(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2005)

It is said that the worshiper is causing disturbance to the Lord. Prabhupada gives the example about the thief who is wearing his stripped t-shirt and his black mask. He is standing outside the gate, looking at this house and praying:

"My dear Lord, tonight let me get a fat catch in big big villa!"

In the big big villa there is a man who is praying:

"Oh my Lord let all my wealth be protected from thieves".

So, it is as if both of them are grabbing the arm of the Lord and pulling in different directions. Still the material world is an intense place, and within the material world there is plenty of suffering!

Now philosophically it is explained that this suffering is also the mercy of the Lord, because the Supreme Lord gives us only token reactions for our previous sinful activities. Normally the suffering in this world is not without cause, but rather it is for the purpose of purifying us from our past sinful activities. Each sinful activities leaves a mark within our consciousness of a sinful mentality, and therefore that sinful mentality has to be rectified by some reaction, which will come in due course of time. However, that may bring so much suffering in our present condition that we just desire to be relieved. So then what to do?

We should know that Krishna is 'bhakti vatsena'. 'Bhakti vatsena' means that He is the protector of the devotee at all times…. a well wisher of the devotees, and that He will never give a devotee a test that he cannot pass…that He will never give the devotee more

difficulty for the sake of purification than he can handle.So we should trust that Krishna would not drive us over the edge and somehow or other we must endure that:

'Tat te 'nukampam susumiksamano bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam'.

That somehow, or other we must tolerate the difficulties in this material world, as the mercy of the Lord, and always take responsibility for ourselves – knowing that we have created our own fate by our own previous sinful activities in this life, and in previous lives, which are of course karma and are now manifesting as such!