Why do Bad Things Happen to Us?
From your views Why do ‘bad’ things befall us? How does all that come into play? Is everything karma or can anything just happen? How would a KC devotee deal with let’s say he’s on the road preaching and someone stabs him badly, how would you view that? Or would you say that while in KC it would not be possible to be stabbed because Krishna is watching over us, especially
Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Nice question.
You have brought in two points. (1) generally speaking “Why do bad things happen” and (2) “do bad things happen to devotees.”
We know the soul is eternal. We are on a journey. And this life is but one small step in that journey. You could think of a motion picture which is on big, big reels of film made up of millions of frames. So our journey is like the entire motion picture and this life is but one frame out of the total movie. So what happens in this frame is a continuation of what happened in the previous frame and what we do in this frame will effect what happens in the next frame. So bad things do not happen to good people. They may have been good in this life but if bad things are happening we can see it is the result of some bad action they have performed in the past; in this life or in previous lives.
There is no such thing as “chance.” In Sanskrit there is not even a word that means “chance.” The concept does not even exist. The closest thing they have is “adrsti” which means “the cause is unknown.” So if something bad and unexpected happens they will not say it happened “by chance” they will say “the cause is unknown.” Which means it happened for some reason but we do not know what that reason is…
As far as a devotee is concerned Krishna is looking after him, that is sure, but how much of a devotee are we really? It is a question of surrender. We may be “a devotee” but we many not be completely surrendered to Krishna. But a devotee is in Krishna’s hands. He does not mind what is Krishna’s plan.
If it is Krishna’s plan that he should be stabbed then that is all right. But he will think I am being stabbed because of my sinful actions in the past and it is Krishna’s mercy. I really deserve a lot worse. Krishna has minimized my suffering so much… Somehow a devotee always thinks it is Krishna’s mercy…
But that does not mean that if we are devotees and we see someone coming to stab us we will just put our arms up in the air and say: “It’s Krishna’s mercy” and let him stab us. No. A devotee can fight also. If someone is coming to attack him then he can protect himself of course.
After all this body belongs to Krishna and we are using it to serve Krishna so if someone is trying to damage it if they succeed that will make it more difficult for us to serve Krishna. So we have to try and stop them. Also if they are attacking the other devotees we have to stop them.
So we are not, like the Buddhists, non-violent. Sometimes violence is necessary. Actually in the Vedic system there is a whole class of men called ksatryias. That means “to protect from hurt.” So these ksatryias are meant for using violence to protect the other members of the society when it is necessary. Non-violence is not a practical philosophy.
So on to your second point of “do bad things happen to devotees.” The answer is that “bad things” certainly do happen to devotees sometimes. Look at Lord Jesus Christ. His followers nailed him onto a cross. Or at least his followers did not protest while he was being nailed onto a cross. That is quite bad. And in the history of Krishna consciousness some very great souls have had to undergo some very difficult situations. But Krishna does protect his devotees, that is for sure. There is one case of Haridas Thakura. He was a great devotee and follower of Lord Caitanya who is Krishna himself and who appeared in India five hundred years ago. Because Haridas was a great devotee many people were attracted to him and he became very famous and highly respected. He became even more famous than the King of that time. So the King became very envious of Haridas.
He did many things. But one thing is he had Haridas arrested and taken to 22 different market places and had him severely whipped in every market place. Such a punishment would ordinarily be a death sentence as no ordinary man could survive such a whipping. But Haridas said after it that he felt no pain. And later on the devotees saw on the back of Lord Caitanya all the whip marks. So Lord Caitanya had protected his devotee Haridas…
There is also Prahlada Maharaja, the son of a great demon, Hiranyakasipu. Hiranyakasipu was trying to train Prahlada to be a big demon and sent him to the school with all the other demon’s children to be taught politics and diplomacy. But Prahlada was a devotee of Krishna from birth and as soon as the teachers went out of the classroom he would jump up and preach Krishna consciousness to all the other boys in the school. So gradually the whole school, all sons of demons, started to become devotees of Krishna…. So it is a long story but Hiranyakasipu became very angry at Prahlada because he had become a devotee of Krishna and he tried to kill Prahlada in so many ways. He threw Prahlada off a big high cliff but the rocks at the bottom turned into feathers and cushioned Prahlada’s fall. He threw Prahlada into a pit full of deadly snakes and scorpions. But they did not bite Prahlada. He had a huge elephant trample on Prahlada. But he was not hurt. He put Prahlada in a big pot of boiling oil. But Prahlada did not die… So he was completely frustrated. And back in his palace he asked Prahlada: “Where do you get your strength from?” And Prahlada replied “The same place you get your strength from, Krishna…” Hiranyakasapu could see Prahlada was not at all afraid of him and he knew it was because of Prahlada’s faith in Krishna. So he asked Prahlada: “Is your God everywhere?” Prahlada said: “Yes” So looking at a huge pillar in the palace Hiranyakasipu said: “Is your God in this pillar?” Prahlada said: “Yes.” So Hiranyakasapu took a big hammer and smashed the pillar and Lord Krishna, in the form of half-man, half-lion appeared out of the pillar. And Krishna as Lord Narasimhadeva killed the demon Hiranyakasapu and saved His pure devotee Prahlada Maharaja…
But Haridas and Prahlada are very special and we can not expect Krishna to do like that for us. But it is true that Krishna protects his devotees and for devotees things no longer simply work on karma. We may have done so many bad things in the past that we should be suffering for now, but because we are trying to be Krishna conscious and are trying to serve Krishna, Krishna changes our karma. So a devotee is not like an ordinary person in this regard. But still we have this material body and it will get old, it will get sick and it will die. There is no getting around that. But a devotee has a different consciousness. He knows he is not the body and even though the body may be going through some troubles, he is not troubled, because he has realized he is not the body…
Still even pure devotees like Jesus can die “horrible deaths.” But in that case there is some plan of Krishna involved. Pure devotees are sometimes killed as was Jesus. He was killed by the Jews who were envious of his popularity and because he preached against the existing religious men. He went to the Jewish churches and told the people “the only way to God is through me…” So he was telling them that these Scribes and Pharisees could not help them get to God at all. If they wanted God they had to listen to him. So it did not make him very popular with the religious leaders of the Jews. So they had him killed. And this is a pattern that repeats. If one becomes a truly spiritual person and preaches so many people will become his enemy. There is even a good chance that Srila Prabhupada was poisoned by some of his “followers” and it seems his spiritual master was also poisoned by some of his “followers.” Both Prabhupada and his spiritual master Srila Bhaktsiddhanta were very powerful preachers who upset a lot of the “caste Brahmins” who are the priestly class in India. They claim one can only become a Brahman [spiritually advanced] by being born in a Brahmin’s family. But this is not what the Vedas says. And both Srila Prabhupada and his spiritual master made this widely known. So even though a pure devotee is the friend of everyone by his preaching naturally demoniac people become envious of him.
But everything in connection with a pure devotee is an arrangement of Krishna. There is one verse that if Krishna wants someone to live no one can kill him and if Krishna wants someone to die no one can save him.”
So I hope it is of some help. Basically there is no chance. Nothing happens by chance. There is a cause for everything, “Innocent” people do not die horrible deaths. The cause is generally our bad karma, bad things happen to us because of the bad things we have done in the past in this life and in previous lives. There is nothing an ordinary person can do about this. The analogy is given of a seed. You plant a seed and after some time it will germinate and grow. So it is with our sinful activities. It is like planting a seed in our heart. In due course of time that seed will germinate and grow and we will have to then suffer the reaction to that sinful activity. Like seeds these sinful reactions take different amounts of time to germinate. Some, like a big tree, may take many many years, others, like wheat, may germinate quite quickly.
And if, at the time of death, we still have these seeds within our hearts waiting to germinate we have to take another birth in the material world so they can germinate and we will enjoy or suffer the results… And when we take another birth we will again do so may sinful and pious activities which will sow more seeds in our heart and we will have to come back to the material world again and again and again… practically forever.
The way out of course is chanting Hare Krishna. This chanting destroys the seeds of our sinful activities in our hearts so they will not germinate in the future and if we can keep ourselves engaged in Krishna conscious activities we will not sow more seeds in our hearts so at the time of death there will be no seeds in our hears waiting to germinate so we do not have to take another birth in the material world–we can go back home back to Godhead and get our original eternally youthful spiritual body full of knowledge and bliss…
And all just by chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare…
So why not chant Hare Krishna and be happy?
Madhudvisa dasa
About the Author
Madhudvisa dasa My first contact with a Hare Krishna was a most merciful Mataji in Oxford Street, London who sold me a "Higher Taste" cook book in 1984 while I was on holidays there. I started seriously reading Srila Prabhupada's books in Australia 1985 and by 1986 Srila Prabhupada had convinced me "Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead" and "we should surrender to Krishna." I joined the Hare Krishnas in Perth, Western Australia in 1986. Since then I have been chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, reading and distributing Srila Prabhupada's books and preaching as much as I can. That's my life and full-time occupation now really. I like it more than anything I've ever experienced before. Srila Prabhupada's books are so amazing... Even after reading them all many times they're still fresh and new. They are truly transcendental! That's it really. Now I'm just hankering to once again see the world chant Hare Krishna, dance and feast and float away in the ecstasy of Lord Caitanya's Sankirtana movement as it did in Srila Prabhupada's physical presence. Let the whole world drown in the ecstatic flood of love of Krishna!
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Hare krishna prabhu..
Pranam..
Jai Srila prabhupada
Prabhu, i am chanting 16 rnds every day and reading Srila prabhupada orgnl books by Prabhupada mercy for the last 5 yrs..fortunately i have attached to Srila prabhupada not to so called ISKCON GURUS from the starting of my spiritual life.
I never thought of initiation ( from Prabhuapad) i m just trying to follow what he is saying in his books and by his mercy i am fully convinced nd realized that he is in his books and in Sri RadhaDamodar temple, Vrindavan..
Few days before some devotees have told me that we have to take initiation from a living guru…i told yes Srila Prabhupada is living…they are posing many statements guru have to see us…he will give mantra…and in vedas it is there that we have to take diksha from a living guru…
I just silent before them bcz they dnt understand my opinions on Srila prabhupada as i m realized that he is living. .
But how to answer such ques prabhu?..and if i tell Prabhupada is guru they are keeping dfrnt expressions like…how come u r not present those times..how did u take diksha???
Kindly help me how to answer such questions???
Yes. This is the problem with ISKCON. To be an ISKCON devotee you have to reject Prabhupada and Krishna and instead surrender to the GBC. This is demonic. It is ‘bait and switch’. They talk about Prabhupada and Krishna all the time. They distribute Prabhupada’s books, they call themselves Prabhupada’s movement but if you actually surrender to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna they call you a ‘dirty stinking ritvik’ and kick you out of the temples.
It is better not to associate with ISKCON devotees. They are not followers of Srila Prabhupada and Krishna, they are followers of the GBC who are a collection of conditioned souls who have no capacity of taking you anywhere except to hell.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Yes prabhu..thanks for the guidance..hare krishna
Dandavat pranam
Jai srila Prabhupada
If the statement is true then why did Ramkrishna parmahans died of cancer and why was Jesus crusified….. please provide clarity…. Regards.
Hare Krishna Gulshan
Everyone who is born, everyone who accepts a material body, that material body has to die. So even if a saintly person accepts a material body, like Lord Jesus Christ, he still has to leave that material body when his mission is complete. So his followers nailed him to a cross. But Jesus was not thinking he was suffering, he was feeling for his followers who nailed him on the cross. ‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do.’
So the point is saintly person has realized he is not the material body, he does not identify with the material body, and even if his material body is apparently suffering, he is not suffering. Jesus was not crucified, his body was nailed to a cross by his followers, Jesus is not his body, he is an eternal servant of Krishna, and he knows this and realizes this. So Jesus did not suffer when his body was nailed to a cross.
So saintly persons accept material bodies and and appear within this material world to preach. In the course of their preaching they may be put into situations where their material bodies are in apparent suffering conditions. But a true saintly person is not on the bodily concept of life so he is not affected by the apparent suffering of his material body.
But these suffering conditions of great saints are not due to their sinful actions. Demons become envious and angry when saintly persons preach and reestablish God consciousness within society. So if these angry envious demons attack a saintly person that is not because of the saintly person’s bad karma, it is because of the nature of the envious atheistic demons.
So the apparent suffering of saintly persons is completely different from the suffering of ordinary living entities in the material concept of life.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Prabhu,
Thank you for answering this question. While I am not the person who asked it, I read your answer with interest. You address the issue on the individual level, and it is true that pain and suffering occur to individuals. But how does this explain, for example, the Nazis targeting Jews during WWII for internment in horrible concentration camps. Millions suffered extreme hardship, pain, and death. Is it sensible that such a mass of people each had the karma of suffering and dying in a concentration camp? And how could such an organized group of so many Nazis come about from individual karma?
Please let me know how to make sense of this.
Thank you.
Yes. It is all karma. Things are going on. We reap what we sow. Just look at the world now. So many people are killing animals and eating them, particularly so many are killing cows and eating them, they will all have to be put in slaughterhouses and killed in their future lives. So there is no shortage of people to fill up concentration camps. And the animals they killed will take birth and kill them. So the animals become the Nazis and kill them.
So there is no shortage of potential Nazis and concentration camp occupants… This is the material world, it is a miserable place full of suffering and death. We need to get out of this horrible place and we can get out easily by chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare…
Hare Krishna
Prabhuji
Thankyou for explaining this.
I hope i would also go to home and complete my journey.
A person texted me this message on the whats app.
“If there is God ,it must be evil.”
-Vexen Crabtree
To sustain itself nearly all life must kill and eat other living beings.God could not have created a more vicious cycle if it tried.Tying the very existence of life with the necessary killing of other life is the work of an evil genius , not of an all powerful and all loving god.
God created a system which forces us to do evil acts.
What kind of reply should I give to this person?
Hare Krishna Fiza
There is no point trying to preach to demons.
We do not have to reply to them.
Get them to chant Hare Krishna, feed them prasadam, convince them to read Prabhupada’s books. That will give them the intelligence and spiritual credit to qualify them to understand something of Krishna consciousness.
Otherwise demons can not understand Krishna consciousness. So there is no point trying to explain something to someone who has no capacity to understand it…
In reality this material world, although created by Krishna ultimately, is a reflection of the spiritual world perverted by our desires. So Krishna is pure, the spiritual world is pure, but it is us, our desires, that have perverted and distorted this material world. It is us who have made the material world the miserable place that it is. It is not Krishna’s fault. It is our fault.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
What do u think about Christianity,islam and other religions.Is Jesus really true?
We know that Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita that “Whenever there is a discrepency in following the religious principles I appear or I send my representative to reestablish the religious principles.”
So Krishna appears or sends His representative into all the societies on the planet. So all the bona fide spiritual teachers are representatives of Krishna and they teach the people spiritual knowledge up to the point they can understand it.
Of course over time these teachings become distorted and lost. And that has now happened in the Muslim and Christian religions. But we certainly accept Lord Jesus Christ as an empowered incarnation of Krishna. And if you read the Bible you will see He is teaching the same things as Krishna, but in a very simplified and cut down way.
The real point is the original and complete spiritual knowledge is available in the Vedas of India. The various religions around the world only have fragments of this knowledge and the scriptures of the meat-eaters are contradictory. Actually meat-eaters can not understand very much in spiritual life. So what they have is good for them to follow. Like going to the church or temple and bowing down before the Lord, chanting the holy names of the Lord, offering prayers, etc, etc.
So these are all good things according to the ability of the people in various places at various times.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Can the hare krishna mantra be chanted in our minds or do we have to speak ot loudly?
Hare Krishna Eric
Hare Krishna mantra is chanted with the tongue and heard with the ears. The power of the process is in the chanting and the hearing. So chanting and hearing can not be done in the mind. Thinking is done in the mind. So Hare Krishna mantra has to be chanted with the tongue loudly enough so we can hear it clearly with our ears. That is the process. It can not be done in the mind.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Many of his devotees are suffering…I pity those people, they are believing in someone who died 5000 years ago…your so called god can’t even protect people, he is just too ignorant to look at the ones praying him…how many more will die? U only think that he is protecting you when all you have got is the result of your past lifes deeds .there is no god in this world just like there is no justice…my advise to you forget that worthless trash and focus on your job it will be highly beneficial for you yourself.
Hare Krishna Eric
You have misunderstood everything. We are in this material world to suffer. Suffering is the purpose of the material world. Everyone in the material world is suffering.
Look around. Study everyone. You will find everyone is suffering. Of course some are suffering more and some are suffering less but the suffering is there for all of us. We all get old, we all get sick and the material body we are in is going to die. But we don’t want to get old, we don’t want to get sick, we don’t want to die. So a world where we are forced to get old, get sick and die is a world full of suffering. Also there are so many other sources of suffering.
So because we have these material bodies we will suffer. These material bodies are symptoms of our sinful activities in the past. We would not be here in the material world if we were not sinful. So we are here to suffer…
But you have to understand we are not these material bodies. We are the eternal spirit soul within the body. I am the spirit soul who is currently trapped within this material body. Actually I am not the material body, I am the spirit soul within the body. Because I am within this body at the moment I am thinking I am an Australian man, but I am not an Australian man, I am just currently in an Australian man’s body. So I am identifying with this body and the expression of myself is limited by this body. As spirit souls we are very powerful but the expression of our power is limited by the material body we are in. We can enter a slugs body and then the expression of our personality will be very much covered. We can enter a tree’s body and in that condition we are almost inert. Almost no ability to express our personality at all.
So you have misunderstood Krishna consciousness. The point is not to avoid the suffering of the material world. That is not possible. We all have material bodies and those bodies will suffer according to our karma, what we deserve to get due to our sinful activities in this life and in previous lives.
What Krishna consciousness is is realizing that we are not these material bodies but that we are the spirit souls within the bodies and that we have an eternal loving relationship with Krishna. So Krishna consciousness is the process by which we can awaken our original dormant Krishna consciousness. Krishna consciousness is our original consciousness. It is within us already. Krishna consciousness is not something artificial that we have to learn or something that is imposed upon us from the outside. No. Krishna consciousness is already within us but it is covered. We simply have to uncover it and the best way to do that is by chanting:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
So as we advance in Krishna consciousness we will practically realize that we are not these material bodies but we are the eternal spirit souls and we will reawaken our original loving relationship with Krishna. At that stage we will have factually realized we are not these material bodies so we are then detached from the material bodily pains and pleasures.
So in this position a devotee is completely free from any suffering or distress due to the material body. He is transcendental to the bodily concept of life. But externally the body of a devotee is still going to go through the same birth, old age, disease and death, but this does not cause any suffering for the devotee because he is not on the bodily concept of life. And there may be so much apparent suffering caused by others but the devotee does not suffer as a result of these things. He is completely detached.
So an actual devotee of Krishna does not suffer at all. Krishna consciousness is anandambuddhi vardahanam, an ever-increasing ocean of transcendental pleasure. So an actual devotee is always enjoying in this ever-increasing ocean of spiritual bliss. But if you look externally you may think he is suffering from old age, disease, you might think people are attacking him and giving him a bad time, etc, etc, but he is not on the material platform…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Not all people on earth are suffering , Some are just enjoying there life in everything which they could buy with there money & political Power , So don’t say wrong that this material world is for suffering , as per your logic even this is created by so called GOD, So how how can “Maya” be bad.
Hare Krishna Kiran
You are wrong. Everyone is suffering in the material world, there is only misery here. That is confirmed by Krishna in Bhagavad-gita when He describes the material world as dukalayam asasvatam, He calls the material world a temporary place full of miseries and sufferings. The fact that the material world is temporary is a great cause of suffering and distress for us, because we want permanent happiness but here in the material world there is nothing permanent and there is no happiness…
Hey there! I know right ,it goes against all logic and yet chanting has made me happiest in life . There are times when I start doubting him too and yet I miss him when I do not chant . The day feels incomplete and life lost . I mean whats the point of everything if we are just meant to eat , sleep and die.
The way I see it , there can exist two worlds – a selfish world where all everybody does is care for their personal lives or a world where we can atleast try and find the truth , where we can work with others to make each others lives more meaningful and since service is in every core of Hare Krishna movement , I suggest try this path and then take a decision .
Talking more personally , I can’t imagine a life without krishna , what a dull world it would be without him.
Hare krishna
According to holy book gita ji.
Lord says that when anyone do mischief or crime I will come and destroy them. I think that will not going to happen
Next. He says the single.person who worship me I will always with him and in real world the good persons are dying much faster and at small age and bad people are living happily. Why ??
Hare Krishna Rahul
Krishna does say that He appears to protect the devotees and destroy the demons. And Krishna does protect the devotees and He does destroy the demons also. And yes Krishna says whoever thinks of Him, whoever remembers Him, whoever chants His name, He will be with that person. So these are true things and devotees experience the presence of Krishna with them and they experience the protection of Krishna and they also see Krishna killing the demons.
So become more seriously devoted to Krishna and you will fell Krishna with you always, you will feel the protection of Krishna and you will see Krishna killing the demons. Chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day, strictly follow the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication] and read Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day.
As far as good persons dying young and bad persons living happily, that is not the case. No one, good person or bad person, can be happy in the material world. In the material world everyone is suffering. Only devotee, who has transcended the material world, he is happy, because he is no longer in the material world.
Good person, bad person, they are suffering and enjoying as a result of their karma. As a result of the sinful and pious activities they have performed in the past. Everyone gets exactly what they deserve to get according to the reactions of the sinful and pious activities they performed in this life and in their previous lives.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Thank you so much.., now I HAVE A meaning full life
Hare Krishna
All glories to parabhupada master pure devotee of Krishna. Hello madhudviva dasa.
I used to be a devotee of krishna. I served him nicely with love and faith all day night I used to sing songs on him. I used to be very busy by serving him. But one day I got some leisure time and i thought thinking why did Krishna make me his devotee. That is it in just two or three days false pride got injected in me I thought my self as a big devotee. That is it over I lost love,faith and devotion to lord Krishna. Every day I cry in grief that I acted like a rascal. I am afraid that I might lose Krishna so please show me a way to enlighten my self and get faith in Krishna.
Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna Abhiram
There is no secret and Srila Prabhupada has written more than 80 books to explain these things so please read Srila Prabhupada’s books and follow his instructions.
We can not be so fickle. We are always devotees of Krishna. There is no question of not being a devotee of Krishna. We can fall down we can be not on the proper platform, but Krishna is always the Supreme Personality of Godhead and we are always servants of Krishna. So don’t waste time in this valuable human form of life. Chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day and strictly follow the four regulative principles and read Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Beautiful.. Just soo beautifully have u expressed and explained everyone the importance of Karma and thus Krishna Consciousness..
I would just like to add that to make the word Krishna Conscious simple, it can be referred as the pure love or rather complete, true, mad, deep love for Krishna..
Only this is when u can surrender completely..
HARE KRISHNA HARE RAM…
Hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare, hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare….
All my sin’s and karma of this life,and all sin’s and karma from all my previous life’s , ‘krishna arpan mast tu’
why did krishna make pain? y did he even give us an ability & option to do sin? y dint he just make a peaceful & happy world? y?
Hare Krishna Rob
Krishna did not make pain. We made pain. Krishna made a perfect world where everyone is peaceful and happy. That is the spiritual world. And everyone is peaceful and happy there because they all accept the Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and we are all His servants. Even now still most of the living entities are living there in the spiritual world with Krishna and they are all completely peaceful and happy. That is because it is our natural and eternal position to be servants of Krishna.
We have come to this material world because we envy the position of Krishna. Instead of surrendering to Krishna and serving Him we want to become the main person, we want others to surrender to us and serve us. We want to be Krishna… Of course we are not Krishna. So there is a bit of a problem here. We want to play the part of the enjoyer but the only enjoyer is Krishna, we are all meant to be enjoyed by Krishna. So it is actually Krishna’s great mercy that He has created this material world for us and His illusory energy maya, so we come here to the material world and forget all about Krishna and try to become Krishna ourselves.
Now if you think about it for a moment a world full of people all trying to be the enjoyer, trying to be the master, trying to be god, is going to be a very painful place. There is no way to avoid massive pain for everyone in that situation. So Krishna did not make this situation. Krishna gives us all a little independence. We can either choose to serve Krishna or to not serve Krishna. So the living entities who are in the spiritual world have chosen to serve Krishna and they are completely peaceful and happy. But we, the living entities in the material world, have chosen not to serve Krishna, so because of that choice we have made we are suffering from unlimited anxiety and pain in the material world.
This material world is pain and suffering only. There is no actual pleasure or enjoyment here. All there is here is a reflection of the real pleasure and enjoyment that is actually in the spiritual world. But there is no reality in a reflection. So ‘pleasure’ here in the material world is illusory. It is an idea, a concept, but something that is, in reality, unobtainable.
For the world you are looking for that is peaceful and happy you need to become Krishna conscious and go back home back to Godhead. That is what you are looking for, the spiritual world.
Krishna did not make sin either, He does not want us to sin. But Krishna has given us a little independence so we can choose to sin. Our eternal relationship with Krishna is as loving servants. So you can not love someone if you are forced to love them. That is not love. So for there to be real true love between us and Krishna then we have to have the independence to chose to reject Krishna and to sin, and as a result of misusing our little independence in this way it is us who have created all the pain and sin and suffering in this world, Krishna has not created any of this. We have done it…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Nityananda Gauranga!
HARI BOL!
In First Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Krishna’s disappearance is mentioned. He says in Bhagavad Gita that non devotees can neither see nor understand him as he is covered by curtain of yogamaya and Brahmanjyoti. He is revealed only to devotees. I have got experience. Once I saw ghosts in my dream trying to bind my body with rope, I chanted Krishna and they vanished. Actually Bhakti is very confidential and a Shuddha Bhakta is very very rare. It is only due to mercy of Lord Nityananda Gauranga that path of Bhakti is made so easy by Kirtanam. Krishna is not much merciful. He told Bhagavad Gita and taught Bhakti, Karma yoga, Jnana yoga. But still people in general think he preached just Karma yoga. Unless one gets mercy of Lord Gaurachandra and Gaura Bhaktas in Kali yuga, none can get pure devotional service. Krishna deluded demons by appearing to be killed by hunter. Gaurahari is the only hope for we fallen souls, then everyone can get Krishna Bhakti. Lord Krishna’s mercy is available to devotees only but Lord Gauranga do not discriminate and distributes love of God freely.
NOTE: THIS IS NOT MEANT FOR CRITICISING KRISHNA BUT TO SHOW HOW MAGNAMIOUS IS CHAITANYA MAHAPRABHU. Lord Krishna is sweet and Lord Gaurahari is munificient. No one can understand Vrindavan pastimes without mercy of Vaishnavas and Nitai Gaurasundar.
JAI NITAI GAURASUNDAR
JAI VAISHNAVAS AND LORD
GLORIES TO Devotees, Lord and Madhudvisa Dasa Prabhu ji
I am interested to read your publications/teachings at my e-mail
hi all
reading all your comments very intresting .
Tanya i am defo going to use that it so true what is happened has happened . really good going to put that on my wall .
To tell you all the truth i feel really angry with Lord Krishna . I can’t understand why he has made me suffer so much . I am not going to stand here and say i am a saint but everytime i try it feels like krishna make my pain more why . I feel like krishna is an abusive partner in this realtionship. i don’t ask him for money just to feel peaceful and clear minded . To gain strength and love .
Another thing the article says that we are suffering for our past sins in life . But i don’t remember that do i . How can i be responsible for something that someone has done in a past life . For example in this life if you steal something and you are caught then you must take the punishment . That you cann accept as it is you full well knowing that you have stole but why should i suffer for something that someone else did in a past life and not even remeber or know about it . Don’t make sense .
Devotion to lord krishna sometimes does not fell real in this world . I want to love krishna , i want to accpet all that is given but i can’t . We have jobs , family pressures stresses , money woriies , relationships how can we just surreneder and forget about all of that it’s not real . We will be homeless and a burden to society .
i’l be honest with god i don’t know what to do . I can understand what Krishna is saying that you should pray to me with love and devotion and not be attached to the results . Devotee with love beacuse we should all love god but when you suffer intolerable pain what can you do put pray for the thing that is hurting you so much . To me dancing and singing hare krishna does not seem like we are in the real world . Shouldn’t we enjoy the world we in but enjoy it with Krishna .
Some one give me some answers i am confussed ?
I would like to know what is beyond Shri Krishna and what is the origin of the Shree Krishna, who created him??
Jai Shree Krishna!
I have always believed in Krishna and always chanted his name as much as I can. I want to try and find an answer to what has just happened to me in my career.
I had an agreement to work 3 years at a place where i get experience in my field. I got on very well with everyone, was like family and my boss was very happy with me. I accepted all pay rises, all type of work in the three years and took on more responsibility without asking for extra money. My qualifications were not considered in payrises and i manged to pass a number of exams in my field, but even then i continued working cause i liked the people and the environment. there was no benefits for working hard or any bonuses and others with similar qualification to mines were doing much better in terms of pay and benefits. Everthing was fine until when me and my boss sat down after three years. He offered a package which I felt was unfair and i decided to leave the job. My brain didnt acecept it nor did my heart, i felt it wasnt rite after giving the three years of hard work, my heart broke and i left.
so tell me please, why did this happen this year? was it suppose to happen? has krishna decided its time for me to move on? why did i not accept the rise when in the previous years i have been working on a lower wage? is this fate? did krishna make me do this? am i suppose to be somewhere else now? has he got other plans for me?
i am confused and in shock, my boss and people working are also confused as to what has happened.
now that i am not working, i realise it was a mistake, i wasnt thinking right and feel guilty to have not accepted. but what happened to my mind? why did this happen in the final year? what changed the way i felt?
Please help me to find an answer to this? I m searching for reasons in bhagvad gita to try and find out whether what has happened is suppose to happen or was it my fault?
Please email me.
Thanks
hare krishna
then if you say those things happened to a devotee due to past sins then why didnot krishna protect him from them? if he is all powerful cant he do that much? im a neophyte so i got many questions? going by your answer if we keep thinking bad things happen because of karma then what is the difference between a devotee and a non devotee since both are affected by it? and where does krishna come into picture because by this theory a persons life is controlled by karma and not krishna
you said “But a devotee has a different consciousness. He knows he is not the body and even though the body may be going through some troubles, he is not troubled, because he has realized he is not the body… ”
but my question is what is the difference between an optimistic atheist and a devotee then?? even an optimistic atheist thinks something bad should have happpened but luckily some thing lesser happened!! and a devotee calls that “luck” as krishna
i heard so many things about neophyte devotees getting stabbed by nonbelievers and insulted and what not!! well they are neophytes.. dont they deserve encouragement from t he lord? if the lord wont protect them then who will? when a neophyte decides to clean dishes,clean floors, sell books all for krishna dont they have a right to expect a little fortune from the husband of fortune?? i agree a devotee should not ask for any material benefits?? but forget material benefits why are they getting material discomforts!! if krishna wont give them encouragement why should he give discouragement?? for a neophyte all this is too much to take isnt it?? if things happen to haridas thakura then i agree!!yes he is enlightened enough to feel krishnas presence and he already reached to that position! but what about neophytes?? dont you think their faith wavers>?? i heard a story of a female devotee getting stabbed on her face by a non believer! her fault?? she went to sell some kc books!! such things scare me! please clear my doubts!! does taking krishna consciousness means taking msifortune? does it mean il have to suffer throughout my life like prahlad or haridas thakur?? or like that lady with scars on her face??
Hare Krishna Harish Prabhu
It is a very good question, thank you.
At least personally I can tell you I have experienced so many very practical examples of protection by Krishna both of myself and of other devotees I have been around. There are many dangers also. And it is not that if we take to Krishna consciousness there will be no suffering. The reality is that if we seriously take to Krishna consciousness maya will test us very strongly. She wants to see that we are really serious. So if we want to take to Krishna consciousness we have to be prepared for the tests that maya will give us. We have to surrender to Krishna. Give up the bodily concept of life. And have the faith that Krishna will protect us actually. “Kuntea pratijanihi na me bhakta pranasyati,” “Declare it boldy O son of Kunti [Arjuna] that my devotee will never perish!”
So we know that if we are preaching, serving Krishna, Krishna will protect us. You have to be actually serving Krishna under the direction of Krishna’s pure devotee. Otherwise it is just a mundane activity and Krishna may not protect. These days there are so many bogus “spiritual” organizations, and if you take shelter of bogus organizations you can not expect to be protected by Krishna. But if you surrender to Srila Prabhuapda and dedicate your life to serving him Krishna will protect you for sure. Why not? If you are doing the publicity work for Krishna Krishna will look after you. No one will be able to touch you.
But there will be so many tests. Maya will try so hard to distract you. And even if we do get some scars on our face, so what, we’re not the body. It does not really matter. Krishna will protect us. It is not that Haridas Thakur or Prahada Maharaja ever suffered. Prahlada was in great spiritual bliss and had complete fath in Krishna and spent his time glorifying Krishna and his demoniac father Hiranyakasipu, the most powerful man in the universe, tried in so many ways to kill the apparently helpless, small, defenceless Prahlada Maharaja, but he could not harm Prahlada at all because Krishna was protecting him. Similarly Haridas Thakur was cained in 21 market places, but he did not feel the caning at all. Rather actually Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was lying on his back to protect Haridas from the caning. Later the devotees saw the cane marks on the back of Lord Caitanya. So Haridas was in spiritual ecstasy, so was Prahlada, they were not suffering.
It is hopeless to remain a neophyte. Neophyte is useless. Why remain a neophyte? The process is simple. Follow it and get off the neophyte platform.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna………
I have a similar question to ask about the life of Sudama Krishna’s Gurukul friend .I have come to know that Sudama wa in Krishna Coscious since many many births but still, he did suffered the results of his bad karmas so if By chanting God ‘s glorifying names one get rid of results of all bad karmas due to chanting of god names then why didn’t those results exausted with his chanting God names do many times during many of his Births ?why he still faced those results?
waitnig for your reply
Hare Krishna.
Hare krsna jay ma krsnaji
what is the best way to erase past negative moments from poisining the mind
HARE KRSNA JAY MA KRSNAJI
A lady told me krsna was killed in the forest, have any ever heard of this
Dear Madhudvisa dasaji
bhagadvad gita says do your prescribed duty and has divided it under four categories viz. brahmin, kshtrya, visya and sudra..gita also tells janmana jayate sudra
how can one perform his prescribed duty in this material world?
please clarify and enlighten.
thanks
bala
The trut is that i was always worrying about everything that happen to esp the type of family i was born of,and the friends i always have, but luckly i have found this page to guide me throughout my life. By reading this article of krsna which is so sweet i feel relieve of my mind and place everything into the hands of the lord who will guide me through this material world.
i am so thankful for this opportunity i have. everything about krishna is so spontanious great and sweet.(melody)
Hare Krishna, this reminds me of some verses in the Gita Saar.And believing in that has helped me let go of many things including a loss of a certain person in my life. Of course, that happened only gradually. My question is- what is the origin of the Gita Saar? I have been looking for it in the Bhagavad Gita but I could not find it. Was the Gita Saar spoken by Lord Krishna as well? The version of Gita Saar that I am used to reading:
Whatever has happened, has happened for good.
Whatever is happening, is happening for good.
Whatever is going to happen, it will be for good.
What have you lost for which you cry?
What did you bring with you, which you have lost?
What did you produce, which has destroyed?
You did not bring anything when you were born.
Whatever you have, you have received from Him.
Whatever you will give, you will give to Him.
You came empty handed and you will go the same way.
Whatever is yours today was somebody else’s yesterday and will be somebody else’s tomorrow.
SO WHY WORRY UNNECESSARILY?
Change is the law of the universe.
Also, are some things just meant to happen? As in,are there things that would still happen no matter how much and how hard you try to prevent them-ie certain things like death, accidents, other things we wouldn’t want for them to happen because they have undesirable outcomes? Are they all in Lord Krishna’s power and not ours?
Hare Krishna. Thanks.
Hare Krishna,
this article is very nice….