Our Suffering - Guidance for Śrīla Prabhupāda's Disciples
Suffering is an inherent part of the material world, yet for a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, its meaning is entirely transformed. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that a sincere soul does not view distress as a punishment, but as the special mercy of the Lord. By tolerating difficulties and continuing with their service, a devotee burns off the reactions of past karma and prepares themselves for returning back to Godhead.
Suffering as Mercy
When a devotee faces tribulation, their attitude is one of gratitude. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains the philosophy of tat te 'nukampām: the devotee realizes, "I am suffering for my past misdeeds, but Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has minimized it." Instead of a severe reaction, the Lord gives only a token punishment. This mindset—accepting suffering as mercy while continuing to serve—makes one the rightful heir to the spiritual world.
- Bhaktas, they think, tat te 'nukampam susamiksamano bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam. When a devotee is in trouble, he thinks that "I am suffering for my past deeds" That is a devotee's attitude. "Let me do my business, chant Hare Krsna."
- A devotee always accepts his distress as minimized by God's Mercy, although he would have to suffer many more times the suffering.
- Any one who accepts this philosophy of God's Mercy in suffering conditions, and still makes progress in Krishna Consciousness, it is said that he is sure to go back to Home, Back to Godhead.
- Krsna is so kind upon me for creating this condition of struggling, thus He is relieving me of so many billions of lifetime of sinful reactions by this very insignificant and temporary condition of suffering something.
Tapasya: Voluntary Acceptance of Difficulty
Becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious does not mean the end of all danger. History shows that great souls like Prahlāda Mahārāja, the Pāṇḍavas, and Haridāsa Ṭhākura suffered immensely. Śrīla Prabhupāda defines tapasya as the voluntary acceptance of these difficulties for the sake of the mission. Whether it is disease, opposition, or lack of facilities, a devotee proceeds with their duty, undisturbed by the inevitable dualities of the material world.
- Don't think that: "Because I have become a devotee, there will be no danger, no suffering." Prahlada Maharaja suffered so much. The Pandavas suffered so much. Haridasa Thakura suffered so much. But we should not be disturbed by those sufferings."
- Even father will be enemy, what to speak of others. If you become Krsna conscious, the whole world will be your enemy. You must be prepared for that. So therefore you require tapasya. Tapasya means voluntarily agree to suffer.
- The duty must be done. Even it is little suffering. That is called tapasya. Tapasya means we must proceed with our Krsna consciousness business in spite of all dangerous and calamitous condition of this world. This is called tapasya.
- Regarding your problem, first thing is that the philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita is that one must learn to tolerate the sufferings due to the frailties of the material body.
Protection by Kṛṣṇa
Although a devotee does not ask Kṛṣṇa to remove their suffering, Kṛṣṇa is naturally alert to their condition. Śrīla Prabhupāda assures us that the Lord will not stand idly by while His sincere devotee suffers. To the extent one surrenders and thinks of Kṛṣṇa, the influence of māyā is negated. Kṛṣṇa protects His devotee by giving them the intelligence and strength to tolerate and overcome all obstacles.
- Krishna does not like to see His sincere devotee suffer or become frustrated or depressed. He will not stand idly by in any such case, so do not fear on that account.
- If He sees His devotee sincerely and seriously trying to serve Him, He is prepared to give His devotee anything and everything to mitigate any suffering conditions. That is mature understanding and realization of Krsna Consciousness.
- To the extent we are thinking of Krishna, to that extent Maya has no influence. But as much as we are desiring to forget Krishna and trying to enjoy for ourself, so to that extent we must suffer the pains of Maya.
- He knows in his mind that by giving his full attention and energy to Krsna, that the Supreme Personality of Godhead will not disregard this and make him to suffer. No, Krsna is not like that.
Being Ideal Examples
While suffering is inevitable, Śrīla Prabhupāda warns against unnecessary suffering caused by negligence or internal conflict. Devotees must be ideal examples. If they are fighting amongst themselves or suffering from preventable diseases due to lack of regulation, they cannot influence others favorably. "Stop this fighting, tolerate, chant and read our books," is his instruction to cure the ills within the society.
- If you yourselves are suffering from the very ills we are trying to remove, how can the people be influenced favorably? Stop this fighting, tolerate, chant and read our books.
- You have dedicated your life for Krsna and therefore you should be ideal. We are introducing the Krsna consciousness movement for the harmony and good will of humanity. But if you are suffering from the very ills we are trying to remove, how can the people be influenced favorably.
- The first thing is that everyone, man and animal, especially the cows, they must be properly fed so become very stout and strong. Cows will supply milk, and man will work hard, without being suffered by dysentery. He must work hard.
Conclusion
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not meant to merely mitigate bodily suffering, which is destined, but to stop the cycle of birth and death entirely. By accepting the temporary pains of this world as Kṛṣṇa's mercy and remaining fixed in service, a devotee transcends the material platform and prepares for their eternal life.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Our Suffering (Disciples of SP). We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.