Five Problems Krishna Doesn’t Have

“The spiritual world is called Vaikuntha, which means ‘without anxiety.’ In the material world everything is full of anxiety (kuntha), whereas in the spiritual world (Vaikuntha) everything is free from anxiety.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi 7.74 Purport)

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The rule of the material world is duality. No condition is universally ideal. Take the rainfall. For the farmers, it is a godsend. In India especially, the majority of the rain comes during only a few months. That time period thus becomes vital; it is essential for life to continue.

The same rainfall is bad for another person. Their travel gets interrupted. Rain interferes with their plans to enjoy outside. Rain can cause flooding in the basement of a house. Go through the different situations and experiences of material life and you’ll see the same two-sidedness.

As a result, there are always problems. The human being has to face one difficult situation after another. One of the many reasons to seek the shelter of the Divine is that He is without so many of these problems. Since He is atmarama, He is completely satisfied in Himself. Since He is all-attractive, one of His many names is Krishna. Studying the transcendental nature and activities of Krishna, we see how many of the problems common to the world are missing with Him.

1. Loneliness

When something good happens to me, I like to share it with someone else. I saw an amazing ending to that reality show that I watch. There were teams consisting of pairs this season, and my favorite player’s team won. There was a special twist in that the top performer on each team had the option to take all the money or split it with their partner. In one of the all-time dirtiest moves, my favorite player took all the money and left his partner with nothing.

I wanted to share the story with others, but no one I know watches the show. My friends won’t understand at all. This is one indication of loneliness. I need others around to keep me happy to some degree. Even if they get on my nerves from time to time, it’s nice to know they are there as support.

Shri Krishna never suffers from loneliness because His best friends and well-wishers are always around Him. That is the lone stipulation for entering the spiritual planet of Krishnaloka. Just love Krishna, or God. If you want to go against Him, you fall to the material world. In Krishna’s pastimes, there is sometimes the loneliness of being separated from the dearly beloved Radha, but the situation is always solved through eventual reunion. So even the loneliness is of a different nature. It is blissful.

2. Money

Many of God’s names in the Vedic tradition reference His relationship to the goddess of fortune. Shripati, Madhava, and Radhanatha all describe the Supreme Lord as being the husband of fortune personified. As a result, Krishna never runs out of money. He doesn’t have a cash problem.

The spiritual world is not under the strict laws seen in the material world. Here, if we have a pizza pie there is a fixed amount of slices. Once you take a slice away, the pie becomes smaller. In the spiritual world, one minus one can actually equal two. This is impossible to understand using the logic of the material brain. If Krishna weren’t the richest person in the world, He couldn’t have created everything that we see around us.

3. Boredom

“He who hesitates is lost.” It’s not fun when you don’t know what to do. It is not just that activities should be available, there should be interest. I find watching television for hours on end to be extremely boring, while for someone else the engagement is blissful.

Shri Krishna does not have a boredom problem. There are the calves to play with. In the Vrindavana of the material world there are so many cows owned and cared for by the residents, headed by the king Nanda. In the Vrindavana of the spiritual world, the cows are amazing in that they can grant any wish. Their only desire is to be with Krishna, and He happily obliges.

The area is pristine, with signs of flourishing life everywhere. Krishna and His friends play in the many groves and forests of the land, enjoying everything about the area. There is never boredom, since Paurnamasi and Vrinda Devi work together to create new situations that are fun for Krishna and His dearmost associates, Radha and the gopis.

4. Leisure

I have a problem with leisure since there is so much work to do on a daily basis. Even on my off days I have many responsibilities that warrant attention. I have to purchase supplies for the home. This means going to the discount warehouse store. Since others have the same responsibility, I have to arrive at the store early in the morning.

Then I have to work around the house. I can’t afford a maid, so the cleanup and maintenance are all done by the residents. It seems like the work will never end. My real job keeps me busy enough. I look forward to leisure time, because it is so precious.

As mentioned above, Krishna doesn’t have this problem. There are many forms of the personal God. The Supreme Lord appears and disappears at His will, whenever the conditions are right, as He sees it. The form of Krishna is unique in that there is always madhurya, or enjoyment in sweetness. When asked the question of what is Krishna doing in Vrindavana, the answer is always the same. Enjoying. He has no responsibilities. He is not upholding dharma. He is not fighting with bad guys. He is in leisure. That is the nature of God.

5. Getting what you want

One way to know that we are not God is that we can’t always get what we want. Even the transcendentalist who has merged into Brahman, which is the impersonal spiritual energy, had to work to get the achievement. They couldn’t just will it. Moreover, they have to stay above the duality of the material world in order to maintain their high position.

Krishna can simply think of something and have it appear to Him. He doesn’t have to work for anything. As mentioned before, the cows in the spiritual world fulfill all desires. The trees are the same way. They produce fruits that match any desire. For this reason and more the spiritual world is known as Vaikuntha, which means “free of anxieties.” Any person can go there, as it is the original home. The lone stipulation is desire. If you sincerely want to be there, you will eventually go back. And in that place you will be free of problems, just like Krishna is.

In Closing:

Vaikuntha realm of anxieties free,

Can grant any wish the cow or the tree.

 

Because Krishna Himself problems without,

Always in sweetness, playing about.

 

With friends, Radha and gopis too,

Paurnamasi making situations fresh and new.

 

Same for us, just desire stipulation lone,

Love Krishna and never again be alone.