Some seekers ask, “When afflicted with a deadly disease, some devotees take intense shelter of Krishna and make phenomenal spiritual advancement. If similar misery came in my life, will it make me also spiritually advanced?”
Misery is often an impetus for spiritual growth, as the Bhagavad-gita (07.16) acknowledges. Yet misery in and of itself doesn’t make anyone enlightened – it simply stimulates one on that journey. The Gita (07.19) indicates that the journey to enlightenment can take many lifetimes.
What takes a person swiftly, in the same lifetime, from the level of a distressed seeker to an enlightened seer is mercy. The Gita (02.65) declares that it is mercy that establishes our intelligence in truth. That mercy comes from Krishna through his devotees, those who have seriously made him their life’s ultimate goal and who by their wisdom-filled words and love-filled lives inspire us to become similarly devoted. To benefit from this mercy, we just need to be receptive – eager to receive the gifts they are sharing and to express that eagerness by serving them humbly.
Unfortunately, due to our materialistic infatuations, we often stay negligent towards this divine mercy. To correct such apathy, the onslaught of misery serves as a useful cerebral shock. It jolts us out of the spell of materialism and reminds us of our vulnerability and fragility in material existence. That sobering reminder makes us receptive to mercy, thereby paving the way for our spiritual growth.
Thankfully, we don’t need misery to become receptive to mercy; if we study the Gita regularly, it can illumine us about the reality and the inevitability of misery in material existence. By the resulting conviction, we can voluntary choose to turn away from distracting worldly pleasures towards Krishna enthusiastically and become illumined by his enlightening mercy.
Explanation of article:
Leave A Comment