Hare Krishna to all,
Today the world has become a Jungle. In which only animals in the form of human beings are living (I am saying in general, for neither devotees nor saintly persons who are very few). Just like a powerful or strong animal is exploiting the weaker or less powerful, the same is happening everywhere. This exploitation is named as corruption, murder, theft, robbery , rape , extortion , threats etc. If we want to live here with freedom and respect without compromising our self-esteem, we have to become powerful.
This is the best option that we have faith that krishna will protect us. But in this way are we not wanting Krishna to serve us. It is our duty to serve Him not to be served by Him. Was Draupadi right to call Krishna to help her(in Mahabharat)? Was Gajendra elephant (when a crocodile caught his leg) right to ask God to help him? Is it good to ask Krishna to help us when He knows everything?
Should we not try to solve our problem at our own level and leave the rest on our destiny (which is the result of our past activities)?
Replies
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
Your statement : if we want to live here with freedom and respect without compromising our self-esteem, we have to become powerful.
My answer : the purpose of human life is to understand that this material world is not worth living in - to develop disinterest in the material world and strive to get out of here, back to the spiritual world, by developing love for Krsna (we can get out of the material world and still be in Brahman effulgence, which is no man's land. Chances of falldown exist there also).
On a more practical plane, now that we are living in the material world, what to do ? We have to live with freedom and respect. Real freedom is to give up our freedom by surrendering to Krsna. Respect - well, our philosophy says - amanina mana dena - give respect without expecting any for ourselves. So one has to be fully dependent on Krsna. When one is fully dependent on Krsna, one turns to Krsna for everything - be it material, or spiritual.
Therefore Draupadi's calling out to Krsna and Gajendra's doing Visnu stuti are examples of how much the lord responds when one is surrendered. He does not take any time to respond the moment the devotee calls out to Him. But He wants us to call out to Him, to remember Him at every moment of our lives, whether happiness or distress. Therefore, if we have to follow that principle, how can we not call out to Him/ remember Him at times of distress.
By trying to solve our problem at our level, are we not depending on our own strength more than on Krsna. Doesnt that mean that we have more faith on our own abilities rathar than understanding that this ability is also coming from Krsna. That is why the Draupadi episode is so important - when she was first dragged into the rajya sabha, she thought the family elders will protect her. She turned to them, they remained silent. She turned to her husbands (5 mighty men), they remained silent. Then she put the saree in her mouth and tried to depend on herself to protect herself. Then she realised that it wont work out. Then she prayed and then she put her hands up - total surrender to the lord. The result - total reciprocation from the lord. To protect her honour, the lord supplied sarees so much so that the mighty Dushashana was tired.
Lord has the ability to wash away our past karma - He says surrender unto Me alone, I will remove all your sins. That is the reason people surrender to Krsna. We do His bidding and He fulfills His promise.
I hope I have been able to explain. Pls ask further if you have any doubts.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Please accept my humble obeisances.
Thank you so much for this most excellent explanation. Your example about Draupadi is poignant, very relevant, and the perfect scenario to make your point.
If asking Krishna for help increases one's dependence on Him, increases love, and is also a way to remember Krishna, then why should it be not right to ask? If the purest devotees never ask anything of Krishna, except to always serve and remember Him, then that is great; but until one reaches the exalted position of purified devotee, why should it be not right to ask Krishna for help if it brings the devotee closer to Him?
Surely not only is it not wrong, it's right to ask Krishna for help since this is a form of surrender to Him. This is my understanding now.
Hare Krishna,
Namaste
Highest advanced pure devotee of Lord never ask anything from Lord, only that he never forget Him, life after life and that his love and faith for Him never drops down.
Anyway, Draupadi is not on that level despite being pure devotee, she asks for help to protect hers temporary body to be seen naked by others. But because being His devotee and asking in helpless condition with tears in her eyes Lord help her. This is not very surprising or astonishing for those who are Lords devotees.
Even any simple devotee who are uneducated, blind and deaf, in this way can ask anything from the Lord and He will help, because its never happend in the history of the universe that He didnt help by asked with the tears in the eyes in a helpless condition.
We should know that in every life we have millions of problems, but by waken bhakti or transcendental love for Lord all our tree of problems will be cut in the root, without possibility to grow ever again.