Question : On Sunday a few hours after leaving the temple I was involved in a single car roll over accident. The police, EMS and firemen all said I shouldn’t have walked away from the accident, let alone with only a few bruises on my right side.
My question is, does Krishna protect us from physical harm too? To me, Krishna’s mercy is the only reason I am still alive but I want to know if that’s possible. Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. Hare Krishna.
Answer by Romapada Swami :
Yes, most certainly Krishna protects His devotees in every respect. He assures in BG (9.22): “Those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion — to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.”
Ultimately, Krishna protects the devotee’s eternal relationship with Him, which is the only property of the spirit soul. Whatever is needed or favorable for nurturing that connection, Krishna provides/preserves that also. Thus, Krishna may also protect the physical body of the devotee, their health, family members, possessions, their endeavors etc – for these are all the instruments with which we serve Krishna and cultivate our loving devotion to Him. The Lord preserves and provides *whatever* the devotee needs to progress in devotional service without disturbance.
Sometimes, however, if a material object/situation becomes a hindrance to a devotee who is very sincere to progress, Krishna may take it away. But that is ALSO Krishna’s very special protection. He orchestrates the lives of His devotees such that they can become more and more dependent upon Him and attached to Him. A mature devotee learns to see how every situation is actually Krishna’s loving protection for him/her. You may have heard the pastimes of how the Lord protected the king of elephants, Gajendra, from mortal distress and how He blessed His poverty-stricken friend Sudama with fabulous opulence. But in the case of Pariksit Maharaja, the Lord arranged for Him to be cursed to die in seven days, even while he was in the prime of youth and sovereignty. In either case, Krishna was protecting His devotees, although in different manners, and in each case, the devotee was most grateful.
Krishna is the best well-wisher of everyone; He knows exactly what is the ultimate good for each of us, and He provides just that. But He is never callous or indifferent to the protection of His devotees — not even to their physical maintenance.
As aspiring devotees, we are encouraged to practice not to identify with the material body and to be detached from it, not by negating it but by learning to see the physical body as Krishna’s property. When Krishna mercifully protects our physical well-being, as you have just experienced, we can feel deeply grateful and indebted, and strengthen our resolve to dedicate our life in His loving devotional service.
