When Turmoil Hits

What to do when turmoil hits? Even though we do not like turmoil, as long as we are in this material existence by the laws of this material nature we will be hit by turmoil again and again. How we deal with turmoil will either make us or break us on the pathway of spiritual enlightenment. Therefore it behooves us to learn how to deal with turmoil in the proper Krishna conscious manner.

Twehe first thing to remember is that everything is going on under the superintendence of Krishna. This means that we have absolutely nothing to fear except forgetfulness of Krishna and that if even in the midst of the greatest turmoil we can always remember Krishna we will never be defeated in any circumstance. This is guaranteed as follows in the Bhagavad-gita:

yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo
yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ
tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtir
dhruvā nītir matir mama

"Wherever there is Krishna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion."
--Bhagavad-gita 18.78

Of course, in the short run victory may not always be apparent, just like it is sometimes said that one may lose a battle but win the war. So we always have to keep a long range vision of what is ultimately beneficial for our deliverance from this material existence, not for our enjoyment of this temporary place. By keeping this long range vision we will always be able to perceive the loving mercy of Lord Sri Krishna blessing us at every step, and thus we can always remain peaceful and happy even in the midst of the greatest turmoil.

Answers According to the Vedic Version

Question: Free Will and Karma

How to make out what is karma and what is free will? When some sudden good or bad happens people say that it is because of karma and that Krishna is the cause of each and every thing in a person's life. You say that there is free will and that we have use it wisely to know Krishna. So where then does this free will exist? How to differentiate and know whether something is caused by free will or karma?

Sasi

Answer: Use Free Will to Free Yourself from Karma

Everything we do in this material existence is being conducted by the law of karma. But still we are responsible for what we do under karma's influence because when we chose to give up the service of Krishna we voluntarily placed ourselves under the influence of karma. It is something like when a person joins a terrorist network. Even though all of his actions are dictated to him by higher authorities within the terrorist organization, he is still held responsible for all of his criminal actions because it was by his own free will that he joined the terrorist organization. The good news is that there is a way out of this karma cakra or wheel of karma. Just as by misuse of our free will we are being helplessly tossed in the waves of karmic reaction, by the proper utilization of our free will we can be immediately delivered from the clutches of karma. All we have to do is the take the power of free will, which is fully in our grip at this very instant, and utilize it to surrender ourselves unto Lord Sri Krishna, the very source of our existence. This act of surrender is not at all unnatural. It is simply a matter of reconnecting ourselves with our actual eternal, all blissful, all knowing natures.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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