Problems that can’t be solved need to be dissolved

Suppose water flowing in a particular direction is blocked by some stone. The water keeps flowing at the stone, trying to go below, above or around it till it finally manages to dissolve the stone. The water never gives up its dharma of flowing even if it can’t flow ahead. Similarly, our forward movement in life may sometimes be stopped by a barrier. We may have an incurable health condition, we may be caught in an incompatible relationship or we may be trapped in a financial bind. When we let ourselves dwell constantly on a problem, it tends to become bigger and bigger, and our capacity to deal with it seems to dwindle. Over time, we become mentally paralyzed, thinking incessantly about the problem and thinking about nothing other than the problem. Just as water keeps moving, life too keeps moving. And we too need to keep moving with life. Even if we can’t solve the problem, we need to dissolve the problem. How? By raising our consciousness to a higher spiritual level of reality. Whatever problem comes upon us at the material level of reality, we as souls are different from it and are above it. The Bhagavad-gita (18.58) assures that those who focus on the supreme spiritual reality, Krishna, are blessed by his grace to pass over the problems. By infusing us with the conviction that we are servants of Krishna and are meant to always serve him, no matter what happens, we can guide the water of our consciousness to find a way for flowing on, that is, for finding a way to keep serving. The focus on service shifts our consciousness from the material obstacle to the spiritual opportunity, thereby dissolving the problem’s stranglehold on us and releasing our creative energy for finding constructive solutions.