Why Krishna does what he Does to his Devotees

2016-12-21 Srimad Bhagavatam 10.88.08 - Why Krishna does what he Does to his Devotees (download mp3) by Radhadyuti Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty www.iskcondesiretree.com SB 10.88.8sri-bhagavan uvacayasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaihtato ’dhanam tyajanty asya svajana duhkha-duhkhitam Translation: The Personality of Godhead said: If I especially favor someone, I gradually deprive him of his wealth. Then the relatives and friends of such a poverty-stricken man abandon him. In this way he suffers one distress after another. Purport: Devotees of the Supreme Lord experience both happiness and distress — not as consequences of material work but as incidental effects of their loving reciprocation with the Lord. Srila Rupa Gosvami, in Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, his definitive treatise on the process of devotional service, explains how a Vaisnava is relieved of all karmic reactions, including those that have not yet begun to manifest (aprarabdha), those that are just about to manifest (kuta), those that are barely manifesting (bija) and those that have manifested fully (prarabdha). As a lotus gradually loses its many petals, so a person who takes shelter of devotional service has all his karmic reactions destroyed. That devotional service to Lord Krsna eradicates all karmic reactions is confirmed in this passage of the Gopala-tapani sruti (Purva 15): bhaktir asya bhajanam tad ihamutropadhi-nairasyenamusmin manah-kalpanam etad eva naiskarmyam. “Devotional service is the process of worshiping the Supreme Lord. It consists of fixing the mind upon Him by becoming disinterested in all material designations, both in this life and the next. It results in the dissolution of all karma.” While it is certainly true that those who practice devotional service remain in material bodies and apparently material situations for some time, this is simply an expression of the inconceivable mercy of the Lord, who bestows the fruits of devotion only when it has become pure. In every stage of devotion, however, the Lord watches over His devotee and sees to the gradual elimination of his karma. Thus despite the fact that the happiness and distress devotees experience resemble ordinary karmic reactions, they are in fact given by the Lord Himself. As the Bhagavatam (10.87.40) states, bhavad-uttha-subhasubhayoh: A mature devotee recognizes the superficially good and bad conditions he encounters as signs of the direct guidance of his ever well-wishing Lord. But if the Lord is so compassionate to His devotees, why does He expose them to special suffering? This is answered by an analogy: A very affectionate father takes the responsibility of restricting his children’s play and making them go to school. He knows that this is a genuine expression of his love for them, even if the children fail to understand. Similarly, the Supreme Lord Visnu is mercifully strict with all His dependents, not only with immature devotees struggling to become qualified. Even perfect saints like Prahlada, Dhruva and Yudhisthira were subjected to great tribulations, all for their glorification. After the Battle of Kuruksetra, Sri Bhismadeva described to King Yudhisthira his wonder at this: yatra dharma-suto raja gada-panir vrkodarahkrsno ’stri gandivam capam suhrt krsnas tato vipat na hy asya karhicid rajan puman vetti vidhitsitamyad-vijijñasaya yukta muhyanti kavayo ’pi hi “Oh, how wonderful is the influence of inevitable time! It is irreversible — otherwise, how can there be reverses in the presence of King Yudhisthira, the son of the demigod controlling religion; Bhima, the great fighter with a club; the great bowman Arjuna with his mighty weapon Gandiva; and above all, the Lord, the direct well-wisher of the Pandavas? O King, no one can know the plan of the Lord [Sri Krsna]. Even though great philosophers inquire exhaustively, they are bewildered.” (Bhag. 1.9.15-16) Although a Vaisnava’s happiness and distress are felt as pleasure and pain, just like ordinary karmic r