Hare Krsna,
My obeisances to all devotees, guru and gauranga.
Topic 8: ASK NOT “WHY THIS” ASK “HOW NOW”
Verse discussed: Bg 4.17
karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ
boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ
akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṁ
gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ
Translation:
The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is and what inaction is.
CCD’s explanation:
When we encounter sudden adversities, we usually get the question, “Why is Krishna doing this to me?”
Gita wisdom explains that when we hold Krishan responsible for adversities, we become like farmers who hold the rains responsible for the bad quality yield. The bad yield is caused not by the rains but by the farmers through their sowing of bad seeds. Similarly, adversities are caused not by Krishna but by us through the kind of karmic seeds that we sowed in the past, either in this or previous lives.
Taxing our brain to find the specific karmic seed that caused the present reversal is futile. The Gita emphasizes that the intricate workings of karma are too complex for the human mind to comprehend. This incomprehensibility can arise from several reasons such as:
- Different karmic seeds fructify after different time durations
- Several karmic seeds may fructify as one event
- One karmic seed may fructify as a series of events
- Our memory is volatile and fallible
The same principle of incomprehensibility obscures the precise extent to which our practice of devotional service burns our karmic seeds.
That’s why its far more fruitful to focus on determining the best seeds to sow now and thereby get the best future yield. Accepting this principle inspires us to revise our question: not “Why this?” but “How now?”. How can I service Krishna in this situation?”
Putting aside the “Why” question frees us from the resentment that makes a bad situation worse by distorting our perceptions and prompting knee-jerk reactions. Focusing on the “how” question and prayerfully seeking Krishna’s guidance activate our devotional creativity. This helps us to not only make the best of a bad situation but to also discover the spiritual good in the material bad situation.
Chant and be happy.
Srila Prabhupada ki jai..
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