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Krishna Can Bring Good Out Of Everything – Even Our Mistakes!
\nChaitanya Charan Das: Sometimes when we commit mistakes, we may become embarrassed, irritated or enraged with ourselves. If we become excessively disturbed, that often becomes a second mistake. By fretting or seething, we waste the time and energy that could have been used for rectification. Certainly we need to learn from our mistakes, but learning requires calmness, which is lost when we let ourselves over-react.<\/p>\n
To calm ourselves, we can contemplate how Krishna is always in control and how he is always our benefactor. So he can bring good out of even our mistakes \u2013provided we let him, that is, we keep our calm so that he can give us intelligence to make the best of the situation. Just as an expert musician can produce quality music even with a poor instrument, so too can Krishna produce auspiciousness out of a messy situation.<\/p>\n
Krishna restores Arjuna\u2019s vision \u2013 and grants the world vision
\nOn the Kurukshetra battlefield, with the war about to start, Arjuna suddenly got an impulsive desire to see his opponents. So, he asked Krishna, who was acting as his charioteer, to take the chariot between the two armies (Bhagavad-gita 01.21). When he looked at the opposing forces, he saw his venerable elders, especially his grandsire and his teacher (01.25). He became overwhelmed, lost his will to fight and broke down.<\/p>\n
Arjuna\u2019s decision to see his opponents was imprudent, being an error of judgment. Firstly, he already knew who were arraigned on the opposite side \u2013 the alliances formed by both sides had been done openly, not covertly. Secondly, even if the Kauravas were planning to unveil any hidden ace, the Pandavas\u2019 competent spies would have sounded them off. Thirdly, Arjuna was well aware of his opponents\u2019 strengths and weaknesses \u2013 that had been discussed just the previous night in the Pandavas\u2019 strategy planning meeting. So there really was nothing for Arjuna to see. Yet he saw and had to reap the consequences when his vision sabotaged his determination. His eyes changed his perception of the opposing forces from dispassionate to sentimental: from \u201cthe well-wishers of the wicked-minded son of Dhritarashtra\u201d (01.23) to \u201cmy relatives\u201d (01.31).<\/p>\n
Of course, both perceptions were true, but every activity requires us to cultivate the appropriate vision for doing it properly. Our letting ourselves see with an alternate vision can be a mistake, especially when it triggers emotions that compromise our performance. For example, if a judge has to adjudicate a case in which his son is the defendant, he needs to adopt the appropriate vision, or in today\u2019s parlance, wear the right cap. He has to see the person standing in the box as a defendant, not as his son.<\/p>\n
Such vision adjustment is undoubtedly difficult. Most judges would probably recuse themselves \u2013 or would be told by the government to do so. But recusing was not an option for Arjuna; he was the foremost fighter in his army, and he couldn\u2019t let down his comrades who were counting on him to counter the Kauravas\u2019 formidable forces. So knowing the huge stakes and emotional tensions, Arjuna would have been wiser in resisting the urge to see his opponents. Unfortunately, he not only saw his opponents; he also let his eyes and thoughts dwell on his venerable elders, specifically his grandsire and his mentor. And that proved to be emotionally devastating.<\/p>\n
Significantly, though Arjuna did commit this mistake, he didn\u2019t compound it. He didn\u2019t let himself get further carried away by his feelings, which were impelling him to give up the fight entirely, even if such pacifism cost him his life (01.45). Instead, he pulled himself together to turn to Krishna for guidance (02.07). He wouldn\u2019t have found it easy to shift from an emotionally wrought state to an intellectually alert state, as was required for hearing the Gita. That he managed such a shift shows that he had already started determinedly on a corrective course.<\/p>\n
And Krishna with his trademark expertise brought an immense good out of Arjuna\u2019s mistake. He spoke the timeless wisdom of the Gita \u2013 wisdom that not only restored Arjuna\u2019s vision and determination (18.73), but also provided all of humanity for all time to come with a vision of the path to enlightenment.<\/p>\n
Saved through a mistake
\nThe Mahabharata contains another story that conveys Krishna\u2019s expertise in bringing good out of a devotee\u2019s mistake. When the Pandavas were living in forest exile, they would feed their guests \u2013 sages and mendicants \u2013 using a mystical vessel (akshaya-patra). This vessel would provide inexhaustible food till everyone was fed and finally the hostess Draupadi took her meal. After she finished her meal, the vessel would not supply any more food on that day.<\/p>\n
Duryodhana knew this limitation in the plate\u2019s supply and saw an opportunity to exploit it when the irascible sage Durvasa visited the Kauravas\u2019 palace. The conniving prince personally and attentively served the sage, thereby pleasing him. When offered a benediction, the wily Kaurava beseeched the sage to provide a similar chance for service to his cousins, adding the request that the sage go to them late in the day. Accordingly, Durvasa along with a large contingent of disciples arrived at the Pandavas\u2019 forest hermitage in the afternoon. As Draupadi had already taken her meal, the Pandavas had no way to feed so many guests. They felt alarmed because firstly they would be failing in their duty as householders if they didn\u2019t offer proper hospitality to a guest, especially a sage; secondly Durvasa was no ordinary sage \u2013 he was a powerful mystic known to give deadly curses if displeased.<\/p>\n
Draupadi\u2019s devotional reflexes sprang into action and she started praying fervently for help to Krishna. He appeared promptly and told her that he was very hungry. Krishna\u2019s request mortified the already distraught princess; she felt that she was failing doubly, being able to serve neither the venerable sage nor her beloved Lord. For Draupadi, praying to Krishna seemed to have made things worse \u2013 but only temporarily.<\/p>\n
Krishna calmed the distressed princess and told her to check if their mystical vessel had any food remaining. To her surprise, she noticed that a morsel was indeed there. When she brought it to Krishna, he immediately took it and after eating it said that he felt completely satisfied. By his supreme mystic power, Krishna arranged that this morsel also satisfied fully all the guests, who had gone for bathing before their meal. The sage and his disciples found themselves belching and felt no need for any food. Thus, the Pandavas were saved from danger.<\/p>\n
While the thrust of this story is that Krishna protects his devotees and that satisfying him satisfies everyone else, it conveys another message relevant to our discussion: Krishna\u2019s ability to bring good out of a mistake. The fact that the mystical vessel had some food morsel left on it was surprising. Draupadi was a careful housewife who would not have tolerated such neglect in the cleaning of utensils. Moreover, that vessel was no ordinary utensil \u2013 it was a celestial gift and was vital for the Pandavas in fulfilling their householder duty of hospitality. So a morsel of food lying on it was odd. And yet Krishna expertly used that anomaly to both advance his pastime and demonstrate immortal lessons for the world\u2019s edification.<\/p>\n
Realizing the unfailing nature of Krishna\u2019s shelter is never a mistake
\nAt a transcendental level, the actions of exalted devotees such as Arjuna and Draupadi can be said to be orchestrated by Krishna himself for his pleasure. Still, we can simultaneously study these actions at a practical level to learn how we should or should not act. From that perspective, we can see in these pastimes Krishna\u2019s expertise in bringing out good from apparent mistakes as long as the devotees turned to him for shelter.<\/p>\n
So, when we commit mistakes, we can see them as an opportunity, indeed an impetus, for taking shelter of Krishna. Of course, it\u2019s better to be careful and avoid committing mistakes \u2013 and it\u2019s better still to take shelter of Krishna proactively without being impelled by fear of consequences.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, if we do commit mistakes, we can take shelter of Krishna instead of ranting or moping \u2013 activities that characterize the mode of ignorance (18.28). Even if our mistakes have consequences that can\u2019t be mitigated by taking shelter of Krishna, still we will at least get the realization that Krishna\u2019s inner shelter \u2013 the security we feel on remembering him \u2013 is always available to us, no matter what goes wrong or even what we do wrong. And that realization is a priceless gain, for it deepens our conviction that Krishna\u2019s love for us is indeed unfailing \u2013 he is truly achyuta (unfailing). The Puranas conveys this point through the apt metaphor of the earth.<\/p>\n
tvayi vipratipathasya tvam eva sharanam prabho \/ bhumau skhalita padanam bhumir evavalambanam<\/p>\n
\u201cO Lord, as the earth is the only shelter for those who slip and fall, You are the only shelter for misguided people.\u201d (Skanda Purana, Kumarika-khanda of the Maheshvara-Khanda, 7.101)<\/p>\n
Further, with the calmness coming from finding shelter in Krishna, we can intelligently find ways for damage minimization and course correction. Indeed, one definition of intelligence is said to be to know what to do when we don\u2019t know what to do \u2013 take shelter of Krishna and seek his guidance. So even if we have unintelligently made a mistake, we can immediately turn to Krishna and thus start reclaiming our intelligence.<\/p>\n
So whenever we get worked up over a mistake, we can remind ourselves that Krishna\u2019s assurance (18.58) \u2013 taking shelter of him will enable us to cross over all obstacles \u2013 applies also to the obstacle of our human susceptibility to mistakes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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<\/p>\n
Krishna Can Bring Good Out Of Everything – Even Our Mistakes!
\nChaitanya Charan Das: Sometimes when we commit mistakes, we may become embarrassed, irritated or enraged with ourselves. If we become excessively disturbed, that often becomes a second mistake. By fretting or seething, we waste the time and energy that could have been used for rectification. Certainly we need to learn from our mistakes, but learning requires calmness, which is lost when we let ourselves over-react.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10650,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[152],"class_list":["post-62125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recent-media","tag-nectar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10650"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=62125"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62127,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62125\/revisions\/62127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=62125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=62125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}