What Goes Around Comes Around

We live in a unbelievably decadent age when those things that are unspeakably abominable become commonly accepted as standard every day affairs. Cows are being slaughtered by the millions with no consideration of the horrendous pain and suffering they must endure. We are even engaged in the massive slaughter of our own unborn children as if this murderous crime was of no more significance than blowing our noses and throwing away the tissue paper. People wonder why there is so much pain, terrorism, and economic devastation in the world. The answer is very simple. If we continue like this living in gross violation of the laws of God and the laws of nature, we must pay the price because what goes around comes around. We receive the good and bad reactions of our pious and impious activities.

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version

Question: How to Be Faithful While in Distress?

Dear Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

It is easy to read from the scriptures that we have to completely surrender to Krishna and be dependent on Him. When He fulfills my desires, my faith on Him is very high, but when I'm in distress and couldn't move an inch to solve my problems, my faith seems to dwindle and I ask myself, "Is Krishna really there? Is He listening to my prayers? Is He going to help me? Or am I being too sentimental or emotional?" This situation is testing my faith in Krishna and this is making me hard to surrender to Him at that moment when I need Him by side.

Please enlighten me, Guru Maharaja.

Hare Krishna,
Dasanudas,
Jeevan

Answer: See Your Distress as Krishna's Mercy

When difficulties comes, as they often do, we must see them as the special mercy of Krishna to help us burn off the reactions for our previous sinful activities. So instead of becoming bewildered we should be grateful that Krishna is removing the burden of our previous sins.

You are thinking that He is not with you because He is not doing what you want Him to do. Therefore your cause of distress is that in spite of your approaching Krishna, you are maintaining your self-centeredness. You are self-centered instead of God-centered. Instead of thinking of how you can serve Him, you are thinking of how He can serve you. You've got it backwards. It should be the other way around. If you will abandon your self-centeredness and fully accept whatever happens to you as the mercy of Krishna, all of your anxieties will immediately disappear. You should simply pray to Krishna to fully engage you in His service, and then see how He mercifully facilitates your surrender to Him.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari