Maharaj’s prayer, he says that He says, don’t worry your mind that I’m going to add on so many sins and I’m going to get so much suffering because of that.
He says, why don’t worry? He says because, he says that He says, your Lord is the enemy of sin. He is the Lord of the goddess of fortune. He will bring fortune in your life.
And he says that That He actually removes the problems of even ordinary people. Now millions of people come to the temple, the churches, the mosques. How many of them are pure devotees? And they still keep coming.
Something must be working for them. They must be getting some solution. That’s why they keep coming.
So the Lord solves problems, even of the people who are just coming for no relationship with Him, just for solving their problems. So he says, if the Lord is solving their problems also, then why will He not solve the problems of those who are trying to devote their life to Him? Just give up laziness, give up doubt, give up lethargy and just devote yourself to the Lord. You devote yourself to Him, He will take care of you.
That’s Kula Shekhar Maharaj’s prayer. So we should not think that the Lord’s love for us depends on the purity of our devotion. He always loves us.
The more pure our devotion, the better we reciprocate with Him. But He always cares for us. And whatever is happening for us, even if it is because of a past karma, the Lord’s plan can act even through that.
So Krishna always wants to help us. And if we think, how can I serve Him in this situation? Then we let Him help us. Without our cooperation, He can’t help us.
So by our submissive service attitude, by our desire, Krishna, how can I serve in this situation? We open ourselves to getting His help. Does this answer your question? Yes, Prabhu. Till what time should we go on?