Category:Distress of a Devotee of God
Theme Analysis
A devotee's experience of distress is fundamentally different from that of a materialist. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that while a common man suffers due to the strict laws of karma, a devotee views difficulties as the affectionate intervention of the Supreme Lord. Rather than becoming disturbed or resentful, a devotee accepts distress as a token reaction to past misdeeds, minimized by God's grace to purify the heart. Furthermore, the only time a devotee truly feels unhappiness is upon seeing the suffering of others, a quality known as para-duhkha-duhkhi.
- Transcendental Equanimity: A devotee remains neutral in all conditions—whether in heaven or hell, or amidst gain and loss—because their happiness is derived from service, not material circumstances.
- Minimization of Karma: When difficulties arise, the devotee understands that they deserved a severe punishment for past sins, but the Lord has mercifully reduced it to a slight inconvenience.
- Purification Process: Distress is welcomed as a cleansing agent that rectifies the devotee and frees them from the false ego and bodily identification.
- Compassion for Others: While indifferent to their own struggles, a Vaisnava is deeply distressed to see the conditioned souls suffering in the material world.
- Explore a synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Devotees of God Accept Distress as God's Mercy.
- Explore a synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: A Pure Devotee's Distress Does Not Check His Devotional Service.
- Explore a synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Apparent Distress of a Devotee of God Is Transcendental Bliss.
- Explore a synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Kṛṣṇa Vanquishes Distress of His Devotees.
Subcategories
This category has the following 16 subcategories, out of 16 total.
A
D
H
K
Pages in category "Distress of a Devotee of God"
The following 51 pages are in this category, out of 51 total.
A
- A devotee always merges in transcendental happiness, and therefore he has no experience of material distresses. This transcendental happiness is called eternal bliss
- A devotee does not care about his own happiness and distress; he is simply interested in seeing that Krsna is happy, and for that purpose he engages in various activities
- A devotee is neutral in all conditions of life, whether in the heavenly planets or hellish planets, whether liberated from the material world or conditioned by it, and whether blessed with happiness or subjected to distress. These are all merely dualities
- A devotee is never distressed or satisfied by material opulence. His concern is how to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- A devotee is not concerned with enjoyment or distress; he simply desires to execute devotional service. It is said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that devotional service should be apratihata, unchecked by the material conditions of happiness or distress
- A devotee is not interested in enjoyment or affected by distress. When he is prosperous he knows, "I am diminishing the results of my pious activities," and when he is in distress he knows, "I am diminishing the reactions of my impious activities"
- A devotee of the Lord does not forget his devotional service and other favorable activities, even when he is in a most distressful condition
- A devotee regards distress as a great favor of the Lord because he understands that he is being cleansed of contamination. Tesam aham samuddharta mrtyu-samsara-sagarat - BG 12.7
- A devotee understands that when he is in distress, this is due to his own past misdeeds, which are now accruing reactions, although by the grace of the SP of Godhead these are only very slight. Karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam - BS 5.54
- A nondevotee is perturbed in distress, but a devotee welcomes distress as another feature of the Lord. Sarvam khalv idam brahma. A devotee can actually see that there is only the Supreme Personality of Godhead and no second entity
- A pure devotee is neither happy nor distressed over material gain & loss, nor is he very much anxious to get a son or disciple, nor is he distressed by not getting them. If he loses anything which is very dear to him, he does not lament. BG 1972 purports
- A pure devotee knows that there is no need to ask the Absolute Truth for any material necessities. Therefore, while informing the Lord about their distress in being attacked by Vrtrasura, the demigods apologized for offering prayers for their safety
- An advanced devotee does not distinguish between happiness and distress. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 10.14.8): When a devotee is in a condition of so-called distress, he considers it a gift or blessing from the Supreme Personality of Godhead
B
- Because a devotee knows that he is not the body, he is never affected by bodily happiness or distress. He is not interested in bodily relationships with wife, children, home etc., or in the distress and happiness which come from these things
- By the law of karma a common man is perpetually entangled in repeated birth and death, whereas a devotee’s distress and happiness, not being under the laws of karma, are part of a temporary arrangement by the Supreme Lord
D
- Devotees take it for granted, even there is distressed condition of life, they take it that "It is created by God. I am now in distress. It is creation of God. So why shall I hate it? Let me tolerate. Let me undergo this distressed condition of life"
- Draupadi is sympathetic. That is Vaisnava. She is Vaisnavi. This is the attitude of the Vaisnava. Para-duhkha-duhkhi. Vaisnava is para-duhkha-duhkhi. That is Vaisnava's qualification. He doesn't care for his own personal distresses
F
H
- He (a devotee) does not identify with the body; therefore he is freed from the conception of false ego and is equiposed both in happiness and distress. BG 1972 purports
- He (a devotee) is always calm, quiet and patient, despite many distressful conditions. BG 1972 purports
- He (devotee of God) understands that what is happiness to him is also happiness to others and that what is distress to him is distressing for others. Therefore he is sympathetic to everyone
- He always remains a humble servant of the Lord. In all reverse conditions, he agrees to suffer the results of his past life. He never accuses the Lord of putting him into a distressed condition. These are the signs of an exalted devotee
I
- I again offer my respectful obeisances unto the form of complete existence and transcendence, who is the liberator of the pious devotees from all distresses and the destroyer of the further advances in atheistic temperament of the nondevotee-demons
- If he (a pure devotee) does not get what he desires, he is not distressed. He is transcendental in the face of all kinds of auspicious, inauspicious and sinful activities. BG 1972 purports
- It is said that when one sees apparent unhappiness or distress in a perfect Vaisnava, it is not at all unhappiness for him; rather, it is transcendental bliss
P
- Persons engaged in devotional service to Lord Vasudeva, Krsna, have naturally perfect knowledge and detachment from this material world. Therefore such devotees are not interested in the so-called happiness or so-called distress of this world
- Pure devotees are described as sama-mati, which means that they never deviate from devotional service under any circumstances. It is not that devotees worship the Supreme Lord only when happy; they worship Him even when in distress
S
- Sanatana Gosvami approached the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, to ask Him why he was in a distressed condition. This is the position of all conditioned souls
- Someone may argue that even devotees have to undergo many distresses in executing austerities and penances connected with devotional service
- Sometimes the purpose is that in distress a devotee's feelings of attachment to Krsna are magnified
- Sukadeva Gosvami refers to Nrsimhadeva because of Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada Maharaja was put into great distress by his powerful father, the demon Hiranyakasipu
T
- The appearance of distress is a negative process intended to give the devotee relief from this material world, which is called mrtyu-samsara, or the constant repetition of birth and death
- The devotees, who are aware of His (Krsna's) transcendental form, render Him service; therefore the Lord also reciprocates by His causeless mercy and thus delivers His devotees from all distresses
- The King's (Pariksit's) distressed condition was certainly unprecedented. The devotees like Maharaja Pariksit are powerful enough to forbear such (hunger and thirst) distresses, by the will of the Lord, and they are never disturbed
- The preceeding verses (from BG 8.14) mention four different kinds of devotees - the distressed, the inquisitive, those who seek material gain, and the speculative philosophers. BG 1972 purports
- The pure devotee, when he is distressed, says - Dear Lord, this is Your kindness. You have put me into distress just to rectify me. I should be put in much greater distress, but out of Your mercy You have minimized this
- There is a gulf of difference between the punishment awarded by the mother and the punishment awarded by an enemy, so a devotee’s distress is not the same as the distress of a common karmi
- There is no question of material pains or pleasures for either the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His pure devotees, although they are sometimes superficially said to be distressed or happy. One who is atmarama is blissful in both ways
- This devotional attitude is explained in the Bhagavad-gita: a devotee is never distressed in reverse conditions of life, nor is he overjoyed in favorable conditions
- Those who are distressed and those who desire wealth are called devotees with desires, whereas the other two, the inquisitive and the searcher for wisdom, are seekers of liberation. Because they worship Krsna, they are all considered to be very fortunate
W
- When a devotee, after experiencing the distress of the material world, relishes the spiritual happiness awarded by the Lord, his position is still more pleasant and enjoyable
- When Krsna is going to Mathura, all the gopis become very, very distressed, crying. But we cannot understand what is the happiness of that distress. That we cannot understand from this material point of view. That is greatest happiness
- Whenever a devotee is in distress or has fallen into difficulty, he thinks that it is the Lord's mercy upon him. He thinks: Thanks to my past misdeeds I should suffer far, far greater than I am suffering now. BG 1972 purports
- Whenever there is a burden created by the demons & whenever the innocent devotees are distressed by demoniac rulers, the Lord appears in due course of time to kill the demons with the assistance of His real representatives, who are called demigods
- While one is within this material world, one is in various conditions, and therefore a devotee sees a condition of distress as but another feature of the Lord. Tat te'nukampam susamiksamanah - SB 10.14.8
- Without becoming a brahmana, one cannot approach the Supreme Brahman, Lord Krsna. Krsna is especially concerned with vanquishing the distress of His devotees, and He is the only shelter of pure devotees