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I have seen many instances where bad things have happened to good people. And to make it worse, the bad people prospered and progressed while the good people seemed to struggle every day for their survival.

Why don't we get the results of our bad karma in this birth only? How will the results from bad karma rendered in the next birth matter at all? The good person who had to suffer in spite of being good, isn't he lucky enough to watch those, who did wrong to him (bad people), suffer in same birth?

People do one wrong after another, yet they live their whole life in luxury. Where is God in all these situations? Doesn't it seem justified that this is the reason why people lose their belief in God?

Can you also explain when 2 people have neutral account, then how can one do wrong to other?

Last question, just consider a hypothetical situation, where, I never did anything wrong in any birth. Are bad things still bound to occur to me?

Please point references from scriptures to enlighten me here.

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    This same question was asked by Yudishthira to Lomasha Maharshi in the Mahabharata. I shall search the answer and post it here.
    – Surya
    Commented Nov 21, 2015 at 9:09
  • yes, please post it here.
    – S thangley
    Commented Nov 21, 2015 at 10:40
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    [Related not duplicate] If karma works, why are so many evil or corrupted people successful
    – The Destroyer ♦
    Commented Nov 21, 2015 at 17:01
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    @AnuragSingh Gosh terribly sorry I missed this answer completely.
    – Surya
    Commented Jun 4, 2017 at 16:33
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    @AnuragSingh Yes, that's what I thought too but OP needs to put all that explanation directly into the question. You can edit and add that too.
    – Say No To Censorship
    Commented Jun 5, 2017 at 15:19

2 Answers 2

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Original Link

Question: Why Bad Things Happen to Good People?

As you mentioned in the 9 May 2016 Thought for the Day, in a situation where greedy, remorseless, revengeful, powerful, scheming people play their dirty games and harass, abuse, insult, cause losses to and disturb the gentle devotees fully aware of the situation--why does this happen to the devotees when they are under the shelter of Krishna? Does Krishna penalize dirty, corrupt people and protect devotees? How and when? Why God delays in answering our prayers?

Gurudeva, how to serve spiritual master, Tulasi devi, and Krishna for their pleasure, not just to get moksha and Goloka dhama, but in pure devotional service to be with them always. Kindly elaborate. Your insignificant student,

Rajendra

Answer: For a True Devotee Everything is Good

A devotee accepts the hell of this material world as a wonderful reminder from the unlimitedly merciful Lord Sri Krishna that this material world is not our actual home. Everyone is punished and rewarded according to their previous pious and sinful activities. You cannot change that with prayer. Prayer is for awakening the pure love of God within our hearts so that we can get out of this material world. It is not for getting better facilities in this material world.

By purely serving the spiritual master Tulasi devi and Lord Krishna are automatically pleased. Srila Prabhupada describes nicely below how to serve the spiritual master:

"A disciple should serve the spiritual master as a menial servant, and whatever he has in his possession should be dedicated to the spiritual master: pranair arthair dhiya vaca. Everyone has his life, his wealth, his intelligence and his words, and all of them should be offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the via medium of the spiritual master."

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Another link discussing this.

and yet another link explaining this.

You will need to scroll down to the daily Question Answer section on the website.

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    Krishna has rubber stamped this material world as "dukhalayam ashashvatam" - in other words place of temporariness and misery. (BG 8.15). Who would like to come to such a place? miserable people definitely. So even the wisest seeming person on this planet (except a bonafide spiritual master) is a miser. And that includes you and me too :). Bitter truth, eh?
    – Kṛṣṇa
    Commented May 23, 2016 at 12:00
  • ShriPrabhuPaada GuruDeva is not our Authority. Veda, Puraana, Aagama, et cetera are.
    – user9392
    Commented Jun 4, 2017 at 4:41
  • I would advise you to change your name to- Krishna. Because- while adding a comment to you, we have to type @ and your name. Now, your name is- Kṛṣṇa, which is the most correct spelling. But not many pepple would be able to do this- They would not be able to write your name as- Kṛṣṇa , since ṛṣṇ , is not easily available in all keyboards**. Thus I advise you- change name to Krishna, so that while discussion users can easily mention your name.
    – user9392
    Commented Jun 4, 2017 at 4:48
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This might help:

Gurudev, when something good happens, we say it is Guru kripa (grace). Then what do we say when something bad happens? You say that having a Guru means one is protected, then why do bad things happen?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Well, the divine loves everybody, however they are. If the happening of bad things takes your faith away, then it is no longer faith. But if faith stays in spite of all the bad things that are happening, then the end result will always be great and wonderful.

Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas asked Krishna for a very peculiar boon. She said,

‘Lord Krishna, let bad things happen in my life.’

Krishna was shocked, he said, ‘Why do you ask for this?’

Kunti said, ‘Whenever bad things happened, I know you were with me, and helped me get over that, so I don’t mind. Every time I was in danger, I knew you were always with me.’

A realisation like that is very unique. Bad things do not happen because you are good or not, but because you must have done something bad in the past; that karma is showing up now, and we have to face the consequences. If we had wrong food, it will show up as some disease. If your state of mind was very tense, then it will show up in your body as some disease.

From a Q&A with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: http://www.artofliving.org/wisdom/bad-things-to-good-people

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    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is not our authority. Veda, Purana, Agamas et cetera are.
    – user9392
    Commented Jun 4, 2017 at 4:59
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    Also give "scriptural" reference for thus- "Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas asked Krishna for a very peculiar boon. She said,....................."
    – user9392
    Commented Jun 4, 2017 at 5:00

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