why?

As some of you may know, I've taken on the challenge of writing on a verse of the Gita daily (www.gitaasitis.com). That's why I haven't been writing as regularly as I would like to here. That being said, today I wrote some reflections on Chapter 2, Verse 10 of the Bhagavad-gita and thought I'd share it here.

Verse 2.10: O descendant of Bharata, at that time Kṛṣṇa, smiling, in the midst of both the armies, spoke the following words to the grief-stricken Arjuna.

On the surface, this verse seems pretty astonishing. Krsna is smiling at Arjuna's grief? What kind of God is this? Someone who takes pleasure in others' suffering?

Firstly, let's clear one thing up. Krsna is not smiling at Arjuna's grief. Krsna is smiling because his dear friend has now taken shelter of him. He is smiling because Arjuna wants to let go of the material suffering he is experiencing, as a result of identifying with his body, and instead wants to understand what reality is all about. Now that puts things in a whole different perspective, doesn't it? Just like a parent who may smile with compassion and understanding when their child comes to them in a heartbroken state and asks for help, Krsna too is smiling because this dear soul is now turning to him.

Arjuna is putting all his faith and trust in Krsna, a lesson we can all take inspiration from. Oftentimes, when things don't go the way we want, when we lose loved ones and when we see someone else getting something we think we "deserve", we blame God. C'mon, if you are in any way religious, spiritual or just believe in a higher force or entity, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

Our problem is that we have been burned by the material energy so often. Not just in this lifetime but in previous lifetimes. Although we may not remember those previous lifetimes, what we carry with us are the impressions from those lifetimes. Having been hurt, disappointed, misled, and betrayed, it is no wonder that we have such a hard time trusting one another, what to speak of God.

God doesn't work by "our rules", which by the way are often different for every single living entity. He gives us what we need. And what is that need? Normally it's not the red Porsche, million dollar book deal or perfect relationship. No, often those things will just drive us away from him since we will feel we don't need anything but material temporary pleasures. What we do need is a reminder that our trust and faith should be put in that person who will never let us down - God.

But we forget this and keep questioning "Why? What did I ever do to deserve this?" Thing is, we cannot remember everything we've done to deserve what we're receiving now, but Krsna does. The law of karma states that for every action, there is an equal reaction. Because we tend to live our lives thinking that nothing comes before or after this lifetime, this truth doesn't often bring solace to the heart. But, if we were to actually remember this, things won't affect us as strongly as they do.

Krsna only wants us to come back to him. So everything that happens to us, whether good or bad, is actually an opportunity to remember that. Anyone who is aspiring to reconnect with God will go through this. "But why?" we may ask and the answer is actually quite simple. To make us stronger. To deepen our faith.

Growth only occurs when there is some pressure. Whether it be a weight-lifter, academic or aspiring bhakti yogi, we grow the most in difficult conditions. Not conditions that will break us, but those that will stretch us. God loves us more than we can even fathom, so the next time you pose the question "Why?" remember that. The answer is because we need to grow and he's giving us the opportunity to come closer to him.

Reclaiming my Liberation!

Today I had another opportunity to realize how little I actually know about practically applying Krsna Consciousness in my life. The topic was karma. I was asking the question of how I can practically reconcile the fact that my karma can't change on one hand but on the other hand I still have the ability to take charge of my life. This is the answer I got: Karma simply means the parameters that we have to deal with. In other words, due to our past reactions we are given a certain set of parameters that we need to work with. For example one might be extremely good with languages and mathematics but they might have an innate fear of water. So these gifts and handicaps will colour the vision of such an individual. However, that doesn't mean that their life is determined because of this. Depending on the mode of nature they work in, even a handicap can turn into a greatest blessing. For example, one girl who was deathly afraid of water turned into a championship swimmer. When asked if she was still afraid of water she said yes, but the point is that she didn't allow her fear to overtake her life.

Similarly we all have various handicaps and gifts that we have been given. But how many of us actually take use of these handicaps and turn it into an offering we can present to the Lord? Moreover, how many of us fall into that "comfortable understanding" of karma as something that "Krsna has given so just accept." I'm guilty of subscribing to this definition. But now I have seen the light! NO MORE WILL I SUBSCRIBE! This is only half true! Yes, we have to accept our karma. That part is true. We have to accept because we made certain choices in the past that have now given us these fruits. But just accepting this is so fatalistic and so dis-empowering. How can anyone feel motivated to do anything then? But the part that "Krsna has given" is totally untrue. NO! We have given it to ourselves due to the choices we have made. This understanding forces the individual to take responsibility for their past and future deeds instead of simply thinking "Ahh...well I can't do anything now."

The correct understanding is that we had the free will to make those choices that resulted in the karma we are experiencing now AND still do have that same free will to make choices each and every second. That is the real understanding that will help us. To act. That at every moment Krsna is giving us a choice. We can choose to be pulled by the modes of nature and act the way we have been habituated to act (which normally doesn't help us and tends to land us in trouble) or else we can choose to act in the most Krsna conscious and correct path which will take more effort.

That is true liberation. To rise above the modes of natures that trying to pull us down. Instead if we choose to act in a way that Krsna will be pleased then we don't have to worry about past or future karma. So let's reclaim our liberation. That choice we have every moment is either liberating or binding. So choose liberation and become happy!