Why Doesn’t God Always Use His Superpowers

By krishnasmercy on April 4, 2026 • ( 0 )

“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 going to level with you. This is a confidential matter, so please use discretion when sharing the details with others. You can leave my name and circumstances out of the discussion. Not that I am invoking HIPAA compliance or anything, but you get my drift. I feel embarrassed to reveal this, but here goes.

“Being a parent has been more difficult than I ever could have imagined. It is not in the way that you would expect, either. I am present. I am prepared. I pay attention. I am generally on top of things. I don’t prioritize anything else. It is not like I am going on weekend golf trips with the guys or drinking the nights away. I take this job seriously. I realize that the kids have no one else. The mother and the father are the first and last line of defense. We have no guarantees in this world, but as long as I can provide some level of appropriate and attentive guardianship, I am going to rise to the occasion.

“The reason it has been so difficult is that the kids always find a way to stump me. They ask a question that I am shocked to hear from someone so young. In most cases, I am prepared with an answer, but only if the person asking were an adult. I don’t know how to explain such complex matters to a child. Even adults rarely voice such concerns. Let me give you an example.

“In our household we stress the importance of worship. The children see the parents worshiping. They see the altar in the corner of the room. They witness what goes on. They are naturally curious, as a result. They come to learn that God is this special person, who is the source of everything. They know that God has superpowers, that He can do anything, whenever He wants.

“At the same time, the children hear about tragedies occurring in real life. Horrific accidents. Death delivered at an unexpected time. This is where they put two and two together. They ask why God does not invoke His superpowers to save people affected by these tragedies. If our own family were to find similar danger, would God save us? Did these other people suffer because they did not believe in God? If they did believe, then why didn’t the person they worship save them?

“What exactly am I supposed to say, here? Invoking the concept of karma almost feels like a crutch. An easy way to avoid the discussion without reaching a proper resolution. We spend a lot of time reviewing Krishna-lila. There are the stories of a young Krishna devouring the forest fire to save His friends. He steps into the mouth of the Aghasura demon and eliminates the danger. If Krishna is doing these things for His friends, why isn’t He doing it for everyone? What is the best response to such inquiries?”

It should be acknowledged at the outset that people study the subject matter for years and years, without reaching satisfactory resolution. Their doubts remain, and so they continue to try. They might even abandon the standard way of living in favor of austerity and penance, to assist in their study. Still, they marvel at the fact that someone so powerful and in control of everything volunteers to be a subordinate to a bow-warrior, like in the case with Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

महात्मानस् तु मां पार्थ
दैवीं प्रकृतिम् आश्रिताः
भजन्त्य् अनन्य-मनसो
ज्ञात्वा भूतादिम् अव्ययम्

mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
bhajanty ananya-manaso
jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam

“O son of Pritha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.13)

Shri Krishna explains that the mahatmas are under the protection of a different kind of energy. The Sanskrit word for the energy is prakriti. The distinction here is with the use of the word daivim, which refers to divine. The mahatmas are the great souls. They have identifiable characteristics, most notable among them a constant connection in appreciation and joy relating to Krishna Himself. The mahatmas are always chanting Krishna’s glories. They are fixed in their vow, dridha-vratah, which creates a kind of determination impossible to suppress.

सततं कीर्तयन्तो मां
यतन्तश् च दृढ-व्रताः
नमस्यन्तश् च मां भक्त्या
नित्य-युक्ता उपासते

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.14)

If Krishna makes a distinction between two kinds of prakriti, in terms of protection, then there must be two situations to find, as a result. Those who are not mahatmas, who are not always connected to Krishna in consciousness, must be under the protection of the non-divine prakriti. This means that they are vulnerable to birth and death and everything in between. That “in between” can involve ascension to a higher realm, where you reach the status of a deva, or god. It might also involve horrible tragedy, with severe pain and heartache. Everything that we witness with our own eyes, through the life experience thus far, is on the table.

वेदाहं समतीतानि
वर्तमानानि चार्जुन
भविष्याणि च भूतानि
मां तु वेद न कश्चन

vedāhaṁ samatītāni
vartamānāni cārjuna
bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni
māṁ tu veda na kaścana

“O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.26)

Those under the protection of the divine prakriti might appear to have a similar vulnerability, but there is the distinction of continued connection. Sometimes, Krishna will appear and provide the protection Himself. Sometimes, He might withdraw the protection. For instance, when Krishna was seated on the chariot, steering the vehicle per the instruction of Arjuna, there was protection. Arjuna did not have to worry about winning or losing. His future was accounted for. Later on, when Krishna was not present, the same celebrated bow-warrior suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of much less capable dacoits.

Arjuna was under the protection of the divine prakriti prior to the Bharata War. He was under Krishna’s direct protection even while externally exhibiting ignorance in succumbing to doubt and fear. This apparent fall from grace is what precipitated the Bhagavad-gita conversation. Arjuna was under the same protection at the conclusion of the discussion with Krishna.

These subtleties may be difficult to notice. We are not entirely sure under whose jurisdiction we operate. God is otherwise neutral, laying in the resting position in the spiritual world as Vishnu. He creates, maintains, and destroys countless universes effortlessly. For Him, the work is as easy as breathing in and out. For the devoted souls, He makes an exception. He breaks from the neutrality. This is the true boon of following bhakti-yoga. We follow devotion not to find a specific situation in a temporary world. We follow devotion to stay eternally connected to our eternally well-wishing friend, who happens to carry the greatest potency conceivable.