We usually approach God when we need something. If we get it by praying to him, we feel our faith vindicated. But suppose the opposite happens: we start losing the things we need. We may feel like going away from God. If we do that, we will lose a great opportunity.
To understand what the opportunity is, we need to recollect some essential spiritual truths. First, we are souls; we are parts, and God, Krishna, is the Whole (15.07). As long as we aren’t lovingly connected with him, we are dragged toward various worldly objects in a vain search for pleasure. Second, he is our greatest need; he is the underlying attractive principle in everything that attracts us (10.41). Third, the things we hold dear as our needs may take us away from him if we become too attached to them (02.44).
When we approach Krishna, the ultimate blessing is not that we get the things we think we need, but that we realize he is our greatest need. To help us gain this realization, he may take away the things we treasure so that we have nothing except him to hold on to. Therefore, we need to see the loss as an opportunity to absorb ourselves in him and to realize that he is our greatest treasure. If we do so, we will get inner guidance to deal with the loss. More importantly, our heart will become enriched with Krishna.
The evolution from seeing Krishna as the supplier of our needs to seeing him as our greatest need usually takes many lifetimes (07.19). If temporarily losing the things dear to us is the price for accelerating that evolution, then it’s worth the price, given the everlasting reward.
Think it over:
- What is the ultimate blessing available on approaching Krishna?
- How does Krishna help us get this blessing?
- What can make the loss of things dear to us worth the price?
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07.19 After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.
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Dear Sir,
Thank you very much. Very grateful for your efforts.
Take care.
Happy to be of service.
Hare Krsna ! Very well explained the simple concept. We sometimes loose faith loosing some material possession and then doubt our faith. Actually it should be other way round, the faith should increase with such situations. Thankyou for above explanation
Yes, we need faith the most when it is tested the most.
This in indeed true and really percepts the real situation of sincere sadhakas , as our anarthas get diluted through the agency of Krishna’s mercy we have to put faith in his plans as he is subtly taking away the anarthas that appear as Pratikool bit is indeed for our greatest good .
Your most lowly servant
Raya ramanand das
Good insight; yes, the Lord is always drawing us closer to him.
Hare Krishna Prabhu ji
Dandavat Pranam
Thank you so much for a beautiful insight into this verse. This is very relevant especially during this situation of pandemic and chaos. Thanking you very much once again Prabhu.
Your Aspiring Servants,
Jaideep & Rusha
Thanks, happy to be of service.