Never underestimate two things: God’s power to make things better and our power to make things worse.

During our life, we may sometimes find ourselves in dire straits, leading us to feel hopeless. In such situations, it’s essential that we not underestimate God’s power to make things better. He can take even the darkest situations and bring a stream of divine light into them, dissipating whatever darkness may be present.

When we ensure we don’t assess situations solely through our human conceptions but leave space for God to act, we’ll see that He can and will, in His own inconceivable ways and at His own pace, work things out in ways that may seem miraculous to us. Through the message of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna infused Arjuna with confidence in the omnipotence and benevolence of the Divine. He showed that even the terrible situation of a fratricidal war could be transformed to usher in an era of peace and prosperity.

While we should certainly avoid discouragement amid difficult situations, we must also avoid the other extreme, where we succumb to overconfidence amid comfortable situations. It’s crucial that we never underestimate our own capacity to make things worse. Inside us, we have a mind that can be disruptive, destructive, and even demoniac at times. It can rise with formidable force and impel us to actions that can turn things from comfortable to uncomfortable, unmanageable, or even irrecoverable.

If we underestimate our capacity to make things worse, that very underestimation can open the door for the mind to burst forth and ruin things. When we recognize this risk, we will use our intelligence to exercise caution and avoid lowering our guard, even when things seem comfortable and safe. Additionally, we will stay prayerfully connected to our Lord so that He can bestow His divine protection and vision, enabling us to curb our destructive tendencies and, on a more positive note, become better instruments for His plan to manifest in the world.

The Bhagavad Gita’s conclusion in 18.78 points to this human-divine harmony, where confidence in the Divine’s capacity and human caution to stay aligned with the Divine can lead to victory and glory.

Summary:

  • If we underestimate God’s power to make things better, difficult situations may overwhelm and discourage us to the point of giving up.
  • If we underestimate our own power to make things worse, we may lower our guard, allowing our mind to ruin things that were previously running smoothly.
  • By staying confident in God’s constructive power and cautious of our own destructive power, we can participate in divine-human harmony, bringing about all-around auspiciousness.

Think it over:

  • Recollect any incident when God brought about good from a seemingly hopeless situation.
  • Recollect any incident when you “snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.”
  • How can you participate in a divine-human harmony?

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18.78 Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.