Why God allows suffering despite his divine control
A question arises: if this is so, why do we see a despot giving trouble to his countrymen? Why is he not stopped by God — the Controller? The same question arises about a tsunami washing away innocent people. And why does a good man suffer while a bad man enjoys? Why do even devotees endure suffering?
Before I answer these questions, let me give a broad picture of what God does as the Controller. God, by His Divine willpower, creates when the time comes to give a new start to Creation. God causes dissolution when the time runs out for the old Creation. In the interim, God maintains it by providing sufficient energy, light, fresh air, potable water, fertile land, etc. In this period, no one can destroy Creation. In spite of being the Controller, God allows free will to all souls; otherwise, they would become robots. God enforces the ‘Karmaphala Siddhanta’, which is: what you sow is what you reap. This is based on ‘dharma’ - righteousness. Surely, profit and loss, birth and death, honour and dishonour are in God’s hands. God also sets in motion material nature, which causes rain, summer, winter, etc. Three types of miseries — caused by oneself, by others, and by natural forces like earthquakes — always exist because this planet is ‘duhkhalaya’ — a place of misery (The Bhagavad Gita 8.15).
Now, the answers to the questions raised in the beginning. A despot reaches that position because of good ‘karmas’ (acts) done in the past. If he decides to misuse this privilege to trouble others, he now creates bad karmaphalas — punishable in the future. No one escapes this, and it may happen in a future life. Rewards and punishments are strictly between God and souls; others have no role in it.
God strictly follows dharma, which He Himself has formulated. A tsunami causes death because those who die were destined to. A bad man may be enjoying now because good karmaphalas have manifested. Similarly, a good man may be suffering now because bad karmas have manifested. The same is true of devotees, who must have sinned before taking shelter of God.
All devotees, good people, and bad people are qualified for this planet, where both enjoyment and suffering always exist. It is neither heaven nor Vaikuntha — the abode of God. One must deal with ‘sukha’ and ‘duhkha’ appropriately; devotees do so with help from God. They seek liberation, being unhappy with being placed on this earthly planet.
The conclusion is: God’s control is perfect; He is absolutely fair. Everything is logical. Great devotees of the past are proofs of God’s ‘kripa’ (grace). God’s will always prevails. There should be no doubts about it. This is the Big Picture.
The writer is a spiritual teacher; views are personal
