Life sometimes seems terribly unfair. For no good reason, people accuse, cheat or hurt us. When faced with life’s unfairness, we often feel indignant and resentful.

Such negative feelings, though understandable, aren’t at all beneficial – they just suffocate and disempower us. If we want our feelings to work for us instead of against us, we need to shift our focus to Krishna’s mercifulness.

Amidst unfairness, how can we even see Krishna’s mercifulness? Firstly, by not expecting him to intervene and change people’s disposition. He has given everyone free will, and as per their karmic quota, he gives them scope to use their free will as they desire. When some people misuse their free will, we may have to bear the brunt of their misuse, possibly as a reaction to some past misuse of our own free will.

How, then, can we see Krishna’s mercifulness? Not through material intervention, but through spiritual elevation – through his providing us opportunities for spiritualizing our consciousness. The Bhagavad-gita (18.58) assures that if we become conscious of him, we will pass over all obstacles by his grace. This assurance implies that Krishna’s grace manifests not just through the elimination of obstacles, but also through the elevation of our consciousness above those obstacles. In fact, obstacles are what frequently impel us to raise our consciousness towards Krishna. When we practice bhakti-yoga intensely and become absorbed in Krishna, we experience sublime relief even amidst obstacles. Thus, we gain greater realization of Krishna’s sheltering potency and become more convinced to intensify our bhakti practices.

Additionally, life’s unfair phases will pass in due course, as do all things material. During those phases, instead of resenting them, if we re-envision them as impetuses for focusing on Krishna, they will leave us with the eternal gain of a more realized and intensified devotion.

Think it over:

  1. Amidst unfair situations, why shouldn’t we expect Krishna to intervene materially?
  2. According to the Gita (18.58), how does Krishna’s grace manifest?
  3. How do obstacles impel us to elevate our consciousness?

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