Krishna is an impartial Lord; he always rewards us as per our wishes. This he confirms in Bhagavad Gita, “As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly” (Bhagavad – Gita 4.11). So, this is a wonderful opportunity for us to get the best from Krishna. For this, we have to just take his shelter, and he will make our life wonderful.
If happiness is currently eluding us then it implies that we are now not being rewarded by Krishna. It is not because Krishna does not want to reward us, but it is because we do not deserve to be rewarded by Krishna. This happens because we have not agreed to take shelter of Krishna.
If anyone takes shelter of Krishna, Krishna considers him his own and gives him the best.
For example, when Dushasana was trying to dishonor Draupadi then she took shelter of Krishna, and Krishna immediately came to her rescue and saved her honor. Sudama surrendered all his possessions which he was carrying in the form of broken chipped rice to Krishna and Krishna gave him wealth greater than the emperor of the world.
This is Krishna’s mercy upon those who take his shelter.
Now, we may have a question as how to take shelter of Krishna. This is personally explained by Krishna in Bhagavad Gita. And he repeats this two times. This is the only verse which he says twice in this divine literature.
Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me. Bhagavad Gita 9.34
Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend. Bhagavad Gita 18.65
Always remain under Krishna’s shelter
Krishna advises us that in all situations and circumstances, we should be absorbed in him. During difficulties, we should remember Krishna and during happiness we should not forget Krishna. In this material world we do not know when happiness turns into disaster.
If we continuously remember Krishna, then no suffering will touch us. Sometimes externally it may look that devotees are being troubled by material miseries but internally they are not affected. This happens because devotees rise beyond their material mind and body.
For example, it looks like Prahlada was suffering when Hiranyakasipu was trying to kill him through various means. But Prahlada remained undisturbed and unharmed. And he also was always in bliss.
These stories of great devotees like – Draupadi, Sudama, Prahlada – teach us how we should live in this world amidst trials and tribulations. In this material world there will be people who will try to inflict suffering upon us. And sometimes the situations may not be as per our liking.
But we should never get disheartened. This becomes possible when we give our heart to Krishna and decide to remain always under his shelter.
When Krishna sees this wish of ours, he happily comes and resides in our heart because he says in Gita that he rewards his devotees as per their wishes. Devotees then start experiencing great joy and feel completely protected.
Three Reflections
- If happiness is eluding us, then it implies that we are not taking shelter of Krishna.
- Krishna advises us that in all situations and circumstances, we should be absorbed in him.
- When we give our heart to Krishna then Krishna comes and resides in our heart.
Ask Yourself
- Am I engaging my mind in thinking of Krishna or thinking on topics not related to Krishna?
Action Item
- As soon as your mind deviates from Krishna, force it to think about Krishna.
