When problems befall us for no apparent cause, we naturally
get the question, “Why?”
Religion at a preliminary level may answer, “Suffering is
the punishment for our own past misdeeds according to the inexorable law of
karma.” This answer though correct is not complete – the equation of pain with
punishment is a reduction that doesn’t reflect the breadth of God’s purpose.
If we remember that pain has a spiritually restorative
purpose, we can see pain more positively, as a concealed invitation of Krishna
to return to his shelter.
God is not just a dispassionate judge concerned only about
giving just punishments for wrongdoings. He is also a spiritually passionate
benefactor deeply concerned about our reformation and restitution. In Krishna’s
compassionate scheme of things, his interaction with us isn’t restricted to the
administration of the due punishment, as is the case of a judge interacting
with a wrongdoer. He accompanies us constantly as the indwelling Supersoul,
wanting to help us make wise choices by which we can ultimately attain the
spiritual level of reality. At that level, we can reclaim our right to eternal
happiness in immortal spiritual love for him – a right that we have lost due to
our forgetfulness of our identity as souls, as his beloved parts.
The ultimate purpose of all pain is to cure our spiritual
amnesia, or more specifically to prompt us to seek out a cure. Misery at the
material level is meant to push our consciousness towards the spiritual level.
If we see pain only as punishment, we may drown ourselves in disheartening
guilt or strain our brain in vain to figure out what wrongdoing caused which
reaction. If instead we remember that pain has a spiritually restorative
purpose, we can see pain more positively, as a concealed invitation of Krishna
to return to his shelter. The Bhagavad-gita (18.58) assures us that if we seek
Krishna’s shelter by striving to be conscious of him, we will cross over all
problems.
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