by Pari Devi Dasi
vipadaḥ santu tāḥ śaśvat
tatra tatra jagad-guro
bhavato darśanaṁ yat syād
apunar bhava-darśanam
“I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.”
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.25)
Here in the prayers of Queen Kunti we see that she prays for distress so that she can see Krsna, again and again. Pious devotees love the Lord so much that they wish for disasters so they can approach the Lord and have the Lord shower His special mercy and love upon them.
In the book, The Teachings of Queen Kunti we read:
“Generally, the distressed, the needy, the intelligent, and the inquisitive who have performed some pious activities worship or begin to worship the Lord. Others, who are thriving on misdeeds only, regardless of status, cannot approach the Supreme due to being misled by the illusory energy. Therefore, for a pious person, if there is some calamity there is no other alternative than to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Constantly remembering the lotus feet of the Lord means preparing for liberation from birth and death. Therefore, even though there are so-called calamities, they are welcome because they give us an opportunity to remember the Lord, which means liberation.
One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are accepted as the most suitable boat for crossing the ocean of nescience, can achieve liberation as easily as one leaps over the holes made by the hooves of a calf. Such persons are meant to reside in the abode of the Lord, and they have nothing to do with a place where there is danger in every step.”
As devotees we shouldn’t want to have only happiness, because due to the material illusory energy, being only in bliss makes one forget that this world is filled with disease, old age and misery. We may also forget our transcendental relationship with Krsna, and our goal to go back home, back to Godhead. When we have too much bliss, we think we are the enjoyer and the controller of our sense gratification; this makes us want to enjoy separate from Krsna. We neglect our devotional practices and go away from the path of devotional service unto the path of distress and suffering. So, by having some type of distress or misery, we as devotees will turn naturally to Krsna, for we are all children of Krsna, “Krsna Mata Krsna Pita Krsna dhana-prana”.
In the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Chapter 7, Verse 16:
catur-vidhā bhajante māḿ
janāḥ su-kṛtino ‘rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
jñānī ca bharatarṣabha
“O best among the Bhāratas, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me — the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.”
So, my dear devotees, when we are reaching some difficulty in life, let us not be angry or upset. Think of it as an opportunity of Krsna favoring us, so that we can see clearly that this material world, we must get out of it. Think of it as a blessing, not that Krsna has left us and we are suffering, but that it is an opportunity to increase our devotional service so that we go back Home.
Hare Krsna
