Why Krishna devotees suffer against His assurance in Gita 18.66?
Navneet Banzal asked like this:
“In one of your post you wrote that your material life became miserable when you became full time devotee and then you switched over to balance devotional life? So you followed “sarva dharman paritajaya”then why krsna let you suffer? Is “sarva dharman paritajaya ” not applicable in kaliyug? So in what circumstances we can follow this shloka?”
REPLY:
Krishna assures in Bhagavad Gita (18.66) Popularly like this:
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saraṇam vraja
aham tvaṁ sarva-papebhyo
mokṣayiṣyami ma sucaḥ
“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.”
Many of us might have followed many kinds of religious practices in the past before accepting Krishna Consciousness. There are hundreds of religions and sampradhayas in this world. Everyone claims his path as superior. This is always causing confusion among the people.
(Why Krishna gives failure in all my efforts though I am a devotee? READ HERE!)
Not only confusion, it causes fear also.
How?
One may be following a particular sect. A person following another sect may tell him that his sect will be very effective in giving everything one needs. If he switches on the television, so many personalities offer paid programs claiming their path very beneficial.
Therefore, that person develops a doubt or complex whether he is following a wrong or inefficient religious sect.
He finally ends up in following nothing.
He is also packed with the fear of the four miseries of life – Birth, diseases, old age and death.
(WHY KRISHNA DOES NOT GIVE WEALTH FAST? READ HERE!)
Krishna puts an end to this multiplicity of religious practices in this sloka 18.66 clearly.
He tells us to surrender unto Him abandoning all types of our religious activities. He assures us that He will deliver us from all sinful reactions.
Your question is : If He delivers and protect the surrendered devotees, why Krishna devotees suffer including me.
Krishna has said perfectly that He will deliver from all sinful reactions.
Delivering from sinful reactions means, clearing all our pending karma.
Karma means, not a small baggage. It is a lorry load (Ha Ha) that we did in many of our births.
We find it difficult to clear the dust accumulated in our house daily. Imagine how difficult it will be to clear the house if it had been locked for ten years!
(Karma & Fate : How Krishna writes Our Karma (Fate) in every birth? READ HERE!)
The karma we accumulated in all our previous births will take many more births to clear.
However, Krishna decides to clear our karma within a birth or two.
So, He fastens the karma clearing process and gives the moderated reactions for our past karma within this birth or in two births.
He wants to take us back as early as possible.
He can clear all our pending karma within a single shot.
But, He will not do like that to all the devotees except in the case of very exalted sanyasis or detached devotees.
If he clears all our karma with a single shot, He can not justify to the persons affected by us in our previous and present births.
So, Krishna gives some token pains/ reactions and makes us free from all our karma.
This is what He has said in B.G 18.66 that He will deliver us from all the sinful reactions.
(How Krishna records the karma of more than 800 crores of people? READ HERE!)
He did not say that He will clear karma in a single shot.
It is possible for Him, but it is reserved for some exalted persons only.
For other devotees, He clears his karma within a birth or two or more according to their surrender level, material detachment level and the level of attachment to Krishna..
But, He will deliver His devotees without fail.
Since our karmic reactions are fastened by Krishna, the devotees (inluding me) are suffering more.
I do not expect you to believe this statement of mine: I Pray to Krishna to purify me at any cost and engage myself in His service wherever I am. I also pray to Hm that He should not involve me in sinful acts in this birth through maya as I am committed to Krishna alone. Even when I was in the hospital bed in 2019 & 2023 when the doctors did not give hope, I prayed to Krishna to keep me alive if He feels that my services are eligible to continue. And if not, He can take me.
(Serving Krishna even when we struggle in (or) for life? – My Own Experience! READ HERE!)
This mindset makes Krishna to decide to help me. I stopped dreaming for marriage, girls, money, etc., in my early thirties and dedicated myself to Krishna’s service. Since my age early thirties, I have been ready to accept whatever happens in my life, whatever I get, etc. So, Krishna is giving so many problems to me to clear my karma fast. Since I am involved in reforming others through counselling, I have to bear the new karma accrued in this birth too. I happily accept them as the mercy of Krishna. Because, Krishna has assured that He will not let His devotees down and the preachers are His dearest devotees.
Krishna selected and is making some fortunate devotees to support this service and myself. I entrusted myself to Krishna. In turn, Krishna entrusted myself to the devotees. So this service is running without Break.
I request our beloved devotees to commit to Krishna. In turn, He will commit to you very strongly.
If you fear for more problems, devotional life can not be followed. Delivering from sins means freeing up by giving reactions, not magically in all cases. That is why Krishna makes devotees suffer.
Kunti Devi prayed to Krishna to give more and more problems so that she will always remember Him.
Though you do not pray to give more problems like Kunti devi, atleast learn to cross all the coming problems as a spectator of your own life and as the mercy of Krishna who is cleansing you. Thank Krishna for His mercy.
This is the ultimate state of mind a devotee should develop.
If you come to that stage, it is the glorious success of this Preaching service.
Hope you are now clear about why Krishna devotees suffer against His assurance in Gita 18.66 that He will deliver them from all the sins.
(Why Krishna gives more problems to His devotees, but helping many non devotees? READ HERE!)