Is Krishna A Dictator?

H.H. Shriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Question: Is Krishna a Dictator?

It is said in the Bhagavad-gita that we all are part and parcels of God and like Him are eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss. My questions are : (i) If we are eternal souls, why do we always fear death? (ii) If we are full of knowledge, how can we say we are in darkness and trying to know more and more about everything? (iii) If we are full of bliss, why do we always hanker to enjoy more and more and are never happy? (iv) Somewhere in his books, Srila Prabhupada has quoted that when Lord Hari is especially pleased with any of His devotees, He takes away all his dear things on which he is depending like his family members, fame, wealth, and health so that he is so helpless that he will nothing to do except to fully surrender himself unto the Lord. Why would God make His dearest devotee so helpless and put him in such pitiful situation just to bring Him in His control. Is it not egoistic behavior on His part? Is this not like some dictator's behavior of modern days? Devchand N. Patel India

Answer: He is the Most Benevolent Father

Thank you very much for your very nice questions. We are foolishly afraid of death because due to misidentification with a temporary material body we have forgotten our eternal nature as deathless spiritual beings. Even though we are full of knowledge, at the present moment our unlimited knowledge is covered by the cloud of darkness. Therefore we have forgotten the reality of which we were formerly so perfectly aware. Our bliss is also covered, just as our knowledge is covered. If someone wants to fully surrender to Krishna but is held back by their material attachments, Krishna kindly removes them from their material attachments so that they can easily fully surrender unto Him. This is His sweet kindness. Krishna is not egoistic. He is the most benevolent father, who always does what is best for the ultimate happiness of each of His beloved children. If we do not understand Him, that is our fault, not His, because He fully reveals Himself in the Bhagavad-gita. If we do not understand Him, this means that we are not carefully studying and applying the Bhagavad-gita. Sankarshan Das Adhikari   My Spiritual Master can be reached at: sda@backtohome.com. You may enrol with Him for a free e-course in self-realization through Krishna Bhakti at: www.ultimateselfrealization.com