Question1: Once a person is fortunate enough to hear about Lord Krishna and starts on spiritual path, does God help him to advance rapidly? I find many cases where people wishing to advance on spiritual path are suffering from their inability to control their senses? If one strongly wishes to take to the lotus feet of Lord why doesn’t God immediately help him control his senses?
Answer by Romapada Swami: In the Bhagavad Gita (10.10) Krishna says, “To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” Krishna is situated in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul (paramatma). As soon as one takes to Krishna consciousness, Krishna helps him. If he comes forward one step, Krishna comes forward ten steps.
The second part of the question (why doesn’t God immediately help him control his senses) goes back to the issue of free will. If Krishna did everything for us, then where would be our desire, our effort, our love? A genuine desire manifests itself as a sincere effort and Krishna will undoubtedly reciprocate when He sees that sincere effort.
Question 2: How should one learn to accept happiness and sufferings equally? What does rapid sufferings of an initial beginner in spiritual path indicate? Does God give material benefits to a neophyte or does he give rapid sufferings to test him?
Answer by Romapada Swami: In Bhagavad Gita (5.15) Krishna says that, ‘Embodied beings, however, are bewildered because of the ignorance which covers their real knowledge.’ Being in a bewildered condition, therefore, the embodied soul identifies himself with the circumstantial material body and becomes subjected to the temporary misery and happiness of life. Real knowledge is our understanding of our relationship to Krishna and attempting to re-establish it. With such knowledge one becomes equipoised, without any attachment to success or failure.
Regarding your point about ‘rapid sufferings,’ – Srila Rupa Goswami mentions in the Nectar of Devotion that ‘bhakti is klesaghni subhada,’ that it provides immediate relief from material distress. Srila Prabhupada gives the analogy of a fan that continues to rotate even after the plug is pulled out. Similarly one may suffer from past reactions in the early stages of bhakti, but gradually this will also cease.
With respect to the third part of your question, Krishna reciprocates according to the desires and advancement of the devotee. He gave unlimited oppulences to Sudama and put Queen Kunti into so much distress, both very dear devotees, and in both cases the end result was bringing them closer to Him.
