Gita key verses course 22- What if I am not spiritual enough at the time of death? – Gita 6.40

So, today, welcome to this Gita discussion, and we are discussing the prospects of growth in spiritual life and the challenges in that growth. This is specifically one question: what happens if I am not spiritual enough by the time I die? We will discuss this based on 6.40 in the Bhagavad Gita.

So, Partha, Arjuna, na eva iha na amutra, iha is in this world, na is not, and amutra is in the next world. Neither in this world nor in the next world, vinasha stasya vidyate, there will be destruction for that person. Who is that person? Nahi kalyanakrit kashchit, that one who is engaged in auspicious activities, kalyanakrit kashchit, durgatin tata gachchati. Not only will there be no destruction, but there will also not be any poor destination for that person. In auspiciousness, that person, tata gachchati, tata is a very affectionate form of address.

So, Krishna is assuring Arjuna that you are dear to me, and there will be no destruction for one who engages in good work or auspicious work. In the context of the Gita, good work here, kalyanakrit, auspicious work, does not refer to charity or benevolence. Here, it specifically refers to the auspicious work of getting out of the entanglement of material existence, the auspicious work of rising to spiritual consciousness. And this is Krishna’s first verse in answer to Arjuna’s question, which was there in the previous three verses. That question was, what happens to a person who embarks on spiritual life but is not able to complete that journey?

So, the question of our class is the question that Arjuna asks, and what we are discussing are the words of the answer. It is a very reassuring and hope-giving answer that never will there be destruction for somebody who is engaged in auspicious work.

Now, let us try to link this with the flow of what we have been discussing till now. The Gita starts with the understanding of the question about what is Dharma. Then, we discussed various aspects about how the understanding that we are a soul on a journey of spiritual evolution is applied in various areas of life. Specifically, in this sixth chapter, Krishna talks about managing the mind so that one can transcend the world.

In the previous section, we discussed how the mind causes problems in relationships and how those relationship issues can be dealt with. The point there was that once one learns to manage the mind, one can get joy not only internally but also externally, socially.

Then, the question comes up: actually learning to manage the mind, to make it equipoised, is not easy. So, Arjuna asks two questions. The first is, just controlling the mind is very difficult. The precise question which I have mentioned, and Krishna says yes, it is difficult, but if you strive, it is possible. If you strive with an appropriate process, it is possible. That assures Arjuna. But still, there are two words which are Arjuna’s questions, 33 and 34, and 35 and 36 are Krishna’s brief answers.

But Arjuna asks, “Okay, you are saying it is possible with an appropriate process, but what if I don’t complete it? What if, say, it is a chronic disease and before the treatment can work and cure me, what if I die before that? What if I run out of time?”

Now, here we are talking about the treatment, not of the body, but of the soul. So, will whatever I do go to waste? Arjuna’s specific question is not just about what will happen to a person who is practicing spiritual life and is incomplete in that; his question is a little more specific. He gives a beautiful metaphor of clouds and says that there are broadly two clouds in the sky. Sometimes there are small, small, we may use the word cloudlets or just globules of clouds. Now, suppose one small cloud or a cloudy lump leaves one cloud and goes to another cloud, but while it is going towards that cloud, suddenly a stormy wind comes and sweeps it away.

Then it was neither in this cloud nor in that cloud; it is lost. So, Arjuna asks, similarly, he talks about two clouds of people over there. One is, there are two groups of people who are on two different trajectories. One is the pious materialists, Krishna has talked about these earlier in the second chapter when he discusses those who practice some level of Dharma to get a better material life in the future. They want to go to heavens or they want to get better worldly enjoyment. So, that is the cloud which is basically the crowd of pious materialists.

Now, there is a cloud of spiritualists who are not interested in going to heaven; they are interested in going to the spiritual world. In the Bhagavad Gita’s understanding, heaven and the spiritual world are two separate things. Heaven is temporary, whereas the spiritual world is eternal. We will discuss this a little bit more, but the question is about these two clouds. If someone wants to become among the ranks of the spiritualists but lives the path of pious materialism—religious piety—and wants to go to the level of spirituality, but in between, that person’s mind is so restless that the mind sweeps that person away, a storm comes, and yoga is disturbed, the mind is restless, and one goes away. So, what happens to such a person? So, basically, what if one doesn’t succeed in spiritual life? That is Arjuna’s question.

So, let’s look at the session we are going to discuss today. There are three parts we will discuss. In general, in any endeavor that we make, there is the fear of failure. That is the first part. Then we will discuss what happens specifically if there is failure in spiritual life. Lastly, we will discuss how to deal with the fear of failure in spiritual life. Let’s begin. Let’s look at the fear of failure. This is a fear which stops us from doing worthwhile things. There are so many people who might have some talents and they could do things, but they never do them because they fear, “What if I fail? What if I don’t succeed? What will people think of me?”

One way to deal with the fear of failure is to think that, at the time of death, we won’t regret the many things we did that turned out to be failures, but the things we never did fearing they might go wrong. See, all of us have certain talents, certain abilities, and certain aspirations, and unless we strive, we will never achieve those things. For most people, regret centers on not being courageous enough to do something enterprising, to do something worthwhile. So, how do we normally deal with the fear of failure?

In many ways, the principles for success and failure that apply in material life and spiritual life are similar. Ultimately, one has to be courageous, dedicated, and visionary, but it’s just that the direction we seek success in is different. Courage itself is not so much the absence of fear as the presence of a purpose bigger than fear. For example, soldiers in the army don’t have no fear of death. They may fear death, but if they love their country and are patriotic, the point is that their love for the country, the purpose of wanting to defend it, gives them a higher strength and helps them overcome the fear. Just like during the current COVID crisis, medical care workers are not without fear of getting infected. There is fear, but their purpose to help people who are sick and offer them service helps them overcome their fear.

So, this same principle applies in our spiritual life as well. If we have to deal with the fear of failure, we need to consider that we are striving for a purpose that is bigger than the fear of failure. What could that purpose be? We will look at that now.

Understanding what that purpose is and how a purpose in spiritual life transcends our failures is what we will discuss next. Let’s move ahead. When we talk about spiritual failure, what are the possibilities? There are broadly three possibilities in the Bhagavad Gita, in this section from 6.37 to 6.45.

One possibility is that we run out of time. Running out of time means we are practicing spiritual life, trying to develop love for Krishna and attain Krishna, but before we become pure enough to develop love for Krishna, we run out of time. Our body has a particular time duration, determined by our past karma, and that time duration gets over. It’s like having a rented car. The body is like a rented car, and we are meant to go to a particular destination, but before we reach the destination, the rental period of the car runs out. That’s one possibility: we run out of time.

Let’s look at the second possibility. Somebody might feel that this whole spiritual life is too challenging and they cannot do it, so they return to material religiosity. Arjuna was never just a religious person. Arjuna was virtuous and religious. Krishna is taking Arjuna from a religious level to a spiritual level. Now, the second possibility could be that someone is pious, virtuous, and religious, and they rise from there to the spiritual level, but they are not able to sustain that spiritual level and then return to the level of material religiosity. That’s the second possibility—somebody just goes back and starts living the way they were earlier.

This possibility is present today as well. But in today’s world, most of us, if we consider our lives before practicing bhakti, were not necessarily living religious lives. We might have been leading quite irreligious, materialistic lives. So, somebody could fall back to material irreligiosity after starting bhakti, going back to self-destructive activities once again.

Let’s fall back to material religiosity. So, there are these three possibilities, and let’s see how they are addressed in the Bhagavad Gita and other wisdom texts. The Bhagavad Gita addresses the first two because for Arjuna, the third is not relevant. Arjuna was never materially religious and was not going to fall to that level at all. However, that possibility is discussed in the Srimad Bhagavatam, and we will come to that. So, let’s move forward and look at the first two possibilities one by one.

If somebody runs out of time, what happens? This person will resume their spiritual practice in a spiritually favorable setting at another place. In one sense, for the soul, the body is like a home. Earlier, I compared it to a car. Suppose somebody is on a particular journey, and their car rental period runs out—what happens? They simply hire another car. In the same way, the person will get another car, another body. Now, Krishna says that if someone has already been practicing spiritual life seriously and is quite advanced spiritually, with no worldly interests, but they have not reached the level of desire for Krishna greater than their desire for everything else, they will be born again in this world. Krishna says, “Athava bahunaitena, athava yoginameva kule bhavati dhimatam, etadhidur labhataram loke janmayadidrusham.” (Bhagavad Gita 6.42).

In this verse, Krishna mentions that those who are yogis will be born into the family of very wise people, into a dynasty of those whose intelligence is very developed. Krishna says such a birth is extremely rare. So, what is the advantage of being born in a spiritually minded family? Right from birth, or even before birth, one’s parents will be praying for one’s spiritual well-being, not just material well-being. Parents will perform spiritual ceremonies (called samskaras) and give spiritual impressions to the child, which can help the child grow in a spiritually favorable environment.

This is a very auspicious birth, Krishna says. Another way to understand it is through an example. Suppose a student is about to graduate, but due to a transfer, they must move to a new place. The student will be admitted to the university at that new place without starting from the first year. They will continue their studies from the point they left off and eventually graduate. Similarly, Krishna says that even if someone dies before attaining complete spiritual success, their death will transition them to another favorable level of reality where their spiritual growth will continue.

Now, if someone prefers material religiosity, what does that mean? It means that the person seeks material pleasures while following the codes of ethics and virtue. Such a person desires worldly enjoyment but through virtuous actions. Krishna describes this in the following section. They will get abundant material enjoyment until they become satiated, and then they will find a materially comfortable position to resume their spiritual search.

An example of this could be a university student who gets caught up in playing sports but doesn’t abandon their studies. The student is still part of the university, practicing very seriously and professionally. The university might allow the student to suspend their studies temporarily, so they can focus on playing at a professional level, but when they return, they will pick up where they left off. Similarly, if someone desires heavenly enjoyment within the bounds of virtue, Krishna says they can go to the heavens.

To go to the heavens, a person has to acquire a lot of punya (material pious credits) by doing virtuous deeds. But even if a person is not able to perform all those virtuous deeds, they can still be elevated and eventually liberated if they stay on the spiritual path. In this case, the person might get attracted to worldly pleasures but will eventually be born into a family that is either wealthy or learned. Krishna says they will be born into a family that is cultured or wealthy, referred to as Shuchinam Srimatam.

Normally in life, when we face challenges, there are broadly two types: financial and relational. Each of these challenges can completely consume us. In our own lives, we may notice that if we are trying to practice spiritual life but have job anxiety or relationship issues, it becomes difficult to focus on spirituality. Krishna addresses this by saying that if someone is practicing spiritual life, they may go to the heavens, where their desires are satiated. Afterward, they return to this world and, if born in a cultured family, they will have basic relational skills, so relationship problems won’t be as overwhelming. If born in a wealthy family, financial problems will also be lessened. In either case, the person faces less struggle in life and can focus on spiritual growth. This is the second possibility, as explained in Bhagavad Gita 6.41.

In verse 6.40, which is relevant to today’s class, Krishna gives assurance that spiritual progress will never be lost. No matter what happens, whatever we do spiritually will never be lost. Krishna explains this further in verses 6.42 and 6.41. The underlying assurance is that spiritual efforts are never wasted. In material life, however, whatever we earn—whether wealth or success—is left behind when we die. Our material wealth doesn’t carry over into the next life. But spiritual credits go with us. Now, let’s look at the third possibility.

What happens if someone falls to material illiosity? In this case, the person faces material consequences for their actions. For instance, if someone gives up the practice of Dharma and starts following an adharmic path, they will face consequences based on what they are attached to. This is a fundamental principle of transmigration—the soul is reborn in a body that allows it to experience the desires it was attached to in its previous life.

The Srimad Bhagavatam illustrates this with the story of King Bharat Maharaj. Bharat Maharaj, initially detached and focused on spiritual growth, became distracted. One day, while meditating in the jungle, he saw a pregnant doe being chased by a predator. The doe, in fear, jumped across a river but delivered a baby deer during the escape. The baby deer fell into the river and was swept away. Bharat Maharaj, seeing this, rescued the baby deer. Though it was an act of compassion, Bharat Maharaj became attached to the deer. He stopped his spiritual practices to care for it, watching over it and playing with it. When the deer disappeared one day, Bharat Maharaj became desperate, searching for it. While searching in a hilly area, he fell and was fatally wounded. As he died, the last thoughts on his mind were of the deer, and in his next life, he was reborn as a deer.

This story illustrates how attachment to material things, even if not impious, can lead to material consequences. In Bharat Maharaj’s case, his attachment to the deer led him to be born as a deer. Similarly, someone who deviates from spiritual practice and attaches to worldly desires may face consequences. In the Bhagavatam’s third canto, a verse explains that even those born into lowly circumstances but who chant the names of Krishna have already done pious activities in previous lives. The question arises: why are they born into low circumstances if they were spiritually inclined in their past life? The understanding is that they did something wrong in their previous life, which led to their low birth. Despite this, their spiritual inclination is not lost.

This brings us to two distinct principles: the material law and the spiritual principle. These two can operate in parallel. For example, in bhakti culture, we take milk and milk products. However, someone who is lactose intolerant might suffer a material reaction, even though the food is spiritually purifying (because it is prasad). In this case, it would be better for the person to avoid milk and take other food. Similarly, material challenges may arise, but the spiritual principle will still operate, guiding the person’s spiritual journey despite material difficulties.

The spiritual principle is that taking food offered to Krishna purifies, but at a material level, there will be material reactions. So, we must be cautious of both material and spiritual factors. The material principle is that if we get attached to something, we will attain that state in a future life, as Krishna explains in the 8th chapter. We’ll discuss that in due course. The key point here is that if we perform wrong actions at the material level, there will be reactions according to the law of karma. Thus, material and spiritual laws run on parallel tracks.

Although Bharat Maharaj experienced a material reaction—being born as a deer—he did not lose his spiritual awareness. Even in his deer body, he remained conscious of his spiritual past. He remembered his previous life and understood how he had deviated. He did not spend his life as a deer, playing around and chasing after food. Instead, he stayed near the hermitages of sages, and whatever grass he got, even if it was dry, he was satisfied. His focus remained on associating with the sages, hearing the spiritual sound vibrations and the Vedic mantras. In this way, he continued his spiritual evolution. This shows that spiritual credits are never lost. However, if someone acts in a materially short-sighted or destructive way, there will be material consequences, but the spiritual credits remain. These spiritual credits draw the person toward Krishna and continue to guide them toward the Lord in this life and the next.

Spiritual credits essentially mean an attraction to transcendence. For example, someone might practice bhakti but not complete their spiritual practices in one life. If they are reborn elsewhere, possibly in a place that seems spiritually neglected, the attraction to God remains. This attraction will continue to draw them toward transcendence. Krishna explains that, almost helplessly, the person will be drawn toward transcendence, regardless of external circumstances. Bharat Maharaj lost his material position but did not lose his spiritual disposition. His attraction to the Lord remained intact, and this was special. We will never lose our spiritual credits, but we might lose time depending on how much we deviate from our path. If we run out of time, we lose only the time spent transitioning between lives. If someone has worldly desires, they may lose the time needed to work through those desires. If someone also engages in inauspicious activities, they will face karmic reactions, and their spiritual journey will continue from there.

The attraction to spirituality remains within us. All of us have varying degrees of knowledge. We have articulated knowledge, which we can express, and embodied knowledge, which is internalized. Embodied knowledge is similar to how children may play games without knowing all the rules explicitly, but they instinctively understand how to play. Similarly, if a child is born with a strong spiritual inclination from a past life, they may not be able to articulate their spirituality, but they will be naturally drawn to it. Many devotees observe that their children show a natural attraction to spiritual practices, which could be a sign that those children are spiritually evolved souls drawn to Krishna.

So, the spiritual credits that stay with us draw us toward Krishna. It’s not that if you have memorized verses from the Bhagavad Gita in this life, you’ll remember the exact verses in the next life. No, there will be an attraction toward transcendence, but you may not remember the verses themselves. After we bear the material consequences of our actions, we’ll resume our spiritual journey in an appropriate position. For instance, in Bharat Maharaj’s next life, after being born as a deer, he became Jadabharat, a highly evolved spiritualist, completely detached from the world. He focused intensely on spiritual growth and ultimately attained spiritual perfection. This illustrates Krishna’s assurance that one will never fall into inauspiciousness.

Even if we fail in our spiritual journey, we can still fail well. Failure, in this case, means that we may fail materially or spiritually, but if we strive to develop a spiritual connection and vision, even in failure, we can still make progress.

Now, how do we overcome the fear of failure, especially the fear of what will happen to us after death? Krishna says that even if we fear death, there is assurance that we will continue on our spiritual journey. To give us this assurance, there are three key principles:

1. The soul’s longing for transcendence is inextinguishable.
2. Krishna’s love for the soul is inexhaustible.
3. The opportunities for using our free will properly are interminable.

Let’s examine each of these points.

1. The soul’s longing for transcendence is inextinguishable.
The soul has an inherent taste for transcendence, and it can never be satisfied by anything other than Krishna. This is a theme that comes across in various religious traditions. Saint Augustine, in the Christian tradition, says, “O Lord, thou hast made our heart for thee, and our heart finds no rest till it rests in thee.” The idea is that the heart will never find rest in anything else. We might crave different things, acquire them, and enjoy them, but immediately, we’ll want something more. Similarly, the Bhagavatam (1.5.19) states that if someone practices spiritual life and then gives it up, they will not return to ordinary material life. Instead, they will remember the lotus feet of Mukunda (Krishna), and that remembrance will keep drawing them back toward Krishna. Although we might temporarily be allured by worldly things, the taste for Krishna will remain within us, and it will always pull us back toward transcendence.

2. Krishna’s love for us is inexhaustible.
Even if we turn away from Krishna, He never turns away from us. Krishna’s love for us is untiring. In the Bhagavatam, during the prayers of Gajendra, he prays:
“My dear Lord, although I am bound, entangled in my own karma, please liberate me.” He acknowledges that Krishna is free, and even though he deserves to stay bound, Krishna is merciful and can give him amnesty. The Lord may say, “I have been trying to deliver you for so long, but you never turned toward me.” Yet Gajendra says, “Although I turned away from you so many times, you never get tired of trying to deliver me.” This illustrates that even when we fail or turn away from Krishna, He tirelessly pulls us back. We are not alone in our spiritual journey. Krishna is with us and wants us to come back to Him. Even if we turn away, He will turn us back toward Him. A devotee who practices bhakti even once becomes “haunted by rasa,” the taste for transcendence, and this pulls them back toward Krishna.

3. The opportunities for using our free will properly are interminable.
There is no concept of eternal damnation. If we don’t turn toward Krishna in this life, we have the opportunity to do so in the next life. The chances for spiritual growth are endless. We may feel that we have tried many times and failed, but we should not become discouraged. Even if we get deviated again, Krishna will redirect us toward Him. This is the auspiciousness of our journey. However, this philosophy should not make us complacent. Instead, it should make us more serious about our spiritual growth, encouraging us to keep striving and improving.

Sooner or later, we will have to strengthen our intention. If we don’t do it in this life, we’ll have to do it in the next life. However, the next life won’t happen automatically. Unless we are ready to help ourselves, even God can’t help us. God is always ready to help, but He can only do so when we want to and are ready to help ourselves. We must do our part, and then Krishna will do His part. If we fail to do our part, it might take many lifetimes, and we may never turn toward Him. However, at some point, we must make a strong resolve to pursue our spiritual journey.

When dealing with the fear of failure, we should focus on what is within our control, rather than worrying about whether we will become pure enough to attain Krishna in this life or what will happen in the future. Instead, focus on the present—what we can do right now. Right now, we can offer our heart to Krishna, pray to Him, and offer our bhakti. What is not in our control, Krishna will take care of. Krishna may accelerate our spiritual journey and help us reach perfection in this life, but if it doesn’t happen, it will continue in the next life. The important thing is to stay focused, encouraged, and keep striving forward. Krishna will deliver us.

To summarize what I spoke about today, I addressed the fear of failure and how it can hold us back in life. Fear of failure can deter us from pursuing anything, including our spiritual path. How do we deal with this fear of failure? By understanding that not doing something will cause us greater regret than trying and failing. Even in spiritual life, failure comes with possibilities:

1. We may simply run out of time, in which case, we’ll be reborn and continue our spiritual journey from where we left off.
2. Alternatively, if someone starts desiring worldly things but in a pious way, they may go to heaven for enjoyment and then return in a family where they can focus on spiritual life.
3. If someone deviates and engages in wrong actions, there will be material consequences, but the spiritual attraction remains. The material position may be lost, but the spiritual disposition will stay intact.

In any case, failure doesn’t mean the end of the spiritual journey. The spiritual path continues, and even when we fail, we can still make progress in the future.

To overcome the fear of failure, we can meditate on three things:

1. The soul’s longing for transcendence is inextinguishable.
   No matter how many times we deviate, that longing for transcendence remains within us. It is embedded in our nature.
2. Krishna’s love for us is inexhaustible.
   Even if we turn away from Krishna, He never turns away from us. Krishna’s love for us is unwavering, and He will always draw us back to Him.
3. The opportunities for using our free will properly are interminable.
   There is no concept of eternal damnation. If we don’t turn toward Krishna in this life, we have the chance to do so in the next life. The opportunities to grow spiritually never run out.

However, we should not become complacent. We must strive to help ourselves. Unless we do our part, Krishna cannot help us. But if we do what we can in the present moment, offering ourselves to Krishna, He will take care of the rest. This is how even in failure, we can “fail well” and fare auspiciously in future lives.

Regarding the questions, here’s a summary:

1. How to fully forget past negative experiences:
   Forgetting negative experiences is a gradual process. We can expose ourselves to more positive impressions. Over time, these positive influences will override the negative ones. Some impressions are deep-rooted and take time to heal, so patience is key.
2. Is the 640 rule applicable to spiritual organizations that mix their own inventions with the Vedic process?
   It depends on what is being offered. If the organization cultivates transcendence, they will elevate spiritually to that extent. However, if the practices only focus on material benefits, such as curing diseases or gaining wealth, without fostering an attraction toward transcendence, then it will not lead to spiritual progress. The key is whether transcendence is the focus or not.
3. It depends on whether there is a conception of transcendence and whether there is cultivation of transcendence. To that extent, this verse will apply.

Why did Ajamal get a chance in this life, even though his actions were spiritually and morally degraded, while Bharat Maharaj did not?
The point here is that Bharat Maharaj ran out of time due to an accident. At the time of his death, he was not remembering Krishna; he was remembering the deer. Ajamal certainly did greater wrong than Bharat Maharaj, but because of the advice of some Vaishnavas, he had named his son Narayan. When Ajamal called out his son’s name, he unintentionally remembered Lord Narayan, whom he had worshipped in his childhood. This calling out invoked Krishna’s mercy, and thus he was given a chance. However, this does not mean that Ajamal’s sins were exempted. He had to rigorously purify himself through severe austerities after that.

What can we learn from Bharat Maharaj’s deviation?
Why do we misutilize our free will? It’s simply due to conditioning and momentum from the past. So, don’t worry too much about it. Focus on using your free will properly. Gradually, this will become a habit. You can either focus on your weaknesses and feel cursed, or you can focus on the blessings you have and use your free will properly. Every day, try to reorient yourself toward Krishna. Don’t worry about how often you misused your free will. Focus on how often you try to use it properly, and be grateful for that. This attitude will encourage more positive use of your free will.

How do we overcome natural fears and accept the higher value system of the Bhagavad Gita without doubt?
It’s not necessary to overcome all fear or go beyond all doubt immediately. Start where you are. If you have doubts or fears, address them and take small steps forward. No one expects unrealistic progress. If guilt from past mistakes holds you back, remember that Krishna doesn’t see our past mistakes—He sees our present disposition. Krishna doesn’t judge us by what we’ve done but by what we long to do. If guilt is hindering your spiritual life, see it as another form of self-centeredness. Just as cravings can be temptations, guilt can also be a temptation. Instead of being discouraged by guilt, acknowledge it and move forward, recognizing that Krishna has given you the opportunity to practice spiritual life.

Will devotees practicing Bhakti Yoga fall to animal species?
Devotees practicing bhakti yoga won’t fall to animal consciousness, though they might fall into an animal body. This means they won’t lose their awareness of spirituality, even if they are born as an animal. There are examples of animals exhibiting spiritual behavior, such as a dog in a Malaysian temple that would join devotees for evening prayers or a crocodile in Kerala that was vegetarian. While they may get an animal body, they will retain their spiritual consciousness.

Does Krishna make us forget our material longings, even after coming to the path of Bhakti?
Krishna sees our desires. If we show Him that we want to remember Him more and more, He will help us in that direction. But if we still show attachment to material things, Krishna will allow us to process those attachments. It’s like a pop-up that appears on a screen. The pop-up is there, but we have the free will to focus on it or not. Krishna doesn’t cause the pop-ups, but they come based on our past choices. He gives us the opportunity for purification, and it’s up to us to show through our actions that we desire that purification.

Why didn’t Krishna make Bharat Maharaj remember Him at the time of death?
Krishna doesn’t force remembrance upon anyone. Remembrance is a matter of our own free will. Bharat Maharaj was attached to the deer, and at the time of death, he thought of the deer. Krishna cannot override our attachments. If we are attached to something, Krishna will take us to a place where we can process those attachments and move forward. This is what happened with Bharat Maharaj.

Why doesn’t Krishna intervene to remove our material attachments?
Krishna respects our free will. He doesn’t force us to forget material desires. However, if we show through our actions that we want to move forward spiritually, Krishna will help us. Material desires may still come up, but we have the power to choose whether to act on them or not.

Offending devotees:
The concept of offense is not directly addressed in the Bhagavad Gita, but generally, if we hurt someone unintentionally, we can apologize and clarify. However, a serious offense occurs when someone intentionally tries to bring down a devotee out of envy. Such offenses can lead to temporary loss of taste for Krishna, but that will return in due course.

Krishna’s remembrance of us:
Even if we forget Krishna, He remembers us. However, just because Krishna remembers us doesn’t mean He will force us to follow Him. If we are attached to something like cricket, for example, Krishna will not remove that attachment but will let us process it. He respects our free will and will help us move forward when we are ready.