“The Personality of Godhead heard the appealing voices of His friends, and casting a pleasing glance over them, He began to answer. By speaking through His eyes, He impressed His friends that there was no cause for fear. Then Krishna, the supreme mystic, the powerful Personality of Godhead, immediately swallowed up all the flames of the fire. The cows and boys were thus saved from imminent danger.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 19)

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“Listen, I am familiar with the basics of the bhakti-yoga presentation. You have the distinction between body and spirit. The dividing line of sorts, both in the physical sense and also the philosophical understanding. If a person is following religion and is not aware of this basic distinction, they are more likely following out of sentiment or faith, only.

“The teachings extend from that basic principle. Like opening the door to a giant house, filled with rooms on multiple floors. There is so much to learn, but at the foundation is the reminder that we are not the body. We are spirit soul. The material world does not have to be our permanent home. We do not have to suffer rebirth if we do not want to.

“The question I have relates to prayer. Where does prayer fit into this? When we hear that life is about devotion, that the real meaning to dharma is service, what happens when we are in trouble? If we are in distress, what should we do?

“Is it okay to ask God the person to fulfill material desires? Is that not sinful? Does that not violate the implied agreement in bhakti-yoga? Should we not be trying to please Krishna with our thoughts, words, and actions?

“At the same time, if someone is sick, to whom should we pray? If we want out of a difficult situation, to which direction should we turn? I feel bad asking God for help, because I feel that the issues are trivial. Or perhaps I am being selfish.”

To begin, it should be acknowledged that every person wants something when they make the initial approach to God. This only makes sense. We are fallible. He is infallible, Achyuta. We have influence at the local sphere, while He is everywhere, Paramatma. We are small, while He is great.

चतुर्-विधा भजन्ते मां
जनाः सुकृतिनो ऽर्जुन
आर्तो जिज्ञासुर् अर्थार्थी
ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
janāḥ sukṛtino ‘rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

“O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me – the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.16)

Shri Krishna lists four categories of worshipers who approach Him. Someone wants wealth. Another person is in distress. There are two categories which have interests tied to knowledge. As Krishna is Bhagavan, He is complete in every category of influence. If we approach Him to solve the problem, He always has the means to act. He is satya-sankalpa; whatever He desires to take place can occur instantly, without effort.

With the concern over asking for help in a material sense, there should be introspection related to effort. Take external help out of the equation, for a moment. Will I work in such a way as to make the desire manifest? Do I want to succeed? Am I acting in such a way as to bring about a certain result?

If I am putting in the effort myself, then what is wrong in asking for extra assistance from the Supreme Lord? We know that we are ultimately helpless in the end. Even something as simple as getting out of bed in the morning is not guaranteed to occur. Nature must first cooperate with our desires.

प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि
गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः
अहङ्कार-विमूढात्मा
कर्ताहम् इति मन्यते

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate

“The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.27)

Material nature has three sources of misery. One of the sources is the heavenly realm. Earthquakes. Hurricanes. Flood. Who can actually manage these calamities on their own? What other option is there besides prayer?

We have the pastime of Shri Krishna helping His friends in the forest. Though a child at the time, Krishna was considered the beginning and end for everything important. The friends found trouble in an approaching forest fire. They looked to Krishna and His brother Balarama for help.

Was this a material desire? Should they have simply sat quietly and hoped for an impersonal force to intervene? Should they have taken their medicine, so to speak, and dealt with the consequences appropriately?

They looked to Krishna for help. Krishna devoured the forest fire. Disaster averted. He saved the day. This does not mean that every emergency will feature a similar level of intervention, but there is nothing lost in the connection in prayer, especially when made in desperation, such as with Draupadi and her sari.

The premise of the sacred Bhagavad-gita conversation is a person in distress. Arjuna is looking for help. He seeks it out directly. He is not bothered by Krishna’s standing as the Supreme Lord. Arjuna knows that Krishna can help.

तस्मात् त्वम् उत्तिष्ठ यशो लभस्व
जित्वा शत्रून् भुङ्क्ष्व राज्यं समृद्धम्
मयैवैते निहताः पूर्वम् एव
निमित्त-मात्रं भव सव्य-साचिन्

tasmāt tvam uttiṣṭha yaśo labhasva
jitvā śatrūn bhuṅkṣva rājyaṁ samṛddham
mayaivaite nihatāḥ pūrvam eva
nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savya-sācin

“Therefore get up and prepare to fight. After conquering your enemies you will enjoy a flourishing kingdom. They are already put to death by My arrangement, and you, O Savyasachin, can be but an instrument in the fight.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 11.33)

Arjuna accepts the advice to proceed forward. The outcome of an armed military clash involving highly skilled combatants is never assured. But win or lose, Arjuna is connected to Bhagavan in consciousness. This was the most important aspect to the approach.

The devoted souls will always stay with the Supreme Lord, whether He lifts them up or puts them into difficulty. They will never leave His side, and so they are never lost to Him.

In Closing:

Desperately working towards the goal,
But sources of misery taking their toll.

Such that help not anywhere seen,
Wanting God to intervene.

Sensible when in trouble’s hour,
Like Krishna forest fire to devour.

But most important connection choosing,
Steady whether winning or losing.

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Tags: god, hare krishna, krishna lila, poem, poems, poetry, prayer, religion